Jan. 31, 2013, 10:14 p.m. |
A trio of novice Buddhist monks go down Mulkirigala rock
monastery in Sri Lanka. After reaching the age of 20 they will be able
to become Sangha monks and follow their way towards enlightenment.
© Oksana Faryna
One of the most inspiring ways to escape Ukraine’s cold,
gray winters is to take a trip to Sri Lanka, the small teardrop-shaped
island in the Indian Ocean. It’s got lush green coconut palms, pristine
sand beaches and much more.
The best time to visit Ceylon, as the island was known
under colonial Portuguese, Dutch and British rule, is during the dry
season from November through April. That’s when the chances of tropical
storms are lowest. It’s best to avoid the end-December to mid-January
peak when hotels fill up and prices spike.
Remember also to buy
tickets well in advance to save on the flight, the biggest expense, in
order to make of the country’s otherwise low prices. Once travelers are
there, Sri Lanka overtakes with its beauty and its residents’ laid back
and welcoming ways.
After arriving in Colombo airport, take a taxi
or a bus along a newly built highway to Galle, an old Dutch fort in the
south, and head to one of the resorts nearby. Choose a good hotel in,
say, Hikkaduwa or Uwanatuwa with a swimming pool and traditional
Ayurveda treatment. The coasts are lined with hotels, restaurants,
resorts and travel agencies, so there’s usually no shortage of places to
go. Once accommodations are taking care of, it’s time to sip fresh
papaya juice or lassie, a fruit and milk cocktail.
Resting on the
beach can get boring, though, particularly on the picturesque but
hostile shores of the country’s south, where strong ocean currents and
waves make it impossible to swim sometimes. A stormy Indian Ocean can
conjure up images of the devastating tsunami which hit three quarters of
the island’s coastline in 2004 in the nation of 20 million people.
A
good option, particularly for groups, is to hire a minivan with a local
driver who also acts a guide to tour the island. Thrill-seekers can
also choose a motorbike for getting around, but be warned that driving
is on the left and the chaotic road culture can be challenging,
especially when dodging cows and other animals. The narrow streets also
keep speeds below 50 kilometers per hour.
Sri Lanka offers travelers lots of Indian Ocean beaches.
The tours are worth it because there’s such a wide
range of sites: tea plantations in the mountain region of Nuwara Eliya,
rubber tree plantations, spice gardens, elephant farms, the Royal
Botanical Garden and the Siharaja Rainforest Reserve, to name but a
few.
The island also has some amazing ancient cities:
Anuradhapura, the ancient capital in the north; the medieval capital
Polonnaruva in the eastern part of the island; the central mountainous
city of Kandy, the cultural capital and home to the Temple of a Tooth
Relic, where a tooth of Buddha is believed to be kept. In between all
these cities is Sigiriya, a rock fortress with ruins of a palace and
monatery.
However, rushing through all the attractions will spoil the karma, so slow down and try to go beyond the beaten tourist path.
Tangalle is typical small city in Sri Lanka with
streets full of people, busses, rickshaws, motorbikes and plastered with
advertising posters. The billboard in the center depicts Sri Lanka’s
president Mahinda Rajapaksa who ended civil war in the country in 2009
and made the island more attractive for tourists.
The best tea in Sri Lanka, for example, can be tried
not in tourist guest houses but in unremarkable local eateries. It will
be a strong black tea served with a large amount of milk and sugar and
will cost a few cents.
Street food such as hoppers, rice flour
pancakes cooked at not perfectly clean stalls and wrapped in a piece of
newspaper, may look suspicious from a sanitary point of view. But they
are extremely fresh and tasty.
For those in the mood for a noisy
and bustling local market, ripe mango fruit provides an answer. Every
vendor will gladly peel and cut it upon request.
Visiting one of
the numerous Buddhist temples is enchanting, especially when the full
moon is out. According to local belief, Buddha was born, reached
enlightenment and died during the full moon. So on this night people
dress in white cloth, bring flowers, most often lotuses, and go to a
ceremony to celebrate Poya Day.
Statues of Buddha, small and
large, cover the island, reminding that Sri Lanka has a long and revered
Buddhist tradition even as Hinduism dominates in Sri Lanka’s giant
neighbor of India.
Sri Lanka has around 30,000 Buddhist monks,
easily noticeable by their bright orange or red cloths. According to
Theravada tradition, observed in Sri Lanka, only monks can reach
enlightenment
Whether or not this is the case, however,
enlightenment is something easily experienced after traveling to Sri
Lanka. There’s so much spectacular scenery all around that lots of
keepsake photos can be had and most of them are away from the beaches.
Sri Lanka prices
Air tickets Kyiv-Colombo-Kyiv (though Dubai, FlyDubai airline) – $750
Minivan transfer from Colombo airport to Kandy – $70 (100 km, 2 hours)
Express highway bus Colombo – Galle – $4 (120 km, 2 hours)
Mid-range hotel, double room – $20 per day per person
Fresh juice – $1 to $3
Hopper (rice flour pancake) – $0.20
Rice and curry – $3-$5
http://www.kyivpost.com/guide/travel/exploring-sri-lanka-island-of-serendipity-319630.html
