Sri Lanka - the land of experiences!
It was my long dream of visiting Croatia and Slovenia in the falls.... applying for visa for Germany was just because my wife had a friend living there,that meant seeing Munich and adjoining areas for free...and we Indians,esp Bengalis always love free stuff. But the Germans thought otherwise,and rejected our visa. Rejected dejected i decided let's go somewhere near, where the kids will enjoy, and so we decided to go to Sri Lanka. Now, how was SriLanka...was it worth it? At the end of this travelogue,I hope you will find the answer.
Let's start the travelogue with a conversation...we were at the end of our tour, the kids and my wife were asleep at the back seat,and I was enjoying the drive. I casually just asked Indra,our guide cum driver, " Who are the worst tourists that you get?"....Indra just smiled, without answering. Indians? I asked,why? "They always compare and complain.....compare every place they visit with someplace in India, and complain about the food,the hotel,the time,the cost.... anything and everything! "There was a bit of pain in his voice.
And i understood, we Indians are always there to buy the products,not experience them. As someone rightly pointed out, fill your life with experiences not things. So traveling is not about seeing places, but experiencing them,the place,the people ,the culture.
So in this travel blog, I will speak about the experiences, not the places,or the food,or the cost or the best season to travel etc.... there are plenty of that stuff in Google.
The asexual spa: It was already dark, we just checked into The Goddess Garden hotel in Sirigiya, a small village with a swampy lake and frogs and insects as our neighbours. It was raining,and Indra said ,Sir, will you go for a massage. The journey was hectic,needed some rest for the body and i thought why not? So, there I was going alone along with a person whom I had met a few hours back to an unknown place at 8pm. The roads were narrow through rice fields and forests, raining, with no Street lights and no stars for company . The only sound was that of Srilankan rock music playing on the radio.All of a sudden the car stopped in a nowhere...Sir, we have arrived,please come with me. Coming outside,what i could make in the dim light was a thached house surrounded by thick canopy of trees.Through a paved courtyard,with lots of trees and shrubs overarching and obstructing the path,I reached a mud house, when a lady welcomed me.
Ah, so this is the masseur....my naughty mind thought for a second!
Sir, can you please say what are your problem areas, your medications and any major surgery that you had 1year back.
The tone of her professionalism made me speak the truth. After choosing the type of massage,I was asked to keep my valuables in a locker, put on a slippers and led by a young lad to another earthen room,with no AC . I was asked to change to a towel, and then the massage began... by that boyish lad. It was lots and lots and lots of oil( felt like he will be frying me like a fish in the oven next!), and as I laid down on the massage table ,with the pitter pattern of the rain drops outside,i went into a slumber. I was awakened, Sir ,please turn to the front. For the first time in my life, I was receiving a massage from a man, and it was the most asexual best therapeutic massage of my life.I felt like a patient in front of a doctor,with no shame of nudity. My modesty was maintained all the time,but I won't have cared a bit if it wasn't. The massage was followed by a sauna with neem leaves.And it ended with tea in a coconut cup,with jaggery cubes instead of sugar.
On the way back,Indra told ,Sir i could have taken you to a place where there is little of massage and more of u know what, but I don't want you to have a wrong impression of my country on the first day. I asked, do you get a commission? Here,no, but tommorow when you do shopping,we usually get a voucher for the yearly shopping that is done by tourists. And from that moment,I liked this guy!
Where are the elephants: I have always thought safaris to be boring...if you want to see an animal,just go to zoo, why waste time and money to search for it in the wilderness. But, the early morning safari changed my views. The thrill is not in seeing,but in searching for them. There was also a watch tower, on top of the hillock, only four of us on the top surrounded by wilderness all around. Romantic!
Shopping: Yes, you read that right. I have always thought shopping as a waste of time and money,but our next day travel from Sirigiya to Kandy was full of shopping experiences,be it the Wood crafts(with live demonstration of how the natural pigment colours are made), the gem factory,the spice garden. Never felt shopping is so exciting!
Tasting the forbidden fruits: Ok,there was nothing forbidden that we ate. But the pink bananas, the king coconut,the large mangoes, the litchi like fruit (forgot the name), the strawberries....and the Arrak ( whiskey from coconut water), the curd with coconut honey....Thank you Indra for the suggessions. Each was delicious! And the Sri Lankan cuisine was awesome,from Rice curry to Kottu, to Nasi Goreung (Singaporean dish), to the beef curry ( even Ribhu liked it), to the Tuna and the Prawns. The breakfasts were also mouthwatering ( the banana pancakes, the Pan cake style Sri Lankan dhosa). Infact I had very little traditional English breakfast ( sausage bread etc)
Also tasting the tea sitting on an open lounge overlooking a tea garden is a life time experience.
Country roads take me home: How can I not mention the journey itself, the drive through the highways with undulating hills, the coconut plantations on both side, the Tea Gardens of Nuwara Elliya and the Gorges of Ella, the Ravana waterfalls. The journey was more exciting and beautiful than the destinations itself.
Special mention is the Train ride from Nuwara Ellya to Ella,thorough the tea plantations and Misty mountains and dark forests and darker tunnels, with a mix of Russians,Germans, Australians, Asians ,Koreans, Americans, British for company. It was a mini world,with so many dialects,tastes. Even Ruhi and Ribhu befriended a German and a Australian woman.
Also not to forget the drive from Mirrisa to Bentota via Gall along the beach,the the torquise blue to green ocean with roaring waves talking with the swawing coconut trees and the undulating black asphalt road for company. It was bliss.
Crocodiles and turtles: I grudgingly took the tour of Mangrove forests in Bentota as Ribhu was wimphering that he wanted to ride on a boat. But yes,I liked it...the goosebumpy ride through the very narrow channels,with overarching trees and dense forests. The setting sun with dusk engulfing us made it more frightening. The cherry on the top was the small baby crocodile!
Sunsets and the views: Thank you Beauty Lanka (our tour agency) for the choice of hotels, each one had an awesome view from the balcony. Special mention to Oak Ray Tea Bush at Rambada , Rawana hotel at Ella and Jaga Bay Resort at Mirrisa. I have never seen a hotel so encroached by nature as Jaga Bay Resort...the hotel was built not replacing nature but engulfing it, with coconut trees (12-15) going through its walls and rooms and roof.
The nine arch bridge, Ella
Mangrove forest, Bentota
The coastal roads
Ramboda....view from hotel
Our hotels
Goddess garden Sirigiya
Kandy river edge nature resort
Oak Ray Tea Bush Nuwara Ellya
Rawana hotel Ellla
Jaga Bay Resort Mirissa
Ayuboyan: The people, always with a smile.
Note: Special thanks to Beauty Lanka travels, Indra our guide and driver and my wife, without whom this trip would not have been possible.
Wish to go there again,esp to the East Coast for Scuba and Snorkeling...but first will have to learn swimming next year, and do my PADI certification.
You are absolutely unique just like everyone else.
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