Marie's Insights: January 2012

When I mentioned that I was going to Sri Lanka, I was met with questions like ‘Why’ or ‘Where is that exactly’. I have to admit I didn’t know much about it either, except that it was once called Ceylon, that it produces wonderful tea, and that the island had been embroiled in a Civil War. So I didn’t really know what to expect but I was intrigued with this far off place and the adventurer in me wanted to check it out. Far off indeed, it took 28 hours from Vancouver to Colombo with plane changes en route. The airport is about 1 hour from the city and it was pleasant to arrive in the middle of the night as there was less traffic and the temperature was cooler. Suggest you cash some money at the Airport into Sri Lankan Rupees. When you leave you need to change it all back BEFORE you go through Security. They do not take Sri Lankan Rupees in the Duty Free area. The shops were mostly closed on Sunday so everything was rather quiet. Sri Lanka embraces many religions – Buddhism, Hindu, Muslim and Christian. Within a few blocks there is usually a Buddha on a corner at the roadside, a gentle reminder to be present and in touch with one’s spirituality. You also may come upon statues of Ganesh one of the Hindu God’s and Jesus. An important thing to know when taking photos in Sri Lanka, is that you CANNOT take someone’s photo when they have their back to a Buddha. You will be told off in no uncertain terms. Heading North from Colombo we visited the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, where for a small fee you can feed an elephant with a giant milk bottle. You can then head down to the river and watch the elephants coming for their bath. I felt a bit sad here as these elephants will not be going back into the wild as they have had too much contact with people. In fact they aren't taking any more elephants here, they are taken to another area where they will be able to be rehabilitated.

Sigiriya – UNESCO World Heritage Site is an amazing archaeological site. At the base of the Rock Fortress is a unique complex of Water Gardens that were so engineered that the Pebbles would create a beautiful sound. After climbing halfway up the rock you then get to climb up a Spiral Staircase which leads to a sheltered gallery where you can see the world renowned frescoes. These beautiful maiden frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster and originally there were 500, but only 19 remain today. After marvelling at these beautiful drawings you then walk through the Mirror Wall with its graffiti from the 6th to 14th Centuries and come out at the Lions Paws. Originally you would go through the mouth of a huge crouching lion to reach the top, but now only the huge paws remain. This rock is 1200 steps to the top and it was at this point I had to decide if I was going all the way. Fortunately I decided to climb again, although I did not look down and just took my time. If you have a fear of heights this site is a challenge. The top of the rock covers 1.6 hectares and you can see the remains of a royal citadel and several caves for meditation and bath areas. It was wonderful to just sit up here and gaze out at the incredible view just like the Buddhist Monks probably did over 1500 years ago. It takes about 2 hours to visit this site and we started our climb about 4.30PM. This turned out to be good timing as it wasn’t very busy and as we were coming down we were gifted with a beautiful sunset.

Polonnaruwa – another UNESCO World Heritage Site – is a medieval city that rose to fame as the capital (10th-12th Century AD) after the decline of Anuradhapura. What struck me about this site is the non commercialism, at least for now. The monuments are quite well preserved and you sense the grandeur of Sri Lanka’s past. There are a few sacred temples, both Hindu and Buddhist that require you to take off your shoes. Your tootsies can get quite hot on the stones so you may want to bring a pair of socks which is acceptable. The Gal Vihara is a group of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a long piece of granite and at one time each was enshrined within a separate enclosure. Dambulla Caves – another important Sacred Site. Dates back to the 1st Century BC and is an amazing complex of five caves containing 150 Buddha images. It was first used as a refuge by an ancient king who on regaining his throne, commissioned magnificent carved images within the rock. Jeep Safari to Minneriya National Park, one of Sri Lanka’s key wildlife reserves. This was a great experience although rather a bumpy ride. We got to see the Asian Elephants in the wild and the scenery reminded me of Africa. Bentota Beach, a wonderful place to finish up and unwind before going home. The Indian Ocean was warm, the beaches beautiful. This area was not hugely affected by the Tsunami. We went to an Orphanage where there were girls from 7 to 19 and some of these children were orphaned during the Tsunami. They sang a very touching song about the event, and one of the older girls danced a beautiful dance for us. It was an emotional visit and most of us had tears in our eyes as we left.

There is not much infrastructure in Sri Lanka and the roads go right through the villages so there is always something to see, like roadside vendors selling fruit, lush vegetation and witnessing the people’s daily life. The downside is that these roads are quite narrow and sometimes there can be major traffic holdups, and it can take much longer than anticipated. There is currently only one airport in Sri Lanka, but there is to be another on the Eastern side of the island. Although there are not so many tourists from North America, the Europeans, Russians and Middle East visitors are heading here and many of the hotels we visited were full, even though high season had not yet started. We ate mainly in the hotels and the food was excellent. Sri Lanka has the hottest curry in the world apparently, but they do tone it down a bit in the hotels. Most of the meals were Buffet and there was usually a large selection of curries plus International dishes, salads, soups and amazing bread. Sri Lanka was occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. The coffee was also surprisingly good and the tea of course was wonderful to drink.

I certainly didn't lack for food on my recent trip to Sri Lanka. In fact lunch at Heritance Kandalama was probably one of the best lunches I've enjoyed in a while. This hotel offered a la carte and I chose the seafood dish that you see in the picture.We also enjoyed an incredible Carrot Soup, Salad and Dessert. While enjoying lunch we got to watch the monkeys right outside the dining room window! This hotel appears to be in the middle of no-where but is really very conveniently located close to the UNESCO sights of Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polonnaruwa. You can enjoy these archeological wonders and then come back and relax in this eco-friendly environment, enjoy the Spa and spend quiet time.

All of our meals in Sri Lanka were wonderful, mostly buffets which worked well as there was such a wide variety to appeal to everyone. There was always local Sri Lankan Curries which are reputed to be the hottest in the world, (although toned down a bit in the hotels) but you could also choose from a huge selection of International Dishes, and the desserts were amazing, sometimes we just wanted to start with them! Delicious Ice-Cream and I was always excited when we found 'the room'. Many of the hotels had a room in the dining area dedicated entirely to desserts. The tea of course was simply the best but surprisingly we all agreed the coffee also tasted good. The other highlight was the fresh assortment of fruits every morning - pineapple and papaya especially.