Tea for two
Sri Lanka, the emerald isle with the sunshine coast:
Jenny Coad
Sleeping in the back of a Sri Lankan taxi is no easy task. Buses roar
into view, their smiling drivers beeping blithely. Bicycles ignore cars
brushing their backsides, pedestrians saunter across the road and dogs
lie in the middle.
Exotic beach at Unawatuna, Galle |
A bus aptly emblazoned with, 'Jesus save us' passes within a whisker.
But the hair-raising driving is not the only reason to stay awake.
The ever-changing scenery provides more thrill than fear, from
congested Kandy with its temples, great white Buddha and daring tuktuks,
to the textured tea plantations in the Bogawantalawa Valley, a quilted
landscape with sheer drops, lush vegetation and barrow loads of king
coconuts. I was last in Sri Lanka in 2002 with my friend Jess, who was
studying in Kandy. We surfed in Arugam Bay, cycled the ancient city of
Polonnaruwa, took long bus journeys and drank lots of milky tea (a 'hug
in a mug'). The people and the place left an impression.
Welcoming tourists
Areas previously off limits, such as the Yala National Park and parts
of the north-east, are open to visitors. No one is more relieved than
the Sri Lankans. They are natural hosts, inviting travellers into their
homes for tea or even a traditionally cooked curry - a marathon that
will leave you full for days.
Now seemed the perfect time to return. I had only one request - no
buses. Equipped with our driver, Leyton, we found ourselves on the coast
road from Colombo Airport to Galle, 100 miles south. The tsunami is
evident here and gaping spaces yawn where there were once houses.
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A picturesque tea plantation in the hills of Matale region
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After six hours, we reach the sanctuary of Galle Fort. It is quiet
and heavy with the heat. Built by the Dutch in the 17th century, the
second country to make claims in Sri Lanka after the Portuguese, the
fort is filled with crumbling colonial architecture. Passengers arriving
by steamer in the 19th century stayed in the luxurious New Oriental
Hotel, now the swish Amangalla, and we do the same. We even eat Sri
Lankan curry from the hotel's original plates.
The fort is equally sleepy by day and we languidly dip into the Dutch
Reform Church, National Museum and Pedlar's Street Cafe for cold ginger
beer.
The National Museum houses a private collection, including Arabic
hooka pipes, Coronation tea cups and a bottle of Jubilee brew in honour
of Queen Victoria.
But the heat is too much for us. We seek refuge in the Amangalla's
pool and cooling contemporary spa. Tea is as much a pastime for Sri
Lankan's as it is for the British, who introduced it to the country in
1867 and started the love affair that continues today. Here, leaves are
the thing and there's a tea for every occasion.
We head inland from the southwest coast into verdant scenery. Expats
came here to recuperate, as the air is cool and the climate reminiscent
of home. The roads and railway line are full of schoolchildren in their
crisp white uniforms. A Buddhist monk radiates colour beneath a yellow
umbrella. We are staying in Tea Trails' Castlereagh Bungalow, formerly a
tea planter's home, in the Bogawantalawa Valley. Tea is a theme. We are
woken with a morning brew, spoilt with scones in the afternoon and
there's a tea leaf on our pillows at turndown.
Tea pluckers
Negotiating the plantations is best done on foot, so that's what we
do. Save for the white dots of tea pickers, the landscape is green
velvet. The pickers are Tamils, brought to Sri Lanka from India to work
on the plantations. They live in small communities made up of tiny,
sparsely furnished houses. They are some of the friendliest, most smiley
people we meet. We complete the trail by rickety bike. Thank goodness
it's the downhill part. We come to a squeaky stop at an Anglican church
where the caretaker tells me proudly that the services are still held in
English from a Bible donated in 1879.
After the peace of the hills, Kandy, the second largest city in Sri
Lanka and our next stop, is a polluted mayhem. But an interesting city
to dip into.
Buddhist legacy
It houses one of the most significant relics in Sri Lanka, Buddha's
tooth. This is enshrined at the Temple of the Tooth next to Kandy lake
and here you can learn about Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death.
It's a place of pilgrimage. And while we're there, thousands arrive
dressed in white, armed with lotus flowers, to view the tooth, which is
on display for ten days.
Mothers bring their babies to be blessed and children are rapt by the
stuffed Raja Tuska, the longserving elephant who worked at the temple
for 50 years. Raja is a national treasure and still keeps a grim eye
over proceedings from his glass cabinet. Respite is not easy to come by
in Kandy, but iced tea in the Mlesna tea shop on Delada Vidya provides
relief and the Bahirawakanda Buddha overlooking the city is worth the
trek. He's under scaffolding when we visit, and after being blessed by a
monk, we can't say no to donating towards his refurbishment.
From here, it's a short drive from Kandy to Colombo and our base for
two days is the chic Park Street Hotel. My favourite shopping haunts,
Barefoot Bookshop for woven fabric and Paradise Road for hand-thrown
pottery are reassuringly busy. The National Museum, only a short walk
from our hotel, has been newly refurbished. It guides you through Sri
Lanka's extraordinary ancient cities, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya,
Polonnaruwa and Kandy, detailing the mechanics of their water systems
and displaying such treasures as the intricately carved ivory combs
given to brides for fertility.
Everyone speaks hopefully about tourists making the trip to this most
lovely teardrop shaped island. I hope so, too. On our return flight, one
of the air stewards laments the lack of visitors and asks us to spread
the word about the joys of Sri Lanka. Consider it done.
- Daily Mail |