Amazing Sri Lanka
My acquaintance with today's popular island in the Indian Ocean - Sri Lanka, began from Donetsk airport. I went on a trip with the tour operator News Travel. The flight was operated by Air Arabia via Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) and took about 10 hours. The visa was issued in advance so as not to waste time in queues at the Colombo airport. Money was also exchanged at the airport for local rupees at a favorable rate - I have never seen such colorful money! In the same place, we bought SIM cards for telephone calls and using the Internet, this pleasure cost us 10 dollars.
At the airport we were met by a representative of the host company - EXOTIC HOLIDAYS INTERNATIONAL - Yasanta, very friendly and nice. This man showed us all the charm of his country, starting with its nature and ending with the faith and life principles of its inhabitants.
Leaving the airport building, you immediately feel the warm, humid air, the sweet smells of lotus flowers and the nightly sounds of local insects. Our further path lay in Dambulla - caves on a mountain 350m high with Buddha statues, many of which are over 2000 years old.
From our wonderful guide, we learned what this or that pose of the Buddha means. the crossing of his fingers and much more. You can only enter Buddhist temples with bare feet! What else initially struck me was Yasanta's love for animals: he had a large backpack behind him, in which there were many gifts for the local inhabitants - dogs and monkeys, who happily ran towards their friend.
After this tour, we were taken to a hotel nearby. On the way, we bought the famous drink of Sri Lanka, red rum and fruit - the evening was warm and fun, live music was playing on the terrace, candles were burning everywhere. The first day was a success!
After breakfast, we had a trip to Sigiriya, climbing Mount Sigiriya, visiting the ruins of an ancient palace (5th century) and unique frescoes. The eldest son of the king - Kassapa, fearing the revenge of his younger brother, decided to build the capital in a remote place. And he chose the rock of Sigiriya, 180 m high. The king and his architects cleared the area around the rock and built a magnificent city surrounded by gardens with fountains and pools. They built the most amazing stairs in the world: the steps are carved between the paws, throat and jaws of the incredible size of a lion. The lion is the emblem of the state and a form of intimidation.
The ascent to Sigiriya was fascinating, with stops and interesting stories of Yasanta, we climbed both stone steps and iron spiral staircases - it was already breathtaking from the height and the view of the green expanses of Sri Lanka from it!
In the evening we moved to the next hotel, tired but satisfied.
The program prepared for us a tour of Kandy with a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Spice Garden, the Royal Botanical Garden, and in the evening a performance with national Sri Lankan dances.
In the spice garden, after a story about plants and their beneficial properties, we were given a pleasant surprise - a massage with magical natural oils. For loved ones in the souvenir shop, everyone bought different gifts.
Before entering the Temple, Yasanta talked a lot about Buddhism, the principles of this faith. Now it is clear why these people are so kind, sympathetic, friendly. The material is alien to them, the main value for a Buddhist is the development of the soul and enlightenment. The country also has temples of other religions: Catholic, Jewish. I really liked their tradition of coming to the temple with flowers, it's incredibly beautiful!
The Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya is one of the best in Asia.
Created in 1821, the garden is located in the bend of the Mahaweli River - the largest river in Sri Lanka. The best gardeners in Sri Lanka have broken up the huge hilly area into park areas that reflect different types of tropical flora. The contrast of colors between ornamental and flowering trees, most of which bloom during the dry season, captivates visitors. One of the amazing areas is a collection of indoor plants (750 species), the advantage of which is the unique shape of the leaves and the variety of colors. But the main attraction of the garden is decorative orchids (about 100 species). The garden is famous for its collection of 175 types of palm trees.
Next, we were waiting for a knitwear shop and trying on a sari.
Sri Lankan dances were a great end to a busy day!
At the most famous tea factory Embillian, after tasting real Ceylon tea, walking through the tea plantations and watching the process of processing tea leaves, we did not leave empty-handed.
The most long-awaited trip to the elephant nursery!
On this cheerful note, excursions in Sri Lanka are over for us, but there is still a lot of unseen and unknown. This is a great reason to return to this wonderful country!
And ahead was the ocean - exciting, powerful, but warm and bewitching!
In the remaining days, we looked at the best hotels Eva Lanka, Ranna 212, Cantalope Aqua, Lanka super corals, Cocoon Sea Resort, Bentota beach, Vivanta by Taj, Induruwa Beach, The Sands, Saman Villas, Blue water, Villa Ocean View, Hibiscus Beach , Royal Plams, Tangerine, Chaaya Tranz.
8 reasons to fly to Sri Lanka:
- air flight from Donetsk;
- no documents are needed for a visa, except for a passport;
- in Sri Lanka it is good at any time of the year;
- tasty and inexpensive food;
- there is something to see for the curious;
- excellent service in hotels;
- Russian-speaking staff;
- all have wi-fi!
Everyone should see Sri Lanka!
