Marg and I are not group travelers, preferring to do things in our own time and to go where we want to go, instead of where we are told to go, so we had a car and driver arranged with the stops all worked out with the hotels booked and after three days looking around and staying in the Colombo Grand Oriental Hotel we were away. This hotel is not recommended by the way, although it has a great view of the harbour, it is only interested in the low budget group market with food to match! We had been once before to Sri Lanka, staying in the Inter-Continental Hotel, but apart from Colombo and Kandy we had not seen that much previously, as it was just a quick stop over. This time we went up the west coast to Puttalam and straight across to Anuradhapura where we spent a couple of days at the looking around the first capital city, in existence from the time of the Romans and Christ. A massive place with large man-made lakes scattered around and apparently supporting a population of around 25 million in those times, plus they were also self sufficient! More of each of the places is linked on the index side, so please check them out! Next, across the old front line between the Tamils and the Government on a very broken road to Trincomalee on the east coast, but the scenery was superb and well worth the trip across. Trincomalee has one of the best natural harbours in the world, miles of beaches, two hotels, still some incidents with the Tamils and not much else. The potential here is great if you are prepared to wait. Had a couple of dives here, but really nothing to talk about.

We also went through Sigiriya, a fortress on top of a 220 meter rock that was very impressive, and of course I have to get to the top of it. Mind you, even I was shaky on some parts of it, especially when you are up 180 meters in the air and appear to be balancing on a 12 inch length of iron drilled into the wall with a shear drop down beside you! Polonnaruwa was next and this was the second major ancient Capital city of the Singhalese people, with the ruins here much more intact than, but not as extensive, as Anuradhapura. Why all this moving around of the capital? Because the people (Cholas) from South India used to keep invading and each time the Singhalese (north India / Aryan people) got too brassed off with this, they up and moved camp! There were also a couple of smaller capital sites, but they were not lived in for long and have no great value about them. Around this area is also some of the national parks, so while we did not see herds of wild elephants, this is a major tourist attraction in this area to do safari trips into the jungle. We did see plenty of birds and other wildlife though and some tremendous scenery was all around us. After a couple of days here staying in the worst hotel of the trip we ventured forth down to Kandy, the capital of the last King of Sri Lanka before the British deposed him in 1815. It was this King that created the lake here around which the British who came here later built their retreat houses from the heat of Colombo. The Temple of the Tooth is also located here, the most important relic of the island, which is brought out once a year on a major procession and celebration. We actually saw the casket of the Tooth when it visited Burma about 8 years ago and so had a lot closer look at it than you can now in the actual temple. Now it is enclosed within caskets within caskets within rooms etc., so no viewing is possible. After three days here it was down to the tea country at Nuwara Eliya for a quick one night stay at the Grand Hotel (Governor’s Wing) before heading back to Colombo for a few days business. We cannot go on a trip like this for three weeks without at least a few days rest on the beach. If left to my own devices, I would troupe around at full steam for the whole three weeks and end up at the end of the holiday probably more tired than when I started, so Marg is the brake here and the voice of reason to take a few days rest. We ventured down to Unawatuna and had a few days here, taking in a trip further along the coast and seeing Galle and the Dutch fort here. Very nice and relaxing, but no diving as the sea was too rough, even though the weather was quite fine. Back to Colombo to the famous Mount Lavina hotel and then back to Chennai, where as soon as we were out of the terminal we were hit by a wave of 42 degree heat! You will find that the traditional way of greeting people in Sri Lanka is with the palms clasped together and a gentle bow of the head along with “Ayubovan” and the chances are you will be greeted this way, wherever you happen to go throughout the island.