For a long time now, I've been trying to convince a group of friends to travel with me to Sri Lanka to visit a close hiking buddy, who together with his young family, moved to Negombo more than a decade ago.
You've probably only heard of Sri Lanka because of the Asian tsunami in 2004 that killed more than 30,000 people. Or worst yet, the on-and-off insurgency by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The instability kept the country out of the world tourism radar until 2009 when then President Mahinda Rajapakse declared civil war with LTTE. More than 40,000 Tamils died in one year alone. The pros and cons of this action are not for me to opine but if there's one hopeful outcome, the country entered a moment of stability at the end of 2009 and now is slowly gaining traction economically.
The opportunity I've been waiting for finally came this year when I signed up to travel to Maldives for a dream dive safari. I hatched a plan to spend a few days in this mysterious country after my dive trip. Not knowing much except what travel books and online sites have written about or expat Sri Lankans related to me over time, I started piecing together a plausible itinerary. One of my friends mentioned that her aunt had been there few years back and the area is really a road less traveled with unpaved roads. Getting from one place to the other will take a lot of time. Facilities may even be suspect. I pitched the place to both her and another friend and they agreed to rendezvous with me in Negombo.
Unbeknownst to anyone, this is the kind of place I'm now more interested to explore. I like this kind of travel - exotic, mysterious, not yet touristy.
It's always good to know someone from the area of course. +Jazz Aquino (my Filipino expat hiking buddy) introduced me to +Clinton Irage Perrera, a local travel guide. My rule of thumb when communicating with service people in strange places is that if they do not answer my email within 24 hours, then I don't want to do business with them. So far, I have not been proven wrong and Irage did respond immediately.
Sri Lanka, how I do begin? The country is very rich in natural resources and has plenty of activities to offer depending on ones interest. You can also tailor-fit your itinerary depending on your time and budget. With limited time, I've decided to focus on a theme for the trip - nature and nurture. I love the outdoors but also like to relax and chill - a massage, yoga, perhaps?
Due to other commitments by my intended travel girlfriends, I found myself alone close to the trip. Fortunately, my ever-reliable K, who also loves discovering interesting places, agreed to visit Sri Lanka with me for a 5-day, 4-night adventure. Our chosen itinerary is called Cultural Triangle Tour - which refers to the area between Sri Lanka's former capitals and contains some of the island's, if not the world's finest ancient monuments. The tour starts in Negombo and will entail land travel throughout the entire trip.
Our first stop for the evening, +Jet Wing Lagoon Resort. What a beauty! I chose the hotel based on +Trip Advisor reviews and we were not disappointed. Most hotels and tours in Sri Lanka include breakfast and dinner in their rates, which in my opinion, are absolute value for money. Buffet spreads are wonderful - choices of local cuisine, mostly Indian-influenced, as well as Western offering. Desserts are something else. Most 5-star hotels have air conditioned rooms specifically dedicated for pastries, dairy products, fruits alone.
The only meal we paid out of pocket for the entire trip is lunch and for non-inclusive beverages. I love Indian food, so I was in heaven. I also discovered new things that I adored - mallung (kale and coconut salad), brinjal eggplant, and the delicious hopper.
We were loathed to leave our hotel, especially since we got upgraded to their best suite, but we had an early morning road trip to do. To our virgin eyes, every sight and sound was a marvel. The fishing village surrounding Negombo, the local folks, the big-eyed, beautiful and curious kids, the colorful fruits, the temples...less than a few hours into the trip, we were enjoying ourselves. People were nice and respectful.
First surprise - roads are well-paved with not a single pot hole. Thanks to China's investment, the entire country's infrastructure underwent a massive two-year improvement and the project was completed in late 2013. Land travel is now shorter and more comfortable at least along the major routes.
Another surprise, the country is well-connected technologically. Every single hotel and restaurant we went had wifi coverage. I cannot say the same thing, sadly, in a first-world country like the United States or even Japan. Our guide's comfortable van even had a multi-adapter unit for charging cellphones!
The country is so green and lush, with forests surrounding the entire route we took. Monkeys and other wild animals, like monitor lizards abound. One can have a safari tour option if one desires. Such beauty, such promise. The people regard nature with care including providing drinking huts for wild elephants in their own backyards.
Sri Lanka's history dates back 3,500 years ago. Medicine and surgery were taught in schools as early as 3rd century AD - some 400 years before the first hospital in Europe! Advanced engineering principles as evidenced by a sophisticated irrigation and water system were developed during the reign of King Vattagamini in 88 B.C.
Our first stop, Anuradhapura, was the heart of Sri Lankan civilization over a millennium. It is "the greatest monastic city of the ancient world," and the royal capital of 113 successive kings (and 4 queens). Thousands of Buddhist monks in dozens of monasteries served by lay people lived around this city. The ruins are breathtaking and the artifacts, though not as we'll organized as in a first world museum, are impressive and bears witness to the former glory of this area. The twin pools at the Abhagayiri complex are stunning in their simplicity and functionality. Irage, hired a local guide to show us around (I liked that in order to spread the benefits of tourism, the government encourages tour operators to use locals as guides for small groups). We were told that they had to pass an exam to quality as one. Our guide was very knowledgeable. I was also pleasantly surprised that at the end of our day's tour, before he parted ways with us, he handed me a small bouquet of lotus flower, a gesture of his thanks for the pleasure of our company. I was almost in tears and was very touched by the gesture.
We used the city of Habanara as our home central and stayed at the +Cinnamon Lodge, located in a beautiful tree-shaded grounds and right next to a lake. The setting reminded me of the hunting lodges in Africa. The cottages were beautiful, food was excellent, service - though not yet top notch - is fine if you're like us who are not fussy about these things. More importantly, the hotel has a spa. Ahh, the spa where I had the most healing and glorious Ayuvedic and Balinese combination massage from a woman from Nepal. I highly recommend a session if you ever stay here.
On our second day we visited Polunnaruwa (2nd ancient capital) where remains of a glorious palace and grounds lay witness to a once-rich civilization. This is where I also saw, in my opinion, the most stunning 14-meter reclining Buddha carved out of a single rock - Gal Vihara. Then on to Sigiriya, a towering and spectacular rock outcrop whose peak at 200 meters above sea level housed one of the country's medieval royal palaces of King Kassapa. After negotiating the winding 600 steps and reaching the summit, I can see why the king, setting aside strategic reasons during his time, settled on this rock. The view is amazing particularly on a clear day such as our ascent. I could see as far as Kandy. Along the route, one can also admire the Sigiriya Damsels, a mural (maybe the largest attempted on a rock face) commissioned by the king during the 5th century featuring 21 beautiful bare chested women, wrapped in a layer of fluffy cloud from the waist down, shown scattering flower petals or making fruit offerings. The painting reminds me of the Ajanta caves in India.
The landscapes we've navigated while visiting these sites were a thing of beauty. Rolling hills, farmlands lined with crops, forests and on our last evening as we we're returning to Habanara, we chanced upon a herd of elephants (more than 40) grazing in an open field.
Our final stop along the cultural triangle was Kandy, the island's second largest city and the center of Sinhalese traditional arts, crafts and religious pageantry. The city's centre is the picturesque Kandy Lake bounded by elegant white balustrades and fire trees. Along the lake is the Temple of the Tooth, the country's most important Buddhist Temple. This is the resting place of one of Buddhism's most sacred objects, the Tooth Relic, attracting pilgrims from all over the island and Asia.
Strolling by the lake as the sun begins to set is so peaceful, I can't do justice to the serenity one feels while a slight breeze lulls the spirit.
After having tea at the historic Queen's Hotel (reconstructed for a visit from QE) we proceeded to the Kandyan Cultural Center to watch the Kandyan (upcountry) traditional dances for which the city is famous.
Our time was short but we had a glorious visit. K and I looked at each other on our way back to +Jet Wing Lagoon in Negombo on our last night and simultaneously uttered, we will be back!
PS - Irage Perrera can be reached at irage_perrera@yahoo.com
