On 26 December 2004 a 9.0 earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. The tsunami that was created by this massive shift of tectonic plates on the ocean floor struck the coastlines of 14 different countries with devastating force, most fiercely felt in the Indonesia provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. But as the 25 metre waves rolled westward the first obstacle they met was Sri Lanka and the impact on the … Continue reading →
The Sri Lankan leopard is one of eight sub-species of leopards in the world and with less than 500 still in existence it is also one of the rarest. Yes, we had seen leopards in East Africa but that was there and then, this is now. So one of our missions in coming to Sri Lanka was to see a leopard. And the best place to do that is in … Continue reading →
There is as much to see in Sri Lanka that is off the main roads as on them. We learned this in the central highlands of the island when we temporarily abandoned Mr. T and our comfy air-conditioned car for other forms of transport. It all started at 5am with a call to prayer from the local mosque – we were soon up and ready to begin our walk to the World’s End.
Continue reading →The mountains of Sri Lanka are world famous for one thing – tea. During the British colonial days the Brits often headed up into the mountains to escape the heat and they found the fertile soil perfect for growing tea. Tea was initially planted to satisfy their personal needs but a bigger opportunity was recognised and soon British industrial knowledge was applied to the task. This started an industry that … Continue reading →
Polonnaruwa was the capital of Sri Lanka around the 11th and 13th centuries and today is set amongst rich farm land used primarily to produce the country’s staple crop, rice. The remains of the ancient city tell a fascinating story of its glorious past and we loved exploring the many impressive remains from the original buildings of that era. Who would have ever guessed this sleeping giant of culture and history … Continue reading →
When it comes to the names of Sri Lanka’s ancient cities they’ve come up with some serious tongue twisters. Much like our driver’s name was shortened to Mr. T, the city names of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa – as spectacular as they were – inevitably became known as the A town and the P town. We kept trying but we never got there and eventually gave up. Never mind, call them … Continue reading →
Ayubowan, this beautiful sounding word was the first we heard when arriving in Sri Lanka on a late night flight from Bangkok. Ayubowan, so say the Sinhalese as a general greeting of good health, a warm hello, peace be with you. With this magic word we could start and finish almost every conversation during 15 fabulous days exploring Sri Lanka. And Sri Lanka deserves exploration for it holds many magical experiences, … Continue reading →
