Sunday 23 December 2012
Friday 21 December 2012
Unawatuna, Mirissa and Ella
We chose Unawatuna as our first stop on the route through Sri lanka's southern beaches. The beaches in the north are hard to reach, the beaches on the east are in the rainy season and the western beaches are supposedly touristy. So the south it was.
Unawatuna would have been idyllic 15 years ago. All post-tsunami rebuilding seems to have taken place as close to the sea as they possibly can. Some businesses are actually in the water when the tide comes in. The sand is sparkling white and the sea is every shade of blue and green imaginable, but it is all spoilt by the greed of the local businesses. It is impossible to get any seclusion on the beach as every one is on top of each other. The food establishments serve boring, ubiquitous food and then charge double of anywhere else in Sri Lanka (apart from Galle, but then the food is worth it). Tourism is still a growing phenomenon in Sri Lanka, and they are still trying to find their feet.
Sri Lankans are actively trying to grow the tourism trade, setting its sights fairly high. Since the war ended in 2009 the numbers of people visiting the island have drifted steadily upwards with 800,000 visitors in 2011. This is a record, and a massive 40% increase on the year before, but still not huge numbers, when you consider that the tiny island of Bali relieves 2.4 million visitors a year. Sri Lanka are aiming for double this number. Eight spots in the country have been awarded Unesco World Heritage status, which is a large number for such a small country.
Sri Lanka is already fairly well populated with indigenous people. Sri Lanka is almost exactly the same size as Ireland, but houses four and a half times as many people. That is 20.8 million people!
I feel at the moment that the country is too expensive to become popular with backpackers. Everything you want to do has hidden costs and the simplest outing ends up costing you loads of money. A non-negotiable 10% service charge is levied on everything, even guest house charges. When you go into anything run by the government (so any of the eight world heritage sites or national parks) you get charged a fixed service charge of $8 regardless of your group size, and then a 12% tax on top of that.
The Sri Lankan people haven't quite gotten used to tourists being in their country and this sometimes feels very unfriendly. Bartering is not warmly received like in other Asian countries, and the stares you receive don't have the same intrigue or friendliness as in India. Sometimes on a bus people won't even sit next to me for some reason, which just leaves me feeling like a pariah!
Sri Lankans come across as being fairly humourless and unwelcoming, which is quite understandable for obvious reasons. People seem very relieved that the war is over, though unfortunately the damage is visible and lasting. A huge proportion of the killing that took place was in the last two years of war, not that long ago. Obviously the devastation of the tsunami in 2004 has also massively affected the society. A staggering 30,000 people were killed and many more were injured, orphaned and made homeless. People are generally quite grumpy and don't seem to take the same pleasure in life as the Indians. You will always find groups of Indians playing games, listening to music, gossiping or dancing, but the Sri Lankans don't seem to have the same enjoyment of down time.
There is an obvious class system in Sri Lanka with Sinhalese first, and Tamils second. There are different buses, schools and areas for different groups of people, so segregation is very much active. Sinhalese make up 74% of the population and just 9% is a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils.
********************************************************************************
One day when we were in Unawatuna we took a trip to the local Turtle hatchery. I love turtles and giant turtles so this was a real treat. The guys work hard to preserve these gentle giants, they have to buy the turtle eggs off of the fishermen who collect them illegally. If they didn't buy them they would end up being eaten, or sold along on the black market. They hatch hundreds of turtles every year. There are 5 species of turtle and all 5 of them come to Sri Lanka. They are hornbill,
As well as a hatching programme they also run a rehabilitation scheme for any turtles that they treat for medical issues. I got to hold a teeny baby turtle, so it was a worthwhile trip!
The high prices in Unawatuna had us moving on fairly rapidly to Mirissa, about 30km along the coast, to the east. Mirissa doesn't get as much press as Unawatuna, so we didn't know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. The beach is wide and long, the bars and huts are set right back from the beach, and the prices are manageable, with even a few bargain restaurants for cheap eats! This is more like it!
Mirissa is famous for being the place to watch the worlds biggest mammals-the blue whale. Lonely planet reports the prices for trips out to sea being really expensive, over £80 per person. This puts a lot of people off from coming down here as they think they cannot afford it. We managed to find a trip for £15 each, and it was brilliant!
We got picked up at 6:20am and were dropped back at our guest house at 13:00 so we were on the water for a good few hours. We sailed about ten miles out to sea, to join up with the path that the huge whales cut through the ocean. Everyone that we had spoken to in Mirissa had not seen anything, but we were lucky enough to see 2 fully grown ones! It is brilliant, they surface, blow huge puffs of water out of their blowholes, rear out the water and them dive back down. Twelve minutes later they are back up. We stayed with them for quite a while before heading back to land. The companies that organise the trips are under strict laws to not get too close to the whales, as if they get distressed they will change their swimming habits, therefore losing a huge amount of money generated by tourism. Despite these supposedly strict restraints you still see the boats trying to get as close to the great beasts as possible, the captain no doubt being egged on by an uneducated tourist.
On the way back we saw a huge school of dolphins who were hanging hopefully around the fishing boats, hoping to get anything that fell out of the nets. I've always had a soft spot for dolphins so it was amazing to see all of these animals swimming in unison.
We are now back up it the south of the Hill Country to do some hiking. We are staying in a little village called Ella, which is sprawled along the side of the ridge that makes up the stunning Ella Gap. This is a huge ravine overlooked by the mighty Ella Rock. Interspersed with tea plantations and crashing waterfalls Ella is the prime spot for some hiking. A real backpackers retreat, the small town is great for kicking back after a long walk, having a few beers and chatting to other travellers.
We did several walks whilst in Ella which afforded us some amazing views. We did the challenging walk up to the top of Ella Rock which took 4 hours. The view was incredible! You can see for miles and miles, misty plains, mountains, villages and forest
Unawatuna would have been idyllic 15 years ago. All post-tsunami rebuilding seems to have taken place as close to the sea as they possibly can. Some businesses are actually in the water when the tide comes in. The sand is sparkling white and the sea is every shade of blue and green imaginable, but it is all spoilt by the greed of the local businesses. It is impossible to get any seclusion on the beach as every one is on top of each other. The food establishments serve boring, ubiquitous food and then charge double of anywhere else in Sri Lanka (apart from Galle, but then the food is worth it). Tourism is still a growing phenomenon in Sri Lanka, and they are still trying to find their feet.
Sri Lankans are actively trying to grow the tourism trade, setting its sights fairly high. Since the war ended in 2009 the numbers of people visiting the island have drifted steadily upwards with 800,000 visitors in 2011. This is a record, and a massive 40% increase on the year before, but still not huge numbers, when you consider that the tiny island of Bali relieves 2.4 million visitors a year. Sri Lanka are aiming for double this number. Eight spots in the country have been awarded Unesco World Heritage status, which is a large number for such a small country.
Sri Lanka is already fairly well populated with indigenous people. Sri Lanka is almost exactly the same size as Ireland, but houses four and a half times as many people. That is 20.8 million people!
I feel at the moment that the country is too expensive to become popular with backpackers. Everything you want to do has hidden costs and the simplest outing ends up costing you loads of money. A non-negotiable 10% service charge is levied on everything, even guest house charges. When you go into anything run by the government (so any of the eight world heritage sites or national parks) you get charged a fixed service charge of $8 regardless of your group size, and then a 12% tax on top of that.
The Sri Lankan people haven't quite gotten used to tourists being in their country and this sometimes feels very unfriendly. Bartering is not warmly received like in other Asian countries, and the stares you receive don't have the same intrigue or friendliness as in India. Sometimes on a bus people won't even sit next to me for some reason, which just leaves me feeling like a pariah!
Sri Lankans come across as being fairly humourless and unwelcoming, which is quite understandable for obvious reasons. People seem very relieved that the war is over, though unfortunately the damage is visible and lasting. A huge proportion of the killing that took place was in the last two years of war, not that long ago. Obviously the devastation of the tsunami in 2004 has also massively affected the society. A staggering 30,000 people were killed and many more were injured, orphaned and made homeless. People are generally quite grumpy and don't seem to take the same pleasure in life as the Indians. You will always find groups of Indians playing games, listening to music, gossiping or dancing, but the Sri Lankans don't seem to have the same enjoyment of down time.
There is an obvious class system in Sri Lanka with Sinhalese first, and Tamils second. There are different buses, schools and areas for different groups of people, so segregation is very much active. Sinhalese make up 74% of the population and just 9% is a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils.
********************************************************************************
One day when we were in Unawatuna we took a trip to the local Turtle hatchery. I love turtles and giant turtles so this was a real treat. The guys work hard to preserve these gentle giants, they have to buy the turtle eggs off of the fishermen who collect them illegally. If they didn't buy them they would end up being eaten, or sold along on the black market. They hatch hundreds of turtles every year. There are 5 species of turtle and all 5 of them come to Sri Lanka. They are hornbill,
As well as a hatching programme they also run a rehabilitation scheme for any turtles that they treat for medical issues. I got to hold a teeny baby turtle, so it was a worthwhile trip!
The high prices in Unawatuna had us moving on fairly rapidly to Mirissa, about 30km along the coast, to the east. Mirissa doesn't get as much press as Unawatuna, so we didn't know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. The beach is wide and long, the bars and huts are set right back from the beach, and the prices are manageable, with even a few bargain restaurants for cheap eats! This is more like it!
Mirissa is famous for being the place to watch the worlds biggest mammals-the blue whale. Lonely planet reports the prices for trips out to sea being really expensive, over £80 per person. This puts a lot of people off from coming down here as they think they cannot afford it. We managed to find a trip for £15 each, and it was brilliant!
We got picked up at 6:20am and were dropped back at our guest house at 13:00 so we were on the water for a good few hours. We sailed about ten miles out to sea, to join up with the path that the huge whales cut through the ocean. Everyone that we had spoken to in Mirissa had not seen anything, but we were lucky enough to see 2 fully grown ones! It is brilliant, they surface, blow huge puffs of water out of their blowholes, rear out the water and them dive back down. Twelve minutes later they are back up. We stayed with them for quite a while before heading back to land. The companies that organise the trips are under strict laws to not get too close to the whales, as if they get distressed they will change their swimming habits, therefore losing a huge amount of money generated by tourism. Despite these supposedly strict restraints you still see the boats trying to get as close to the great beasts as possible, the captain no doubt being egged on by an uneducated tourist.
On the way back we saw a huge school of dolphins who were hanging hopefully around the fishing boats, hoping to get anything that fell out of the nets. I've always had a soft spot for dolphins so it was amazing to see all of these animals swimming in unison.
We are now back up it the south of the Hill Country to do some hiking. We are staying in a little village called Ella, which is sprawled along the side of the ridge that makes up the stunning Ella Gap. This is a huge ravine overlooked by the mighty Ella Rock. Interspersed with tea plantations and crashing waterfalls Ella is the prime spot for some hiking. A real backpackers retreat, the small town is great for kicking back after a long walk, having a few beers and chatting to other travellers.
We did several walks whilst in Ella which afforded us some amazing views. We did the challenging walk up to the top of Ella Rock which took 4 hours. The view was incredible! You can see for miles and miles, misty plains, mountains, villages and forest
Saturday 15 December 2012
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Nuwara Eliya and Galle
We made the journey slightly south across the mountains to Nuwara Eliya. Upon arriving here we rapidly discovered it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Laying amongst some mountains at approx 2000m, the countryside is staggering.
When the British were in rule here they came to Nuwara Eliya to cool down. The climate is similar to a warm English summer...bliss! They call it little England because of this. The countryside, however, is like England on speed! Huge rolling hills, jagged mountain faces, ginormous, crashing waterfalls, lush fauna, brightly coloured flowers and all of this joined together by sprawling rows of gently rippling tea plants.
Nuwara Eliya is not particularly geared towards tourism and is more of a place to bed down for the night. Our guest house was impossibly high up in the clouds. If we left any of our clothes out during the day they were damp when we got back! We spent one day in Nuwara Eliya relaxing and having a high altitude game of tennis, and the rest was spent exploring the mountains.
We visited a tea plantation and factory and saw the process that the leaves go through from picking to shipping. Tea production is a huge part of life in Sri Lanka, especially up here in the hills. About 5% of all Sri Lankan employment comes from these plantations. They predominantly employ a group of Tamils who are proud to be collectively know as Plantation Tamils. The process is incredible and takes place in 24 hours from picking to shipping. The process involves de-moisturising the leaves (withering), crushing them and then fermenting. When the fermentation process is halted will determine the strength and quality of the tea. Tea is further classified by how high up it is grown. The higher it is grown the more delicate and full bodied the tea is, and needless to say, more expensive. The highest tea grown in Sri Lanka is grown in the Nuwara Eliya area.
After the tea tour we enjoyed the freshest, most delicious cup of tea. It was made even better because we were sat overlooking the acres and acres of rolling tea bushes where what we were imbibing was grown.
Whilst out visiting the plantations we stopped to have a look at a few waterfalls that seem to cascade down the face of every mountainside you come across! They were without a doubt the most dramatic waterfalls that I have ever seen. One that we saw was 110 metres tall and completely worth the walk down to it.
After a few nights in Nuwara Eliya we decided it was time to move on to our next destination. We made quite a day of it by getting up at 5am to go to Worlds End, which is between Nuwara Eliya and Kitulgala and where we were going. After a very bumpy taxi ride right up into the clouds we were deposited out on the edge of Horton Plains. The plains are a huge plateau covered with rough grasslands interspersed with thick forest. Worlds End is the main reason people come to see Horton Plains, as at 880m high, it affords you some fairly spectacular views, to put it mildly.
The walk was about 9km around and worth every second of pain caused by the early morning start. Once the initial grogginess was shaken off we could really start to enjoy ourselves. We began the walk by taking in Mini Worlds End which is a strong indicator of what's to come. We were unlucky enough to be there on a day when the view was of clouds, instead of the countryside (on a good day you can apparently see all the way to the sea!). We were disappointed only momentarily, as being surrounded by clouds was like being in an aeroplane, without the obscured view. Amazing!
A steep walk uphill took you to The Big One...Worlds End. Only actually being there can do this view justice. Lilac-hazed mountain tops were caressed by swirling mist and cloud, the sheer mountain sides gave way to miniature plantation villages that seemed impossibly far away, the moon hung in the ever brightening blue sky whilst a vivid orangey-red sun was peeking between the mountains. We enjoyed the view with a breakfast of mini-bananas and Milo (a chocolate malt drink).
After a suitable amount of time enjoying the incredible view we continued our trek to the stupendous Baker Falls. What this waterfall lacked in height it made up for in width and sheer velocity. After an adventurous start to the day we started our journey west to Kitungala, where we did some white water rafting.
Kitungala was a fairly dull, un-imaginative place that was only made worthwhile because of the grade 3 rafting that we partook in. Driven to the top of the rapids we descended the choppy waterways in a small raft that only held 4 of us (Niall, two instructors and myself). The fast moving river snaked between some towering mountains so when you had time to enjoy the views, they were pretty stunning. Somewhat scarily, we saw a crocodile sunning himself on a rock. Shortly afterwards our instructors told us to jump in. Taking a giant leap of faith, we complied. What ensued after that is called 'body rafting' where you travel down the rapids on your back. Half of me was enjoying this activity whilst half of me was fearing an imminent crocodile attack.
Having enjoyed the best of Kitungala we continued our journey south-east to the National Park called Yala. Hailed as being a top place to spot Leopards (no pun intended), it is also rich in wild elephants and other wildlife. The nearby village of Tissamaharama was a good location to organise a trip to the park. Rising for another 5am start we were picked up by a safari jeep which remained me of the Popemobile as it had raised, forward facing seating that allowed a good view of the wildlife.
Yala Park truly is nature's playground, made up of dry grasslands, thick bushes and trees, murky lagoons, all edged with an Indian Ocean border. The trip to the depths of the park allowed us to get good views of a diverse range of wildlife. We came across giant, lumbering elephants slowly eating a path through the jungle, crocodiles sneakily submerged in lagoons, wild peacocks dragging their glorious tails behind them as they climbed into the trees, wild deer, sambar, mongoose, huge monitor lizards, eagles, storks, parrots and many other tropical birds that we were unable to name. It was a shame not to see a leopard, but as they are so elusive our hopes did not eat too high in the first place.
As exciting as our recent exploits had been, we were missing the beach. We decided that a quick stop off in Galle was necessary, and then we would hit the beach further east along the south coast.
One night in Galle slid into 2, and ended up being 4! We stayed in the old part, within the walls of a small, but perfectly formed Fort. Fort was originally built by the Portuguese in 1589, added to by the Dutch in 1640 and handed over to the British in 1796 and is a wonderful European love-child of the three that possesses a charm at envelops you, and makes time stand still.
Galle Fort really is the gem of the south of Sri Lanka in terms of atmosphere, architecture and culture. It oozes easy colonial style. The streets are cobbled and spotless. The large, airy buildings are held up with columns and decorated impeccably in rustic Mediterranean meets colourful Sri Lanka themes. You can't walk 2 metres without stumbling upon a beautifully adorned shop selling local art and crafts, or a rooftop restaurant offering mouthwatering food from any number of countries. Our favourite, called Crepology, was a little Moroccan styled rooftop cafe decorated in jewel colours and serving up savoury and sweet crepes delicious enough to make a grown man cry (ask Niall about this!).
The sunset in Galle was typically dramatic, with the yellows, purples and reds lighting up the dark orange Fort walls, and the faces of the many bystanders come to marvel at the view.
The strong Fort walls withstood the tsunami with very little damage, but the rest of Galle was pretty much totalled.
Despite Galle's beauty, the beaches were calling us, and we had to go! Next stop white beaches, and clear waters...
When the British were in rule here they came to Nuwara Eliya to cool down. The climate is similar to a warm English summer...bliss! They call it little England because of this. The countryside, however, is like England on speed! Huge rolling hills, jagged mountain faces, ginormous, crashing waterfalls, lush fauna, brightly coloured flowers and all of this joined together by sprawling rows of gently rippling tea plants.
Nuwara Eliya is not particularly geared towards tourism and is more of a place to bed down for the night. Our guest house was impossibly high up in the clouds. If we left any of our clothes out during the day they were damp when we got back! We spent one day in Nuwara Eliya relaxing and having a high altitude game of tennis, and the rest was spent exploring the mountains.
We visited a tea plantation and factory and saw the process that the leaves go through from picking to shipping. Tea production is a huge part of life in Sri Lanka, especially up here in the hills. About 5% of all Sri Lankan employment comes from these plantations. They predominantly employ a group of Tamils who are proud to be collectively know as Plantation Tamils. The process is incredible and takes place in 24 hours from picking to shipping. The process involves de-moisturising the leaves (withering), crushing them and then fermenting. When the fermentation process is halted will determine the strength and quality of the tea. Tea is further classified by how high up it is grown. The higher it is grown the more delicate and full bodied the tea is, and needless to say, more expensive. The highest tea grown in Sri Lanka is grown in the Nuwara Eliya area.
After the tea tour we enjoyed the freshest, most delicious cup of tea. It was made even better because we were sat overlooking the acres and acres of rolling tea bushes where what we were imbibing was grown.
Whilst out visiting the plantations we stopped to have a look at a few waterfalls that seem to cascade down the face of every mountainside you come across! They were without a doubt the most dramatic waterfalls that I have ever seen. One that we saw was 110 metres tall and completely worth the walk down to it.
After a few nights in Nuwara Eliya we decided it was time to move on to our next destination. We made quite a day of it by getting up at 5am to go to Worlds End, which is between Nuwara Eliya and Kitulgala and where we were going. After a very bumpy taxi ride right up into the clouds we were deposited out on the edge of Horton Plains. The plains are a huge plateau covered with rough grasslands interspersed with thick forest. Worlds End is the main reason people come to see Horton Plains, as at 880m high, it affords you some fairly spectacular views, to put it mildly.
The walk was about 9km around and worth every second of pain caused by the early morning start. Once the initial grogginess was shaken off we could really start to enjoy ourselves. We began the walk by taking in Mini Worlds End which is a strong indicator of what's to come. We were unlucky enough to be there on a day when the view was of clouds, instead of the countryside (on a good day you can apparently see all the way to the sea!). We were disappointed only momentarily, as being surrounded by clouds was like being in an aeroplane, without the obscured view. Amazing!
A steep walk uphill took you to The Big One...Worlds End. Only actually being there can do this view justice. Lilac-hazed mountain tops were caressed by swirling mist and cloud, the sheer mountain sides gave way to miniature plantation villages that seemed impossibly far away, the moon hung in the ever brightening blue sky whilst a vivid orangey-red sun was peeking between the mountains. We enjoyed the view with a breakfast of mini-bananas and Milo (a chocolate malt drink).
After a suitable amount of time enjoying the incredible view we continued our trek to the stupendous Baker Falls. What this waterfall lacked in height it made up for in width and sheer velocity. After an adventurous start to the day we started our journey west to Kitungala, where we did some white water rafting.
Kitungala was a fairly dull, un-imaginative place that was only made worthwhile because of the grade 3 rafting that we partook in. Driven to the top of the rapids we descended the choppy waterways in a small raft that only held 4 of us (Niall, two instructors and myself). The fast moving river snaked between some towering mountains so when you had time to enjoy the views, they were pretty stunning. Somewhat scarily, we saw a crocodile sunning himself on a rock. Shortly afterwards our instructors told us to jump in. Taking a giant leap of faith, we complied. What ensued after that is called 'body rafting' where you travel down the rapids on your back. Half of me was enjoying this activity whilst half of me was fearing an imminent crocodile attack.
Having enjoyed the best of Kitungala we continued our journey south-east to the National Park called Yala. Hailed as being a top place to spot Leopards (no pun intended), it is also rich in wild elephants and other wildlife. The nearby village of Tissamaharama was a good location to organise a trip to the park. Rising for another 5am start we were picked up by a safari jeep which remained me of the Popemobile as it had raised, forward facing seating that allowed a good view of the wildlife.
Yala Park truly is nature's playground, made up of dry grasslands, thick bushes and trees, murky lagoons, all edged with an Indian Ocean border. The trip to the depths of the park allowed us to get good views of a diverse range of wildlife. We came across giant, lumbering elephants slowly eating a path through the jungle, crocodiles sneakily submerged in lagoons, wild peacocks dragging their glorious tails behind them as they climbed into the trees, wild deer, sambar, mongoose, huge monitor lizards, eagles, storks, parrots and many other tropical birds that we were unable to name. It was a shame not to see a leopard, but as they are so elusive our hopes did not eat too high in the first place.
As exciting as our recent exploits had been, we were missing the beach. We decided that a quick stop off in Galle was necessary, and then we would hit the beach further east along the south coast.
One night in Galle slid into 2, and ended up being 4! We stayed in the old part, within the walls of a small, but perfectly formed Fort. Fort was originally built by the Portuguese in 1589, added to by the Dutch in 1640 and handed over to the British in 1796 and is a wonderful European love-child of the three that possesses a charm at envelops you, and makes time stand still.
Galle Fort really is the gem of the south of Sri Lanka in terms of atmosphere, architecture and culture. It oozes easy colonial style. The streets are cobbled and spotless. The large, airy buildings are held up with columns and decorated impeccably in rustic Mediterranean meets colourful Sri Lanka themes. You can't walk 2 metres without stumbling upon a beautifully adorned shop selling local art and crafts, or a rooftop restaurant offering mouthwatering food from any number of countries. Our favourite, called Crepology, was a little Moroccan styled rooftop cafe decorated in jewel colours and serving up savoury and sweet crepes delicious enough to make a grown man cry (ask Niall about this!).
The sunset in Galle was typically dramatic, with the yellows, purples and reds lighting up the dark orange Fort walls, and the faces of the many bystanders come to marvel at the view.
The strong Fort walls withstood the tsunami with very little damage, but the rest of Galle was pretty much totalled.
Despite Galle's beauty, the beaches were calling us, and we had to go! Next stop white beaches, and clear waters...
Monday 10 December 2012
Colombo and Kandy
A couple short flights later we arrive in Sri Lanka. First stop is the capital Colombo, which runs along the west coast next to the Indian Ocean. It is a bustling Sri Lankan city which has only recently become a stop on the travellers itinerary. It was used to grow cinnamon in during the Dutch rule, and only became a city when it was ruled by the British.
We were unfortunately staying in the opposite end of Colombo to where all the action is, so our activities were a bit limited. A walk at sunset along Galle Face Green was a spectacular way to end the day, with the sky offering up mind blowing sunsets come rain or shine. Navigating the city was a bit of a nightmare as the maps were fairly inaccurate and few people spoke english, or wanted to help.
We had a good night out at a bar which ended up with a party in the pool on the roof of some flats. We made good friends with the chap who rented the flat, so hopefully will stay with him before we fly out of Sri Lanka. Hopefully staying more centrally on our return to Colombo will enable us to see the sights a bit more freely.
After a couple of nights in Colombo we shot off east to Kandy. We went by train and quickly discovered the hidden delights that Sri Lankan trains offer. They take you higher and more precariously through the countryside than you would be able to go in a bus. The views are indescribable. The sort you could stare at all day and not tire of.
Kandy is a town that moves at a gentle pace, and is very easy to enjoy. The main attractions are the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic which supposedly houses one of the teeth of Buddha. Legend goes that the tooth was stolen from the funeral pyre of Buddha and taken back to Sri Lanka hidden in the hair of a princess. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) detonated a bomb just outside the temple in 1998. The damage is almost undetectable, but vigilance remains high with bag checks and security around the temple. The temple was interesting enough but expensive to get into at £5 each.
It is a very solidly built temple with none of the delicate touches that you get with Thai temples. Situated next to the lake, you can see why they picked this as the spiritual home for such an important relic. It has an ethereal feeling to the whole place and I'm glad we came.
We filled one of our evenings with watching some Kandyan dancing. This is showcase of Kandyan traditional dance that is undeniably touristy but very interesting. They show you the dances that take them years to learn and have been performed in their villages for generations. They perform the different dances such as Mayura Natuma (peacock dance) and Gini Sisila (fire dance) and finish the evening off with a display of fire dancing. The whole performance is very tribal with lots of costumes and an ever pounding drum.
We were unfortunately staying in the opposite end of Colombo to where all the action is, so our activities were a bit limited. A walk at sunset along Galle Face Green was a spectacular way to end the day, with the sky offering up mind blowing sunsets come rain or shine. Navigating the city was a bit of a nightmare as the maps were fairly inaccurate and few people spoke english, or wanted to help.
We had a good night out at a bar which ended up with a party in the pool on the roof of some flats. We made good friends with the chap who rented the flat, so hopefully will stay with him before we fly out of Sri Lanka. Hopefully staying more centrally on our return to Colombo will enable us to see the sights a bit more freely.
After a couple of nights in Colombo we shot off east to Kandy. We went by train and quickly discovered the hidden delights that Sri Lankan trains offer. They take you higher and more precariously through the countryside than you would be able to go in a bus. The views are indescribable. The sort you could stare at all day and not tire of.
Kandy is a town that moves at a gentle pace, and is very easy to enjoy. The main attractions are the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic which supposedly houses one of the teeth of Buddha. Legend goes that the tooth was stolen from the funeral pyre of Buddha and taken back to Sri Lanka hidden in the hair of a princess. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) detonated a bomb just outside the temple in 1998. The damage is almost undetectable, but vigilance remains high with bag checks and security around the temple. The temple was interesting enough but expensive to get into at £5 each.
It is a very solidly built temple with none of the delicate touches that you get with Thai temples. Situated next to the lake, you can see why they picked this as the spiritual home for such an important relic. It has an ethereal feeling to the whole place and I'm glad we came.
We filled one of our evenings with watching some Kandyan dancing. This is showcase of Kandyan traditional dance that is undeniably touristy but very interesting. They show you the dances that take them years to learn and have been performed in their villages for generations. They perform the different dances such as Mayura Natuma (peacock dance) and Gini Sisila (fire dance) and finish the evening off with a display of fire dancing. The whole performance is very tribal with lots of costumes and an ever pounding drum.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Thursday 22 November 2012
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