We welcomed this New Year with a plan to visit Srilanka. It was in our list of must see places. My urge to visit this place became very strong after watching Mani Ratnam's "Kannathil Muttu Mittal". Those life size statues of Buddha and the greenery had marked a big impression on my mind. I had to lookout for a travel agent in Srilanka as the local agents here were quoting exorbitant rates. After doing a bit of research over web, we went for Connaissance travels. We planned a 10 day stay to cover Negombo, Dambulla, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo and Galle. Our package included 4/5 star hotels with breakfast and an English speaking chauffeur cum guide.
Day 1 - We boarded Srilanka Airlines from Chennai and reached Katunayake/Bandarnayake international airport at 12 pm. We then drove to Negombo, a fishing town north of Colombo which is about 6km from international airport. Saw Dutch canals built by Dutch to transport cinnamon, Negombo Lagoon, fishermen harbors and colonial churches.
Club
Dolphin Hotel (Waikkal) - Later checked into a Club Hotel Dolphin, a beach front resort located in Waikkal which is about 8km from Negombo has around 150 rooms and few cottages. The main attraction of this resort was that it was just 200 meters away from beach and had a gigantic swimming pool(included in video clip). We lay in pool for almost 3 hrs enjoying sun and beach view.
Entertainment: The resort staffs a team of "animators" who are very friendly. They conduct many beach games, pool volleyball for the residents to enjoy. I am sure one will be tempted to join them in whatever they do. Late night the animation team performed few dance numbers and hilarious skits. We were lucky enough to get glimpses of Srilankan wedding couples. There was a wedding reception in a bonquet hall of Club Dolphin. It was rather fascinating to see the attire of bride. The photo session of the married couples lasted for more than 3 hrs striking all kind of possible pose.
Food: Buffet dinner had few surprises for me. There were quite a lot vegetarian dishes. I had my first bite of Srilankan food (Rice Cake, Sambhol and Dal Curry).
Day 2 - At buffet breakfast hoopers, string hoopers, dal curry, chutney were available.
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage: We left Waikkal around 9 am to Pinnawela to visit Elephant Orphanage. Srilankan wildlife department established this 25 acre land as sanctuary in 1975 and now is a home to 80 elephants. Captive breeding program was started in early 80's and now has around 15 baby elephants. They staff 16 mahouts at present, which is insufficient to control the growing population of elephants in the orphanage. The population of older female elephants is more compared to male elephants. We reached Orphanage when it was time for the herd to move to Maha Oya river for bathing. The Maha Oya River where the herd moves for bathing is about 500 ft away from the main road. Leather shops, puppet and mask shops have cropped up nearby the orphanage. It was amazing to see such a big herd of elephants bathing. Few of the male elephants were chained. Visitors are allowed to take snaps with baby elephants which are very friendly. The entry ticket costed 1,000 Srilankan Rupees per person.
We stopped at a restaurant called Ranatgiri which offers a view of Kurunegala Lake. They serve both veg and non veg Srilankan curries. Kurunegala town has about 7 huge rock outcrops. A huge sitting statue of Buddha on Elephant rock draws your attention when you pass by the town. Cobra rock which is around 3Km long is something amazing to see. After a lunch stopover at Kurunegala, we then headed towards Dambulla.
Dambulla Cave Temple: Dambulla is famous for Raja Maha Vihara or Rock Cave Temples. One has to climb around 300 steps to reach Raja Maha Vihara. The stairs are usually occupied by vendors and monkeys. Raja Maha Vihara has 5 rock cave temples built by King Vattagamini Abhaya and a central courtyard with a bodhi tree. Devaraja Lena is the first cave which has 15 meter long reclining statue of Buddha with attractive painting on his feet and beautiful frescoes. Maharaja Lena is the second cave and is the largest among 5 caves with 16 standing and 40 seated statues of Buddha. The ceiling is covered with colorful murals and has another reclining statue of Buddha. Maha Aluth Vihara is the third cave comprising seated statue of Buddha with colorful murals. The other two caves Pachima Vihara and Devana Aluth Vihara has few Hindu gods. There is a strict dress code followed in all buddhist temples in Srilanka. Sleeveless tops and shorts are strictly banned. The entry ticket costs 500 Srilankan Rupees per person.
Amaya Lake (Dambulla): We checked into Amaya Lake resort which is located adjacent to Kandalam Lake. The chalets/club lodges were spread out and had a huge lobby and dining area. Lobby had some antique furniture with white lanterns dangling from ceiling. The door of each chalet is pained with full size image of King Kashyapa. Chalet had a separate living area with flat screen TV and a couch, while steps lead to a slightly elevated sleeping area. Spacious bathrooms were equipped with toiletries and hairdryers. The only disadvantage that I could think of was the paths leading to chalets were poorly lit.
Entertainment: A flutist plays softly in a small elevated enclosure closer to the pool for an hour or so in the evenings. Local singers are invited to sing few Srilankan melodies at the restaurant. Late night a local magician displays his magician skills for an hour or so.
Food: Dinner buffet had combination of Srilanka and Chinese cuisines. I got to taste Pittu and the famous Srilankan dessert, Curd and Trickle!
Day 3 - After breakfast, we left to Anuradhapura which is around 2 hr drive from Dambulla. On our way we passed through Ritigala Mountains which is famous of wild orchids. On the top of this mountain lies the ruined palace of King Pandukhabaya.
Anuradhapura: The ruined city of Anuradhapura was named after a minister called Anuradha. Anuradhapura has three major complex build by different kings. Maha Vihara Complex comprises Maha bodhi tree, Brazen Palace, Tooth Relic Temple, Ruvanveli Dagaba, Tuparama Dagaba and Catussala (Alms Hall). The bodhi tree got from India in 3rd century BC is now supported by golden pillars and is the oldest living tree in the world with a reported planting date. The second complex called Abhayagiri Vihara complex comprises of Abhayagiri Dagaba, Lankarama Dagaba, few artistic moonstone and guard stones, Twin ponds, Elephant pond, Ayurvedic centre and Samadhi Buddha statue. The Abhayagiri dagaba build by King Valagam Bahu in 1st century BC is the 2nd highest dagaba in Srilanka. The restoration of this dagaba is in progress. The last complex called as Jetavana Vihara complex has Jetavana Dagaba which is rated as the largest and tallest brick built monument in the world. It took us around 2.5 hrs to see the ruined city of Anuradhapura. The entry ticket to the ruined city costs 2,120 Srilankan rupees per person.
We had ditched the idea of visiting Sigiriya fortress as it was raining. Later decided to head towards Amaya Lake in the late afternoon. We hired bicycles from the resort to explore the country side. The breath taking view of Kandalam Lake and lush green paddy fields will be cherished for the years to come by.
Day 4 – As per our itenary we were supposed to leave Dambulla and reach Kandy in the afternoon. The thought of not visiting the 8th wonder of ancient world made us change our plans.
Sigiriya Fortress: Sigiriya is 12 Km from Amaya Lake and we decided to climb the fortress inspite of rains. Sigiriya stands high above the surrounding plains and is visible for miles in all directions. One has to ascend 1200 steps to reach the summit. The summit has a ruined palace complex, mid level terrace has lion gate and mirror wall, low level has water gardens, caves and moats. The fortress has caves with artistic painting of cloud damsels and heavenly maidens. The steps get narrower from mid level to summit. It is so narrow that only one person at a time can climb. The view of water garden from summit almost looked like a painting. The rock cut pool on the summit was eye catching. It was worth a visit! Entry ticked costs about 2000 Srilankan rupees per person.
The drive from Sigiriya to Kandy took about 1 hr 45 min. Had lunch at Senani restaurant which offers good Srilankan and Continental food. The location of this restaurant offers a view of The Temple of Tooth and Kandy Lake.
Amaya Hills: We later checked into a hotel called Amaya Hills which is located about 9 Km from Kandy city on the hills. The narrow road from the city that leads to the hotel was simply disgusting and it was a horrible bumpy ride. The lobby area is totally open on the three sides with huge transparent plastic sheets covering the sides from rainwater. The room was descent enough with a balcony facing the valley. Compared to Amaya Lake the interiors of the room were not that appealing. Amaya Lake was great experience but was disappointed with Amaya Hills.
Kandy Cultural Show: Kandy Cultural programme is conducted every evening at a auditorium next to ‘The Temple of Tooth’ for more than an hour. Local artists perform traditional kandyan and low country dances of Srilanka. The colorful costumes and the music will keep you occupied. In the end, few artists walk over burning coals and seek blessings from the goddess. The entry ticket costs 300 Srilankan rupees per person.
The Temple of Tooth: We visited ‘The Temple of Tooth’ possessing a tooth of Buddha which is heavily guarded and worshipped. Golden canopy covered with jewels has the sacred tooth within. Daily rituals are performed thrice a day during which one gets to see the golden canopy. The security around the temple has been beefed up because of the threats from LTTE. The entry ticket costs 575 Srilankan rupees per person. Later we strolled through the main streets of Kandy. All shops close by 7.00 pm and there were very few restaurants open. We barged into Pizza hut to grab some veg pizza and garlic bread. Visitors/locals are not allowed to stroll near the temple after 9.00 pm. We were lucky enough to reach the other end before it struck 9.
Day 5 – After breakfast at Amaya Hills, we headed towards Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden: The 59 hectares of royal botanical garden offers spectacular plant life of Srilanka. The botanical garden is about 20 minute drive from Kandy city. The garden has Orchid house, fernery, great lawn with a huge java fig tree, spice garden, bamboo trees, palm avenues, flower and medicinal garden. The giant bamboos from Burma grow to a height of 180 ft. The average growth rate of new shoots is about 30 cm a day. The entire garden is well maintained and is a popular location for young lovers. The abandoned forts, beaches, gardens are mostly occupied by ‘Umbrella Couples’ in Srilanka and this is the most common sight. The entry ticket costed about 625 Srilankan rupees per person.
Had our lunch at Ramboda Fall Hotel which offers a splendid view of Ramboda falls. The location of the restaurant was great but the food was bad.
Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Centre: We stopped at Mackwoods to visit the tea factory. Picked few tea packets and miniature tea filter as a souvenir from their shop.
It was 5 pm when we reached Nuwara Eliya. We checked into The Grand hotel.
The Grand: The Grand famous for its Tudor style has a colonial charm. The room was spacious and cozy with a view of golf club adjacent to the hotel. We had our dinner at an Indian restaurant managed by ‘The Grand’. Lake Gregory is at a walkable distance from Grand hotel.
We went for a evening walk to explore the Nuwara Eliya town. Cargill’s Food City is present in all major tourist destinations in Srilanka.
Day 6 – We set out for our final destination (Colombo) after breakfast at The Grand. On the way one can get glimpses of nice tea gardens and few waterfalls. It was very misty so could not get a good picture of St. Clair’s. However we were lucky enough to get good view of Devon falls. On the way, we stopped at ‘The Plantations’ for lunch. It is located near the banks of Kelani River in Kitulgala. ‘The bridge on the river kwai’ a Hollywood academy award winning movie was filmed her so it attracts crowd. The spot now has concrete foundation for the bridge so we did not see.
It took almost 2.5hrs to reach Colombo from Kitulgala. We checked into Galadari on lotus road. We got a beach facing room on 8th floor of the hotel. The room was really clean and spacious, however the bathrooms required some renovation. Guests were discouraged from clicking the photos of Old Parliament house building from the rooms because of security reasons. The Fort area in Colombo has star hotels and government buildings so there was tight security in and around this area. Evening went for a walk near the beach road. All small shops that had mushroomed were closed by 6 pm. Had our dinner at a small south Indian restaurant on Galle Road. It was such a relief to have dosa and sambar with lot of chutney. The Galle road has few great buildings like Galle Face Green hotel, Taj Samudra, High Commission of India, High Commission of UK, Embassy of the USA and Prime Minister’s office.
Day 7 – Breakfast at Galadari had surprises for me. They served Idly, Vada, Dosa, and Upma along with English breakfast. As per the itenary, after breakfast at Galadari we set out for a half day city tour of Colombo. We stopped for a photo shoot at Independence Square, Town Hall, War Memorial and Viharamahadevi Park. We got down at Majestic Mall to do some shopping. The food court in the mall serves Malaysian, Chinese, Italian and Srilankan cuisines. We walked across to Pettah which is close to the Colombo Fort area and is famous for bargain shopping. The area was crowded with people and was not clean. It just reminded me of National Market/Avenue Road/Alankar Plaza of Bangalore.
Day 8 – A ride on tuk tuk from Galadari to National Museum costed us 250 bucks. Most of the tuk tuk’s are in good shape and well maintained.
Colombo National Museum: This museum was the first public museum that was established in Srilanka in 1877. On the first floor is the Puppetry and Children’s Museum which has a good collection of local and western puppets. The royal weapons section has amazing collections of swords and guns used by Srilankan Kings. The main attraction is the gem studded throne of Srilankan King’s which was taken and then sent back to Srilanka by British. The entry ticket to the museum is 500 Srilankan Rupees. Beautiful colorful masks are displayed on the first floor.
Odel and House of Fashions: Our next destination was Odel in Colombo 7. We had read quite a lot about this shop on travel magazines. It is one stop shop offering wide variety of branded clothes, perfumes, jewellery, shoes, and bags. We left Odel buying nothing! We reached ‘House of Fashions’ on Duplication road. The entire shopping mall was filled with locals and tourists. Men clothing for a change seemed less expensive than that of ladies. It was really a nice shopping experience.
Day 9 – Trip to Srilanka wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Galle. We left Colombo early morning at 7 am, on the way we could see Tsunami devasted village. We spotted a monster lizard on a small island on a lake in Kosgoda. There was a huge statue of Barmian Buddha build in memory of Tsunami Victims called as Tsunami Honganji Vihara at Peraliya village which was badly hit by Tsunami.
Victor Hasselblad Turtle Hatchery: This hatchery is owned and maintained by a local person at Kosgoda. One day old baby turtles are put in a huge water tanks and are released after two days into sea. There were couple of old huge turtles that were blind and hence they were retained in hatchery. Everyday the eggs are collected and incubated inside the hatchery in order to protect them from being eaten by wild dogs. Hatchery now has 5 different species of turtles (loggerheads, leatherbacks, olive ridleys, green turtles, hawksbills). Visitors are allowed to hold baby/adult turtles and take snaps. The entry ticket is 200 Srilankan rupees.
Coral Gardens at Hikkaduwa: Hikkaduwa is famous for its golden sand beaches, coral reefs and water sports. We hired a glass bottom boat for coral viewing. We were able to spot blue corals, cabbage corals, and mountain corals along with colorful tropical fish. Bargaining skills are needed as locals initially quote high for a boat ride. We paid 1500 bucks for a 45 minute ride.
Galle: The Galle Fort was initially build by Portuguese and later modified by Dutch in 17th century. Many Muslims, Dutch, Portuguese, Germans reside inside the fort area. There is also a very famous Dutch church which is worth a visit. We encountered great number of ‘Umbrella Couples’ at Fort.
It was around 7 pm in the evening when we reached Colombo.
Day 10 – This was the last day at Colombo. Our flight back to Chennai was in at 6.30 pm. We were advised by hotel staff to leave early for the airport. Colombo too suffers from Traffic problem!
Our trip to Srilanka was totally great inspite of tense situation. We leave Colombo with a promise to visit the splendid island nation to cover Pollanaruwa, Trincomalee, Sripada (Adam’s Peak) and Horton’s.
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