Words and images Vicki Ravlich-Horan
We began our Sri Lankan adventure in the fishing town of Negombo. An hour drive from the capital, Colombo, Negombo sits on the coast, where each day thousands of fishing boats, big and small, head out to test their luck.
Their catch, and a good proportion of the fish eaten by this seafood-mad nation, ends up at the Negombo wholesale fish market. We rose early to see the action and were rewarded with just that. We stood next to the boats as men winched huge sharks, one after the other, onto the dock to be auctioned. We strolled between the vendors, our jandals wet with rain, sea water, fish blood and more, seeing sea creatures of every size and shape be brought in and sold. There are prawns not much bigger than whitebait, crabs as big as your head, stingray, tuna … the list goes on.
A pervasive smell hangs over Negombo, and it is not from the fish market, but the beaches, where endless rows of fish have been salted and then laid out in the sun to dry. As we walk along the beach watching the fish be hauled by hand in heavy baskets to be meticulously laid out on mats lining the sand we are unaware that this is the snapshot of Sri Lanka – from the dried fish we will see everywhere to the manual nature of the work, all done in the humid heat with a genuine smile.
This island south of India, believed to be inhabited since the fifth century BCE, has a rich, sometimes sad history. The Portuguese, Dutch and the English have all ruled at some point, all leaving their mark.
Independent since 1948, Sri Lanka’s most recent history has been marred by a 20 plus year civil war, a devasting tsunami and most recently an economic crisis. Yet in all the places I have travelled, Sri Lankan people would have to be the friendliest I have met.
Over the next two weeks we will travel inland from the coast, reaching the magnificent Sigiriya. We will travel south to Kandy before heading into the hills to the heart of tea country. From there we will descend down to Yala National Park before heading on to the fortified port town of Galle and then follow the coast back up to Colombo.
Along the way we pass an endless array of rice paddies. Coconut groves turn into banana plantations and then sugar cane fields. The lush hills are terraced with tea as well as productive market gardens that eke out every square inch of croppable land. The coastline is littered with fishing boats of every size, and down south we even witness the ancient practice of pole fishing.
Add to this an abundance of wildlife, from monkeys to elephants, lizards, squirrels, water buffalo, peacocks, turtles, crocodiles, deer and leopards. Well, okay, the leopard eluded us, but we heard and saw photograph evidence they were there. It’s easy to see why this is called the Resplendent Island.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sigiriya
Rising dramatically from the central plains of Sri Lanka this impressive rocky outcrop rewards those who climb the 1200 steps to the top with breathtaking vistas and an insight into a very different world.
Once the epicentre of the short-lived kingdom of Kassapa (477–495 AD), who built an impressive palace on top of the rock column, accessible only through the mouth of an enormous carved lion. Frescoes decorated the walls, while elaborate plumbing brought fresh water to the top for swimming pools. You name it, if this king wanted it, the people found a way.
Today the sight is one of Sri Lanka’s key tourist destination, but one worth the visit and the effort to get to the top. A silver lining of the crowds climbing the narrow stairs is it’s a slow climb up and thus doable for many.
Dambulla Cave Temple
A sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, the Dambulla Cave Temple was a great introduction to Buddhism. With five caves containing 150 Buddha statues, it is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka.
We had made it to the summit of Sigiriya the day before, so the 160m climb up hill to reach the caves felt like déjà vu and had me believing Buddhists are very fit!
Yala National Park
Sri Lanka is teeming with wildlife, and this was one of the reasons we wanted to visit. Of its 28 national parks, Yala is the largest and one of the oldest. Bordering the Indian Ocean its 130,000 hectares includes mangroves, lagoons, light forest and grassland and is home to over 200 different types of birds and 44 mammals, not to mention a crocodile or two.
Rising before the sun, we joined the line of jeeps waiting to explore the park. Peacocks, water buffalo, deer and a number of different birds kept us thrilled for over an hour. Rounding a corner, we saw a group of jeeps stopped at a watering hole. As we got closer, we could see what they saw – a mama elephant and her month-old calf. After that I would have been content to go home. Seeing such a majestic animal and her baby in the wild was a pinch me moment.
Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage
As we passed Udawalawe National Park our excitement of seeing the elephants in the wild was tempered with reality. We were heading to the Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage but along the way we saw lone elephants hanging around by the park’s perimeter wire. Instead of roaming the forest and foraging, they were waiting for tourists to stop for a photo and feed them.
The fact is elephants and humans don’t mix well. It’s estimated one elephant a day is killed by humans in Sri Lanka. And at the same time Sri Lanka has the most deaths of humans by elephants in the world. Elephants roam freely across half of Sri Lanka but 70% of this land is shared with humans and the result is conflict.
The Udawalawe Orphanage cares for and rehabilitates orphaned elephants, preparing them to eventually be released back into the wild. Visitors can learn more about elephants and their plight while also enjoying the very cute feeding time.
Galle Fort
With the abundance of spices grown in the south, Galle had long been part of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. The fort was built by the Portuguese when they arrived and then extensively fortified by the Dutch when they took over. By the 1800s maritime shipping had evolved and Galle Fort became out of date – too small to house larger ships, and too treacherous compared to newly established, modern ports in Colombo.
The lack of economic development meant instead of being redeveloped the fort was left to fall into disrepair. Then when the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami devastated much of the South Coast of Sri Lanka, claiming 35,000 Sri Lankan lives, the fort’s walls saved much of the old town.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the many old buildings have been restored and there is a sense of calm, with its charming streets and faded European architecture. We walked around the walls, taking in the famous lighthouse, the crazy free divers and snake charmers.
Venture inside and enjoy getting lost in the winding streets, partaking in some shopping or stopping for a cocktail or two with the local spirit arrack.
Colombo
There are two things you have to do when in Colombo. One is visiting Galle Face Green at sunset. Here you will join local families, school groups and tourists flying kites, strolling around the park, eating street food and enjoying the sunset.
The second thing is to take a tuk-tuk tour around the back streets and markets. Here our guide walked us through Sivan Kovil Hindu temple, explaining how this temple, carved from granite, was made, while giving us an insight into the Hindu religion. We then headed into what would have been the old bazaar to discover rice, spice and coffee traders. After weaving between traffic, we stopped at an inconspicuous building and headed down a narrow hallway before climbing several flights up a fire escape to find ourselves above the chaos. Here, with a cold beer in hand, was the perfect place to reflect on the amazing journey we’d had through Sri Lanka.
FOOD
Rice & Curry – Signs for rice and curry are everywhere in Sri Lanka. This staple meal consists of first and foremost rice, served with an array of dishes ubiquitously described as curry. This oversimplification describes many delicious dishes from dahls to sambals to fish, vegetable and meat curry.
Gotu Kola Sambal – This green salad made with fresh coconut and lime is the perfect accompaniment to the rich and often spicy curries. Gotu kola, the green leaf used, is Indian pennywort, but kale or even rocket would be a good substitute in New Zealand.
Kottu Rotti – Resourcefulness often creates epic dishes and kottu rotti is a great example of this. Left over roti is thinly sliced and stir fried with vegetables and spices to create a dish that can be found everywhere from street vendors to high end restaurants.
Hoppers – These light, lace-like rice flour crêpes were a favourite breakfast option for me. They can be served in a variety of ways, plain with a selection of sambals or spicy relishes or, my preference, with an egg.
Curds and Treacle – As we drove south from Yala, the streets were lined with stalls selling mee kiri, or buffalo curd. Sold in their unique terracotta dishes, the curd, popular at breakfast time, is served with a sweet treacle (kithul peni) which is made from the sap of the kithul palm and is delicious!
Bananas – There are so many bananas in Sri Lanka I seriously doubt the statistic that Kiwi’s eat the most bananas per capita in the world. Forget the tasteless large Cavendish bananas we are used to, instead the bananas in Sri Lanka come in an array of shapes, sizes and colours, not to mention tastes.
Jackfruit – For centuries, this humble fruit has been revered by Sri Lankans, as it repeatedly saved the island from starvation. Jackfruit trees are protected in Sri Lanka, for this very reason. The tallest fruit trees in the world can produce fruit weighing over 50kgs.
Both the ripe and unripe jackfruit are used throughout Sri Lanka. The unripe fruit is used to make a filling curry while the mature fruit is used as a substitute for rice.
Taste of Sri Lanka Tour 2025
Join me for a wonderful 10 days getting a real taste of Sri Lanka but get in quick as we only have six spaces left!
14th-25th June 2025
Cost $6995pp (twin share)
email vicki@nourishmagazine.co.nz for more details.
