Soulful Sri Lanka: A Traveler’s Reflections

Posted in By Flying Squirrel Vacation

The five of us, friends since elementary school, decided to celebrate our 70th birthday^th a year full of style with nine days of togetherness. We chose Sri Lanka and Flying Squirrel Holidays made our itinerary and travel arrangements. Sri Lanka, although in many ways similar to parts of South India, has a lot to offer – it has natural beauty, ancient history, Buddhist temples, truly impressive stupas and statues, colonial ports, buildings and churches, hilly areas, dense forests, and stunning beaches and sea views.

It also offers a variety of good hotels with excellent food options, clean air, polite people, orderly traffic. It has something for everyone! What is also very encouraging is that everyone we spoke to seemed confident about the future under the leadership of National People’s Power (NPP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake. They came to power following Rajapaksa’s ouster in 2022 after the government announced its failure.

Reach Sri Lanka and get started instantly

Despite having left Kolkata before dawn, having a connecting flight in Chennai, we drove to the hotel, dropped off our bags and were ready to make the most of the day. After a delicious Sri Lankan lunch, we headed to Gangaramay Temple in the heart of the city.

What impressed me most in this Buddhist temple and museum was the row of Buddha statues sitting in neat rows up to the top of the tower. We explored the expansive grounds and admired its statutes and artifacts, including a Buddha carved on a grain of rice, which can only be seen with a magnifying glass. Then we visited Seema Malaka which is located on a floating platform on a nearby lake. Despite their close proximity, the two temples are very different in style and atmosphere. While Gangaramay is messy, Seema Malaka is calm, minimalist and open giving charm to the waters.

About crabs and secret dates

Two of the bravest of the five, set off for the Ministry of Crab, a renowned Sri Lankan dining experience renowned for the delicate preparation of the enormous crabs it serves. While our two visitors enjoyed the experience, the rest of us were lucky to get crab legs, delicious fish preparations, and enjoyed many other types of seafood along the way.

Before leaving Colombo, we visited the Mount Lavinia Hotel, built in 1806 as the governor’s residence. We hear about the love story between the British Governor, Sir Thomas Maitland, and a local woman, Lovina. We entered the tunnel he built which was located between the disused well near Lovina’s house to the wine cellar at the Governor’s house. I’m sure their secret tryst made their affair even more compelling.

Dambulla Cave Temple and Geoffrey Bawa’s masterpiece

The next day we drove to Dambulla, because one of my friends and I wanted to see the Buddhist caves that were developed from the first century BC to the eighteenth century. Although I had visited the caves before to experience their serene majesty, intricate paintings, and enormous and numerous Buddhist statues, the caves once again took my breath away. The caves are one of the most impressive sites I have ever seen, and I have traveled extensively throughout the world.

From this spiritual site steeped in history, we headed to the very contemporary Kandilama hotel designed by the very famous Geoffrey Bawa. This hotel, nestled in the woods with views of the large lake that borders the property, is a masterpiece of design. Bring, uniting nature and stone in a monumental and inspiring alliance, to create a truly sublime space for visitors.

After visiting Kandilama, we made sure to visit his plantation – Lunuganga – which is an exclusive getaway in Bentota. We took a tour of his garden which was once a rubber and cinnamon plantation which is also on the edge of a lake that leads to the river. On this property he not only built beautiful interior spaces but also “designed” several large trees on the property. He built a wall around a towering mahogany tree so that its roots formed a kind of curtain above the ground. He uses and transforms found objects to blend into the landscape with extraordinary environmental sensitivity.

Temple of the Sacred and Royal Tooth of Kandy

In Kandy we especially enjoyed our visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth because on that day the temple is open, and devotees flock there to offer flower garlands, plates full of artistically arranged flowers, and straw flower boxes to the deity.

From Kandy we drove all the way to Anuradhapura, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Anuradhapura. While there is much to see, of great historical significance is the Thuparamay temple, the oldest Buddhist temple founded in the third century BC, and the vast grounds and impressive Ruwanwelisaya stupa are truly awe-inspiring. The level of engineering required to construct this stupa is truly astonishing.

Boat rides and beach time

We spent the last few days exploring Galle, taking a boat ride on the Madu river where we visited a small cinnamon island, and relaxing on the beach. Even our swim at the beach near Bentota was great. I saw a number of small turtles sharing the waves with me. They seemed as happy as I was to be in the warm water sliding along with the gentle crashing of the waves.

Before our trip ended, we stopped at a roadside stall where we bought Sri Lankan souvenirs, did some shopping in Colombo, and had tea at the very elegant Galle Face hotel which is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. Founded in 1864. We sipped tea while the waves crashed against the hotel’s walls, enjoying the expansive ocean views and feeling the foam spray towards us.

Our holiday went smoothly and even the weather surprised us. Even though it was the rainy season, we did not experience a single day of rain but enjoyed clear skies which made our visit perfect.

Thank you Flying Squirrel for organizing our trip and taking care of every detail for us. Sri Lanka, although small, is truly a gem that has something to please everyone. We certainly enjoyed the shine.

Jael Silliman is a writer, painter, scholar and women’s rights activist.