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Asian Continent




Sri Lanka: After the Tsunami

Devastated by one of nature's most potent forces, Sri Lanka is rebuilding its damaged shores. One of this lovely island nation's most important sources of income is tourism, and its people want you to know that Sri Lanka's most interesting attractions are inland and were not directly affected in any way by the tsunami.

By Rod Lopez-Fabrega



As we all know, Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean, have been impacted with huge loss of life and property by the devastating tsunami of December, 2004. The outpouring of help from governments all over the world has been enormous--almost equal to the huge task of rebuilding that these countries face.




As individuals, the humanitarians among us wish we could help somehow. There is a way to help, and that is to go there. Tourism in the face of such a disaster may appear incongruous and even voyeuristic, but tourism, in fact, is the fourth most important industry and a principal source of income for Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka is doing everything in its power to revive that industry and to let people know that there is much more to this still beautiful country than sun and beaches. Its most fascinating cultural showpieces, all that has made Sri Lanka the amazing exotic destination that it is, are in the interior of the country and were not directly affected in any way by the angry waves that impacted so many of its famous beaches. To that end, the government has initiated a $320 million marketing and promotional campaign called, 'Bounce Back Sri Lanka' to revive the battered tourism sector.

As Amy Gunderson reports in her New York Times article (February 20, 2005), "Volunteer Vacations, a Growing Trend in Tourism, "...attract tourists looking to forgo the usual in favor of a more intense cultural experience." She reports that I-to-I, a British travel company, and other commercial enterprises have been responding to inquiries from thousands of travelers around the world eager to help in the disaster cleanup. Ms. Gunderson quotes Kam Santos, a spokesperson for one of these enterprises: "We see a lot of empty-nesters and seniors on these trips. We get a lot of seasoned travelers. They've done the tourist thing, and this is something different." Many of these trips combine teaching activities, providing comfort and support, light clearing and construction work, with visits to the country's cultural sites.



Sri Lanka's Cultural Wealth:

As reported in an earlier ROMAR TRAVELER story, Sri Lanka's cultural wealth is outstanding--a lush and handsome country with a culture that stretches back over 2,500 years. This includes amazing archaeological monuments that are now declared World Heritage Sites; plus the heritage of years under British, Dutch and Portuguese occupations prominently evident--and English is spoken almost everywhere.




A sample tour you might consider:

You arrive at Colombo's Banderanaike airport on a connecting flight from London, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo or Dubai. Then, by air-conditioned 12-passenger bus, you are driven to the Palm Garden Village Hotel in Anuradhapura for your first overnight. Along the coast, you will still see devastation, but your impressions as you are driven along the interior's fine road system will be the lush tropical vegetation that fills the landscape, and domed dagoba temples that seem to pop up every few miles. On a prominent corner in almost every village you pass you will see a glass-enclosed shrine with a statue of the Buddha looking down on the passing parade. Surprisingly, there may also be a similar shrine at another corner clearly dedicated to a Christian saint. This is, after all, a predominantly Buddhist country, but one that is tolerant of most religions.



Anuradhapura and the Bo Tree

Anuradhapura is the most celebrated of Sri Lanka's ancient ruined cities. This city is the repository of several priceless treasures of Buddhism. One is the dagoba of Thuparama, an immense spire-topped dome that is believed to enshrine the collarbone of the Buddha, himself. A frieze of elephants in bas-relief surrounds the base of the temple. Another remarkable treasure in Anuradhapura is the sacred Bo Tree said to have been grown from a branch of the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. As the story goes, a sapling of the ficus religioso that sheltered the Buddha was brought from the Magadha Kingdom of ancient India in a golden bowl 2,250 years ago and planted on this spot in Sri Lanka, bowl and all. It is said to be the oldest authenticated tree in the world. How was it authenticated? Apparently a special caste was designated to care for this priceless tree, and from the very beginning, this family and its descendants have looked after the Bo Tree. Surprisingly, the tree itself is not a very impressive specimen, but it is, nevertheless, protected by armed guards and venerated by almost everyone for its association with the source of Buddhism.



Polonnaruwa and the Cave of Knowledge

Your group then moves on to Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries and the repository of outstanding ruins, frescoes and enormous statues of reclining Buddhas. The ruins of the old city are on the shores of Lake Topawewa, man-made during the reign of a twelfth century king--a huge task, when one considers it was accomplished with nothing but manual labor. What remains of the ancient city itself is a cluster of palaces and temples contained within a rectangular city wall. The foundations of the royal palace and the king's audience hall are particularly well preserved.

An outstanding site in Polonnaruwa is the Galyhare, also known as the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge. It is an outdoor rock wall where giant standing and reclining sculptures of the Buddha were carved out of the living rock. It remains a holy and venerated shrine and a place where young Buddhist priests and students are brought to meditate and to receive religious instruction.



Sigiriya, the big rock

Dinner and overnight is at the Sigiriya Village Hotel in Sigiriya. The hotel grounds are sumptuous and its high-ceilinged reception and dining pavilion is stunning. Overlooking this notable resort is the towering Sigiriya Rock Fortress. This remarkable place alone is worth a trip to Sri Lanka.

If you are physically fit, you can climb the amazing rock of Sigiriya with its impregnable palace fortress built in the fifth century B.C. by Kasyapa, a security-obsessed usurper to the throne of Anuradhapura. Surrounded by acres of pleasure fountains and gardens (still being excavated by archaeologists,) three crocodile-filled moats, and two sets of perimeter walls, the rock rises like an Asian Masada or Machu Picchu. On the climb up metal staircases anchored to the shear walls, you will pass the few remaining and now priceless wall frescoes of several of Kasyapa's 500 harem beauties, their colorations and details miraculously preserved though they were painted fifteen centuries ago.



Dambulla Caves:

From there your tour moves a short distance on to Dambulla and its five cave temples filed with Buddhist murals and many Buddha statues.
Visitors must remove their shoes and approach the shrines bare-foot. The first cave is filled with the 47-foot-long recumbent image of the meditating Buddha. Fresh lotus flower bouquets fill a shelf directly under His gaze, and pilgrims kneel in veneration before Him. Your guide explains that, to believers, the Buddha is not considered to be divine. He is not a deity to whom one prays. One can venerate His wisdom and pay homage to His enlightenment. In the second cave, there are 150 beautifully carved and preserved gilded statues of gods and Buddhas. The rock ceilings are painted in brilliantly preserved and intricately detailed patterns and images of the holy figures. All the caves are cool and the textures of the rock floors as felt through the bare soles of your feet are almost those of living flesh. It is an amazing place; the womb of this religion of peace.



Sri Lanka from the Back of a Pachyderm:

For a radical change of pace, nearby is the Habarana Special Elephant Safari where the adventurous can rent-an-elephant for a short but exciting ride down jungle paths and across water. As many as six would-be elephant equestrians climb up a bamboo scaffolding and slide on to the howdah saddle on the animal's back. The elephant's mahout--a man who literally lives with his charge--walks by the beast's side, and off you go for the ride of a lifetime. Ask for either Sita or Gemunu, two gentle giants with soulful eyes. As your van leaves the safari center, the highway crosses a river, and you may see other elephants enjoying their daily bath, their mahouts lovingly scrubbing and scratching trunks, flanks and behind those gigantic, floppy ears.



Time for Ceylon tea:

There is much to see around Kandy: its handsome hillside residences, Malwatta and Asgiriya, the two most important Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka, drives and walks to visit tea plantations, and enough activities to fill an entire second week. Of special interest is a drive to the highlands for a visit to a tea plantation. Who has not heard of Ceylon Tea? Not so surprisingly, perhaps, is the fact that it was Scotsman James Taylor who got the ball rolling in 1867on his plantation in the central highlands, areas cool and subtropical and meeting all the agricultural requirements for growing the world's best teas. Now it is the island's major crop for export and represents a full 22 percent of the world's tea exports. Many varieties are grown in verdant fields that carpet the hills in linear patterns made by rows and rows of low-growing shrubs. Experts classify teas according to the altitude at which they were grown. The medium grown are the ones to be found around Kandy, and these are classified as bright and producing a dark brew. A tea estate that is well worth visiting is the Melfort Tea Garden on the Pussellawa plantation. Spotless, whitewashed building house drying tables and all the processing equipment to sort and prepare the various grades of world-famous handpicked Ceylon tea. The "plucking" is done largely by Tamil women, descendants of workers brought from India during the colonial era. Their children walking home from school in their crisp uniforms are just as curious about you as you are of them.



Elephants, elephants and more elephants

Overnights are at the Mahaweli Reach Hotel in Kandy.
On the road from Kandy to Colombo, it is worth stopping at the pachyderm orphanage. Established in 1975, the orphanage houses as many as 65 elephants that were either abandoned in infancy or wounded. They make quite a spectacular show for visitors having lunch on an open veranda as the elephants enjoy their bathing and play time in the river below. In the old days, there were more than 30,000 elephants in Sri Lanka, but these wild herds were decimated by hunters during the colonial period. However, this orphanage and a new ecological awareness are bringing the numbers back rapidly.

There's much more:

As Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning cricket captain and now deputy minister for tourism stated it at the end of January, 2005, "The opportunity we have is to show that Sri Lanka has so much more to offer than just beautiful beaches. Within a few hours of the coast are the cultural triangle, the tea gardens, the hill country, the national parks and heritage sights, and the chance to discover the country's 2,500-year-old history. Our hope is that international travelers will return soon, but also that they will look beyond the beaches."

As for Sri Lanka's once outstanding beach resorts--they shall return! Jetwing Holidays, the island's major tourism agency, owns and manages 15 excellent and very popular beach hotels and resorts, safari hotels, up country lodges, and transit hotels. The company reports that many if its beach properties are functioning again, and repair of beaches is moving rapidly. In addition, a subsidiary, Jetwing Eco Holidays operates a complete adventure service that includes wildlife safaris, trekking, bird watching and cultural tours. The young owners are so committed that they themselves lead tours on an extraordinary selection of birding and nature safaris ranging from a 12-night/13-day package tour for truly serious birdwatchers to safaris to the country's national parks where wildlife is abundant. Gal Oya and Udawalawe National parks are home to large herds of wild elephants and Wilpattu National Park has a sizeable leopard population. Of the 15 national parks in the country, only Yala was affected by the effects of the tsunami.

A word about safety:

Sad to say, the major devastation caused by the tsunami of December, 2004 was in the Tamil areas to the north of Sri Lanka. For years there has been a strictly internal squabble going on between the Tamil areas and the rest of Sri Lanka, and, for all practical purposes, that area was out of bounds for tourism then as well as now. It appears that the tsunami disaster has overcome many of the animosities--at least temporarily--and assistance has flooded to the north. However, tourism of any kind is not encouraged there where there has been so much destruction by the forces of nature. In general, Sri Lanka is a safe country with petty crime at a minimum--especially as compared to street crime in the major cities of northern and central South America. As always these days, it is prudent for the prospective traveler to check with the travel recommendations and caveats published by his or her government.

PHOTO CREDITS:

ROMAR TRAVELER, TamilNet, Sri Lanka Tourism Board, "Tea Pickers" by Juergen Schreiber



© 2005 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES