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The Resplendent Island

The 15-day trip in January to February took us to the Cultural Triangle, Kandy and the Hill Country – the tea plantations and vegetable farms, Kitulgala – wild life, the coastal region of Galle, from Merissa – the cinnamon farm to Unawatuna – the traditional fish trawling to Negambo, the fish market at sunrise. 

The weather is very warm in the Cultural Triangle and along the Coastal Region. It was equally warm in Kandy town centre but cooler in the Hill Country and in Kitulgala.

The majority are Sinhalese and the Tamils in this part of the region.

Sri Lankans are in general friendly, polite and obliging. They smile or wave at you when you greet them, “ayubowan” or the speak the word, “stutti”. They would gladly oblige when requested to take their photos and a couple of them may request for their photos taken to be sent to them. 

Tipping has become the norm following the western culture and the local folks would ask for them even when services may be short of expectations. When ask, “Is it good?" many times and, if your answer to them is “Good”, be expected to tip them. Otherwise, they will ask for it or your driver will indicate that tips should be given to them. 

King coconut is about the most refreshing drink to enjoy at anytime, anywhere -- the village, the hill country or by the beach, to make a stop by the road to soak in the surroundings.

The spirits of Sri Lanka – the coconut arrack, made from the nectar harvested by coconut tappers from the coconut flowers is the must-try popular distilled spirit. You have to ask the local folks to get the better, smoother tasty brand. I have had the pleasure of enjoying a few drinks with our host that I have forgotten to take photos of them. I was up at 4:00am in the morning to see the sunrise at the fish market to catch the bustling trading that went on -- the evening ended so well with the best local arrack after having had a sumptuous home-cooked seafood feast with our most hospitable hosts, Sarath and Sujitha. 

The local cuisines and snacks vary slightly in the different places. When it comes to food, what better way than to try them out on our own!  Indeed, very few words needed when trying out the different street food and at the eateries that local folks go. However, the best experience was to have the local folks to cook us some of the yummiest authentic meals ever. You cannot beat it when they get the fresh coconut from their own backyard, crack it and grate it on the spot to make curries, salad or simple snacks!

The journey from Colombo airport to Sigiraya

The journey on the road took about five hours over 200 km of good country roads.

Traditional brick making using firewood in this village.

The kiln -- the traditional brick-lined oven.
A very warm beautiful day at this village. 

The Cultural Triangle

We stayed in Sigiriya for three nights to explore the cultural triangle region.

Sinhalese village visit to the mud hut and living quarters of one family when we stopped by her stall to have some refreshing king coconuts.  

This family was given over one and a half acres of land by the government which cannot be sold freely to anyone in return for profit. There are terms stipulated by the government if for some reasons the land has to be sold. 

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The front view

          

The back view

The view

Cooking utensils -- the flat stone is used for grounding spices

Cooking clay pots

Wooden mortar and pestle -- the traditional method of pounding grains.

Castor apple fruit and mango fruit trees 

The community washing area at a Sinhalese village 

The young ladies in sarongs seen pumping water from the well washing clothes and washing themselves. The ladies had kindly obliged to let me take some photos upon request as they continue with their daily routine. 

Spectacular sunset at the rice fields

The unique sunset landscape with white herons in the rice fields.

A beautiful evening to end the day!

The Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Legend of this fortified ancient palace was built on this rock in the 5^th century by King Kasyapa who usurped the throne from his brother after assassinating his father.

A moat was built around the 50 acres of the palace ground and if that was not enough to keep the enemies at bay in fear of vengeance from the King’s brother, numerous crocodiles were placed in the water.  The 3-metres high wall was built as an additional defence to keep out the enemy.

Now, part of the retaining walls ruins remained and there was no sight of any crocodiles in the moat.

The compound of the grounds have been well maintained though what may had appeared to be information posted up at each particular site to let tourists read were no longer there. Instead, there were many “helpers” and “guides” who would give you a guided tour and most could speak several languages. The ‘helpers’ were seen assisting the elderly tourists up the steps to the top of the rock, the climb up from the lion’s paws entrance.

The climb to the top provides a panoramic view.

The palace ruins mostly consist of retaining walls and foundations without accurate information on what each space was used for. There was a huge pool of water which most assumed was the bathing pool for the king, his consort and 500 concubines.

Only few murals of the concubines could be seen now – that it was the original, what was left from the ancient times. Natural pigments taken from three types of plants were used to create the frescoes. 

Entrance to the Palace ground

The palace ground

The steps up The Rock

The 'sky gallery' -- rock paintings using natural pigments, the few remaining images were seen on the western face of the rock, the vertical wall depicting  the King's consort and concubines. 

The view from the one way spiral stairway down after viewing the mural 'sky gallery'

The view from above the Lion's paw entrance, 

overlooking the long path walkway.

The monkeys here are gentle 

The Lion's Paw Entrance

This is a good place to take a break, to watch the crowd ascending and descending from the zig-zag stronghold steel stairway that leads to the top of the rock. Do mind the gusty wind which may make the climb more adventurous!

The imposing paws like an alert crouching lion on guard at the entrance of the final leg of the 
climb up the top. 

The Palace Ruins 
According to legend, the only accessible entrance was through the wide-open mouth of a lion. 

View from the top





Dambulla Caves

A leisurely walk up the pathway leads to the temple entrance where we had to take off our shoes.  You could choose to put your shoes to be piled away at the shoe counter for a fee of 25Rs, I put mine away in my backpack. Socks are allowed as some tourists are not used to walking barefoot outside the temple grounds, on a hot day -- ooh, ooh, ouch muttered under my breath; enjoying the most natural heated foot massage experience!

As a form of respect, all visitors to the temple caves have to wear blouses and T-shirts that covers the shoulders and, strictly no shorts.

Five caves are opened for viewing. Each cave houses the various sacred Buddhist statues – with paintings covering the walls and ceiling that shows the evolution of Singhalese Buddhist Art. They contain over a hundred Buddha images that included the three kings.

The third and fourth caves combined, the largest of the five of them showed a fenced up, ground to ceiling height enclosure at one end of the cave – the earthen pot that contained the holy water. Continuous droplets of water from the ceiling above could be seen dripping into the pot that overflows to the ground around it.

The holy water is used by the monks during rituals. However, if one is lucky, you may be blessed naturally having one or two droplets of the holy water on your head or shoulder when walking by that section of the cave.

  

Journey through Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa

The local lifestyle and their home grounds

The river plays a vital role in their daily lives.
They were seen washing, brushing their teeth in the late afternoon, bathing by the river banks and a couple of kids were happy to show off by jumping from the handrail of the bridge into the river several times before swimming away. 

The happy newlywed -- a rare find to see the happy groom in a smart military uniform and the bride in traditional saree with beautiful accessories. 

Tea plantations in Kandy and the Hill Country

Ceylon tea is world-famous due to the suitable air, water and soil conditions in the hill countries. Tea is the largest national product. It was in the 19^th century that the British discovered this region, recognised the potential and cultivated tea farming. Tea plants are grown and farmed at different altitudes – the high country tea farms, the middle country and the lower country tea estates.

They now process new variety known as green tea and white tea. There are two kinds of white tea – the golden or silver tips tea leaves. They are known to have health properties besides their original Ceylon tea.

Tea pickers are Tamils -- each female tea worker has to pick a minimum of 20kg of tea leaves daily.

There are vegetables farms. One could see kids holding up a bag of cabbages or a bunch of flowers by the roadside to sell.

The hill country air is a welcome change after travelling through the cultural triangle and the coastal region.

According to the Kandy folks, the city does not have the cleanest air quality as it is situated in a crater. The development in this part of the hills created more pollution and as a result, it gets trapped within the crater. 

Bendalawela is a popular destination to enjoy the fresh hill country air. 

Tea estate at the altitude of over 1,500 metres

Tea workers -- Each has to pick a minimum of 20kg daily

Vegetable farming in the hill country

Rice Farming 

Rice is the stable diet of the country. They farmers grow rice for their own consumption. The country imports basmati rice from India for local consumption.

Traditional rice harvest and milling rice in the fields are still used by the village folks.

One owner of a wholesale store mentioned that the country does farm dhal or chick peas. They are imported from India, Canada or US.

Milling rice in the rice field

Harvesting rice

Kitulgala and The Kelani River-- wildlife in the middle hill country

Across the Kelani River is the primeval forest and lush tropical flora, home to some of the rarest species of birds in this region. 

A Nature Lovers Paradise - this is an amazing place to wake up to a natural symphonic music of bird life, the light rustles in the trees, ripples in the water across the river and continuous splashing in the water especially at dawn. 

If you are an avid bird watcher, if you are into light adventures and if you are in this particular region in January or February, it is worth making a detour to immerse in the surrounding wildlife by the Kelani River.

The Kelani River

Kelani River at dusk

The Southern Coastal Region

Mirissa-Unawatuna-Galle-Negambo

This is an ideal place to relax for beach lovers. There is a slice of charm and plenty to do for everyone visiting the coastal region.

The laidback seaside towns with numerous hotels, boutique colonial hotels, guesthouses dotted the coastlines. There are the few coastlines that are less crowded with luxurious hotels fronting the sea.

Mirissa village has a lovely stretch of shoreline. This once quaint quiet place has become the popular spot for whale watching in recent years. It is a pleasant welcome change with the absence of huge seaside resorts. 

Unawatuna though very touristy is a lively place to stay for a few days  to travel out to explore the other seaside towns and beaches, It is about five kilometres from Galle.

The Fort, Galle -- the fortified quiet townscape exudes the colonial charm. The British and the Portuguese had left their footprints here. A bygone era; once occupied by the Portuguese in the 15h century -- a trading port with other countries; followed by war in the 16^th century when the Dutch took over and, another war in the 17^th century by the British that had seen this walled fort transformed over the centuries to have arrived to be a world heritage site for tourists. Most of the properties here are owned by the wealthy locals and expatriates.

Outside the Fort is the bustling new town where locals go about their daily lives. There is a market selling varied greens and fruits, old shops selling dried provisions from rice to dhal, from spices to ayurvedic medicine and oil. There is a popular corner snack eatery that sells the biggest sized vadai (dhal fritters) I have seen and tasted so yummy! 

Traditional Trawl Fishing 

Shoreline of Galle

Sear fish that are short in supply these days












Negambo Fish Market at dawn

There are two fish markets -- the wholesale market and the regular retail market. The wholesale market is more exciting and occupy a larger area. I have to be up early to get to the wholesale fish market before 6:00am to get a glimpse of the market scene by the pier.

Fresh catch at the wholesale market. The variety of seafood was overwhelming! 

The row of stalls outside the wholesale market. 

The bustling pier by the market

The Lagoon

In all, it has been an interesting journey to this warm and brilliant island. 

It is not surprising to see a large number of European tourists to this island although a small number of Asian tourists, especially the Chinese tourists have started to grow in numbers since last year.

Beach resorts have been the top attractions while the ancient cultural triangle, the city of Kandy and the hill countries are the other attractions to visit.

Indeed, the children are the true gem of this country.