Yes, we are talking about the country, where Sita was held captive by the ten headed King Ravana and Iddiappams are called string hoppers !!!!
Lush vegetation, streches of beaches, Buddhist shrines , Rocks, Caves and Waterfalls, "Sri" lanka trully deserves the knighthood ! ;-)
If your idea of a perfect holiday is relaxing on sandy beaches, driving down misty mountains, going on a wildlife safari, visiting sacred shrines.....errrr... a bit of this and a bit of that - Sri lanka is the place to be explored.
However , if you are rushed, wouldnt advise too many places unless you have enough time to have pit stops, or else you would land up spending more time travelling, than actually seeing places.
Well, for me that too works as I love watching the world pass by through my window .. I love to glare at people - make eye contact with strangers ... it takes you to another world...
The good news is that the Visa to Sri lanka is on arrival - its a mere stamping on the passport - takes less than 5 minutes and there is no departure tax and our currency is 2 and half times stronger which makes us feel we are rich for a bit !!! Some cheap pleasures ..comes a long way ......when you hit "house of fashion" and "Odel" .... :D
Interestingly - Sri Lankan apparel industry is one of the largest contributors to the National Gross Domestic Product of this island nation, followed by Tea, Rubber , Coconut and Tourism
With the time in hand, this was the route that was charted out....
COLOMBO - NUWARA ELIYA- BENTOTA- DAMBULA- NEGOMBO
You are greeted with a Ayu Bhawa( Welcome) coming from "Ayu(sh) Mana Bhawa" as you alight Sri lankan Airlines...and then showered with more Ayu Bhawas , and you trully feel welcomed to India's teardrop.
Colombo , the capital city has a very lackadaisical look to it ... its easy to imagine the city with wild elephants wandering around during the british era ... It has a victorian, probably a dutch look to it . You can see clock towers at every junction - which makes you feel that you are driving in circles. The suburbs look like they never end, giving it a " CAPITAL" city look and feel....
First stop.....We reached Nuwara Eliya town by 9 pm after a harrowing bus ride and a bus change after which we finally checked into the Heritage Tea factory, Kandapola.... We were welcomed there with some amazing in house vanilla tea.
The tea factory has a story to tell..you can spend days in the tea factory discovering little stories about the place... The outside of this 60-room hotel, 6850feet above sea level, has been retained exactly as it was when the British planters constructed it in the mid-1930s while the insides take you to another era...
It was then called the Hethersett Tea Factory, named after a small town outside London.
The factory finally shut down in 1973 and was converted into this unique hotel.
You can either get yourself a relaxing massage at their spa or indulge in a bit of tea leaves picking ...
and guess what it doesnt end there... once you are done with the picking, leaves are taken and dried and packed for you before you leave ..You can bring back home and brag to F& F... There is a mini tea factory in the Hotel where this process takes place....
Also , you can request the chef to teach you to brew the famous Ceylon tea...he will start with the history and explain the different types of tea - such as PEKOE, BOP and BOPF and give you gyan on how to tell strong tea from mild tea ! Very enligh-tea-ning indeed !!!!!!
When in tea factory , one must'nt miss the trek to the Horton Plains ...which is supposedly the highest plateau in the country...It's a fairly easy 4 km walk from the main entrance, through grasslands, gentle streams and eventually forest. First stop is Little World's End, much smaller size but still with excellent views of the valleys and village below. About a kilometre further on is World's End which is a 1000 m vertical drop. It was a bit of an anti climax as we had imagined too much but its nevertheless recommended for the walk part of it.Also the Baker falls, on the way back to the entry looked spectacular ....We were running out of time so cdnt stop over at the falls ..
We were soon back on track to our next stop - Bentota ..It was a good 6 hour drive with COMFORT BREAKS in between . We stopped enroute at the Raffles Restaurant at Kitigula - which has gained fame after the Bridge on river kwai, which was apparantly shot here .
The Beaches of Bentota are unimaginabely beautilful. One of the longest beach strech that i have seen in my life ..Bentota is actually in between the ocean and a lagoon and gifted with stunning views.
Next part is From Bentota to Colombo to the wonderful Dambula ..
Watch this space for more lankan tales.....
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