On the Road in Beautiful Sri Lanka

Old Mar 4th, 2015, 04:49 AM
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On the Road in Beautiful Sri Lanka

This is our fourth trip to Asia. Our past travels to the continent took us to countries as varied as Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan, but never to South Asia.

Sri Lanka has been on our destination list for quite some time. We initially planned a visit to the island country back in 2013 but had to suddenly cancel our trip just weeks before our departure as a result of unexpected medical issues. Sri Lanka called to us with the number of Buddhist sites of significance found in the country as well as the tea-growing regions for which the island is famous.

We hired the services of a travel agency, Boutique Sri Lanka, back in 2013 upon the recommendations of several of you Fodorites and decided to work with them again for all our accommodations as well as our car and driver. We worked exclusively with Chamila and with Doris, both of whom have been nothing but helpful and attentive. They’ve responded quickly to my emails and worked with me to craft an itinerary that worked for my interests.

For our first trip to Sri Lanka, we would have 16 nights not including travel time. Our priorities were the Cultural Triangle and Tea Country, although we also wanted to see wildlife. With these in mind, we settled on the following itinerary:

2 nights in Colombo
4 nights in Dambulla
2 nights in Kandy
3 nights in Nuwara Eliya
2 nights in Ella
3 nights in Yala National Park

It’s the first time I’m attempting to write my trip report while our travel is still in progress. Please bear with me as I anticipate longer gaps of time between posts. It may also take me longer to respond, although I promise to do my best.

The trip unfortunately did not get off to a smooth start. More later…
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Old Mar 4th, 2015, 06:46 AM
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>

Oh, no -- what a cliffhanger! Hope that the trip has settled down and all is going well now.

Looking forward to hearing about the trip whenever you can post!

Paule
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Old Mar 4th, 2015, 08:47 AM
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Looking forward to your report. Sorry to hear it was not a smooth start.
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Old Mar 4th, 2015, 09:06 AM
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Looking forward to this. Don't keep us hanging too long...
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Old Mar 4th, 2015, 07:21 PM
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We just left the Kandamala hotel where we had an amazing four night stay and are on our way to Kandy now. Having a wonderful time so far after the initial issues around transportation.

Airplane Switcheroo

Thanks to Mohammed here for pointing out the sudden shutdown of Hambantota airport. I usually take a look at my flight and hotel reservations a few times before my trips and all seemed well a month before our departure. With Mohammed's information I took a look and sure enough, our flight from Hambantota to Colombo was cancelled. At that point I contacted Doris at BSL and was able to confirm a ride back to Colombo without any issues (I assumed our driver was heading that way anyway).

Issue resolved I had hoped that there needed to be no more juggling of transportation logistics but I was wrong. Weather delays and cancellations are to be anticipated flying from the East Coast at this time of year. However I did not expect my intercontinental flight to be cancelled a day prior to our scheduled departure without any weather, mechanical, or labor disruptions.

We were originally booked on British Airways flights from DC to Doha via London and onward to Colombo on Sri Lankan. I received an email message the afternoon before that my flight from DC to London was being cancelled and it took me a couple of attempts to get on the phone with a BA agent to rebook. The agent was able to put us on a flight from DC to JFK and then onward to London but we found out early in the morning of the day of our departure that our first leg would now be severely delayed, which would result in us missing our connection at Heathrow. Again I scrambled to find possible routes and was able to land on a flight from Baltimore to London that evening, which would give us enough time to catch our onward flight to Doha.

With flights set we got together our things quickly as we needed to set out earlier than expected in order to get to BWI. Our flight from BWI to London was delayed and again we worried about making our connection to Doha. Luckily we made up some time in the air and arrived at Heathrow with a little bit of a cushion (Heathrow can be a nightmare on tight connections given the long distances between gates and the need to go through a cumbersome security rescreening).

The plane rides were fine save for the few instances in which we felt that we wouldn't make it to Colombo on our scheduled day. The 777 from London to Doha was more comfortable than the 767 from BWI with its lumpy economy class seats.

Arriving in Doha we headed to our hotel. We booked a night in Doha instead of making an immediate connection to Colombo given that we were flying on two different tickets (DC to Doha and Doha to Colombo) and knew that we would have limited recourse should things not go as planned. Exhausted from the long plane rides and logistics issues and having visited Doha on previous occasions, we mostly slept and hung out in our hotel until it was time to go back to the airport.

The flight from Doha to Colombo was good. The service was good although the bathrooms were dirty (this had to do with the passengers as the bathrooms were clean upon takeoff and we saw staff cleaning them midflight).

Upon arrival in Colombo we were greeted by our friendly driver and driven to our hotel, the Cinnamon Grand, our home for two nights.

To be continued...
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Old Mar 4th, 2015, 07:56 PM
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I'm glad you were able to resolve your fight issues. The terrible snowstorms on the east coast have disrupted many flights. But you got out of there and are now in beautiful Sri Lanka. I'm glad you liked the Kandalama. Looking forward to hearing about what you have been doing.
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Old Mar 5th, 2015, 05:57 AM
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Wow, sorry about the flight issues. Congratulations on getting them sorted out successfully.
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Old Mar 5th, 2015, 06:31 AM
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Glad you are ( finally) having a good time and glad too you liked Kandalama ( must be just us who were not so keen) but thats what I love about travel, different strokes for different folks
I really liked Sti Lanka so am really looking forward to your updates.
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Old Mar 5th, 2015, 08:36 AM
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Yes, the Cinnamon Grand AND the Kandalama! you've certainly made up for the awful start to your trip.

looking forward to more, and hopefully no more flight issues.
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Old Mar 5th, 2015, 10:45 AM
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Glad you made is safely after all the last minute excitement, look forward to reading your trip reports as you go along.
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Old Mar 5th, 2015, 10:21 PM
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Looking forward to hearing more about your trip and hope you are having a good time.
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 03:46 AM
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Thanks to each and every one of you for your comments and well wishes. I’m writing to you now from my veranda overlooking the hills of Kandy here at the Elephant Stables with a cuppa at hand – a fine way to spend a lazy late afternoon.

One Day in Colombo

With only one full day in the capital city, our objective was to get an overview of Colombo, visit a couple of temples, and enjoy dinner at the famed Ministry of Crab.

As many of you know, we like to get to know a new city by doing a lot of walking and taking in the sights and smells of a place. For our orientation of Colombo, we settled upon a walking tour of the Fort and Pettah neighborhoods. We largely relied on Insight Guides’ Explore Sri Lanka for the skeleton of our walk.

Our walking tour began at our hotel, the Cinnamon Grand. From here we headed up Galle Road, past the Galle Face Hotel, and onto Galle Face Green. The Galle Face Hotel is one of Colombo’s heritage properties dating back to the 19th century and is undergoing heavy renovation. Just north of the hotel is Galle Face Green, which was used by the Dutch for military purposes during its brief period of rule over Sri Lanka. The Green is fronted by the Indian Ocean on one side and some colonial era buildings on the other. There is a lot of construction activity going on around here, including the building of a new Shangri-la Hotel and the development of new port facilities funded by the Chinese government, which is raising controversy. Regardless, be prepared for noise.

Past Galle Face Green we came upon two massive colonial era buildings. These buildings formerly housed the Sri Lankan Parliament before being relocated to the suburb of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte. The buildings look very much like the buildings that you see in other cities across Asia that have been subject to British rule such as Hong Kong and Singapore. North of the former Parliament, now the Presidential Secretariat, hugging the Indian Ocean, is a colonial era lighthouse and a Buddhist stupa on stilts. From here, we retraced our way south, passing the Kingsbury Hotel, the Bank of Ceylon, and the World Trade Center buildings, currently the tallest buildings in Sri Lanka. We were now in the Fort neighborhood of Colombo, the city’s political and commercial hub. Fort is compact and home to a few notable structures such as the President’s Residence, the former Cargill’s department store, and the Old Dutch Hospital.

From Fort we moved east into Pettah, a predominantly working-class neighborhood that is home to churches from the Dutch era, colorful mosques, and dizzying markets and bazaars. We spent a couple of hours mingling among local residents shopping for fruits, vegetables, and everyday goods. Even though I’ve visited markets all over Asia, nothing prepared us for the cacophony of noises from hawkers and shoppers alike, the riot of people and vehicles clamoring for limited street space, and goods spilled out everywhere. Pettah was noisier, busier, and more intense. There were a couple of instances in which I felt I was going to be run over. Having never traveled to India, this must be what it’s like, I remember thinking to myself.

We headed back to our hotel for a short respite before turning out again late afternoon for a visit to Seema Malakaya and Gangaramaya Temple. A Buddhist temple designed by the Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa and situated on an island in Beira Lake about a 20 minute walk from Galle Road, Seema Malakaya is a true gem. The temple consists of three sections interconnected by bridges. From a distance the temple appears as if it is floating on the lake. Seema Malakaya is used by monks from the nearby Gangaramaya Temple for ceremonies.

From Seema Malakaya, we walked over to Gangaramaya Temple. Part house of worship and part museum, Gangaramaya felt like an eclectic hodgepodge of multiple temples put together. In some ways, it’s kitsch. There are several interesting Buddha statues including one of the Buddha riding atop a peacock. Some of the statues displayed come from devotees and patrons from all around the Buddhist world, which explains the wide variety.

It was about seven in the evening by now and time for dinner. We made reservations at the Ministry of Crab several days in advance, and were glad we did as the restaurant was fully booked the night we were there. Crab lovers, dining here was one of the reasons we decided to stop over in Colombo. The Ministry did not disappoint. We ordered three jumbo crabs prepared in different ways, and all were very delicious; my favorite was the garlic pepper crab. In addition to crabs, we also ordered the teriyaki chicken, some prawns, vegetables, and leek fried rice. Everything was good, but the rice was a standout. We were so glad we came.

Cinnamon Grand

Situated on Galle Road a short walk from Galle Face Green, the Cinnamon Grand is a typical business hotel complete with myriad conference rooms. The rooms are large and comfortable. Our breakfast was included in the price of our room and featured a buffet of Western and some Asian dishes. The location is also convenient, as it sits next to a shopping center and supermarket next door. The only downside was that it looks and feels like every other business hotel and lacks the character that I enjoy.

Next stop: Dambulla and the Cultural Triangle...
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 04:16 AM
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Wonderful description, I almost feel like I'm there. The market sounds like great fun.

I'm so enjoying following along in real time -- looking forward to the rest of your trip!

Glad to see that the initial annoyances faded quickly!

Paule
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 10:57 AM
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Sounds like a nice walking tour. I've used Insight Guides for walking tours elsewhere and have been pleased.
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 11:50 AM
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The Galle Face Hotel is one of Colombo’s heritage properties dating back to the 19th century and is undergoing heavy renovation.>>

it certainly needed it - they had a fire the second night when we were there and we had to be evacuated from our room in the middle of the night; being led through the smokey corridors and down the stairs by hotel staff is not an experience I'd care to repeat.

We never made it to the Ministry of Crab but we did have an excellent curry dinner at the Cinnamon Grand where they were having a special Kashmiri night.

loving your report - and wishing we were back in Sri lanka with you!
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 03:34 PM
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The crab sounds great, reason enough to head back to Sri Lanka perhaps!
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 06:17 PM
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Paule, yes, we really enjoy the Pettah markets. We try to visit at least one market or two on every trip. They offer a good glimpse into life in an area. Plus it's fun to pick out produce that we may not see everyday. Some are more touristy than others, but the ones in Pettah were clearly for locals. The only time we came across tourists was when we neared the Dutch Museum.

Kathie, Insight Guides have been good to me too. For this trip, it was this and the Lonely Planet guide and it's been enough so far.

Ann, gosh, your Galle Face experience is certainly not one to repeat. The best curry I've had so far is from the Kandalama.

WellTraveledBrit, yes! Ministry of Crab is on our list for when we come back too.

Off to the Tea Factory today. Will post the next installment when I'm able.
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Old Mar 6th, 2015, 07:08 PM
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Ah, yes, the Kandalama had fabulous curries when we were there too!
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Old Mar 7th, 2015, 08:04 AM
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probably the best food we had at the Kandalama [though there was quite a lot of competition] were the prawns which they were cooking to order at the outdoor kitchen. Fantastic. but yes, the curries were very good too.
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Old Mar 8th, 2015, 05:56 AM
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Kathie and Ann, every meal we had at the Kandalama was delicious and the curries are among the best we had in Sri Lanka. Tea Factory's curries are very good too.

To Dambulla

The journey from Colombo to Dambulla took about six hours by car including a lunch break and a few stops along the way. The road out of Colombo was a modern highway built by the Chinese. About 30 to 45 minutes out of the city the highway changed over to a two-lane country road and then to a one-and-a-half lane road. Most of the road along the journey was in good condition except for the last hour to 90 minutes. There was a lot of construction work in this section approaching Dambulla, with rebuilding and widening. Once the work is completed in a few months the journey from Colombo could possibly be cut short by an hour.

The scenery along much of the way was that of lush forests, farmland, roadside stalls, small towns and villages, and side-of-the-road Buddhist kiosk-like temples. The drive reminded me of the typical views I saw in rural Indonesia or Thailand except for the number of temples.

We arrived at the Heritance Kandalama hotel at about 4 in the afternoon. Upon arrival we were welcomed by the hotel staff with cold towels and tropical fruit drinks in the patio area overlooking one of the hotel's pools, Kandalama lake, and the surrounding mountains. The scenery was different than how I pictured Sri Lanka in my head; the views resembled more of what I would except at a place with cooler climes. I also didn't feel like I was on an island.

Mihintale and Anuradhapura

We spent four nights in Dambulla, our base for a full itinerary of sightseeing throughout the Cultural Triangle. Our first full day took us to the ruins at Mihintale and the city of Anuradhapura. Mihintale is believed to be the site where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka from India. Anuradhapura served as the first capital of Sri Lanka from about the 3rd century B.C. for about 1,400 years when it moved to Polonnaruwa.

The trip from Dambulla to Mihintale takes about two hours. Along the way we took a one-hour round trip detour to Aukana to see the famous Buddha statue, the largest in Sri Lanka. The site is off the beaten path and doesn't seem to get a lot of tourists. Furthermore the statue was covered in scaffolding when we visited. The government is in the process of constructing a roof over the statue to protect it from the elements, much like what it did at the site of the Gal Vihara statues at Polonnaruwa. It is also trying to stabilize a recent crack on the statue. The scaffolding made the statue hard to see and appreciate. We probably wouldn't have made the detour had we known.

Moving along we continued onward to Mihintale, an important pilgrimage site for Sri Lankan Buddhists. Mihintale's ruins sit on a large hill with a series of steps leading up to the summit. At the base of the hill are remains of a small temple. Walking up the hill, before the main staircase leading to the top, are what is left of a refectory and an assembly hall for monks and disciples. At the assembly hall are two large granite slabs detailing the rules and regulations of the monastery, in very good condition. Climbing up the steps to the top we were first greeted by the Ambasthala Dagoba (also known as a stupa), believed to be the site of the meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and the king of Sri Lanka at the time and brought Buddhism here. Around the stupa are three sets of rocks and boulders. On one of these rocks sits a large white Buddha statue in teaching pose. In the next grouping sits a pile of large rocks and boulders believed to be where Mahinda descended upon Sri Lanka when he arrived by air. Known as Aradhana Gala or the Meditation Rocks, the summit rewards climbers with nice views of lakes and plains across to Anuradhapura. The scramble up could be challenging for some, although it’s a very short climb and there are handrails for support all the way up.

From Aradhana Gala we saw Mahaseya Dagoba straight ahead. Mahaseya is the largest stupa at Mihintale and sits atop the very top of the hill. On the way up is a bodhi tree and a pool. We circumnavigated the stupa, taking in the lovely views. There is a small temple at the base of the stupa which featured a large reclining Buddha and monks and bodhisattvas in prayer, all awash in multicolor hues. The riot of colors was very similar to what I saw in one of the halls at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo. I don’t know the origin of this type of Buddhist art but in some ways (and sometimes, not always) I feel that the combination of colors and the plastic-looking nature of the statues diminish its spiritual aura for me.

We spent about 90 minutes to two hours at Mihintale before a lunch break at the Hotel Milano on the way to the ruins of Anuradhapura. The menu featured a combination of Western and Sri Lankan dishes. We opted for sandwiches and some other light fare. The food was bland and tasteless. I would not recommend eating here.

Following lunch we moved on to Anuradhapura, where we spent a good three-and-a-half hours exploring the complex. We started with a short orientation at the not-so-impressive archaeological museum. The site is vast and the ruins are quite spread out, requiring the use of a vehicle. Relying on a combination of my Insight and Lonely Planet guides, along with the knowledge of our driver, we were able to construct a plan that blended traveling by van and by foot.

We began our tour of Anuradhapura at Jetavanarama Dagoba, an enormous stupa that stood as the second tallest brick structure at its time, surpassed only by the Great Pyramids of Giza. The stupa itself is in good condition although the religious iconography all around its base is now badly deteriorated. Also at the base of this stupa is a temple featuring a reclining Buddha as well as a Buddha in meditation pose and numerous other statues.

Aside from Jetavanarama Dagoba, the sites at Anuradhapura are grouped into three main clusters: Abhayagiri Monastery, the Citadel, and the Mahavihara. The ruins around Abhayagiri Monastery are quite spread out, unlike those at the Mahavihara. We skipped the Citadel during this visit given our lack of time.

From Jetavanarama we headed north to the Abhayagiri area. Here we visited Kuttam Pokuna, twin swimming pools that once served as the city’s main bathing site. Of note are carvings of a five-headed cobra, an image that we saw through Anuradhapura. Also in this cluster is the very well preserved Samadhi Buddha from the 4th century set in a large park, the Abhayagiri Dagoba with beautiful frescoes depicting stupa construction as well as some Hindu iconography, a very detailed moonstone set in front of an entrance to a former palace or other important building, and temple ruins that serve as the frolicking grounds for the area’s monkeys today.

We then moved to the Mahavihara cluster of ruins, the heart of Anuradhapura. The sites within this cluster are within walking distance from one another. Also unique to Anuradhapura is that it remains an active and functioning center of worship for Buddhist devotees to this day, and nowhere did we see more of this dynamism than at the temples and shrines of the Mahavihara. Our driver dropped us off at Thuparama Dagoba. Thuparama Dagoba is considered to be the oldest stupa in Sri Lanka and possibly the oldest in the world. Unique to this site is the presence of 41 slender timber capitals that encircle the stupa, although folks are unsure of its purpose. From Thuparama we moved to Ruwanweliseya Dagoba, one of the largest in Anuradhapura. At the entrance to Ruwanweliseya is an impressive row of carved elephants on either side of the entrance. We worshipped here as well as at some of the other dagobas and were largely accompanied by locals except at this site where we came into interactions with Buddhists from all over Asia. From Ruwanweliseya we proceeded along a path through a park filled with grass-feeding cows over to Sri Maha Bodhi, believed to have grown from one of the original saplings taken from the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India. At the tree we joined other devotees and tourists in worship and made offerings.

Our visit concluded, we returned to our hotel in Dambulla for a hearty dinner and a good night’s rest before another full day of touring the next day, to Polonnaruwa and Ritigala.
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