Sri Lanka 1 - Negombo to Galle Tour

Serendib

Negombo – Thursday,15^th December 2011

Flew in on the morning flight from Cochin and stayed at the lovely Serendib Guest House in Negombo just north of Colombo for 2 days, run by the fantastic Hilary and Budika, who then organised our trip around the Sri Lankan “Cultural Triangle” of Polonnaruwa , Sigiria, and Dambulla.

Detail of the Day: Negombo is mainly Christian in this predominately Buddhist country, and the run up to Christmas was in full swing with shop and TV promotions, sales staff with Santa hats, blue and red inflatable Santas, and, most worryingly, Cliff Richard's Christmas Hits playing at the restaurants – Bah! Humbug.

Polonnaruwa – Saturday,17 December

Polonnaruwa

Set off with our driver Indika, a charming man and an excellent driver. Arrived in the afternoon. This is a huge site with the remains of the ramparts clearly visible to a height of about 4 or 5 feet. Beautifully built walls and the ruins of assembly halls and palaces, water gardens and walkways. Some carving remains on the ruined buildings and it was clearly detailed and refined – elephants going all around the base of the assembly hall and carved pillars. 

Polonnaruwa

 Once again we had the duff guide – chewing betel and mumbling and chuckling – who was then brought extra supplies of something in a paper wrap by a boy on a bike when we were half way round. Whatever it was he had taken didn't improve his diction. That's the last guide we are having!

Polonnaruwa

The last part of the site we saw was the most wonderful part. In a tranquil space are the huge Buddha carved from a granite cliff. Sitting, standing and recumbent. Even the pillow that the head lies upon has a beautiful indentation – carving of the very highest standard shows the peaceful expression. Monkeys run around and palm squirrels run up and down.

Polonnaruwa

Onward then to stay at the Peacock Solitude Guest House – no one else there. A vast and gloomy dining hall where we sat in lonely splendour and were served dinner and then gazed at continually by the manager and his staff as the rain fell. An equally gloomy though clean room amongst the palms to sleep in.

Sigiria - Sunday,18 December

Up early and a quick breakfast as the owner said prayers in front of a small shrine with a Buddha and a couple of Hindu gods for good measure, with incense burning.

Sigiria

The rock fortress of Sigiria suddenly rises up out of the plain and dominates the landscape and it is a daunting sight. The approach is through water gardens with ancient rock carved small fountains and rills of water running through everywhere – most enchanting. There were very few of us making the early climb, so it was quiet and peaceful.

Then you enter through a cleft in two huge boulders to start the ascent. It is about 650 feet and the stairs are very steep, particularly the last part, where you pass through the lions paws. These are all that remain of a lion statue where the mouth was the original entrance. The paws are huge and give a feeling of awe that these ancient people created such wonderful carvings from these rocks. The remaining stairs are the steepest and are like iron fire escapes – definitely don't look down!

The reward is the most incredible views across the country in all directions. In the distance a gigantic gleaming white statue of the Buddha, forest all around us, lakes and mountains wreathed in moving strands of cloud. The top of the fortress is full of extensive ruins to look round too. 

 As we started our descent you could see the tourists walking in droves, heading for the rock – so early morning was clearly the best time to be there. Peering over the edge we saw a falcon hunting below us – quite a sight. Very wobbly knees when you get to the bottom of the rock and bathed in sweat but wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Dambulla

In the afternoon we arrived at the base of the climb to these rock cut temples. Quite a steep group of steps up and then it started pouring with rain – fortunately had umbrellas with us. 

Celia offered to share hers with a Japanese girl who was starting to get bedraggled and we toured the temples together.

There are five temples in all and you just walk around in them open mouthed. These are massive caves carved from the rock and they are full of statues of the Buddha. 

All the walls and ceilings are covered in beautiful frescoes showing very detailed scenes from history and the life of the Buddha in fantastic colour.

All this time we are walking barefoot in the warm rain on warm stone walkways between the temples – a rather enjoyable experience. By the time we climbed down our legs were really worn out and wobbly so we gratefully climbed in the car with Indika, who was highly amused by our fatigue, and made for Kandy in the hills.

Detail of the day: The lovely Japanese girl told us that the statues of the Buddha in these temples are very interesting for her as they are shown sitting and recumbent, whereas in Japan they are only shown standing.

Kandy - Monday, 19 December

We reached the ancient capital of the Kings of Kandy in late afternoon. A man-made lake in the middle of town and the temple of the tooth relic sits at the side – a most holy site. We stayed at the Sharon Inn on the hill overlooking the town and ate the most delicious Sri Lankan buffet – banana flower curry, chicken curry, red rice, dhal, coconut sambal, plus 3 or four types of vegetable of which only aubergine we recognised. The food here is very light compared to Indian food and not at all oily. It has a lot of heat but also an emphasis on variety and colour.

John developed a very bad cold that he caught on the plane from India so our sight seeing in Kandy was only in the afternoon. However, we managed a walk round the bustling town and lake, finishing off with a dry Martini in the old colonial style bar at the Queens Hotel, which seemed to lift the spirits! Bought an umbrella as it is a bit rainy although still warm.

Back at the guest house for another fab buffet and shared the table with two Germans, a Spaniard, and two Australians. The owner, Fais, brought out his guitar and he and John took turns to play songs and we all sang as the beer was consumed. Lots of Beatles and Paul Simon.

Nuwara Eliya – Tuesday, 20 December

Peradenyia Junction Station

Train from Kandy to Nuwara Ellyia (known as Little England). Our kindly host gave us excellent advice about the train service and arranged a rickshaw to take us to Peradenyia Junction, as this is the best place to get on board rather than Kandy and more chance of a seat. 

Peradenyia Junction is a step back in time, from the small cardboard printed tickets (just like you used to get on the London Underground) in a vague mauve colour, to the old signal box, the signalling equipment in the station and the furniture.

Needless to say, there was not a seat to be had so we propped our cases up by the open carriage door and had quite a comfortable journey gazing out on the wonderful scenery as we ascended to the higher hill country and the tea estates. 

 John describes it as every boy's dream to sit with the carriage door open and lean out and see the train snaking away ahead of you on the curve of the hill.

There was also an itinerant musician on board with a drum and harmonica and an appalling voice performing the same song (sic) in each carriage - we believe he makes his money from people giving him something to go away (just like John).

We were befriended by a teenage Sri Lankan girl but I realised that what she really wanted was to be introduced to Ziggy, the handsome Australian we were sitting with – I duly obliged. Her mother kept peering round from her seat and smiling in an encouraging way. The Australian wisely stayed friendly, polite and slightly distant and everyone was happy.

That train journey was just one of the best things ever - the tea and coffee seller came up and down regularly, as did peanut, baked goods, biscuit sellers. The conductor was very smart and clipped our tickets after careful inspection, then the railway policeman came and said hello and pointed out to everyone when a particularly good view was coming up, then the guard came by occasionally – each uniform was different and the caps were worn at a jaunty angle with more than a hint of braid.

Arrived at Nuwara Eliya in the middle of the afternoon and what a shock! We have been hot for nearly 3 months and suddenly it is really cold and raining. The hills are shrouded in mist and cloud and everything feels damp – including our hotel and the beds. Fortunately, the taxi driver that took us from the station said he had a guest house and we looked at it on the way to our hotel. So we called him back and stayed at the splendid Hill View Guest House instead. It was so cold we had to get into bed to warm up. John loved the fact that there was a duvet and you could snuggle under it – Celia wasn't so sure! A good dinner cooked by the lady of the house and sleep.

The day we woke to continual rain and cold – still, this is the highest town in Sri Lanka. So we took a soggy trip round the Lovers Leap tea factory that had a wonderful smell and was very old. Sipping tea and looking out over the tea estate was great. The tea from these very high estates is of the highest quality and is expensive.

In the afternoon, our usual trick of finding the best hotel and having a cocktail was a success. We pitched up at the very posh Grand Hotel and made our way to the wood panelled bar and ordered a Margarita and a Dry Martini. It had a lovely aroma of tobacco and spirits with a most welcoming and expert barman. A second drink was required and a challenge to the waiter to a game of snooker in the adjoining billiards room – also wood panelled and containing 3 huge tables, lights, high viewing chairs and no people.

Needless to say the waiter won hands down and then he and another waiter showed us their trick shots. This prompted John to show them his table top magic tricks with coins and cigarettes. A very good way to spend a rainy afternoon in a tea hill station. We walked round town and admired the red brick 19^th century post office – got a bit wetter and retreated to our hotel for dinner.

Ella Falls

Surprised at how little we enjoyed the wet and cold weather and now keen to get back down to warmer climes. Sri Lanka is so varied though and up here they can grow pretty much any vegetables, fruits and salads, so the island benefits from this good earth and range of climates. The tea is very good here – actually it's very good everywhere.

Tissamaharama – Thursday, 22nd December

Hired a car and driver to take us down from the hills to Tissa on the coast. Fantastic drive down through beautiful scenery. We stopped at Ella and admired the magnificent water fall. As we stood looking Celia noticed a large brown snake basking on one of the rocks below the bridge we were on and were assured by our driver that it was highly poisonous – so John decided not to go down and get a closer shot after all.

Our driver found us a place to stay as we had failed to find anywhere ourselves on the phone or online. It was called Travellers Home and it was set in the paddy fields. Our sit-out looked straight out to them and we saw lots of different birds, including Black Headed Ibis, and white Herons, plus Langur Monkeys in the palms above us, just sitting there – although of course rice fields mean lots of water and lots of water means mosquitoes – so you really have to cover up and spray yourself carefully with repellent.

On our journey we had stopped at a roadside stall and bought the wonderful buffalo curd, that comes in rough earthenware pots tied up with paper and string, plus a bottle of home made kittul (palm syrup) also known as treacle. We had this for dessert – delicious!

Yala National Park - Friday 23^rd December

Up and out at 5 am to go on a Jeep safari to Yala National Park, sharing the ride with Arno and Sonia from Germany and Tom from Holland. Very rough roads on the approach and in the park. It rained pretty much the whole time, however we got to see loads of wildlife.

There were: painted storks with glorious colours, fish eagles looking magnificent and imperiously ignoring us even when we were up really close, monkeys, three elephants (what a pleasure to see them grazing on trees and shrubs in their own environment without interference in their lives), sambal deer and smaller deer, and of course great big mugger crocodiles.

As for birds, there were jungle fowl (the national bird of Sri Lanka and magnificent in their brown and red), egrets, herons, cormorants, storks, coots, great big mugger crocodiles, exquisite bee eater birds in glorious red, green and blue colours, two types of kingfisher, Brahminy flycatcher with red beneath his tail.

There was also a wonderful sighting of a jackal as he trotted through the bush and then out on to the track in front of us, skirted back into the bush to avoid us and then out again to carry on his journey. The highlight of the day was a huge Indian Python wrapped around a large land monitor – the struggle would take all day and the guide said the snake would probably win in the end.

We stopped for a break on the coast and were allowed out of the Jeeps to walk around but were given strict instructions not to leave the beach. We could see small fishing boats pulled up on the shore at the far end and a few recently built huts. This used to be a thriving fishing village until the Tsunami in 2006 completely destroyed it. The water went inland for a couple of kilometres as it is so flat. 

We didn't see a leopard – they don't like the rain, however we saw very fresh leopard tracks in the sandy soil on the road, alongside elephant prints, and that was good enough.

Galle - Saturday 24^th December

Suddenly it's Christmas Eve and our thoughts turn to home and we make the journey by car to old and venerable Galle Fort, (pronounced Gaul) where we are staying for Christmas. Staying at the Old New Dutch House, complete with wi fi so we know we can Skype home. To get to the fort you drive through the town of Galle, bustling, noisy, full of traffic and people, loads of shops and the big fish market on one side and the small fishing boats coming in and out with their catch, being hauled up the beach.  

Then you pass though immense walls and you are in the old fort and into a completely different world - a world heritage site in fact. The whole place is crammed with Dutch colonial buildings and most of them are exquisite, however it is the life you glimpse through the open doors, past the wooden pillars on the porticos, into deep and cool rooms that lead into interior courtyards that fascinate. You see and feel the rhythm of life that has not changed much in 100 years or more, apart from the advent of electric light. Everyone knows their neighbours, elderly men cycle past in a stately fashion, children scamper around. Muslim women walk slowly in dress that varies from the full black total cover to just the head covered.

 The ramparts, wide and imposing, encircle the fort and at dusk everyone is out taking the air on them. Children run kites, women gossip, men stroll with arms round each others shoulders. As the sun starts to set the mosque calls to prayer and the lighthouse starts to glow. Meanwhile, at the top end of the fort, in the army barracks they are bringing down the flag while a bugler plays”Sunset”. 

 In the Rampart Hotel, a vast and echoing colonial creature, we sit on their roof terrace, drinking gin and tonic and watching the amazing sunset. There isn't a huge amount of traffic as the roads are narrow and the street vendors have small handcarts that they push around ringing a bell. There are some tourist shops and guest houses, plus a couple of rather posh hotels.

We decide to book Christmas Dinner at Galle Fort Hotel – very classy. The very friendly manager, Oliver, has just taken over and tells us he has inherited a great team of staff. We are very excited about calling home to the family on Christmas Day as Clare has just told us that the parcel of presents from Leela's stall on Varkala Cliff we sent from India weeks ago has arrived.

เพิ่มคำอธิบายภาพ

We meander through the fort, drinking in the atmosphere and architecture. Everywhere, buildings are being carefully restored to their former glory. Clever ex-pats are buying places to renovate as private villas or as rental homes or boutique hotels, plus the Dutch government have contributed a massive amount of money for infrastructure like new road surfaces in keeping with the fort, and maintaining the ancient walls and sewer systems, and restoring one of the massive garrison sites as a maritime archaeological museum – the building is wonderful but the content is very disappointing.

It feels strange to be so hot on Christmas Eve. Around 10 pm as we pass the old Dutch Church, and the Baptist Church at the top end of the fort, all lit up and having beautiful cribs inside, the hymns echo into the quiet streets and the memory of the other end with the mosque fades away. It is a strangely blended world, where the magnificent cricket pitch, just outside the fort, forms a buffer against the busy town on the other side and binds everyone together in the national passion.

Christmas Day 2011

A morning like any other – breakfast then out for a walk on the ramparts. Many people wish us happy Christmas as we stroll around and it is very, very quiet – hardly any traffic and only a few tourists and a couple of shops open. It is enchanting to be here and we love it. We put on our best threads and Celia indulges in some make-up for the first time since we've been away. John, of course, looks very smart as always – he seems to be able to fold his clothes in a way that makes them look as if they have been pressed. Then it's off to the Galle Fort Hotel for a delicious dinner of crab cakes, duck, Christmas pudding ice cream and Dundee cake – there are lots of other little dishes but that's the mains. We had a bottle of very good white wine and got talking to other travellers doing the same as us – a couple from Maidenhead on an extended 5 month honeymoon and then a couple from Easton in Bristol, so all good fun.

Back to our hotel to Skype home who are 5½ hours behind – the main event for us. It went brilliantly and we saw and spoke to everyone gathered at nephew Daniel's house in Bristol. The parcel we sent from India was opened by Katie and handed out with their cards and everyone immediately put on their scarves and sarongs and paraded them for the camera and it made us both very happy to see them all enjoying themselves – even without us there! (Note to self: are we missed enough by our nearest and dearest?)

We will remember this Christmas with great fondness.

26 – 29 December

Spent our days mooching round the fort and ramparts – immersed in the atmosphere. We moved hotels a couple of times and stayed in a lovely old place for a couple of nights called Ocean View. The room looked out over the ramparts and had a lovely balcony and a rooftop garden with real grass, flowers and a resident tortoise. This was £25 a night for the sea view and £20 without so we had a night in each sort of price range. This compared favourable with the £60 a night for the New Old Dutch House – mind you it was the Christmas rate and a special treat for us.

We met Christine (New Zealander) and Lucy (Australian) who had both also been travelling in India but up in the north east and said it was fantastic. We shared some great evenings of sundowners and dinner with them – swapping travel tales and they have both been to so many different places.

We met a couple of charming French Canadians over drinks at the Galle Fort Hotel, when the bar was crowded and we offered to share our table with them, so that they could get a seat. They were having a month off and were going on to the Maldives and the Seychelles after Sri Lanka. They were great fun and told us all about Montreal and it is tempting to include it in our already extensive list of places to visit in Canada! 

Galle Fort is just so interesting but we have to leave our bubble and get out to the beach for the New Year festivities. So tomorrow we get a car and driver and head west along the coast to Unduruwa.