Tuesday, July 6, 2010

About Sri Lanka

About Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is famous for its 1,600 km of unspoilt, golden beaches. It's a paradise Island shaped like a tear drop in the Indian Ocean. Formerly known as Ceylon and famous for its wonderful Tea, Sri Lanka is a vibrant country with an incredible history. It'sa country of 18 million people; rich in its diversity of culture, race, language and religion.

The island has an abundance of natural resources, fauna and flora, mountains, rivers and beautiful beaches. It is located at the crossroads where East meets West and is regarded as the gateway to South Asia. The hill country has gorgeous rolling hills and tea plantations. The entire island is teeming with bird life and exotics like elephants and leopards.

The people are friendly, food delicious and costs low! A stunning island filled with beaches and wild life sanctuaries like the Elephant Orphanage, ancient cities, hills, beaches - and most of all, it's incredible beauty.

Letter from Travellers Volunteer Alice Nimmo: ‘Hello Travellers, I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time I had in Sri Lanka in March this year at the elephant orphanage! I can't fault the experience at all, and the staff were fantastic.

I have definitely taken a love for visiting countries of completely different culture now, and hope I can take part in another voluntary work placement in Africa in the next couple of years. Thank you for all your help, you were fantastic at sorting it out for me and nothing ever went wrong, apart from the monsoon season coming a little earlier than planned!

Siresh was fantastic and was always concerned for the safety of us - he also had a very good sense of humour and the language barrier was ever so funny. And also Chandana, who cooked amazing food, I was in heaven with all the spicy curries, and Ajeet for keeping the house so clean, oh yes, and who could forget Mandulla the van driver, always on time and Nirangela the wacky chirpy lady. Thank you again and hope to see you in the future.'

There's good swimming at any number of beaches along the south-western coast. Excellent scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing are found at Hikkaduwa, there's pleasant snorkelling at Unawatuna, and sailing, windsurfing and water skiing on the Bentota River.

For trekking, try climbing Adam's Peak or walking across the strange silent plateau of Horton Plains near Nuwara Eliya to see the 700m (2296ft) drop at World's End.

"The people I spoke to at Travellers in the UK were fantastically helpful and very friendly. I felt I could have asked them about anything." Joanna Blundell – Sri Lanka.

Animal life is profuse and includes the ubiquitous elephant, as well as leopards, deer, monkeys, sloth bears, wild boar, cobras, crocodiles, dugong and turtles. The island is an important seasonal home to migrating birds, including flamingoes, who flock to the lagoons, wetlands and bird sanctuaries for respite from the northern winter.

Climate: The driest and best seasons are from December to March on the west and south coasts and in the hill country, and from May to September on the east coast. December to March is also the time when most foreign tourists come, the majority of them escaping the European winter.

The coastal stretch south of Colombo offers palm-lined sandy expanses as far as the eye can see. The Kandyan dances, a procession of elephants or the masked devil dances. Then there are the ruins, ancient and inspiring architecture in the cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa to satisfy any archaeologist.

Udaya Nanayakkara, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourist Board, says ... "Sri Lanka has been the focus of the world’s attention since the tsunami hit our shores on December 26, 2004. And while we will never forget the enormous impact on our coastline and the sadness caused by the deaths of 107 tourists and 30,618 Sri Lankan's, our people have shown a remarkable resilience, an amazing determination to rebuild our lives and our nation, to emerge even stronger than we were before.

Tourism is key to that rebuilding process. A healthy tourist industry will provide jobs and in turn the dignity that will put the world-famous smile back on Sri Lankan faces. In urging visitors to return to our shores, it is important to present the real facts about Sri Lanka, a true picture of the situation on a daily basis."

“Having finally returned home from Sri Lanka, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Travellers for helping to organise my trip. I had the most amazing time and will definitely be going back there as soon as possible! I really enjoyed my placements, living in both the Ja-Ela and Kegalle houses was great fun and I’ve made some fantastic friends.” Jennifer Rowe


About Colombo

Colombo is the capital city and the commercial centre of Sri Lanka, filled with shopping centres and all modern facilities. The city has an eclectic blend of old and new, traditional and modern, Eastern and Western. Colombo, the island's largest city, is noisy, frenetic - and just a little crazy. Thankfully, the breakdowns, snarled traffic and power cuts are received with a shrug and a smile. 'No problem' might be the national motto; it's certainly the one phrase everyone knows and can say.

Colombo is a relatively easy city to find your way around. To the north is the Fort district, the country's business centre, which has department stores, book shops, airline offices and is the site of the Central Bank which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996. There are also ample sights such as the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the president's residence (known by incorrigible traditionalists as Queen's House), and a cluster of colonial buildings which lend the district an aura of bygone Empire.

Immediately south of here is Galle Face Green, a seafront expanse of occasional green graced by cricket games, kite flyers and trysting lovers. Cinammon Gardens, further south, is Colombo's most fashionable neighbourhood, with elegant mansions, tree-lined streets and the city's largest park. East of the fort is the pungent Pettah bazaar district. Walk through and marvel at the riot of goods - fruit, vegetables, meat, gems, gold, silver, brass and tin junk.

Culture buffs shouldn't miss the National Museum, which has a good collection of historical works, the Art Gallery, which focuses on portraiture and temporary exhibits by local artists, and the city's many mosques and Buddhist and Hindu temples. After familiarising yourself with Sri Lankan culture, check out the island's fauna at the Dehiwala Zoo. The highlight here is an afternoon elephant show. The closest real beach is at Mt Lavinia, a faded resort 10km south of the city. Budget accommodation, cheap food and the best shopping can be found in the Fort and Pettah districts. Nightlife is moribund, though a visit to the cinema in the Fort district is an experience.

Things to do in Sri Lanka

You will never be short of something to do in Sri Lanka - wherever you are based on your project you will be able to reach some of the most incredible beaches, cultural sites including ancient temples and cities, aromatic tea plantations and exhilarating waterfalls in the rolling hill country. The famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is also a "must-see" on this paradise island.

In Sri Lanka, every sight, sound and smell will engulf you with new experiences. Take an early morning train ride from Colombo to Hikkaduwa and watch in awe as you travel past some of the most incredible scenery. Smiling children will wave at you from shanty towns lining the outskirts of Colombo, but these soon give way to views across paddy fields where buffalo and cows can be seen grazing. As your journey continues the train tracks begin to run parallel to the beach and you will be left mesmerised by the incredible sights in this friendly country

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