Leaving India left me in a pensive mood. I watched the dipping sun create a brilliant rainbow band of colour across the sky at 35,000 feet, studied the line where each colour merged into the next and then watched as it slowly faded into black. I felt a strange pull of emotion, that I had left something special behind but I was also heading to something very exciting. I said to myself before I left the UK, so as not over face myself, I would just think about one country at a time. Travelling to Sri Lanka had somehow suddenly snuck up on me and I now found myself with slight butterflies and no expectations of what would happen over the next two weeks.
Negombo beach. I am ashamed to say with Sri Lanka, all I really knew was its position on the world map, it has lots of elephants, there has been a recent and bloody civil war and the tsunami had a devastating impact on the island. This was to be a discovery then!
'Cabin crew, 10 minutes to landing'. With a whip of excitement I looked out of the window and caught my first glimpses of Sri Lanka, emerging out of the dark. I noticed the patterns of lights did not look like gigantic, sparkling spiderwebs, where cities were positioned, but more like a galaxy of separate stars twinkling away. I realised later on that this was because the street lighting is not that prevalent in Sri Lanka, which is presumably linked to the size and spacing of the population of the 21 million Sri Lankans. I landed, got my backpack and after eventually finding my taxi driver, arrived at my hotel in the dark in Negombo, twenty minutes from the airport.
When I awoke I ventured out to the beach for a walk and even though Negombo is not rated for its beach, I was surprised to find a pretty much deserted golden yellow, sandy beach with strewn fishing boats marooned on the shore. Negombo is a beach town roughly in the centre of the west coast, north of Colombo the capital. There is a central street that forms the linear hub of tourism in Negombo as it is lined with restaurants, shops, guest houses and hotels and even with some quite large hotels, the area still claims a 'low rise', 'small town' feel
This town definitely had an liking to the south of India but retains its own identity. I had a day to myself to catch up with loved ones at home, plan my first week in Thailand, get my laundry done and explore, so I had a pretty full first day in Sri Lanka! I even had time to eat lunch at The Pancake House (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/west-coast/negombo/restaurants/international/pancake-house) and savour my first 'rice and curry' for dinner at a cute restaurant with flaming lamps in the shape of watering cans attracting customers.
I met my group the following day and was delighted to find a mixed group of people from Australia, New Zealand, Holland and me from the UK. I felt like I was becoming an old hat because most of the country briefing I know off my heart now as it is the same everywhere, sensible stuff that you should and should not do. We kicked off with curry and rice for our first dinner together, the first of many! In Sri Lanka you don't really order thalis or specific curries, you just order curry and rice and specify if you want veggie, fish or meat and then it comes how it comes! A plate of rice normally with at least two vegetable dishes, typically including a dhal curry and my favourite...pappadams! Sri Lankan curry and rice dishes have echoes of Indian curries but they are their own identity, with their blend of spices and coconut milk.
The Teardrop of Asia, the Isle of Gems, the Isle of Delight, the Island of Teaching - as the Chinese and Greeks travelled to the island to be taught Buddhism, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Ceylon - named by the British which then created the generic name for Sri Lankan tea, Eelam - the native Tamil name, Serendipity - the Island of Rubies by the Arabs and finally, in 1972, the country was given the name Sri Lanka which means 'resplendent island' in Sanskrit. Most of these names relate to the natural resources of the island but now most people are attracted to the natural beauty of Sri Lanka's beaches, hill country, ancient ruins and crystal azure waters.
Sri Lanka's population breaks down into; 69% Buddhist, 8% Muslim, 7% Hindu, 6% Christian and 10% in the 'other' category. Layered on top of this belief system are the origins of the people with about 75% majority being Sinhalese with Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors each amounting to about 5% minority groups. In May 2009 the civil war ended between the Sri Lankan Government and The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This has enabled tourism to really take up in the last few years however I would not be traveling to the north and the east, where the conflict was the worst and most bloody. While we are in the country a key election will be taking place (8th January) for the Prime Minister. Past elections have not always been peaceful so it will be interesting to see what events play out linked to that while I am in Sri Lanka
The Pope is also scheduled to visit on the 13th January so this really shows that Sri Lanka is in the media spotlight this month!
The Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British have all ruled Sri Lanka and each occupation has engraved its presence in history in connection with the island, its architecture and its people. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled to see where these influences arise. I was hopeful about what was in store for our two week tour, as we are going to make a clockwise circle from Negombo, across the cultural triangle/ the ancient cities, through Kandy and some tea plantations in hill country at the heart of the island, south to the beautiful beach of Mirissa, north west to the fort town of Galle and then north along the coastline to the capital Colombo. I think that all I have left to say is a heart felt 'ayubovan' (pronounced aye-bo-wan), which is the Sri Lankan greeting wishing the recipient a long, healthy life!
The Teardrop Island - Cherry Briggs
This is the first book from the travel writing genre I have read on the trip, as normally I prefer novels but this was a great read to complement my travels across Sri Lanka. Briggs sets off on a journey in the wake of Sir James Emerson Tennent, an Irish politician, explorer, writer and historian, who was posted to Sri Lanka in 1845 by the Government. Briggs follows the route he travelled around Sri Lanka to see how the country differs from Victorian times, comparing the modern day to his well researched and detailed book entitled Ceylon. I visited many of the places mentioned in the book and found the intricate facts and information helped to paint a rich picture of the teardrop shaped island. I felt the writing style was quite stunted in places, with chapters suddenly ending without adequate reflection or conclusion but overall this book provides a treasure trove of knowledge about this special island. A must read if you are visiting!
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All I had heard about Sri Lanka from friends before I left was, 'I have heard it is really beautiful there', but little else. When I travel now I like to read about the country and at least arrive with some base knowledge to spring board off
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| sri lanka travel |
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Negombo beach. I am ashamed to say with Sri Lanka, all I really knew was its position on the world map, it has lots of elephants, there has been a recent and bloody civil war and the tsunami had a devastating impact on the island. This was to be a discovery then!
'Cabin crew, 10 minutes to landing'. With a whip of excitement I looked out of the window and caught my first glimpses of Sri Lanka, emerging out of the dark. I noticed the patterns of lights did not look like gigantic, sparkling spiderwebs, where cities were positioned, but more like a galaxy of separate stars twinkling away. I realised later on that this was because the street lighting is not that prevalent in Sri Lanka, which is presumably linked to the size and spacing of the population of the 21 million Sri Lankans. I landed, got my backpack and after eventually finding my taxi driver, arrived at my hotel in the dark in Negombo, twenty minutes from the airport.
When I awoke I ventured out to the beach for a walk and even though Negombo is not rated for its beach, I was surprised to find a pretty much deserted golden yellow, sandy beach with strewn fishing boats marooned on the shore. Negombo is a beach town roughly in the centre of the west coast, north of Colombo the capital. There is a central street that forms the linear hub of tourism in Negombo as it is lined with restaurants, shops, guest houses and hotels and even with some quite large hotels, the area still claims a 'low rise', 'small town' feel
This town definitely had an liking to the south of India but retains its own identity. I had a day to myself to catch up with loved ones at home, plan my first week in Thailand, get my laundry done and explore, so I had a pretty full first day in Sri Lanka! I even had time to eat lunch at The Pancake House (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/west-coast/negombo/restaurants/international/pancake-house) and savour my first 'rice and curry' for dinner at a cute restaurant with flaming lamps in the shape of watering cans attracting customers.
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| https://worldtravellike.blogspot.com/ |
I met my group the following day and was delighted to find a mixed group of people from Australia, New Zealand, Holland and me from the UK. I felt like I was becoming an old hat because most of the country briefing I know off my heart now as it is the same everywhere, sensible stuff that you should and should not do. We kicked off with curry and rice for our first dinner together, the first of many! In Sri Lanka you don't really order thalis or specific curries, you just order curry and rice and specify if you want veggie, fish or meat and then it comes how it comes! A plate of rice normally with at least two vegetable dishes, typically including a dhal curry and my favourite...pappadams! Sri Lankan curry and rice dishes have echoes of Indian curries but they are their own identity, with their blend of spices and coconut milk.
Travel News 16 September 2021
The Teardrop of Asia, the Isle of Gems, the Isle of Delight, the Island of Teaching - as the Chinese and Greeks travelled to the island to be taught Buddhism, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Ceylon - named by the British which then created the generic name for Sri Lankan tea, Eelam - the native Tamil name, Serendipity - the Island of Rubies by the Arabs and finally, in 1972, the country was given the name Sri Lanka which means 'resplendent island' in Sanskrit. Most of these names relate to the natural resources of the island but now most people are attracted to the natural beauty of Sri Lanka's beaches, hill country, ancient ruins and crystal azure waters.
Sri Lanka's population breaks down into; 69% Buddhist, 8% Muslim, 7% Hindu, 6% Christian and 10% in the 'other' category. Layered on top of this belief system are the origins of the people with about 75% majority being Sinhalese with Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors each amounting to about 5% minority groups. In May 2009 the civil war ended between the Sri Lankan Government and The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This has enabled tourism to really take up in the last few years however I would not be traveling to the north and the east, where the conflict was the worst and most bloody. While we are in the country a key election will be taking place (8th January) for the Prime Minister. Past elections have not always been peaceful so it will be interesting to see what events play out linked to that while I am in Sri Lanka
The Pope is also scheduled to visit on the 13th January so this really shows that Sri Lanka is in the media spotlight this month!
The Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British have all ruled Sri Lanka and each occupation has engraved its presence in history in connection with the island, its architecture and its people. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled to see where these influences arise. I was hopeful about what was in store for our two week tour, as we are going to make a clockwise circle from Negombo, across the cultural triangle/ the ancient cities, through Kandy and some tea plantations in hill country at the heart of the island, south to the beautiful beach of Mirissa, north west to the fort town of Galle and then north along the coastline to the capital Colombo. I think that all I have left to say is a heart felt 'ayubovan' (pronounced aye-bo-wan), which is the Sri Lankan greeting wishing the recipient a long, healthy life!
 |
| https://worldtravellike.blogspot.com/ |
Bookworm Moments
The Teardrop Island - Cherry Briggs
This is the first book from the travel writing genre I have read on the trip, as normally I prefer novels but this was a great read to complement my travels across Sri Lanka. Briggs sets off on a journey in the wake of Sir James Emerson Tennent, an Irish politician, explorer, writer and historian, who was posted to Sri Lanka in 1845 by the Government. Briggs follows the route he travelled around Sri Lanka to see how the country differs from Victorian times, comparing the modern day to his well researched and detailed book entitled Ceylon. I visited many of the places mentioned in the book and found the intricate facts and information helped to paint a rich picture of the teardrop shaped island. I felt the writing style was quite stunted in places, with chapters suddenly ending without adequate reflection or conclusion but overall this book provides a treasure trove of knowledge about this special island. A must read if you are visiting!