How does one begin to talk about a country that is both remarkable and, in the face of ongoing unrest and a recent natural disaster, smilingly courageous? Although there are constant reminders of the devastation that took place just over a year ago during the horrific tsunami, the people of Sri Lanka smile. They greet you cheerfully and serve you happily at stores and restaurants and talk to you at length about the tsunami or just about anything.
The Resilient Spirit
Sri Lanka exudes archetypal island culture – a je ne seis qua, a casual chic and a feeling that they will pander to any whim. There is a cliché about how crisp and soft the air is here but like all clichés, it is true. The texture of the air in the country makes one inhale deeply – your lungs seem to relax and balloon. The weather is warm and balmy and I can’t get over the people. The resilience and the resolve are evident in the spirit of the fishermen who head out every evening, whose picturesque boats lend depth to the sunsets and twinkling lights to the nightscape.
The spirit of renewal is everywhere, in the brand new hotels and beach shacks, in the demeanor of the staff and their cheerful, if tuneless, whistling, in the energy of the surfers, in the thundering of vehicles busily plying and in an economy that is on the upswing.
Hikkudawa
My trip to Sri Lanka was by no means a representation of the country – we just visited two places. The spouse and I over-packed for a much-deserved 10-day break at the end of last year and set out. The trip was based on an impulsive decision to completely change our year-end holiday plan. We flew into Colombo, hired a taxi and headed down to Hikkaduwa, a surfing beach about 100 kilometers south of the capital.
The journey – that lasted about four hours – took us through some of the most beautiful and lush countryside with the road running parallel to the coastline and the sea visible for most of the time.
We reached Hikkaduwa just before sunset and booked into our comfortable rooms with pretty bathrooms. I sat sipping tea and while my friends and husband savored some fine whisky on a scenic balcony that jutted out a just a few feet from the beach. Since it was the egg-laying season for the turtles, our sunsets for the next week were dotted with turtles popping up in the waves for a breath.
Our first dinner at Hikkaduwa was memorable for more reasons than one. We were with our friends, who had been urging us to fly south for a few years now and we had a perfect meal at a resort - right next door to our hotel - called Nippon Villa. The Villa faces the main street with the back verandah stretching to the beach. Our table for the evening was almost on the sea. We were more than willing to ignore the scant food for two and we could hardly hear ourselves speak for the crashing waves. What a start to our holiday!
The Fabulous Outdoors
The next few days saw us walking down the narrow, sharply inclined Hikkaduwa beach – painfully waking long-dormant calf muscles – watching the surfers ‘pose’ artistically against the rolling, perfect pipes of waves, attempting to boogey board and getting sand into our unmentionables. In other words, we had a whale of a time! The mornings were perfect for long walks and even longer soaking sessions in the sea while the afternoons were spent reading in the shade of palms and gently snoozing in conveniently hung hammocks.
If you’re idea of a holiday involves lots of activities, the beach offers parasailing, glass-bottom boats rides to view teeming marine life and dolphin watching. You can also hire snorkeling and scuba gear for some serious diving.
Food on the Island
Nearly all the shacks on the beach were new properties and we tried a different one for every meal. We ate some truly scrumptious Sri Lankan food, which was quite like South Indian food, some great continental cuisine at dirt-cheap prices and some not so memorable over-priced meals. Have you ever noticed how that always happens – bad food being invariably over-priced?
Keep in mind that Sri Lankans are not in a hurry to get anywhere, which means that the service at most hotels is by no means fast.
Island Souvenirs
We chose to trawl down the long single Hikkaduwa Street, which is also a highway with fairly heavy traffic, the most significant negative aspect of the beach. There are a large number of stores offering a variety of clothes, masks, sarongs, caps, hats, beautifully done batiks and art galleries. The jewellery stores displayed beautifully crafted ornament sets with an array of precious and semi-precious stones.
On to the Big City – Colombo
Before long our week was up and it was time to head back to civilization. Colombo – we all agreed – is the most genteel kind of reentry one can devise. We spent two glorious days of shopping, walking in gardens and down tree-lined streets in, contrary to popular expectation, a fairly modern city. As we drove into the city on Sunday morning, New Years Day, we saw large crowds paying obeisance at the Buddhist temples. An even larger crowd thronged to the beachfront – adjacent to the magnificent Galle Hotel – to enjoy an evening out.
Colombo’s Galle Road is one long street that offers ample possibilities to shop, hang out or watch a movie. Barefoot, a fabulous ethnic Sri Lankan store was a treasure trove of bric-a-brac, home-ware, clothing and handicrafts. They say Arthur C Clarke would come to the café here every evening.
Speaking of cafes, The Gallery Café, is an institution in Colombo. The former offices of the architect Geoffrey Bawa, it reiterates his design sensibilities and is a treat to visit. The entrance and gallery are around a black-tiled pond with catfish, with a passageway leading to the café. We sat in low slung, cowhide chairs and had a fabulous cup of coffee and brownies.
Eating out
Cuisine in Colombo is varied but I highly recommend slumming it out and having a bite at any of the local eat-outs – after you’ve built some systemic immunity of course. They serve up a quick dish of string hoppers (iddi apams) or plain apams served hot off the wok with mouthwatering pol sambol (a delicious grated coconut chutney), chicken gravy and dals.
Shop till you Drop
The shopping in Sri Lanka is fun. The malls are large and offer a considerable variety in clothes, shoes, handbags, scarves, accessories, cosmetics, luggage, ice creams, soaps (Lush soaps took up nearly half the floor space at Odell’s), teas, wines and what have you. It can be a bit staggering. The House of Fashion is a designer label haven at marked down prices. The crowds are ten deep at every counter. We squared our shoulders, collectively took a deep breath and plunged in only to emerge many hours later loaded with far too many bags, sore feet, a mighty thirst and a silly grin.
Our Colombo evenings were spent at the casinos, staking our luck to the roll of dice and winning some and losing plenty but enjoying the free booze, food and ambience.
Planning a trip:
Sri Lanka is very tourist friendly and there are a lot of tourism websites that will help you to plan a perfectly lovely holiday. Although small, it is a country – so either plan to take a great deal of time or do just a slice of the island. We never managed to make it anywhere near the hills but I hear Kandy and Nuwara Eliya are an absolute treat.
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