“Don’t compare us with the Indians. We are not like them.” This refrain by one of the locals we chatted with during our visit to Sri Lanka might sound bold, and although he said it in a jocular tone and with a laugh, we got his underlying message.
Situated in the northern Indian Ocean, about a four-hour flight from Jakarta, Sri Lanka is an island country, with India as its only neighbor. The uninitiated would assume that there are many similarities between Sri Lanka and its older brother, India, as I and members of my tour group at first thought. But after spending five days in the capital city and its surrounding area, we could see that the country is incomparable not only to India but to any other country in the world.
Quiet Life, Kind People
One thing which amazed me after my stay in Habarana, my first encounter with life in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, and a short tour around Negombo the next day, was how peaceful life could be in this sparsely populated region. During an afternoon city tour in Colombo the roads were almost empty, with only two or three vehicles passing by every few minutes. Crossing the street has never been so easy.
I come from a city of 11 million where people are always in a hurry – often in a bad mood. In Sri Lanka, I came to appreciate having a lot of space to enjoy to myself.
The people, when you meet them, are very welcoming, friendly and love to help – even when you don’t ask for it. The men selling merchandise at the Dambulla Cave Temple recognized my face when I got lost after becoming accidentally separated from my tour group, and showed me in which direction I should go. It was something I hadn’t expected after having read so many negative news reports about India. But then again, one shouldn’t be so shortsighted as to compare a country with its neighbor.
Close Encounter with Nature
Pristine flora and fauna is one of the highlights of Sri Lanka, aside from its magnificent temples, hence the country’s well-suited label: “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean”. The best place to see nature is in the rural areas, with picturesque views where everything is so serene and green. Tropical forests, paddy fields and the undeveloped, lush vegetation of the surrounding small villages are a common sight. However, Sri Lanka’s most magnificent sprawl of greenery can be seen from the Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress in Matale district near to Dambulla, which I visited.
The Ruined Palace
Sigiriya is a gigantic rock about 180 meters high, which was once a mighty fortress and the residence of King Kassapa, who came to power after he assassinated his father and dispossessed his brother, Mogallana, the rightful heir to the throne. Kassapa built a palace on the rock of Sigiriya for seven years, anticipating the vengeance of Mogallana. He built ramparts and double moats into the base of the rock, hoping to make the palace impregnable. However, after only 11 years residing in the palace, Kassapa was defeated after a short, cruel battle with Mogallana, who had returned from his refuge in India. The site of Sigiriya was returned to the monks who previously inhabited the area since the 3rd century BC.
Sigiriya today showcases the remains of what used to be a residence of exceptional splendor. At the summit of the rock is the fortified palace with its ruined buildings, cisterns and rock sculptures. At the foot of the rock are the two quarters of the lower city which are defended by a massive wall: the eastern quarter and the aristocratic quarter of the capital of Kassapa, noteworthy for its terraced gardens embellished with canals and fountains.
It took an hour to go on foot from what used to be the king’s beautiful gardens to the ruins of the palace on top of the massive rock. Most people counted 1,200 steps from the water gardens to the base of the Sigiriya rock fortress. From here, 800 more steps lead to the caves, one of the highlights of the fortress, whose walls are decorated with paintings of 21 mysterious Sigiriya Damsels.
As I was climbing to the caves, I had a beautiful, bird’s-eye view over the surrounding countryside and yet had to remind myself that I was not in a Final Destination movie – especially during the last leg of the climb, where I had to assay a vertiginous staircase bolted to the sheer rock face. In Kassapa’s day this was a wooden staircase with a high wall so that the king could not see the drop below him. He didn’t have to face the terrors like us common people today.
The next route to the top from the caves continues along the Mirror Wall, a high barricade constructed on the outside of a ledge that runs around the middle of the rock fortress, which was originally coated in polished plaster made from lime, egg white, beeswax and wild honey to create a mirror-like surface. The ledge leads to the Lion Platform, a large spur projecting from the north side of the rock just below the summit. From here, I could see a final staircase of more than 400 steps snaking up to the palace ruins on the summit, its base flanked by two enormous paws carved out of the rock.
I’m sorry to say that this was the point where I gave up. My legs trembled whenever I looked down the steep stairs, and I couldn’t bring myself to climb the remaining narrow, zigzagged iron staircases to the top of the cliff face. I was told later by those who had reached the top that the remaining palace ruins were mostly walls and foundations. However, the view is said to be stupendous. At the time I was happy enough to enjoy the view from the Lion Platform, but looking back as I write this, I hope I can visit the fortress again in the future. Next time, I’ll be courageous enough to climb to the top. Hopefully.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Baby elephant feeding at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is another activity one must do while in Sri Lanka. The orphanage strives to save elephants whose lives are endangered by deforestation. If migrating from dry to wet areas used to be easy, migrating today poses so many challenges, the old forest trails having been turned into villages.
Baby elephants sometimes fall into pits and ravines and are left behind by the herd. This is when the orphanage takes charge, saving the elephants and taking care of them until adulthood. Visits by local and foreign tourists are good, because the admission they pay helps maintain the orphanage. This was the activity I anticipated the most during my trip.
The journey to Pinnawala from our Jetwing Lagoon Hotel in Negombo took hours. We left the hotel at around 9am and reached Pinnawala village around 1pm. While waiting for the baby elephant feeding to start, I and my tour group explored a place across the road from the orphanage, where elephant dung, consisting of mostly fiber, is turned into paper. We were shown a variety of paper products at the factory shop, eliciting appreciative “oohs” and “ahs”. I couldn’t help but wonder who had looked at a huge pile of elephant excrement and thought ‘Hey, I can make paper out of this!’ It was rather funny.
In the orphanage, we saw tourists from around the world just like us heading to the baby elephant feeding area. There were five young elephants, two of them babies, all of them being fed from huge bottles. Tourists can make reservations in advance to feed the babies. As I watched the other tourists feeding the elephants I felt a twinge of envy. I fought my way through the wall of spectators to get a full view of the baby elephants, managing to get a few snapshots on my camera. It was satisfying. I may not have been able to feed the babies but at least I got the photos.
Activities in Pinnawala involve observing the elephants as they are being cared for, including watching them bathing on the river banks where the herd interacts socially, bathing and playing.
Temples
You haven’t been to Sri Lanka if you haven’t visited its magnificent temples, so make sure to visit the Golden Temple of Dambulla, a cave monastery 22 centuries old and the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. Also drop by the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a prime monument for the Buddhist population around the world, where Buddha’s right canine tooth is kept.
Airline:
For someone like me who sleeps during most of the flight, budget airlines are an excellent choice. I enjoyed my breezy four-hour flight from Jakarta to Colombo with Mihin Lanka and loved that the flight crew members were so friendly and attentive.
Mihin Lanka operates in a range of destinations in the Indian Sub-continent, the Middle East and South East Asia. It has a network spanning from Dubai to Jakarta and Madurai to Medan. The company’s partnership with SriLankan Airlines will also allow you to seamlessly connect to a wide range of intercontinental destinations on a single ticket.
Eat and Stay:
Sri Lanka’s three to five star hotels are excellent for good sleep and good food. I recommend the Jetwing Lagoon in Negombo, Chaaya Village in Habarana, Amaya Hills in Kandy, the TajSamudra in Colombo and the Cinnamon Grand, also in Colombo, for its amazing buffet.
Tour:
Walkers Tours Limited is arguably the best tour service provider in Sri Lanka. That’s coming from my own experience and from talking to the tourists I met who were traveling with Walkers Tours buses just like us. They will guide you to experience the best of Sri Lanka.
