A week in Sri Lanka

A vacation for generations three

Mountains, jungles, sand and sea

Elephants in the river, forest and on the road

But the leopard we missed in its own abode

Whales and dolphins, we did see

Alas! My camera was not as quick as me

The trek was a bit of a strain

Yet, on the Nine Arch Bridge, we saw a train

Speed boating on Gregory Lake

Is not for the faint-hearted to take

I’m If the cultural show in Kandy left us in wonder

At Ramboda Falls, we could hear the thunder

Hanuman’s footprint and Ravana Falls

Sita Amman Temple is open to all

Varieties of tea we got to taste

Galle Fort, we had to do in haste

Human callousness was in evidence

As we looked at turtles’ painful existence

Once beautiful Colombo now has a Chinese feel

Thanks to the Belt Road Initiative deal

As we touch down in Bharat, a rousing welcome

AR Rahman croons ‘Thaai Manne Vanakkam’

Wonderful memories to last a lifetime

Home sweet home any time, every time

Few posts would start with a summary but mine does. The rhyme sums up our family trip to Sri Lanka. In a series of 3 or 4 posts, I’d make an attempt to flesh out the details of our vacation. A family group of 9 with the largest age-difference between two members being 60 years. You can well imagine — 3 small children below 8, one adult above 55, one a senior citizen and the rest in their thirties. At the outset, it was clear that all the spots in our itinerary may not excite all group members and in fact some of the spots could be beyond the kids and elders. So, the ground-rule was — We may decide to skip some of the spots, however important they may be, unless there was unanimity in the group. Another rule was that no travel at night and we should reach our hotels latest by 7 PM.

Landing at Colombo, we found that visa formalities were a breeze. We had taken e-visas and it only took a moment for our passports to be stamped. We stepped out and the Toyota KDH High-roof with chauffeur-cum-guide, Nuwan Ratnayake who would be with all week, was waiting for us. Piled in and the kids chattered away excited, even as I told the chauffeur that we had to take lunch first before checking-in as it was already 2.30 PM. Stopped en route at Negombo town and had food at a small joint. Vegetarian fare was hard to come by. Lunch comprised parotta, hoppers, curries, dosa and sambar. This was washed down with a local bottled drink that was unimaginably sweet, with little trace of the fruits it was said to contain.

Checked into Jetwing Blue, a resort, bang on the beach. Walked past the swimming pool that was brimming with westerners taking a dip, sipping beer or just lounging under the large umbrellas put up alongside. As we walked towards our rooms with our luggage being wheeled away, we were informed by Nuwan that around 5 PM we can try water sports at a nearby place, a few kilometers away. Immediately, there were howls of protest. The kids wanted to simply spend time in the pool and not go out anywhere. Thus started our vacation — After a short snooze, we were up, walked on the sand for a while, washed our feet and jumped into the pool.

As the sun went down, we reluctantly stepped out of the pool and walked back to our rooms. A pre-wedding photo-shoot was on, on the lawns and we learnt that this was preferred location for such shoots. Ravenously hungry, trooped across to the dining hall for an early buffet dinner. Spent some time, enjoying the cool sea breeze before retiring for the day and excited to start our sight-seeing from the next day.

I was up early and decided to have a stroll on the enticing beach. As I walked about, met up with one of the hotel staff and started chatting. Learnt that this was the only 5-star property in Negombo . The one next to this ( no separating wall in between) is also a Jetwing property but a 4-star resort. Walked across and saw a separate swimming pool here too. Asked if the beach was private and the staff member responded saying, No. The hotel group believed in being close to the locals and hence there was no separating wall/fence from the beach. Unhindered access to the public beach and he said even local vendors selling snacks, trinkets, etc. were welcome in the hotel premises, though not inside the buildings.

Saw another native worker standing below the row of palm trees in the premises of the resort. Conversed with him in Tamil and pointed his finger upward. Ha, there I noticed two strong ropes forming a sort of passage on top of the palm trees…….. and there was a man walking on this passage too. He now lowered an earthen pot that was tied to a rope and my Tamil friend picked it up. He explained it was toddy, that they used in the resort kitchen as a fermentation agent for the hoppers (appams) they prepare. It had to be filtered before use and hence could not be drunk right away. Now, the grandkids had come out too, and it was time to get packed and ready for check-out, after breakfast.

Breakfast buffet was sumptuous. Starfruit, Passion fruit were exotic for us, as was the wood-apple juice. Of course, the hoppers (appam & idiyappam) were excellent with the ‘sambhol’ or chutney. Saying bye-bye to Jetwing Blue, we boarded our vehicle en route to Kandy that would be our next halt, with a visit to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a ‘ must see’ for the children …. and adults alike.

We had been on the Negombo/Colombo to Kandy Road for around two hours passing through small towns, quaint villages, all along on a good, well-laid road. However, as it is not a six-lane highway and as there are numerous bends, one cannot race along. Now, were taking a left turn towards Pinnawala. All along you see signboards of lodges, restaurants, hotels …. with everything having some connection to the term ‘Elephant’. Elephants were the main drivers of tourism here, it appeared. Soon, we stopped and our chauffeur said this is the place where we could see elephants, walk with them ride them, bathe them, etc. I was a tad surprised at this announcement, as I had been to the elephant orphanage earlier and this sounded different. We were at the ticket counter and I read the signage there — ‘ Millenium Elephant Foundation’. I told the lady at the counter, we wanted to see the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. She made her sales pitch that this was a private, family-owned foundation (NGO), where we could see and walk the elephants, of course for a price. Not that the elephant orphanage offered free entry, but that was the place we had come to visit. She reluctantly stated that the orphanage was some two kilometers further down the road. I sternly told our driver that he should not misguide us but take us straight to the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. Cannot comment on how good or bad the Millenium Elephant Foundation is, but there seems to be tie-up between tourist operators and the Foundation for bringing unsuspecting tourists here instead of the Pinnawala elephant orphanage or making them visit the foundation first. A further fifteen minutes’ drive and we were there — Pinnawala elephant orphanage, that is run by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation. Separate prices for entry tickets to locals, SAARC citizens and other foreigners.

A clearing with a viewing gallery from where we could observe elephants eating, at play, relaxing……… elephants of all sizes including a couple of cute babies. Most of them are rescued orphans from the surrounding jungles but some of them have been bred and born here.

Then, there is another gallery from where one could feed a full-grown elephant with fruits. A fruit plate costs LKR 540. The children (and adults too) enjoy feeing the elephant, feeling its rough trunk as it greedily snatches the fruits offered.

Two other major attractions here are 1) Watching the elephants bathing in the river 2) purchasing paper products made of elephant dung or poop in the official souvenir shop or any of the private stores outside. The elephants are taken by their mahouts for bathing in the river Maha Oya which flows on the other side of the road from where the orphanage is. So, when the elephants go for a bath, traffic is stopped for a few minutes on the road, as elephants have the right of way here. We came out of the orphanage, crossed the road and walked through the narrow street towards the river. Our tickets were checked (Yes, the same ticket entitles you to watch the elephants bathing in the river, outside the orphanage). The street is lined with shops selling elephant products, souvenirs, refreshments, small eating houses and lodges (some overlooking the river). The sound of the fast-flowing river and the elephants enjoying their dip in the cool water is a mesmerizing sight.

It was very hot and humid now. We were all hungry too. Walked back to the main road and found this small place, Cafe Pinnalanda. The lunch buffet was okay and we were particularly impressed with a salad made of greens. Time to hit the road again. Kandy in two hours announced Nuwan as had to traverse the inclines of the central highlands. We estimated to be in Kandy by 5 PM, in time to catch the cultural show at Kandy Lake Club by 5.45 PM, something the ladies in the family did not want to miss. It was decided to give the Peradeniya Gardens, a miss. If you have more time, this is a place that you must visit. It was a little over 5 PM. We were in Kandy town but our place of stay was at Fox Candy, atop a hill and accessible by narrow, steep roads with hair-pin bends thrown in. Kandy looks picturesque with the lake in the middle of town and surrounded by green hills on all side, with a giant Buddha statue overlooking the town. Finally, we were at our resort wherein the reception and dining were at a higher level with the chalets/cottages down in a small valley. While walking down to our chalets, we took in the amazing views of the hills all round, a swimming pool that appeared to be on the edge of a cliff, even as our luggage was being wheeled down in the luggage carts. A quick freshening -up and were back in our van to go down for the cultural show.

Considering the uphill drive along narrow roads in the darkness, we took a quick. momentous decision. No sooner the cultural show ends, we would return for dinner, missing, possibly the most important site in Kandy — The temple of the Tooth or Dalada Maligawa. Group was not keen, and I didn’t mind as I had been there earlier but for visitors to Kandy, this UNESCO World Heritage site should be a ‘Must see’.

Traffic was slow round the lake, as some road repair work was going on. It was a little after 6 PM, when we reached the Lake Kandy Club where this cultural show happens. I was the only male member in our group who went to watch the show with the ladies. The others decided to chill outside. The show had started an possibly we had missed the first 3 dances. What we saw in the next one hour had us transfixed — the ancient culture of Sri Lanka, the skill, grace and flexibility of the dancers, the jugglers, musicians and other performers. There was the Peacock dance, Devil dance to ward off evil, Panthera natuma, Ves natuma in traditional Kandian finery & jewelery, harvest dance and of course the fire-eating performance. At the end of the tour, when I had asked my 3-year-old grand-daughter, what was the highlight of the tour according to her —- her answer was, the ‘fire-eating’ act. The cultural show has an interval too, enabling the audience to have refreshments of their choice served in their seats, including liquor. The crowd was mostly European/American and apart from us, could not see any Indian tourists.

The final act in the show is outdoors. Fire-walking, where trained people walk on a pit full of burning embers and they come out unscathed. A sight to behold, though for some, from Tamil Nadu they must have seen these at temple festivals where devotees walk on fire. At the end of the show, one could give a small tip and click pictures with the performers.

8.30 PM — Reached our resort. Went for the dinner buffet. passable, more of continental and non-vegetarian fare. Not too many choices for vegetarians here. Got to crash soon, as we have an early morning start, after breakfast, further up the highlands to Nuwara Eliya. As we walk down to our rooms, I look up at the starlit sky and with lights of houses twinkling on the hills, it sort of gives the feeling of being in Fairyland.