50 my journey
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The engaged couple - Daryl and Helen
ollowing in the nearly- forgotten footsteps of my wife, Kathryn, who grew up on the island, this trip was an emotional and experiential rollercoaster and one full of exceptional surprises.
Sri Lanka, or the ‘Resplendent Island’, has long links with the UK, stretching back to colonial times. We have strong links of our own and Kathryn’s family connections take us on an interesting and emotional trail to visit her old school in Colombo, churches where her father had worked as a Baptist minister and missionary and even to her former home, childhood bedroom and playground. It is a challenge to fi t everything in: our own diversions down memory lane; the history and iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the cultural attractions; the wildlife and the outstanding natural beauty. We need time, too, to get to know the people, who are warm and friendly and mostly (75%) Sinhalese and Buddhist. Getting around Sri Lanka takes time! The roads are diffi cult in places and this is not a place to explore in a rush. Bandara, our private guide and driver (ask for him by name through Aitken Spence), knows the fastest routes and is humorous and accommodating to a fault, but even with him at the helm of our air-conditioned people-mover it is soon clear we can’t see everything the island offers. A tip for client-planning is to not underestimate the travelling times. Be sure they stop often too, to sample the best avocados and cashews ever, fruit stalls to make our supermarkets blush and Sri Lanka’s speciality – its herbs and spices – used both in the fabulous cuisine and in some incredible health remedies.
Our adventure begins in the capital, Colombo, at the luxurious Taj Samudra (
tajhotels.com), the perfect place to acclimatise and get our bearings.
Venturing out, we turn up unannounced at Kathryn’s old school, Carey’s College, clutching her late 1950s’ school report! We are welcomed with great enthusiasm by the current principal who tells us that, amazingly, her father is still well remembered from when he was a governor and teacher there all those years ago.
Time for tea
Then we head to the hills for the real Ceylon Tea experience (Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon until 1972). The islanders are immensely proud of their worldwide reputation for tea production and this region, Nuwara Eliya, is full of echoes of colonial times and is still referred to as ‘Little England’. The climate is pleasant and the landscapes truly beautiful. Four days into our trip and we are still ‘ooh-ing and ahh-ing’ at every turn. We stay at the Heritance Tea Factory (aitkenspencehotels.
com), Kandapola, located on one of the highest points of the island. A former tea factory (of course) it was restored some years ago. It is dripping with style and has a wealth of artefacts and information on the history and processes of tea production.
Heritage treasures In Kandy, the focus turns to the island’s incredible
cultural and heritage riches. The city is a World Heritage Site and was the last capital of the Sri Lankan Kings before the country was brought under British rule from 1851 to 1948. The Temple of the Tooth Relic is the highlight but Kandy Lake, the town’s bazaar, its arts and crafts centre, a gem museum, and a ‘lapidary’ (decorative stones and gems), plus a traditional Kandian/ Sri Lankan dancing show, are all worth attention. Still heading north the heritage sites come thick and fast. Based at the amazing Heritance Kandalama (
heritancehotels.com), a hotel partially hewn out of the rockface, our excursions to world-class sites are fi lled with awe and quiet contemplation. The First Century, BC, Dambulla Cave Temple, has statues and paintings chronicling the life of Lord Buddha and 2000sq metres of murals. At Sigiriya we explore Sri Lanka’s most visited historic site – a Fifth Century rock citadel of King Kasyapa. En route to Anuradhapura, in a smallish town called Kekirawa, at another church from Kathryn’s past we are received with great warmth and endless cups of sweet and spiced tea. Wandering the grounds and seeing her old
bedroom, still there after over 50 years, fi lls us with personal nostalgia and makes us refl ect on the timeless
sellingtravel.co.uk
Sigiriya, the number one visited historic site
My Sri Lankan journey...
For Martin Steady and his family, Sri Lanka meant cultural, heritage and wildlife treasures and plenty of poignant moments along the way
My magical moments Heritance Kandalama was incredible. Each room had a Jacuzzi with glass wall overlooking a forest full of monkeys and their antics were hilarious. The elephant ride within the grounds down to (and in!) the massive lake was magical too. (
heritancehotels.com)
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