My knowledge of Sri Lanka was riddled between bedtime stories, architectural and historical research and tourist information. My experiences of Sri Lanka in those 11 days felt exactly like I relived every bedtime story, every piece of research and every tourist guidebook on this country!
No, we didn't fly Sri Lankan, we flew Air India, which was absolutely pleasant as the flight took off mid-morning and flew so far below the clouds we got the best view of the eastern coastline of India, the historical Rama's Bridge or rather Rameswaram Island and were welcomed by the absolutely greenery of a tropical Island.
I write this blog for Nana, to capture some of the special things that mum, K and me were able to do thanks to her.
And then we landed - at Colombo
12 Retreat Rd, Bambalapitiya - A house that looked so similar to my grandparent’s house in Bangalore; it could only be the house they lived in. Everything around this one house seemed to have changed; the multi story apartment complex next door, the small lane at the end of the road (the very popular Marine drive) but this house seemed to have stopped in time.
Chinese Dragon Cafe, on Milagiriya Ave - So the story I've always heard was when my grandmother was expecting my mother, she'd be craving Chinese food and would wait for my grandfather to get back home so they could go to Chinese Dragon Cafe. (But then they stopped going cause someone claimed they served cat meat!! Really!!!)Well, we went there and this has to be one of my all time favorite Chinese restaurants ever. The decor may not be great, but the food was just excellent.
Hmmm Chocolate cake... no wait, not just chocolate cake.. they have a whole garden at the back laid out and lit with candles and there's hoppers, lamprais, kottu roti; food that can never be described. They have to be eaten to be believed.
Christ Church, Galle Face
"Play tennis at Church?" seems very unusual but I suppose if your tennis courts were at the back of the church, it might explain why you were playing tennis at church!
P&S - Perera and Sons was a small bakery down the road; No Nana, I've seen really large Perera and Sons all over the country or should I say P&S.
Kandos Chocolates – Once upon a time, a gentleman walked up the road and
asked my grandfather if he could taste some chocolate samples for his new
business. These turned out to be Kandos, Sri Lanka’s No. 1 chocolate brand.
What a coincidence?
Hikkaduwa - Glass bottom boats and colorful coral reefs... I never could quite imagine what a glass bottom boat was, but the truth is the boats do have a part of their bottom made out of glass and as you cruise along you see the not so colorful coral reefs and the exotic fish that life in this area. Without falling out of the boat or getting sea sick with the tossing and turning, we made it through the adventure ride; adventure yes, not a gentle glamorous boat ride that nana made it out to be.
I completely understand the lack of color tho; once a sanctuary rich in corals, flora, fauna and vibrant marine life, today the Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary is not as colourful and abundant as it used to be due to coral bleaching and man-made destruction. While there are many restrictions and efforts at conservation, I know this place will never be the same and to me I will always remember Hikkaduwa, its colors and its vibrancy with my eyes closed, the way my grandmother described it to me.
Though
I have to say, all the terrifying stories I heard about how hard it is to climb
are totally untrue; but then again evolving times and tourism, they now have a
metal staircase attached to the rock so you can slide right up, no need to
ensure your foot’s firmly on every foothold carved onto the rock while you grab
onto the metal poles and pray you reach the top! :-)
Marine Drive - The lane at the end of the street , the one that runs along the sea, the one that has a train track between the lane and the sea... Expanded and modernized today but still a road with a train track that runs along the sea. Yes, if I lived here I would go for walks down this road everyday......
