It’s 7 o’clock in the evening and there’s a nip in the air. We open a bottle of wine, pour ourselves a glass each and slowly sink into the outdoor jacuzzi that’s been heated to a perfect temperature. The starry night sky, swirling waters and the wine make this a perfect end to our day…
Category: Sri Lanka
A Fort, a Temple and a Church. Mannar Sri Lanka
It is 32C outside and the tarred road is simmering. Yet the unrelenting heat of the day does not take away the picturesque drive that is taking us from Puttalam to the Mannar Island, overlooking the Gulf of Mannar. We cross the ‘Peace Bridge’, a 3 km causeway that connects Medawachchiya-Mannar-Thalaimannar along the A14 road…
Racing down Rapids. Kitulgala Sri Lanka
Forward paddle! Go! Go!! Go!!! Holy s***! (The last command is used in dire circumstances and alerts paddlers to hang on tight) I am perched on the front end of the raft, desperately trying to keep my balance, listen to commands and forward paddle at the same time. My paddle slips from my grip and…
A Wetland Ecosystem. Madhu Ganga Sri Lanka
Set in the middle of the Madhu Ganga and surrounded by a wetland ecosystem is a tiny isolated island where kings and queens, secrecy in seclusion, relics and religion played a small part in shaping the history of this country. Today, visitors, curious to see and hear a part of this narrative, constantly visit the…
A Forest Trek. Horagolla Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is blessed with natural diversity made up of fauna and flora, rivers and mountains, valleys and views, and so much more. Across this island are an abundance of national parks, sanctuaries and forest reserves that are home to endemic and non-native birds and butterflies, animals and plants, marine life and land creatures, great…
A Mountain Retreat. Maskeliya Sri Lanka
It’s pitch dark outside in spite of the few stars that dot the cloudy sky. Intermittently, the rains come crashing down. And it is very cold. The three of us are huddled under blankets, with a fierce fire burning at our feet. Despite the cold weather, the lack of electricity and thankfully, no telephone signals,…
Vibrancy of the Forest. Deniyaya Sri Lanka
I see a sign that tells me I have another 18 kilometers of driving past this laid back town of Deniyaya. The road from here onwards is steep, narrow and very lonely at this late hour of the evening. But I finally reach the Rainforest Ecolodge located on the 500-acre division of the Enselwatte Tea…
A Tree Hut Experience. Wiravila Sri Lanka
As I alight from my jeep, I hear the inimitable, plaintive call of the peacock. I see him wandering through this garden calling for his mate. The garden is a veritable jungle of trees comprising Gammalu, Palu, Burutha, Teak, Athdemata, Kumbuk and Khaya. This peacock is not alone. There are plenty more, wandering freely and…
Hillside Getaway. Haputale Sri Lanka
Up in the hills, high above low clouds, surrounded by terraced tea fields, I am in the heart of Haputale which is almost 180 km from the capital city of Colombo. The weekend is a cool getaway from the scorching heat of Colombo and I am at Sherwood, a quaint planter’s bungalow that has an…
Lawless in Yala. Kirinda Sri Lanka
I have a long drive ahead of me: it’s approximately 220 kms from Colombo to Kirinda. The others have already gone ahead and I look forward to joining them at the Panthera Lodge in Kirinda. By late morning, I reach Kirinda and my weekend begins. The Panthera Lodge is a rustic dormitory-styled open-aired bungalow that…
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