Ahila's travel highlights

Stayed at the Welcombe Hotel on Orr's Hill in Trincomalee overlooking the sea. The hotel was fully occupied with people visiting the district on work missions. I was given a room in an old, renovated bungalow a short walk away from the main hotel building, which was designed in the shape of ship's bow. A small four post bed, from the colonial era, a desk and chair and a TV with a couple of local channels was the only furnishing in the room. Hot water showers was more of a luck, than a regular feature as the water was being heated by a solar-powered heater. Though there was a nice dining room in the bungalow, the hotel unfortunately did not serve meals there and so I had to go to the restaurant, which was also nice with outdoor seating overlooking the sea.

The first floor porch was not yet fully renovated, so I did not attempt to cross the fragile looking boards but opted to stay in the garden restaurant, where only set menus were served.

There was an ongoing photography exhibition by one of the resident guests at the hotel. Agron Dragaj was displaying some of his photos taken during his work travels in Jaffna and Trincomalee and also from his holidays in South Sri Lankan beaches. There were some from his travels around Europe. He said that he was holding the exhibition as an auction to raise money for the purposes of charity and from his book, I saw that the bidders were mostly from the small expatriate community living in Trincomalee.

If peace could return to the country in the near future, I would really recommend Trincomalee as one of THE travel destinations in Sri Lanka. Such a tranquil and beautiful place with lovely beaches, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and expanses of bird sanctuaries, lovely hills and rock formations and green paddy fields, where they were still being cultivated. It was really sad, however, to see that many once heavily populated villages were all deserted due to the conflict and now heavy checkpoints existed within every few metres around the district and people, both on foot and vehicles, were stopped and underwent security checks. Of all the three Eastern districts, I found the current atmosphere of Trincomalee more disturbing.

We started around 6p.m. for Dambulla. A short cut was suggested past the last gate of the harbour and to Ja-Ela, then branch off to Dambulla, via Kurunegala. This route took us past Modera, where the famous fish market, after the Colombo Pettah in the Western Province was located. We drove by the Hamilton Canal, which was built by the Dutch, and the setting sun cast a magical glow over waters and the colourful boats which were anchored in it. Vendors in push carts sold their fish and poultry under the flourescent bulbs fixed to their carts. We paused by a bridge where we could see the canal waters meet the sea, in the distance and the pinkish golden waters was a pretty sight.

We stopped over at Gimanhala Transit Hotel in Dambulla, a nice, friendly and small hotel right on the main road. This morning, we reached Trincomalee, after passing through the numerous checkpoints along the way.

I have never been fond of the zoo. My recollections of the Dehiwela zoo is basically walking around in the hot sun, tired and the smell of animal droppings unpleasantly wafting in the air, not really interested in looking at the caged animals.. a brief respite seated on a grassy turf, watching some tired elephants going about in circles. No, I have never liked the zoo.

Yet, today I found myself going on an outing to the zoo with my mother, who loves the zoo since her childhood. We started our zoo trip with a visit to the aquarium. We passed the Californian sea lion which was having a nap quietly by the little pool, unfazed by the crowds seated in the audience area, who were watching it and the long queues passing by its residence into the Min Medura Aquarium, opened in 1973.

We walked through a lovely walk-in aviary, with a net covering a large area and a wooden bridge going through it for people to walk in. Though the signboard requested people to be silent, people were just talking loudly and the crowds going through must have disturbed the birds so we couldn't see many, except the friendly mynahs and the ducks playfully swimming in the pond. We could hear them though.

The elephant stalls were empty. I guess they must have gone out for a walk. Only Joa, a young African elephant born in 1991, was left in his stall and he was definitely not relaxed. He kept waving his trunk and head continuously. Some animals kept doing that and I felt they were distressed or uneasy in their surroundings. Most though chose to sleep in a corner with their heads turned away from the prying eyes of the crowds.

Though I still do not like the zoos, at least my childhood impression has improved ever so slightly.

As we drove towards the Trivandrum International Airport from Kovalam, we were slowed down by traffic. Pilgrims clad in bright yellow and floats went by slowly. My friend explained the procession. She said people from all over Kerala visited Sivagiri near Varkala for the annual memorial festival in celebration of Sree Narayana Guru.

Sree Narayana Guru or Nanu as his parents called him was born in 1854 and had advocated his doctrine of "one caste - one religion-and one God"

Excerpt from the Sree Narayana Kendra website:
Whichever the religion,
It suffices
If it makes a better man.

One in kind, one in faith,
One in God is man
Of one same womb, one there is at all.

All are of one Self-fraternity
Such being the dictum to avow,
In such a light how can we take life
And devoid of least pity go on to eat

Ask not, Say not Think not caste

Acts that one performs
For one's own sake
Should also aim for the good
Of other men.

Love of others is my happiness,
Love that is mine is happiness for others.
And so, truly, deeds that benefit a man
Must be a cause for other's happiness too.

Grace, Love, Mercy -all the three -
Stand for one same reality- Life's Star
He who loves is who really lives.

Whatever may be the difference in men's
creed, dress, language etc. because they all
belong to the same kind of creation,
there is no harm at all in their dining
together or having marital relation with
one another.

Liquor is poison
Make it not
Sell it not
Drink it not.

Devoid of dividing walls
Of caste or race
Or hatred of rival faith
We all live here
In Brotherhood

Sivagiri is not generally on the tourist map but a pilgrimage site considered essential to Keralites and the soul of Kerala's modern social evolution and thus worth visiting.

I stayed at Ariyawan Rest, after nearly three years. The rooms had undergone a fresh coat of lilac paint, instead of the pink it used to wear. The exterior also had shed its pink coat and donned a dark-yellow. As far as I am aware, there is only this place to stay at in Ampara for visitors passing through on short visits. I checked in around 6p.m., having pre-booked. I heard that the management had changed hands and indeed, the current people seemed more enthusiastic. A badminton court had been set up in the courtyard in the middle and the staff played enthusiastically. I was very much tempted to join in, except that I was already too tired and had to get up early the next morning. So, opted instead to have an early dinner and sleep.

Around 6a.m., we started our drive back to Colombo, stopping for an early breakfast of stringhoppers, coconut sambol and ginger tea at a roadside 'kade' near Parakramabahu Road.

Ampara is at its most beautiful in the months of December and January. All the green from the rains is very pleasing to the eyes. We took the route passing through Bibile and Kandy, which had a very scenic route past lakes and mountains. Serendipity would best describe that route. Puppies and kittens seemed perfectly content at lying on the middle of the road, sleeping or playing and birds were loath to fly away from the road they had alighted upon. I worried that we would end up hitting one of them but our driver skilfully managed to steer the vehicle away from them.

The drive from Ampara to Kandy, though nearly 200kms, took us only three hours but the remaining route from Kandy to Colombo, which was less than 150 Kms took us more than four hours because of the heavy traffic.