Sri Lanka: A land like no other
Rene Martel from the Manila Times is fascinated by the beauty and
culture of Sri Lanka.
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Kandy Perahera |
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A tranquil
beach |
PARADISE: If, as the legend goes, God created the world in six days,
then it is entirely likely that he devoted the seventh day wholly to
creating Sri Lanka! Paradise is a word too easily bandied around these
days on the global tourism front, but in its application to this jewel
of an island hanging like a teardrop in the Indian Ocean, it matches the
description in every sense of the word.
Indeed, early explorers were in such bewilderment over Sri Lanka's
abundance of natural beauty-from golden beaches lapped enticingly by
pristine blue waters to carpets of green foliage that make up the
breathtakingly picturesque tea country nestled in the country's
highlands-that they coined the word "Serendib" (meaning a fortunate
discovery by accident) to describe the island.
In fact, "serendipity" and "a land like no other" were two of the
befitting names attached to the country long before it made its
international mark as Ceylon (in colonial days) and later, in the years
following independence, as Sri Lanka. The names alone bear witness to
its richness and beauty, and the intensity of the affection it evokes in
everyone who has ever visited the country.
But as chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Renton de Alwis and
his hard-working team take great pains to point out, the negative vibes
created by the reign of terror inflicted in the North by the Tiger
terrorist outfit do not in any way impact on the fantastic beach resorts
of the South such as Bentota and Hikkaduwa, nor in the cool recreational
climes of Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela where the colonial British
created a home away from home-with these parts more redolent of Scotland
than any place you associate with in the orient.
Concerns about the "business in the North" are easily displaced by a
diverse people (whether Sinhalese, Tamil or Muslim) who are the most
friendly and hospitable on earth, and whose gleaming smiles are worth a
thousand words of friendly greeting.
And dig this-a Sri Lankan holiday luxuriating in sun and sand (along
with insights into a glorious culture that is over 2000 years old) does
not only provide top grade recreational quality but the prices (whether
you are counting dollars, euros, pounds or yen) are probably the most
affordable in the world.
But the Sri Lanka Tourist Board is not just sitting back on its
laurels.
Explains Chairman de Alwis: "Today's consumer is conscious about the
environmental and social effects of tourism. With this in mind, the Sri
Lanka Tourist Board has unveiled plans for a new and exciting project
designed to raise Sri Lanka's profile as a destination, offering
socially and environmentally responsible tourism" Outlining the
rationale behind the "Sri Lanka Tourism's Social Responsibility Service
Project," he adds: "The new plan is designed to bring greater numbers of
socially and environmentally aware tourists to Sri Lanka, and to enhance
their holiday experience while here.
Local communities are the focus of the new plan and a key objective
is building community support in the development of tourism.
To this end, the plan aims to link communities with tourism
activities to ensure that the benefits from tourism actually contribute
toward sustainable community development. Visitors to Sri Lanka who are
interested will be able to take part in a community service project in
one of five broad areas-carbon off-setting, child welfare, animal
welfare, peace education and facilitation for the differently abled."
It is clear that a growing number of tourists want to "give something
back" while on holiday. This plan will give visitors to Sri Lanka the
chance to fulfil this wish, and in doing so contribute toward the
sustainable, socially responsible development of local communities.
Whilst we were on the island, we had the wonderful experience of
journeying to the hill capital of Kandy to witness the famous annual
August festival (or Esala Perahera in the local vernacular) where every
night for ten days, a spectacular three-hour long procession of almost a
hundred elephants coupled with scores upon scores of colourfully dressed
native dancers, fire eaters, acrobats and drummers take to the streets
in a dramatic exposition that is part theatre and part fiesta.
The ritual is to bring out the scared relic of the Lord Buddha's
tooth that is kept in the Temple of the Tooth, which is one of
Kandy's-and indeed the country's, primary landmarks.
Incidentally, the elephant is akin to being the national animal in
Sri Lanka. And a magnificent tusker is given the honour of carrying the
casket bearing the scared relic. Fitting that, since elephants in Sri
Lanka were once royal property, and it was forbidden to kill them.
Today there are just under 3000 wild elephants left, compared with
nearly 15,000 two decades ago. In order to protect the species, the Sri
Lankan Government has created an elephant orphanage in Pinnawela, which
is not too far away from Kandy. Here care and protection is given to the
many baby elephants found in the jungles without their mothers who had
either died or had been killed by poachers.
Tea is easily Sri Lanka's best-known gift to the world. As the
biggest exporter on the planet of tea-unarguably the world's healthiest
and most popular brew-the Sri Lanka Tea Board is at the forefront of
spreading the good word about the drink that in a quaint touch is still
branded worldwide under the colonial name of Ceylon Says Chairman Lalith
Hettiarachchi: "Tea is what comes to most people's minds around the
world when they think of Sri Lanka.
The main task of the tea board is to enhance this association by
highlighting the benefits of tea to the market abroad, while at the same
time promoting corporate social responsibility within the home grown tea
industry."
Sri Lanka's tea country is contained primarily in the cool climes of
the hills and valleys of what is known locally in the "up country"
region. We stayed in the St. Coombes Estate where the Tea Research
Institute is situated. And as its name suggests, the TRI is at the very
core of protecting and scientifically developing the industry literally
on ground level.
The picturesque and mountainous tea country provides for a
contrasting holiday experience from the sun-kissed beaches of the South
coast, and the cultural gems of the interior such as the 5,000-year-old
Sigiriya Rock (with its amazing frescoes) and the ancient ruins of
Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa-all treasured wonders from the past. In
fact, Sri Lanka is home to seven World Heritage Sites.
All in all, Sri Lanka has something for every holiday seeker, whether
discerning traveller or just backpacking tourist. Rightly can it be
heralded as the "Land like no other." |