Sri Lanka-The Island Life

It’s April 2020 & I just celebrated my birthday a few days back while we all are in lockdown due to the corona pandemic. It’s surprising how things have turned around so quickly in the last few weeks. Though I was hoping to take some time off from the grilling work-related travel routine, I could never have imagined that I would be stuck at home for so long. When I reflect upon the last 12 months, I can’t stop but think about Sri Lanka where I spent most of my time during the last seven months. It was an experience of a lifetime.

What is it about Sri Lanka that makes it so special & memorable for me? I believe that there are five for me.

Beaches

What comes to your mind when you think of the word Island? Yes, It’s beaches! Sri Lanka is blessed with a coastline of about 1340 Km & many pristine beaches. I feel lucky that I was able to spend a few of my weekends on these spectacular shores. Sri Lanka probably has a different beach for every mood. Bentota for peace and solace, Hikkaduwa for the adrenaline rush, Mirrissa for simply appreciating the beautiful nature.

Sri Lankan Hospitality

Ayubowan! (Wish you a long life) That’s how you are greeted in Sinhalese.

If you are travelling to Sri Lanka, be ready to experience the amazing Sri Lankan Hospitality. And it’s not just the hospitality sector, Locals, in general, are nice & warm to all the tourists. Courtesy of my client, I had an opportunity to experience this warm hospitality at some of the best hotels in Sri Lanka. However, by far my favourite place was Hilton Colombo Residence. I loved everything about the place; Spacious and airy apartments, sumptuous breakfasts, pool with the amazing views of lotus tower, super nice staff and last but not the least, some rare vintage photographs of Sri Lanka.

Sunsets

“You said good things about the sunsets a hundred times? Not Enough” said someone, and I completely agree. Watching sunsets and sipping my tea is probably my favourite thing to do on a holiday and Sri Lanka is one of the best places to do so. The clean skies, vivid sunset colours & beautiful Indian ocean are a treat for anyone!

Trains

If you have ever googled Sri Lanka for planning a holiday, you will have come across numerous pictures of blue trains on the famous nine arch bridge or of people hanging out from the train doors in the beautiful tea estates of Ella. Indeed, the train journeys are beautiful in Lanka and we had our beautiful memories of these journeys. However, what I enjoyed the most was watching these trains every day with a beautiful backdrop of the Indian Ocean from my workplace or on the occasional morning runs.

Buddhist Temples

Have you ever seen a Sri Lankan flag carefully? While everyone might be able to recollect the golden lion holding a kastane sword, but you might not have paid attention to the four small golden leaves on the corners. The four bo leaves represent the four Buddhist concepts of Kindliness, Friendliness, Equanimity and Happiness. Sri Lankans primarily practice Theravada Buddhism and it plays a central role in cultural tourism. There are many enchanting Buddhist temples across the country & we had an opportunity to pay a visit to some of the places

That’s all! Does it sound incomplete? It did to me while writing. How can a post about Sri Lanka miss out on ‘Tea’? It’s one of the largest exporters of tea and home to the famous tea brand Dilmah! Honestly, being a tea enthusiast, I was equally excited about what Sri Lanka had to offer. However, I enjoyed the tea rooms more than the tea and always missed the Indian Chai. Maybe it was because of the longer duration of the travel and I was missing my favourite cuppa back home. Anyways happy to be proven wrong