Sri Lanka

The main objective of my trip was to see my parents and my brother, whom I hadn't seen in 4 years. My brother Ananth flew up from Australia. Due to his business commitments back in Australia , he could only stay for a week. It was great getting together with my family and relatives after so many years.

Colombo, the biggest city in Sri Lanka had changed quite a bit since the last time I was there, which was back in the summer of 1994. One constant however, was the noise and air pollution produced by vehicles, mostly those powered by Diesel fuel. It seemed to me that the number of vehicles on the roads has grown at a rate that far exceeded the rate at which the roads had been widened to accommodate the vehicles.

Apart from high risers popping up at various parts of the city (especially in the downtown area), the biggest difference I saw was the number of restaurants that have emerged. There was a time when the culinary options one had was limited to Sri Lankan, Indian, and Chinese food. I was pleasantly surprised to find a broad spectrum of cuisines that included Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, Swiss, German, American, Indian, Chinese, and Sri Lankan. Even the fast food giants have staked there claim - McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC. There are even a few English-style pubs that serve pretty much any kind of beer from around the world.

The shopping is very good. Most designer stuff is available at really cheap prices compared to what one would pay for them here in the US. There are several modern malls with American companies like Neutrogena and Hallmark, and other stores that carry merchandise from Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, etc.

Once you leave the city, it truly is a different world - the air is much cleaner, and the decibel levels are much lower. Since my dad had several things to take care of before taking up residence in the US (he came to the US when I returned from Sri Lanka), I went on a tour of the rest of the country with my mom.

We rented a car with a driver and drove to the hill country for a few days and then down to the beaches for a few more. First we went to Kandy, the hill capital. On the way, we stopped at an elephant orphanage at Pinnewela. Lucky for us, it was bath time for all the elephants when we were there. It was fascinating, even for me, to be in such close proximity to the elephants.

In Kandy we, went to a cultural show and toured the city. We then drove to Nuwera Eliya, a city surrounded by tea factories with a lot of colonial charm. The Brits nicknamed this town 'Little England'. The city is centered around a lake adjacent to a horse race course. Nuwera Eliya is situated in the foothills of the highest peak in Sri Lanka - Piduruthalagala. Due to heightened security it is no longer possible to go up to the top of this peak. But we did go up to the peak of the second highest mountain from which we got a beautiful view of the city below dwarfed by the Piduruthalagala mountain range in the background. The temperature is mild in Nuwera Eliya compared to the rest of the country, comfortable 70s during the day and 50s-60s at nights.

We also visited Horton Plains, a vast plateau of grassland with leopards and other wildlife. A two-hour trek by foot from the tourist office here is a place called World's End. This is a truly magnificent drop of about 2500 feet. I have been here before when I was a kid with the boy scouts. Nevertheless, I wanted to see it all over again. I made the two hour trek out there, and the higher I got the more clouds and mist I was surrounded by. Unfortunately, by the time I got up there the skies opened up and it started pouring. So I didn't get a chance to see the land below this time around, but I certainly enjoyed it.

On the way down from the hill country, we stopped at a tea plantation. We toured a tea factory and witnessed the process of producing tea. We were educated in the various types of tea and the various processes each one goes through before the end product is produced. I am not a tea drinker but I had to try what was quite possibly one of the world's best tea straight from the factory. I liked it!

We then descended along the never ending windy roads to the southern coastal beaches. We stayed at the Seasands Hotel in Bentota. The setting was truly serene. The hotel is situated in a thin strip of land. On the one side is the sandy beach and the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, and on the other is the Bentota river. Michele would have loved it here. We just have to go back there so she can experience it.

Much of my time in Sri Lanka was spent with my family, going out to dinners, and shopping. It sure would have been doubly enjoyable if Michele could have made it as well. Being 6 months pregnant, we didn't think it was good idea for her to travel some 10,000 miles. But I am sure we will be back together.