Fort Galle is a delight. A World Heritage Site, it sits on a promontory with its back to the prosperous trading city of Galle and its face to the entire exotic South Seas. Wandering the alleys and narrow streets is like going back in time through the history of Sri Lanka. Streets of beautiful but aging buildings from the Dutch era And new ones reminiscent … Continue reading Fabled Fort Galle – Something for Everyone
From the highlands of Sri Lanka, we arrived at the south coast at Hambantota. I was really sick, and Annie and the kind staff cared for me at the beautiful Peacock Resort. I ingloriously survived food poisoning and we drove on to Tangalle, our scheduled stop. Tangalle is primarily a busy local town of markets, schools, mosques, temples and churches. It gives a simple and … Continue reading Tangalle to Galle – The South Coastal Road
The mountains of central Sri Lanka rise like alluring misty visions from the flat farm lands that ring the island. There is nothing gradual about them…it is a sudden, continuous steep climb to the tea towns at the top and a rapid, tortuous descent on the other side. Fabulous for driving! Approaching from the north east, our first stage was to leave the rice paddies … Continue reading Driving over the Top of Sri Lanka
A feast for the eyes – sweet, vibrant, irresistible, varied, compelling, everywhere you look – Kandy is endless eye candy. The Sacred City of Kandy is the heart of Sri Lanka, and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic has been the heart of Kandy for 2000 years. There are gorgeous images at every turn. I was delighted to find moonstones, each with special significance … Continue reading Kandy is Eye Candy
Trincomalee had a special pull for me: I lived on Mayne Island looking up the Trincomali Channel every night at unparalleled Canadian sunsets. So in Sri Lanka, Trincomalee on the east coast drew me, although I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it had lots of history, still in evidence today. Trincomalee is a strategic and historically important deepwater port for SL and the … Continue reading Driving East Coast Sri Lanka – Trincomalee and Batticolao
It’s called the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, and the three points are 1. Dambulla, north of Kandy, 2. Sigiriya and Polonnawara to the north east, and 3. Anuradhapura and Mihitale to the north west – three historical sites with ancient temples and royal cities that have become World Heritage Sites. This area is the home of the ancient moon stones of Sri Lanka. We … Continue reading Home of the Ancient Moon Stones of Sri Lanka
Because that is where the airport is, any travel to Sri Lanka begins and ends in Negombo. And that is such a splendid thing because Negombo is so interesting and welcoming and quintessentially Sri Lankan. It is a timeless fishing town full of tourists who appreciate this exotic land of spices and gems, beer and beaches, coconut and curry. Your world can be completely transformed … Continue reading Negombo Where Sri Lanka Begins and Ends
Sri Lanka is sensational – vibrantly green and lush countryside, intriguing villages and cities, endlessly appealing food and fabrics, kind and welcoming people. I need some Sri Lanka time each year. It’s been a dream since my first trip to Sri Lanka – to circumnavigate the island nation. Not by boat – that would be someone else’s dream. I am driving, and my dear friend … Continue reading Circumnavigating Sri Lanka
I expected Chongqing to be pretty dramatic – after all, it is a city where the metro goes right through a building high on a hillside, where buildings like the Hongya Cave complex cascading down the steep incline have lifts that open at ground level floor 1 on one side and ground level floor 17 on the other, where the local super-spicy hot pot … Continue reading Chongqing – City of Contrasts
