It is Srilanka aka Ceylon this time. Ayu Bowan – meaning – Long Live is the vasakam or quote that welcome you everywhere!!! Highlights of our travel are
- Traditional Thai Style Kandy,
- Vaalparai style – Scenic, high rise mountains covered in greenery and standing tall at Nuwara Eliya. Also nicknamed Little England for its beauty, climate and Lake District kind of look.
- Symbols of History + Mythology - places where Sita was kept by Ravana, place where Rama killed Ravana etc of Ramayana.
- Site of Piligrimage – Kataragama (remember Tenali’s Kandy Kataragama)
- Hotel facing Beach, Coconut trees – resembling Kovalam and Goa at Bentota
- Modern Colombo for variety, cheap shopping + Bombay look Marine Drive and Colonial buildings
Srilankan Airlines which is better than Indian Airlines comfort-wise, look-wise and food-wise started after announcement in English, Singhalese as well as Tamil. Tamil is also official language and all over Srilanka, you can see name boards in 3 languages mentioned above. Even some Singhalese know Tamil, so you can talk in Tamil itself all over the island. However Tamil slang is slightly different eg. Pugaieratha Nilayam for Railway Station, Cooli Vandi for Taxi, Aasanam for Seat. Srilanka Colombo Airport is actually 45km away from Colombo at Katunayake.
From Airport, Jetwing Travels had arranged for a Mini Van (similar to Panchatantram van) for our 600 km island-wide trip. We first went to Pinnawale Elephant orphanage having orphaned Elephants of all ages rescued from different places that are maintained lovingly. It is wonderful to watch them playing, especially Small Elephants. We then proceeded to Kandy, birth place of M.G. Ramachandran. Visited Buddha’s tooth relic temple where Buddha’s tooth is kept. Architecture is very good. Srilanka’s first prime minister Senanayake’s statue was there. Artificial Lake by English, Simla-Kodaikanal style city center, up and down Scottland-Edinburgh roads, a Botanical Garden are other highlights. Not only here, all hotels we stayed were star hotels and facilities/looks are above normal. Only problem is vegetarian food. Food look costly at most places.
Onway to Nuara Elliya is scenic, resembling Vaalparai tea garders. We bought fresh factory tea. All combinations of BOPF (Broken, Orange, Peko and Fannings) Teas are available. Climate is freezing cold and for first time, felt the British Bristol Climate at Winter. Ramayana’s Ashoka Vanam, Caves, Ravana Falls were other highlights.
Kataragama Murugan Temple is very powerful it seems. We met a 79 year old saint, who gave us history of the place and temple. Idol was removed by a king Vikramsinghe, so only Murugan printed on the Screen is worshipped. Murugan married Valli here and enjoyed his stay here. Surapadman killing also happened here it seems, although similar story exists in a place in Tamilnadu. Now Ganesh, Buddha, Deyvayaanai, Valli, Shiva temples also have appeared near that area making it a Piligrimage site in Sri Lanka.
Some of the rest areas we stopped (having tall mountains, multi-colour, multi-variety flowers, blue/green sea, tall coconut trees) were really stunning and lovely. Roads were narrow but the areas, people dresses and look resembled people of Kerala. Don’t get mistaken from Lanka’s cricketers, all are black, many are fair and beautiful. Spice Garden having trees of “items-you-name, items-you-see”, “what all good smells you can get” were remarkable. Others to mention are Dutch Fort, Light House, Cricket Stadium at Galle, Rivers like Maha Oye, Maha Veli etc.
Last we went was Colombo, exactly resembling our Mumbai Nariman point. Handicraft shop Laksala is a gift for shoppers. Colonial Buildings and Marine Drive is pleasure one. Only problem here is shops are closed at 5:30-6:30 pm similar to Britain. Some sight-seeing places are Town Hall, Park opposite to that, Ganga Ramaya Buddhist temple and Bandaranayake International Meeting Hall (Bandaranayake is first woman primeminister in the world).
With that, a lovely and remarkable trip with my wife and her family came to an end.