So I jumped at the opportunity when my lovely aunt and uncle told me that they were doing a trip in Jan and everyone was invited! I usually like to take a lot of inputs and plan my destinations, but this one was all going to be done by a tour operator (Royal Holidays), and I thought it’d be a nice change to just sit back and see what the place has to offer. My brother, Shyam & cousin, Mridula, were on board as well and it promised to be a great family time in a beautiful country.
The visa process for Sri Lanka was simple. A short form to fill out online, pay the fees, and that was it. Everything was done and dusted online and we could just fly in to Colombo and the ‘stamping’ would be done.
Shyam & I were flying the beleaguered Kingfisher airlines from Chennai to Colombo, and were pleasantly surprised to be served beer (Kingfisher, of course!) on the plane. We landed at 2 in the afternoon to bright sunshine and a cool-ish breeze. Sri Lankan weather is typically tropical and unpredictable, so I was going to take every clear day I could get!
After waiting for about an hour for aunt & uncle to arrive, we were off, on our shining Nissan Caravan with our two guides. I found the cars in Lanka to be a confused mix of the old and the new. There were the 1960’s, boxy-looking, blue-colored-now-looking-brown sedans and there were the brand new aerodynamically designed Toyota Prius kind of vehicles. Clearly, the country had gone directly from pre-civil-war directly some 30 years on to a new set of vehicles.
Anuradhapura
Our first stop was going to be the historic city of Anuradhapura, a good 4 hour drive from Colombo. The road was a good one and the drive reminded me distinctly of the border between Tamil Nadu & Kerala – dotted with bustling villages every few minutes, and forests in between! There were ‘beware of elephants’ signs all over the place and I even managed to catch a glimpse of a couple foraging just off the road.
We reached in time for dinner at the Palm Garden Village, and were welcomed by a lovely, smiling old man; the kind who give that impression of having achieved absolute fulfillment in life. On the other hand, was me with a clearly not-fulfilled stomach! I was famished and eagerly looking forward to my first Sri Lankan meal. I began eating (and by the end of the trip I would lose count on how much fish and rice I had). At least 3 different fish dishes in every meal, very south Indian in preparation with coconut and chillies and spices. Even as I write this several days later, I’m almost drooling over my laptop just at the thought of all that yummy food!
The hotel was a decent one, reminded me of The Leela in Goa in the way it was setup, but of course there was no beach nearby. Rooms were in cottages which lay sprinkled across the pond and tree-filled landscape. We were going to get some much-needed rest before we went out exploring the ancient city in the morning.
We were up early in the morning (7ish) so we could have a heavy breakfast meal and leave. We headed to the Bodhi Tree (not the actual one, of course, but one which had come up from a branch that King Ashok had gotten planted centuries ago). The entire place was swarming with monkeys, the large langurs. 
Langurs are known to be relatively docile, especially compared to the common rhesus monkey, which are known to wreak havoc wherever they go. Being a Sunday, the Bodhi Tree and the accompanying temples weren’t exactly peaceful with tourists and locals swarming the place. We walked around for a while. Meanwhile, Shyam managed to get lost and we had to spend a good 15 minutes looking for him.
The grand stupa was quite a sight, and the walk around it was particularly peaceful. It was about 2 hours well spent. Despite the crowds, I left with a sense of calm. Looking back, I would surely have had Anuradhapura on my own itinerary as well, but not on a Sunday.
Habarana
A couple of hours drive from Anuradhapura was our next stop, Habarana. We reached in time for a late lunch at our beautiful hotel, the Cinnamon Lodge. The layout was similar to the Palm Garden Village, but the rooms were far better furnished. We were up on the first floor of a cottage house that opened out to balconies on both sides with views of gardens. Monkeys were scampering all over the place, but looked more mischievous than menacing. T
here were several weird looking birds and animals, including a large squirrel about 4 feet long that looked like a cross between a squirrel, an otter, a beaver and a mouse. All in all, interesting, but quite ugly!
After a short nap soaking in the atmosphere, we headed off in the evening to see some ruins. After my experience of sheer grandeur in Hampi a couple of years back, it was difficult for me to really appreciate any set of ruins that I saw. And honestly, these were quite ordinary in themselves. There were a few Shiva temples as well but too little was left of them to imagine what they would have been in their heyday! There was a huge, beautiful man-made lake nearby which glimmered in the evening sun, which was the highlight for me. Evening approached pretty quickly and we headed back to the Cinnamon Lodge for some rest and dinner. On the way we booked ourselves for a ‘day in the village’ package the next day which would take us on a bullock-cart and a catamaran, and end with some home-made lunch.
The dinner and service was impeccable and the Cinnamon Lodge was quickly becoming one of my favourite hotels that I had been to. We ended the evening with Shyam treating us to some live music with his guitar.
The next day we were off for our ‘day in the village’ package at about 9.30 in the morning after our usual sumptuous breakfast (string hoppers & fish curry nicely settling in my tummy). The bullock-cart ride was bumpier than the bumpiest roller-coaster you can imagine and we were all laughing our guts out at how much fun it was! Our guide was a 20-year old IT student who spoke English in bits and pieces, including some well-rehearsed lines that were a little less fun than the ride itself.
The catamaran was waiting at the end of the bullock-cart ‘trail’. I had never been on one, but the experience was like in any other boat, except there was no sound of any motor so it was nice and quiet. We saw several species of birds, a blue kingfisher, a red horn-bill, birds standing on leaves floating on water, and many random looking ducks. It was quite clearly, the highlight of my trip till that point. I could’ve spent hours there and not realized it. We stopped on an island to have some fresh tea and take a walk around looking at some plantations. Another 15-minute catamaran ride later we were at a clearing for some well-awaited lunch. Brown rice and fish. Satisfaction!
After the meal, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. The evening was going to be a safari jeep ride into the forest to see some elephants. It started rather promisingly with us having a whole jeep to ourselves and the forest looking dense and inviting. But, as we went in, all we could see was elephants everywhere. I could have done with some leopards and tigers! The ride was fun, what with the open-top jeep and all, and that was about it. We had paid quite a sum for the ‘safari’ and I’d surely have given a miss in hindsight!
We closed out the evening with dinner at the Chhaya Guest House which was right next to the Cinnamon Lodge, with just as good food but about 20% less expensive. They also served us our first taste of Lankan brewed beer called Lion beer. The food was excellent and the tiring safari ride made me eat more than my usual fill. The next day was going to be transit to Kandy, with stops at the Caves of Dambulla and the Spice Garden.
Dambulla-Kandy
We set off early on Tuesday morning and headed towards Dambulla. We were greeted by a gigantic golden Buddha Statue at the base of a mountain. After buying some really expensive tickets (Some 1000 Indian rupees each!) to walk up the mountain, we started our climb. The stairs were broad and safe, and there were quite a few people walking up, gasping for air, us included! On top, was what looke
d like a horse stable at first glance, but each entrance to the ‘stable’ was in fact an entrance to a cave. There were some stunningly worked, huge Buddha statues inside the caves (some 3-4 cave-fuls!). The ceilings and walls of the caves were covered with intricate paintings, and it was quite wondrous how all of this had survived for so many centuries. To think that this land had avoided a war for so long, but fell by the wayside in the 20th century is quite sad.
After a stop at the Spice Garden where we looked at trees of some common spices, we headed straight for Kandy. Driving through Kandy, as we made our way to the hotel, it seemed like a typically large city and I really didn’t feel as though we would see much here. The lunch menu at our hotel, The Mahaweli Reach Hotel was rather limited and the service, non-existent. So we made our way to a restaurant in the city and had a relaxed lunch session. All through the weather had been perfect, without too much burning sun or a drop of rain.
After lunch and some rest, we were relaxing at our rooms while the ladies left for a cultural show. After 3 days of massive eating and relatively insignificant walking/climbing, I was itching to go and have a workout at the gym and decided to do that versus going for the cultural show.
We had seen enough Buddha statues in one day to give the famous tooth relic temple of Kandy a miss, so the initial two days in Kandy plan was cut short to one and we headed off to our next destination, the hill station of Nuwara Eliya.
It was going to be a long drive from Kandy up to Nuwara Eliya so we left early in the morning, about 8.30 am. On our way, we stopped at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Lush greenery, t
he sound of a river gushing somewhere in the background and the sound of a million chirping birds greeted us at the Gardens. As soon as I stepped in, I was quite clear that this was going to overtake the catamaran ride as my favourite place on the trip.
I’ve been to some beautifully kept gardens in Singapore, Paris & Berlin, but this garden was in a class of its own. They, in their current form, were, incidentally, made by a Britisher, after the British overthrew the reigning king of Ceylon some 200 years back. Lined by coniferous trees, perfectly trimmed grass and well-laid roads running through the 59 hectares of the gardens, it was a sight to behold.
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya, a further 3 hours down the road is the Munnar of Sri Lanka. On the lead up to the hill top you cross endless tea gardens, so green that if you look at it long enough your eyes will not be able to distinguish any other colour! We even stopped at a tea factory to see how those leaves are converted to the black powder that we see in our kitchens. It was a fascinating process, simple, and efficient.
On reaching Nuwara Eliya, we checked into our truly grand, Grand Hotel. Huge rooms, high ceilings and furnished with old English upholstery, it had an absolutely royal feel to it. And the chilly, hill-weather completed the English experience.
There wasn’t much to do in Nuwara Eliya than enjoy the weather and views. The only real ‘tourist spot’ was the Hanuman temple and giant footsteps. We did that in the early evening hours and spent the rest of the time at the hotel. Dinner was at the hotel itself, not the usual buffet, but at the café.
We had an early start the next morning to take us to the last leg of the trip – Colombo!
Colombo & Galle
As is the case with most parts of the world, we had a relative in Colombo as well, and timed our departure from Nuwara Eliya so we would reach in time for lunch with them in Colombo! The drive was a tiring one as the road wasn’t too good and it was downhill!
We checked into the Cinnamon Grand and headed for lunch at one of the 14 restaurants in the hotel. By the time we were done, it was almost 4 pm, just about enough time to do some shopping (not for me!) and hit the gym (aye, aye!). Dinner was at the South Indian restaurant, again in the hotel, and it was pretty good.
The last day was going to be Galle, up and down. The drive from Colombo to Galle on the new highway was super-awesome, 100km in 1 hour flat! Galle welcomes you with a scenic drive right along the coast.
I was instantly reminded of Marseille and Barcelona, only this was with hills on the side which really made the view all the more special. I love the sea and there was no way I was going back without a swim, what with the perfect climate (25° C!) and cool water!
We spent the afternoon lazing around at the beach and then went and met a friend of my uncle’s who took us to one of his jaw-droppingly beautiful beach-side properties. The baton had passed from the Royal Botanical Gardens to Galle.
On our drive back to Colombo for our last night in Sri Lanka, I was thinking where I would place Sri Lanka in my list of holidays. A clear #1 in terms of natural beauty, easily surpassing the likes of Goa and Kerala. Not exactly adventurous, but that’s down to the high degree of planning done by the tour operators who I thought did a good job overall. I’d have loved to see some more fauna, but then there are sanctuaries in Lanka where you can go see leopards and even whales. In the end, it was great spending time with family, something I easily forget in my urge to travel more!
