- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage enables tourists to grab up-close and personal along with the bathing mammals
- Kandy boasts incredible natural beauty and the cultural history of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
- Capital, Colombo is a city on the move along with an upcoming Financial District and the thriving Pettah Market
- Sri Lanka encapsulates rich traditions, including spectacular food, while embracing economic progress
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I can easily believe of few much better places worldwide to be consuming lunch than over-looking a herd of elephants bathing in a river simply below me.
The majestic creatures – residents of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage – are escorted to the Maha Oya River twice a day to relax and interact along with each others and to be ogled at by tourists.
The experience is perhaps one of my most exhilarating in a country that prides itself on being vibrant in every sense of the word – and is absolutely excellent for being so.
All together: The mammals at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage are escorted to the Maha Oya River twice a day to interact along with each other
A mother and calf took some time to bond along with each others at the orphanage (left) prior to the youngster tried to make a break for it (right)
Splashing about: One young elephant trampled through the river (left) while an additional covered itself in water in order to cool down (right)
My very first impressions of Sri Lanka were endured in the back of a cab en route to the beautiful city of Kandy, after I touched down at Bandaranaike Worldwide Airport following a ten-and-a-half-hour flight from London.
The journey in some ways epitomised the carefree nature of the country – the vehicle had no seat belts and the driver would certainly routinely overtake buses – a 1950’s London Routemaster among them – and tuk-tuks and dogs along a country road winding its means through lush fields.
Despite serious sleep deprivation I kept my eyes open the whole means and watched the organised chaos in motion as courteous motorists pulled over to allow others drivers in when they overtook without considering the opportunity of a head-on collision further down the road.
Cars and buses blew their horns – not in irritation or anger – however to let others road users know they were there prior to they attempted overtaking a family of five on a moped.
The individuals of Sri Lanka are pleasant – proud of their rich heritage and of the rapid developments their country has actually made since the 26-year civil war ended in 2009 and peace prevailed.
A room along with a view: OZO Kandy looks down at the globe famous and beautiful Kandy Lake, likewise known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk
Tea for the workmen?An astounding amount of job goes in to creating the perfect cuppa at the Geragama Tea Factory
Full circle: At the tea plantation tea leafs are chosen (left) prior to the final product (right) is offered for tasting
Money has actually been pumped in to the island and as a result national roads have actually been built, colonial buildings restored and hotels erected to benefit tourism across the land.
And along with Sri Lanka receiving around 500,000 tourists in 2006, compared to more than 1.5 million in 2014, the investment appears to have actually paid off.
What’s more, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority estimates there will certainly be more than 2.5 million visitors in 2016 to keep the stable progression of popularity moving in the right direction.
With all this in mind, I was keen to see exactly Just what the country could offer me as a first-time visitor and Just what that turned out to be was the experience of a lifetime.
After the eventful two-hour taxi journey I pulled up outside OZO Kandy, which overlooks the famous Kandy Lake, and re-fuelled along with some much required meals and sleep.
Time for meditation: The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a truly spiritual place and one that is undoubtedly worth visiting in Sri Lanka
The history of the temple is absolutely fascinating along with legend claiming that the tooth relic was retrieved from Gautama Buddha
Guests are encouraged to bring an offering of a lotus flower – a prominent symbol of Buddha – in to the temple as a sign of respect
The OZO brand is quite much in tune along with this new-look, progressive Sri Lanka in that it provides everything a modern traveller could need in the most simplistic and stress-free form possible.
The rooms are a tranquil contrast to Just what can easily be an intense country and the hotel boasts a paperless check-in service, multi-region socket outlets and even a TV channel showing sheep jumping over fences – to assistance those struggling to sleep.
Kandy is known for its staggering natural scenery – something that is accentuated by the lofty positioning of the hotel – and is within close proximity to tea plantations, the aforementioned Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
A visit to the latter will certainly set you back 1,000 Sri Lankan rupees (£5, $7) – similar to the elephant orphanage, where tourists pay an admittance fee of 2,500 LKR (£12, $17) and locals pay 100 LKR (50p, 70 cents), there are quite different prices depending on the nationality of the visitor.
This aside, the history of the temple is absolutely fascinating along with legend claiming that the tooth relic was retrieved from Gautama Buddha – the founder of Buddhism – after he died in 543 BCE.
Hold on tight: Sri Lanka is full of surprises and you can easily expect to see monkeys, like these two carrying their young, around the streets
The rooms at OZO Kandy are a tranquil contrast to Just what can easily be an intense country and boast stunning views of the lush green scenery
The OZO brand is quite much in tune along with the new-look Sri Lanka in that it provides everything a modern traveller could possibly need
As expected the place is truly spiritual and guests are encouraged to bring an offering of a lotus flower – a prominent symbol of Buddha – as a sign of respect.
Admittedly the vast crowds (which are to be expected) do take away from the humbling experience somewhat and very surprisingly perhaps I found that the tourist-friendly segment – being pushed along in a busy queue to sneak a peek at the tooth relic – the least pleasurable part.
A visit to a tea plantation is likewise worth doing; I popped in to the Geragama Tea Factory, a short drive from the elephant orphanage, and was astounded by the amount of job that goes in to creating the perfect mug of tea – from picking the leaf to withering, heating, rolling and finally drying it.
Later I took a stroll through the plantation, which was difficult to negotiate and resembled a vineyard – rain added to the drama by making surfaces slippery and bringing about a threat from leeches.
Back at the factory I toasted the fruits of the extensive labour by sampling the much coveted golden tip tea.
The Gangaramaya Temple is one of the crucial in Colombo and boasts a mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture
Jake was lucky enough to meet Chief Incumbent Galboda Gnanissara Thera (far right), that tied a bracelet to his wrist and wished me luck
The second portion of my trip to the country took me to Colombo.
Quite unlike Kandy in every single means the capital city runs at a faster pace along with tuk-tuks and individuals and market stalls and dogs and traffic and more tuk-tuks everywhere you look.
My very first stop was at the Gangaramaya Temple and was admittedly Fairly relaxing, however.
At the temple I was lucky enough to meet Chief Incumbent Galboda Gnanissara Thera – that tied a bracelet to my wrist and wished me luck – prior to I set off to explore the hectic and humid Pettah Market and later sampled the meals in the area.
If you’ve heard anything about Sri Lankan cuisine then you have actually probably been told to expect curry morning, noon and night.
The Pettah Market is hectic, humid and really vibrant (left). MailOnline’s Jake Polden cools off along with a refreshing drink (right)
Ready for business: The open market epitomises Colombo in that it is filled to the brim along with people, large vehicles and a lot of atmosphere
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority estimates 2.5 million visitors in 2016 – a considerable increase from the 500,000 tourists in 2006
And in some ways this is correct (not something I personally have actually a problem with).
But that said there are a number of places including the Barefoot Garden Cafe – which features a bookshop and art gallery – and the Ministry of Crab seafood restaurant based in the restored Dutch Hospital at the heart of the upcoming Financial District, that offer a varied dining experience.
In fact the latter – launched in 2011 by Sri Lankan cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara and chef Dharshan Munidasa – serves up the largest fresh crabs known to man and is one you merely cannot miss.
Upali’s by Nawaloka, situated alongside the National Museum of Colombo, is an absolute need to if you wish to experience the traditional flavours of the country – everything from Jackfruit to kneaded flat bread pieces tossed along with vegetables or meat, known as Kottu Roti.
Upali’s by Nawaloka is an absolute need to if you wish to experience the traditional flavours of the country (left). And for the largest fresh crabs known to man, Ministry of Crab is a seafood restaurant you merely cannot skip (right)
OZO Colombo similarly understands its market and targets city workers, alongside tourists, along with business lunch buffets during the week
The hotel will certainly even host a wedding from the Aqua function space, which overlooks and provides spectacular views of the Indian Ocean
I likewise found that the meals at OZO Colombo, where I stayed while in the capital, provided terrific local cuisine – dhal curries galore – alongside all the typical British favourites.
Like its counterpart in Kandy, OZO Colombo similarly understands its market and targets city workers, alongside tourists, by providing a business lunch buffet during the week. It likewise boasts meeting rooms along with space for up to 120 individuals and will certainly even host a wedding from the Aqua function space, which overlooks and provides spectacular views of the Indian Ocean.
For such a small island there is much to do and see in Sri Lanka and along with locals as happy to have actually you in their country as you will certainly be within it, it is the holiday destination you will certainly not forget in a hurry.
For a small island there is much to do and see in Sri Lanka and locals will certainly be as happy to have actually you in the country as you will certainly be within it
TRAVEL FACTS
Room prices at OZO Kandy Sri Lanka in a Dream Lake room start from US$ 100 per room (approximately £65), room prices at OZO Colombo Sri Lanka in a Dream Ocean room start from US$ 110 per room (approximately £72). To book visit: www.ozohotels.com. Prices are exclusive of VAT and service charge, subject to season and availability.
Sri Lankan Airways flies from London Heathrow to Sri Lanka 7 times a week, along with return prices starting from £490. Visit www.srilankan.com.
from Golden Land Travel http://ift.tt/1UAiQIG
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