Serendip – Pearl in the Indian Ocean

A five – day road trip to the beautiful island nation, Sri Lanka, deservingly called Serendib from which the term serendipity has been coined.

We landed at 8.30 in the morning at the Bandaranaike International airport at Katunayake, where we were warmly received by our guide and chauffeur, Sanat. We were heading to Sigiriya and the route was mesmerizing. Long stretches of greenery and the clear blue sky accompanied us throughout. The roads were very well maintained and so the car drove without a hitch which made the trip that much more comfortable. We stopped on the way to have breakfast at Sasha food court at Yatiyana and continued our trip till we spotted king coconuts. Simply had to stop to get a sip of the tasty coconut water at Ibbagamuwa. Our next stop was the Hurulu Eco Park for a Wild Elephant Safari. A sturdy open 4×4 SUV took us into the park and there is no road. It is a muddy jungle trail with ups and downs and I had to hold on to the side bars to keep myself steady as I stood up on a seat. Herds of wild elephants, families with cubs of various ages with the elders going about their business in the jungle and not bothered with the humans who had come to gawk at them! It was quite an experience and physically exhausting. We reached Sigiriya, our final destination for the day at 4.30 pm and checked into the Sigiriya Village hotel. This hotel is spread across like a village with individual cottages surrounded by pools and greenery.

The next day at 5 am we were on our way to the Sigiriya (Lion rock) fortress and reached in 10 minutes. We began to climb the 590 ft high granite column when it was pitch dark and were helped by our very capable guide Nihal, who was carrying a torch to show us the way. We walked through steps carved out in the hill, and caves, constantly climbing up. By the time we reached halfway, there was light but was misty and we were stopping frequently to catch our breath. The climb was quite exhausting. At the halfway mark, we reach a platform like area and we could see the massive front legs with the paws and claws of a lion. Stairs run up between these massive legs. Sadly, other than the legs, nothing else of this huge lion remains. By 6.15 am we reached the top but we unfortunately missed the sunrise because of heavy fog. The remains of the 5^th century palace built right on top by King Kashyapa showed well laid out plans with the king’s palace, the queens palace, gardens, pools, a seat for the king, which told its own story. Coming down was easier and faster and we took in a lot more of our surroundings in the morning light. Legend has it that Ravana’s palace was built on Sigiriya. On our way back, we were able see the reflective wall which in its heydays was as good as a polished mirror. We also saw some exquisite cave paintings which had survived several centuries and reminded me of the Ajanta cave paintings.

As we descended, we passed the terraced gardens followed by the boulder gardens and then the water gardens. Surprisingly, the circular fountains constructed originally for these gardens are still functional. There is a beautiful octagonal pool with a raised platform close to the rock face. The cobra hood stood out in its stony glory. Interestingly, there were caves with beds carved out of rock and painted ceilings. These caves were used by Buddhist monks from the 5th century AD onwards.

The Asana cave with faint remnants of painting on the ceiling

Back at the hotel, we had a hearty breakfast and left Sigiriya at 10 am and drove on for an hour reaching the Dambulla Royal Cave temple and the Golden temple. It was quite tiring, climbing 364 steps to reach the temple because the early morning climb to Sigiriya had taken quite a toll on the body! But I was glad to visit these 2000-year-old cave temples steeped in history and very well preserved, housed in a rock towering over 500 feet. Five of the many caves are major tourist attractions. These caves house 153 Buddha statues, most in meditation and some lying. The murals on the walls and ceiling are breathtaking.

From here we drove for two hours to Pinnawala Elephant orphanage which houses about 70 elephants. This place is a shelter for elephants orphaned in the jungles. It was quite a spectacle seeing all the elephants crossing the highway and heading towards the Maha Oya River for their bath which happens twice a day. As the elephants walked towards the river, the roadside shops removed their wares and made way for these majestic animals. It was a very organized event. The handlers would shout out commands if any elephant moved out of line. We followed alongside. As soon as they reached the water, their personalities leaped out! The older ones just lay down in the water and refused to budge while the middle-aged ones moved along the river and relaxed. The younger ones moved together in a group and crossed over to the other side and set about exploring. A pipe sent a jet of water across a long distance and showered them. The elderly ones got special attention as the handlers set about washing and scrubbing them. After an hour, they were given orders to march back and this took some time. All this unfolded in front of us as we had lunch at the Pinnawala hotel right on the river bank. The entire experience was extremely soothing for me.

From Pinnawala we drove down to Kandy, a busy bustling city, and checked into the Thilanka hotel which is located away from the bustle of the city and nestles amid greens. We had a lovely dinner with live music and the band members were kind enough to play some of our favourite numbers. We retired early after quite a full day. Early next day, we drove a kilometer to Gunatilake Batiks where we bought several garments with batik prints. In fact, they showed us the steps involved in creating a batik print. This shop is well known for its Egyptian cotton and German paints – a guarantee to long lasting prints. We also visited a gem factory cum showroom (Isini Gems and Jewellers) and learnt about the entire journey of a gem stone from the time it is extracted with great difficulty from the mines till it is polished and made into an ornament. No wonder Sri Lanka was known as Ratna Dweepa or the Island of precious stones. It is known for its exquisite sapphires, rubies and cat’s eyes. No, we did not purchase any, much to the disappointment of the manager there, but there were many others who were shopping quite enthusiastically.

A thirty-five minute drive from here took us to the Buddhist temple, Sri Dalada Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, located in the Royal Palace complex next to Kandy lake. This is a well-known place of worship and Buddhists from all over the world come to visit the place which houses Buddha’s tooth. Devotees pay obeisance with lovely blue and white lilies that cover the area. After taking a walk around this peaceful temple and its surroundings, we stood by the lake and fed popcorn to the fish who seemed to love the food.

We then took off to the hills and were enveloped by the beauty of our surroundings. After an hour and a half we stopped for much needed food at the Riverbank Resort. The cool air does make me hungry. Further ahead we stopped at the Poonaella viewpoint taking in several beautiful waterfalls shimmering in the afternoon sun and expanses of tea gardens sprawled for miles around us. In less than 9 minutes we were at the Bluefield Tea Factory where we got to carry baskets on our backs and pick tea leaves! We got a tour of the factory and it was really interesting to learn how different varieties of Sri Lankan tea were created and sampled the tea and, of course, bought some.

As we left the tea garden and climbed through the hills, the temperature dipped and we headed towards our destination, Nuwara Eliya, a place I had longed to see. We reached there in an hour and headed straight to Araliya Red Hotel, a sprawling place with wonderful views of hills all around. Had a delicious dinner in a spacious hall that was lit up in red because it was Valentine’s Day!! In the morning, we were busy trying to take in the beauty around us from the roof top on the 8^th floor.

Close to Nuwara Eliya is Seetha Eliya, a 30-minute drive from our hotel, where we visited the Ashok Vatika, the garden where Sita (Ram’s wife) was held captive by Ravan, the king of Lanka as mentioned in the epic, Ramayan. This area has the Seetha Amman temple, the only temple dedicated to Sita. A stream flows through the garden where Sita is said to have bathed and under one of the many trees Hanuman met Sita when he came to Lanka in search of her. One and a half kilometers away from this temple lies the beautiful Hakgala botanical gardens. Apparently, these sprawling gardens were created by Ravan to keep Sita happy after she refused to stay at Ravan’s palace. Just being inside this huge green space was soothing. There were different areas for different groups of plants, as well as green houses. It felt like walking through a forest path surrounded by bird calls. We spent about an hour in the garden and could not cover several areas as time was a constraint. As we drove to our next stop we crossed the beautiful Gregory Lake (Reservoir).

Our next stop was the Race course. Why would we visit the Race course? Well, this has been on my list for a long time. I was, for some time, working with the Indian Express, Pune, and I got the opportunity to work on their news magazine called Riding High which covered stories around horse racing. When I interacted with Horse owners and Jockeys, they would lovingly mention the Nuwara Eliya race course, also known as the Royal Turf Club. And when I was there, I could see why. Its location makes it a one of the highest race courses in the world and the only race course in Sri Lanka. Its location also makes it one of the most scenic.

We then took off towards Colombo and on the way stopped at River Resorts once again for lunch, after which we drove to the Susantha Spice and Herbal Garden. There are several such gardens where medicinal plants are grown and used for ayurvedic medicines. Sri Lanka is a known hub for ayurvedic medicines. We were taken on a tour around the garden, identifying trees, shrubs and herbs and were told about the curative properties of each one. These gardens have their own manufacturing unit and a retail store. We bought some herbal ointments for joint pains and migraine. On our way to Colombo, we stopped at Tathagat’s colleague’s home for a delicious dinner. By the time we reached Colombo, it was past 9 pm. As we moved through the city, I was entranced by the beauty of the Lotus tower lit up in dazzling orange and green, the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia! We reached the Fairway hotel and had a leisurely coffee at the restaurant before retiring for the night.

The next day Tathagat had to deliver a lecture at the Galadari hotel close by, which he finished by 10 am and then we set off trying to see as much of the city in the limited time we had. The city is a beautiful mix of old and new buildings. We drove by the President’s residence and office, the Post Headquarters, the Lotus Tower. We spent time next to the Indian Ocean at Galle Face Green which is a park constructed right next to the ocean and it is a beautiful space to just relax in. We also took a quick look at the Port City Beach Plaza which is an artificial beach created mainly for water sports and restaurants.

We left the capital city soon after and headed towards the Bentota beach and it being Sunday, the beach was full and the ocean, as usual, looked amazing. It was lunchtime and we had a delicious lunch at Coco Kitchen and it does complete justice to its apt tagline, The Beach Vibe. It is open on all sides with the sand beneath our feet. The food is cooked when you order and that makes quite a difference. Somehow the sea air makes me very hungry and food never tasted better! Our next stop which was a half hour drive away was the Ahungalla Sea Turtles Conservation Project and the pictures here do the talking. There are several such conservatories along the coast and the work they do to take care of injured and exotic turtles is commendable. We stopped at another beach 30 min drive away called the Hikkaduwa Turtle beach.

Another hour’s drive took us to Galle and we headed straight for the Dutch fort there. This fort is strategically located right next to the Indian ocean and looks as imposing as it did in its heydays. What was interesting was that right behind the fort there is a patch of land which is a cricket field and a match was ongoing. Tathagat, being a cricket lover, stood rooted on top of the fort walls and watched the match. The commentator had a hilarious sense of humour which compelled me to watch as well! Before we left, we had coffee at the nearby quaint KiXi café . We left for Colombo at 6 pm and reached our hotel at 8.15 pm. It had been quite a day, full of wonderful sights. For dinner, we went to the Ceylon Curry Club which serves tasty vegetarian food as well and is located right next to the Fairway Hotel. This area, which is now a bustling business and retail centre, was a 17^th century Dutch hospital once and has been beautifully renovated.