Pearl of the Indian Ocean

That is what Sri Lanka is known as. That, and that it's also the nation of smiling people. I agree with the latter completely and wholeheartedly. 

The nation of smiling kids!

My week-long sojourn in Sri Lanka - or Ceylon as it was known until 1972 - was my very first visit to the island. Located in the northern Indian Ocean, south of the Indian subcontinent, I had truly no idea what to expect seeing as my one and only visit to the subcontinent was a work-related one to Pakistan. 

The two nations couldn't be more different from each other. Whilst I can lay claim some ancestral link to people of the Indus Valley civilisation, I had virtually zero experience in Sri Lanka. I suppose that is what makes travel so interesting. No expectations. And yes, that oh-so cliché travel mantra applies about - keeping an open mind. 

Unfortunately, my stay in Sri Lanka was only limited to the Western and Southern provinces of the tear-shaped nation, thus eliminating any possibility of my becoming an expert of any sort. Sorry. After all, I only had about a week. 

People say - I've always wondered who these people are.. perhaps someone says it and then someone else picks it up and more folks say the same thing then it becomes that, 'people say' - that your travels are made by the company you're with. In my case, this was indeed very true. I had the incredible privilege of staying with a wonderful family, who not only put my humble self up in their abode but also took time out to shuffle me around and about.

The name is Bawa, Geoffrey Bawa

The Barefoot Garden Cafe is gorgeous building, wonderfully infusing 
nature into the layout of the structure. Along with cafe, there is a 
bookstore and place for discerning ladies can shop for locally made
clothes and home furnishing.

When it comes to Sri Lankan residences and buildings, Colombo in particular anyway, there is one name you will become familiar with. 

The long version is Deshamanya Geoffrey Manning Bawa. The short version, Geoffrey Bawa. 

FYI, Deshamanya is the second highest honorific title in Sri Lanka, for highly meritorious service. I kid you not. 

Anyway, Geoffrey Bawa was Sri Lanka's best known architect and remains as one of the most influential in Asia. His tropical modernism work is evident throughout the country. His influence is everywhere, from homes, schools, offices and government buildings. 

I was lucky enough to stay near the Parliament complex in Kotte, so I got to see Mr. Bawa's creation on an island in the lake in the area. 

Just beyond the entrance to the Paradise Road Gallery

In fact, one would be hard pressed to not see Mr. Bawa's influences everywhere in Colombo. And they are worth admiring. 

Paradise Road Gallery is another one of Geoffrey Bawa's works. Beautiful inside and out..

Coming from a Southeast Asian tropical nation, with a similar enough climate to Sri Lanka, I'm probably ignorant but I don't see that many buildings that have successfully infused the tropical climes into their architectural designs in KL. 

Mind you, I am no architect so perhaps I am unqualified to say that. Suffice to say, I enjoyed looking at Mr. Bawa's buildings.

Tuk-Tuk Traffic

Getting around Colombo? Now that is interesting. 

Imagine if you will -- a high-strung hamster getting high on ecstasy with sudden short bursts of high-intensity high-speed energy buzzing about, followed by equally sudden moments of inaction or standing still while waiting for the next injection of ecstasy. 

That's what it feels like sitting in a tuk-tuk zipping in and out of Colombo's traffic. If you're a connoisseur of vehicular interior decor, Colombo's tuk-tuks will be up your alley. Plus, some are truly souped up, as there is an annual Lanka challenge! 

Coming from a country where sitting in a traffic jam is a national past-time, Colombo's traffic is something else. There are moments when you're unfortunate enough to get stuck in a gridlock. But it's one that makes you feel like you're in the twilight zone of traffic jams. 

It's noisy as everyone seems to enjoy leaning on their horns every other second but there is a strange harmony in the seemingly discordant mix of sounds. 

Maybe because I am a foreigner. And remember to bring wet wipes, because once you get off the tuk-tuk, you'd have collected enough engine exhaust residue on your face. Trust me, she says wiping the grease off her face.

Kids bringing Colombo's traffic to a grinding halt as they prepared for the CHOGM

Anyway, if you ignore the possibility of going partially deaf (tuk-tuk-itis?) and developing some kind of balance disorder courtesy of the constant weaving about on the tuk-tuk, it is the best, convenient and economical way of getting around. And they're metered. Make sure you have small change as a ride can cost Rs35 p/km. 

Perhaps what made it seem a bit Hitchcock-ish at the time was the fact that the city was about to play host to CHOGM - Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. There were a lot of roadworks and the occasional middle-of-the-road rehearsals for the benefit of all the heads of Governments about to descend on Colombo. 


Where the heart beats loudest

For me, soaking in the atmosphere of a city means a visit to the market. People say (again!!) that the soul of a house is the kitchen, then for me the soul of a city must be its market. 

Truly I enjoy stumbling into a market, as I feel that's where you get to witness the pulse of its people. So with my host, I went to the central market in Pettah. 

You're immediately welcomed in by a cacophony of sounds, from the incessant loudspeaker announcements to the usual shouts of people trying to offer you their best prices. 

It's vibrant, colourful and lively, in every sense of the word.

Spice anyone?

The work that goes into producing this is incredible, all to feed our demand for cinnamon.

Your nose is assaulted by the aroma of the spices, your eyes delight in the deliciously fresh produce and your ears tickled by the constant haggling between buyer and seller. 

Chilli anyone? I wonder how hot these are.. 

And there are a lot of interesting characters, some willing to indulge me as I asked for a picture. Others.. well.. I snapped anyway. 

I tried several times to take her photo.. to no avail. The best I could get was her back. She was gracious though. 

Cool thing about Pettah market, it's web-ed up - i.e., it's got a webpage and a facebook page yo! 

Wandering through the back alleys to get to the mosque

Not far from the market, you'll find another of Colombo's most famous buildings - the Jami Ul-Alfar mosque or as its more famously known as - the Red Mosque. I reckon the facebook-savvy generation might call it the candy-crush mosque because of the red and white stripes. Though there was some renovation work in progress at the time, it is still quite a sight. 

The Jami ul-Alfar mosque

There are other mosques to look at too.

after seeing five other candy striped mosques, I finally found the street that leads to the mosque.. 

By way of getting the address completely wrong along with the wonderful company of a very obliging tuk-tuk driver who was equally lost in translation, I got to see quite a few, of various shapes, sizes and colour. 

The Glory of the Indian Ocean


OK, I'll admit it.. I am a bit of a Simon Reeve fan. That he's a bit of an eye-candy, adds to the attraction.. to watch his travel documentaries that is! Sheesh.. Anyway, on his epic trip across the countries that share the same borders with the Indian Ocean, he made a stop to Sri Lanka. 

if you're in the Galle Fort area, look out for this car.

So, when the opportunity presented itself for me to take the same steps as Simon, (sort of), I did. I think 'magnificent' is a superlative that is seriously lacking in every sense. Whilst I am inclined more towards snow-capped mountains, I am still enamoured by the majesty of the ocean. 

If you have a couple of days, make the trip down to the southern province of Sri Lanka. There is the famous Galle Fort built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. 

My friend and wonderful host was extremely fortunate to find an incredible online deal to stay in a gorgeous villa right by the Unawatuna beach called Footprints. The rates are not cheap usually, but we were incredibly lucky. 

For me, there are two things that stir the heart. The first is the quiet surreal sound of falling snow on top of the mountain. The second is waking up in the morning to the sound of waves caressing the beach. The latter you get in abundance as you arise from your slumber at the Footprints Villa. 

this is the Footprints villa on Unawatuna beach.. comes complete with meals and a butler who makes a killer mango-watermelon juice!

To me, the sound of the ocean is like a gentle massage for the soul, relaxing and deep. The currents are strong and can drag even the strongest swimmers down into a deathlike embrace. But, there are fortunately lots of crystal clear and cool natural pools by the beach. 

For a bit of adventure, one can even indulge in a bit of surfing. Seriously. Though the waves are not exactly like the ones in Keanu Reeves' Point-Break, it is sufficiently satisfying for beginners, at least.  

And, you'll get a pretty wicked tan to boot. There is a sufficient demand for surfing, evidenced by the surfing schools dotted all along the coast!  

Majestic Mammals

It is quite breathtaking to watch the sunrise over Mirissa..

Now, if you are in the area, there is one other thing you ought to consider doing. It will take up at least 5 hours of your time, if you got it to spare. Jump on a tuk-tuk well before dawn announces itself over the horizon, head south to Mirissa and book yourself onto one of the many deep-water bound boats. 


Why? To catch a glimpse of the ocean's most majestic mammals, the whales. They're not wallet-breakingly expensive. If you're unsure, book online. Or, get the hotel/villa management to arrange it for you. 

Being geographically positioned along the super-highway of these migratory mammals, for me, it was a must. By the way, the route happens to also be along the super-tanker ocean highway as well! So, don't be surprised to see the megalithic structure of a Maersk ocean freighter hurtling in the direction of your dinky little boat at over 20knots. 

Anyway, depending on the time of the year (usually November to February), the most common sightings are of the sperm whales. However, I was a little lucky as I got to see the very elusive blue whale. Me and my fellow companions onboard were lucky to spot it three times, sadly my very ill-equipped camera didn't. 

there's definitely something under that..

The one and only other time I got to see whales in their natural habitat was off the coast of California, and that was a school of minke whales. So, to see a whale, a blue whale at that from about 400 metres away was breathtaking. 

The ocean as a way of humbling you.. MasyaAllah.

There's even a bit of entertainment along the way as you are likely to encounter with a pod or two of arguably the most intelligent and playful residents of the ocean's depths - dolphins. 

There are a few species in the waters surrounding Sri Lanka. The most common are the bottlenose, spinner, Fraser's and striped dolphins. Again, we were quite lucky to see and hear both bottlenose and spinner dolphins on two separate occasions. 

The one thing I must point out at this juncture is this - whilst I can to a certain extent appreciate the intentions of animals in captivity, what some establishments get up to is inherently very cruel, traumatic and borders on the savage. 

Suffice to say, these magnificent and majestic mammals who inhabit the oceans should be seen in their natural habitat and not in the oh-so-small confines of a man-made pool. If not for the pleasure of witnessing the wonder, then at least for the experience. 

The inglorious footnote

Unfortunately, my island sojourn was exactly that, temporary and short. But I like to think of what little I got to experience as an appetiser of sorts. Despite its unstable recent past, it is a nation filled with wonder. 

Thank you Sri Lanka for your wonderful smile.

Although, I didn't get to follow in Peter Kuruvita's footsteps or experience the other wonders abound in Sri Lanka, it is definitely on my (sadly long) bucket list of countries to return to. 

Thank you Karina and Azwan for being such an amazingly superb host. I cannot begin to think of how to repay your kindness.


#PS: Try the burger at Paradise Road Gallery, messy goodness.

The burger at Paradise Road Gallery cafe is the yummiest 

I've had in a while, even if the portion of fries were 

small..