Cover Page Vol 8

Volume VIIT h e B e a u t y o f P a r a d i s e

Amazing Sri Lanka is a publication of the Western Province Tourist Board, Sri Lanka.

Volume VIII

Amazing Sri Lanka is a publication of the Western Province Tourist Board, Sri Lanka.

T h e B e a u t y o f P a r a d i s e

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The Blue Ocean Group of Companies has evolved over the years into a versatile conglomerate by functioning in accordance with the Blue Ocean Concept that explains the way to achieve growth and profit harmoniously. With a diverse portfolio, the group has taken bold strides via ethical, innovative and constructive practices in business as it strives to uphold its reputation as a proven place, not only in Sri Lanka but also in the Asia Pacific Region, for investors to secure wealth.

The sheer success of Blue Ocean Group of Companies is exclusively the result of its ability to provide unique services under one roof for its clients, based on its principles. Blue Ocean is able to tailor its services to fulfill requirements of each and every client here and abroad. The Brand ‘Blue Ocean’ is synonymous with the phrase ‘The Smartest Invest-ment To Secure Wealth’, because the investments made by its customers create a higher level of returns for them.

S. Thumilan – the founder and group chairman of Blue Ocean Group of Companies – is one of the most suc-cessful visionary entrepreneur in Sri Lanka. He heads many successful enterprises and also holds the prestigious membership of the institution of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CASL), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA-UK), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA-UK) and Chartered Certified Public Accountants of Australia (CPA-Aus). While serving as the Chairman of the Blue Ocean Group, he also serves as a consultant for several well-known leading establishments in Sri Lanka and overseas.

A specialist in construction and development, the BOI approved Blue Ocean Apartments is the flagship venture of the Group. Covering all aspects of construction including consulting, buying and marketing, of real estates, designing, constructing, managing facilities – it provide an umbrella of solutions for contractors and customers. Instead of constructing high cost residential projects, the company has already built a range of low-cost yet highly luxurious, ultra-modern residential projects in and out of Colombo city. Through all these remarkable achievements, the Blue Ocean reached the pinnacle of the construction field.

This is an era in Sri Lanka in which more and more investors in Asia, Europe and Western Countries are arriving in the Island seeking more sustainable real estate market. They want places to invest in where restriction on foreign investment is marginal and where they can gain high appreciation in the value of properties within a short period of time. Moreover, in Sri Lanka foreigners are eligible to own freeholds the apartments on or above the 4th Floor just like Sri Lankans do.

For them as well as for other investors, Sri Lanka is an ideal destination. In fact, Sri Lanka is now the fastest developing economy in Asia after China under the guidance of his Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Sri Lanka increases by 8.20 percent in the last quarter of 2013 when compared to the same period of the previous year. The unemployment rate of the Island has also decreased (4.10) within the last quarter of 2013 from the identical period of the previous year (4.40). Huge development projects such as Matthala Airport, Hanbanthota Harbour and many express ways, to name, but a few, have already poised the country for achieving the grandest development that any region in the Asia has ever seen.

As the country develops, the Blue Ocean Group with its already gained prestige arrives in the limelight by assisting the country to meet the increasing demand for apartments and commercial buildings during this historic period of time. In fact, owning a luxury apartment of Blue Ocean Group is one of the most reliable ways to double the value of their investment.

The Group’s new subsidiary Link Engineering (Pvt) Limited, which has gained great reputation locally and internationally, has already cemented the position of the Blue Ocean Group in the field of construc-tion as its leader. With the Link Engineering (Pvt) Limited, the Group now is to commence many new residential projects in the Colombo City and suburbs. The Group Chairman Thumilan says, “Apartment owners now experience a higher appreciation of property values, the credit should go to the government for implementing favourable policies for the growth of economy that were instrumental to increase the demand for properties.

He continues, “Low lending interests for property buyers, inflow of long-staying tourists such as foreign students, patients, industrial contractors, and potential business initiators are greatly increasing the demand for properties, particularly for apartments. We are passionate about creating wealth for our customers through property investment. While enhancing rental income as well as appreciating property values, the Sir Lanka’s policies also help long-stay foreigners in finding affordable rental apartments.

The Blue Ocean Group of Companies is now building its 18-storey mega luxury residential condomin-ium at No. 45 Alfred House Garden, Colombo 3. It will comprise six level car parks, which is spacious and secured. It will also comprise special accommodation for drivers and housemaids as well as multiple recreational facilities. The location is next to the British Council, Colombo. Popular malls, shops, res-taurants, hotels, theatres, parks, administrative buildings, public and private schools and major banks surround the project that only an Asia’s major city can provide for its citizens and tourists.

For investors in Blue Ocean Apartments or those who wish to own them, the group provides enticing fa-cilities. For example, they can interchange any property that they own to a Blue Ocean Apartment. They

can also resell the Blue Ocean apartments that they own to the Group, if they wish to do so someday.

Blue Ocean Group ‘says what it can do and does what it says’ properly and exclusive-ly. The Group has proven this fact many a time. The latest is its on-time completion of its one of the newest residential projects in Mount Lavinia where it handed over the apartment purchasers the deeds on time without any delays. Every stage of any con-struction that Blue Ocean undertakes is measured and certified by the experts of the field before and after the relevant stage.

Only after obtaining the experts’ approval for one stage, the next stage gets started following the same procedure. In this way, the Group certifies the sustainability of its construction for many generations to come. The Group never manipulates or fakes prevailing market prices of its apartments. Therefore, with the current development of the country, the value of its residential con-structions appreciates very much.

The Group attributes its success to the qualified and experienced corporate plan-ners who provide the Group with solid, strategic direction. “As our customer base expands daily - locally and globally, we at Blue Ocean Group stands straight with a strong vision that will lead us to be the most respected, ethically sound and socially responsible company. I trust this vision will flourish through our achievements, whilst we continue to focus on acquisitions and mergers as well as strategic partnerships as parts of our overall business practice,” states the Group Chairman, Thumilan.

BLUE OCEAN GROUP OF COMPANIES – THE LEADER OF SRI LANKA’S CONSTRUCTION

FIELD AND A PROVEN PLACE TO EMBRACE INFINITE JOYS OF LUXURIOUS LIVING

S. ThumilanGroup ChairmanACA, ACMA(UK), ACCA, CGMA(UK), MCSI(UK), CPA(AUS), FMAAT(SL), ACS

T.P: +94 777 546 546E-Mail: ceo@blueocean.lk

www.blueocean.lk

631/3, Old Galle Road, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.Phone: +94 (0) 112 644360Web: www.bolgoda360.com

BOLGODA•360

"Wed under the stars in perfect delight,Dance till the dawning break of twilight,Unwind by the lake , soothe your soul,

Perfect moments, yours to forever hold."

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May You be Blessed with Long Life...The Sri Lankan traditional gesture of welcome

with fingers of both hands touching each other & both palms claspe d togetherthe age-old gre eting of us Sri Lankans!

Ayubowan!

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The national emblem of Sri Lanka is used by the Sri Lankan government in connection with the administration and government of the country. The current emblem has been in use since 1972.

The emblem features a gold lion passant, holding a sword in its right fore paw (the same lion from the flag of Sri Lanka) in the centre on a maroon background surrounded by golden petals of a Blue Lotus the national flower of the country. This is placed on top of a traditional grain vase that sprouts sheaves of rice grains that circle the border reflecting prosperity.

The crest is the Dharmacakra, symbolising the country’s foremost place for Buddhism and just rule. Traditional Sinhalese heraldic symbols for the sun and the moon form the supporters.

The flag of Sri Lanka, also called the Lion Flag, consists of a gold lion, holding a kastane sword in its right fore paw, in front of a dark red background with four golden Bo leaves, one in eachcorner. Around the background is a yellow border, and to its left are two vertical stripes of

equal size in green and saffron, with the saffron stripe closest to the lion. The lion represents theSinhalese ethnicity and the bravery of the Sri Lankan nation while the four Bo leaves represent Metta, Karuna, Mudita and Upekkha. The orange stripe represents the Sri Lankan Tamils, the green stripe represents Sri Lankan Moors, and the maroon background represents the majority ofSinhalese, like the lion, this is the colour used in early flags of Sri Lanka by kings.

It was adopted in 1950 following the recommendations of a committee appointed by the 1st Prime Minister of Ceylon, The Rt Hon D.S. Senanayake.

The Sri Lankan Birdwing (Troides darsius) is a species of birdwing butterfly found in Sri Lanka. It is the largest Sri Lankan butterfly with a wingspan spreading 165–180 mm. Thedeclaration of a national butterfly is aimed at raising public concern on butterfly conservation.

Sri Lankan Birdwing is the great black and yellow butterfly (Ornithoptera darsius, Gray); the upper wings, which measure six inches across, are of deep velvet black, the lower, ornamented by large particles of satiny yellow, through which the sunlight passes, and few insects can compare with it in beauty, as it hovers over the flowers of the heliotrope, which furnish the favourite food of the perfect fly, although the caterpillar feeds on the aristolochia and the betel leaf and suspends its chrysalis from its drooping tendrils.

The Sri Lankan Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii), known during the colonial era as the CeylonJunglefowl, is a member of the Galliformes bird order which is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl (G. gallus), the wild

junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated. The specific name of the Sri Lankan Junglefowlcommemorates the French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette. In Sinhala it is known Wali Kukula.

The Sri Lankan Junglefowl is most closely related to the Grey Junglefowl, though physically the male resembles the Red Junglefowl. Female Sri Lanka Junglefowl are very similar to those of the Grey Junglefowl.

Ceylon ironwood (Mesua ferrea) was declared the National Tree on 26 February 1986. It was chosen as the National Tree for the reasons of tree origin in Sri Lanka, utility, historic & cultural importance, exterior posture, wide distribution, colour & nature and ability to draw

& sketch it easily. Ceylon ironwood is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber.

It is widely cultivated as an ornamental due to its graceful shape, greyish-green foliage with abeautiful pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and large, fragrant white flowers. Its flower is also used in herbal medicine and preparation of perfumes, cosmetics and soaps.

The Nil Manel (Nymphaea stellata) Blue Water Lily was chosen as the national flower of Sri Lanka in February 1986. The Blue Water Lily of exquisite beauty are a common sight throughout the island. Growing in shallow fresh waters with no season for blooming, the Blue

Water Lily thrives wherever lakes, ponds or marsh land is found.

This flower is considered a symbol of Purity and Truth due to the fact that it grows in muddy water yet emerges above it so clean and fragrant. The Blue Water Lily has been offered as tribute to the Buddha for many centuries and even the Sigiriya Fresco ladies are seen holding this remarkable blossom in their hands.

The National Emblem

The National Flag

The National Butterfly

The National Bird

The National Tree

The National Flower

OFFICIAL NAME: Democratic SocialistRepublic of Sri Lanka

AREA: 65,525 sq km

LOCATION: The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

POPULATION: 21,128,773 (Estimated)

ETHNIC GROUPS: Sinhalese 74.5%, Sri Lankan Tamils 11.9%, Indian Tamils 4.6%, Moors 7.2%, other 1.8%

LITERACY RATE: 92%

TIME ZONE: GMT+5 ½. Daylight saving times not observed.

CLIMATE: Sri Lanka has no marked sea-sons. There are two monsoons. The North-east Monsoon occurs from December to March and the Southwest Monsoon from June to October. A tropical climate exists throughout the country. The hill country is cooler and more temperate.

LANGUAGES: Sinhala, Tamil and English are widely spoken throughout Sri Lanka.

COASTLINE: 1,340km

CAPITAL: Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte

COMMERCIAL CAPITAL: Colombo

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: NineProvinces: Central, North Central, North, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western and Eastern Province.

RELIGIONS: Predominantly Buddhism.Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are also practised.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: February 4 GENERAL HOLIDAYS: Saturdays andSundays are usually non–working days. The day of the full moon, Poya Day, is areligious holiday in the Buddhist calendar. It is apublic, bank and mercantile holiday and mostindependent places are also closed. Theselling of alcohol, even to tourists, is banned on a Poya Day.

A traveller’sguide to

MAJOR EXPORTS: Tea, textiles, gems,rubber and coconut products.

HIGHEST PEAK: Pidurutalagala (MountPedro) at 2,524m

NATIONAL BIRD: Jungle Fowl

NATIONAL TREE: Ironwood: the Na Tree(Mesua nagassarium)

NATIONAL FLOWER: Blue Water Lilly(Nymphaea stellata)

VOLTAGE REQUIREMENTS: 230/240 volts AC, 50 Hz ( Round three pin plugs are common, with bayonet lamp fittings).

INTERNATIONAL DIALLING: ++ 94 (followed by the area code, without 0, and the number).

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: Rice,sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber and coconut.

INDUSTRIES: Processing of rubber, tea, coconut, tobacco, and other agricultural commodities; tourism, telecommunications, insurance, banking, garment manufactur-ing, textiles, cement, petroleum refining.

CURRENCY: Sri Lanka Rupee (Rs)

KEEP IN MIND

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUES: Widely accepted at banks and money exchangers. A 1% stamp duty plus a small commission is charged.

CREDIT CARDS: Accepted in majorestablishments islandwide ATM: Available throughout the country where there are banks and commercial areas.

MONEY: The exchange of foreign cur-rency should only be done at reputable outlets such as banks or licensed money changers. A receipt should be obtained so re-exchange of rupees to foreign currency can be done at airport banks on departure .

MEDICIAL FACILITIES: The medicalstandards are excellent. Qualified doctors and surgeons are available in government and private hospitals for emergencies.

TIPPING: A service change of 10% isincluded in restaurant and hotel bills. A tip above this (say half of the service charge in cash to the server) is appreciated. There will also be an additional percentage (up to 17%) added to restaurant and hotel bills forgovernment and provincial taxes. It’s not compulsory to tip drivers but customary.

SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS: Shops and restaurants are open daily.

PETTAH CENTRAL BUS STATION:011 232 9604

STAY UP-TO-DATE:For tourist information: Call 1912

General Facts

Contents

THE ART OF PUPPETRY IN SRI LANKA

BEST OF THE WEST

BOOKS IN ABUNDANCE

THE SETTING OF THE TROPIC SUN

IMPROVING THE TOURIST EXPERIENCE

AN AMAZING MARATHON

FOR YOUR WELLBEING medical tourism

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Volume 08

AMAZING SRI LANKA - All rights reserved © Amazing Sri Lanka 2014

Published by the Western Province Tourist Board.No. 89, 5th Floor, Ranmagapaya, Kaduwela Road, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.General: +94 (0) 11 7631705 | E-mail: sales@wptb.lkAdvertising: +94 (0) 11 3094440-1 | Web: www.wptb.lk The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form without the written consent of the publisher.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by the publisher.

Volume II Volume III Volume IV

Volume V Volume VI Volume VII

Volume VIIIGeneral Operations & Administration: Claude Thomasz & I.G.I.T. Ratnayake Sales & Marketing: Ralston Gerreyn

Distribution / Support Service: Navodi Ranasinghe, Prasadi Saraojani Photography, Layout & Designing: Thilina Maduranga, Nadun Egodage & Feather Pen Visual Studios

Coordination: Chamara Samarasinghe, Chandika Dias, Palitha Abeysekara & Thanuja Raigama

WILD LIFE ON THE MOVE

A WELCOME VISITOR

RAMAYANA – EXPLORING THE LEGEND

SOME TIPS FOR TOURISTS

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Contents Volume 08

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World Tourism Day, celebrated every year on 27 September, is a global observance to highlight tourism’s social, cultural,political and economic value.

Sri Lanka has been one of the 156 member states of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, since 1975.

The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day is one that’s very close to my heart: Tourism and Community Development. For us at the Western Province Tourist Board (WPTB), this is not a new idea adopted just to follow the WTO’s guidelines. We are actually pioneers in the link between tourism and community development.

We believe tourism can be beneficial not only for tourists who enjoy their holidays in amazing Sri Lanka, but also to the community as a whole. While hotels and restaurants make sure their staff are well trained to meet guests’ expectations, my aim has been to make sure that the informal sector, those on the periphery of tourism not actually employed by the

AT THE FRONT LINE OF

TOURISM &COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

WEST ISBEST

Claude ThomaszChairman,Western Province Tourist Board.

industry, are also capable and qualified to provide Sri Lanka’s visitors with a fulfilling experience.

We recognise that ordinary members of the community who come into contact with tourists, need to understand how to make tourists feelwelcomed, not exploited. Thus the WPTB under my chairmanship and with the wholehearted support of the Western Province Minister for Tourism, the Hon Nimal Lanza, has organised training classes for beach vendors, freelance guides, boatmen, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers, as well as special events educating school children about tourism, and sponsoring art exhibitions by children.

I am proud to say that we have achieved great success in theseendeavours, anticipating by many years the WTO’s theme for 2014,contributing at the front line of tourism to community development.

I hope you will enjoy this issue of Amazing Sri Lanka and share with us the joys of tourism and its contribution to the community.

My first night in Sri Lanka was spent at the Galle Face Hotel which, 34 years ago, had the faded glamour of a once famous movie star. I moved out the next

day and headed for Trincomalee where I stayed a few weeks in a guesthouse on the beach at Uppuveli.

Incredibly, the guesthouse is still there while the Galle Face Hotel has been restored as a prestigious heritage hotel of grandeur. And hundreds of other hotels, guesthouses and boutique mansions have opened to cater for the ever-in-creasing number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka.

I enjoyed my stay on the east coast so much I returned after a few months. But for my second visit in 1980, I took a train down the west coast and decided to settle in Bentota. I realised then that the west is best, not just during the tourist season of October to April, but year round: for its benign

climate, marvellous beaches, lush vegetation, fascinating towns and villages, and wel-coming people.

The west coast from Negombo to Aluthgama in the Western Province and from Ben-tota to Galle in the Southern Province is also so convenient as a base for seeing the rest of Sri Lanka. With new expressways being constructed and major roads being improved, travel from the west to anywhere in the island has become easy.

In this edition of Amazing Sri Lanka we highlight some of the attractions of this incred-ible country to enable you, the visitor, to learn more than the guidebooks and websites tell you. This is the best time of the year to make the west coast your base and discover the delightfully diverse dimensions of a holiday in Sri Lanka.

I expect you’ll like it so much, you’ll want to return again and again, just as I did.

Royston EllisEditorial Consultant

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Nimal LanzaHon. Minister ofTransport, Sports, Youth Affairs, Women’s Affairs, Food Supplies and Distribution, Co-operative Dev., Household Economic Dev., Fisheries, Rural Dev., Tourism,Investment Promotion Coordination and Animal Production & Development

As a Minister of the Western Province I am responsible for many portfolios as well as Tourism. These include Youth & Sports Affairs, Women’s Affairs and Cooperative Develop-

ment among others, all associated directly with improving and devel-oping the community. So I was particularly gratified to learn that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has identified Tourism as a force to be recognised and encouraged in community development.

The theme for this year’s Word Tourism Day (held annually on 27 September) focuses on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities.To quote the words of the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, “The theme brings to the forefront the potential that tourism has to promote new socio-economic opportunities and better livelihoods for communities around the world while highlighting the critical role that community engagement has in advancing sustainable develop-ment.”

I am grateful for the support and encouragement that the Hon Basil Rajapakse, the government minister responsible for tour-

ism, has shown towards myself and my ministry, as well as for the devoted service to tourism promotion and communitydevelopment by the Chairman of the Western Province Tourist Board,Claude A Thomasz.

To continue to make tourism worthwhile, not just for its economic benefits but also for its broader people-to-people involvement for better understanding, I hope that this country’s tourism stakehold-ers and host communities will continue to cooperate in making tour-ism a true pillar of community development, and that the effort will be shared by all visitors to Sri Lanka.

To first time visitors to this country, and to those who enjoy interact-ing with Sri Lankans so much that they come here again and again, I wish you a happy holiday and hope that you, too, will do all you can to foster development of the community through tourism.

D E V E L O P M E N TFOSTERINGTHROUGH TOURISM

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Kubukkadanwala, Dambulla, Sri Lanka.Tel: +94 66 2286300 - 4 | Fax - +94 66 2286447

E-mail: reservation@greenparadise.net/info@greenparadise.net | Web: www.greenparadise.net

Ultimate lUxUry in a Serene Setting

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PHOTOGRAPHS BYNadun Egodage & Thilina Maduranga

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IT USED TO BE POPULAR BUT NOW

PUPPETRY IS A DYING ART, LEFT IN THE

HANDS OF ONLY A FEW DEDICATED

PRACTITIONERS. OUR ARTS & CRAFTS

CORRESPONDENT GOES BEHIND THE

SCENES AT A PUPPET SHOW.

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The puppet show was presented by a small group of puppeteers to an even smaller audience: friends, some children, and no foreigners.

Not surprising really as the show was inSinhala and followed a traditional script that has been handed down by word of mouth for three centuries.

With computer-created creatures on film and television and the attractions of cyber entertainment delighting kids, together with the incomprehensibility of a puppet show to tourists, it is hard for the country’s remaining puppeteers to find an audience.

It seems that puppetry in Sri Lanka hasentered a third, and somewhat moribund stage. It is believed that puppets in their first manifestation in Sri Lanka in ancient times were used as a means of communication, not entertainment. Near life-size figurines,constructed from wood with stringsattached so their limbs and faces could bemanipulated by their handlers, were created in the likeness of royal rulers.

These likenesses would be sent by the ruler around his kingdom with trained messengers to issue edicts as though coming from the king himself. The puppeteer would voice the proclamation and move the puppetappropriately representing the king. Thus the message got across and the original

puppeteers earned respect, as well as developing their skills in drama. Puppetryprogressed from a medium of information to entertainment as it entered its second and most vibrant stage. Puppets were created to represent the heroes of traditional folk tales, actinggripping dramas that would enthral village audiences. The tales became part of folk lore overgenerations, watched by children who, in adulthood, remembered the stories affectionately and demanded that they remain unchanged.

This third stage retains puppets based on the characters of the past three hundred years, and the traditional stories, but without the appeal and audiences they once had. However, keeping Sri Lanka’s folk history alive is in the hands of the puppeteers and watching a puppet show is a fascinating insight into the ancient lore, conventions and superstitions of the populace.

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Ambalangoda, a village on the west coast of Sri Lanka about 85km from Colombo on the way to Galle, has been the source of puppets and puppeteers for generations. No one knows how many puppeteers remainpractising this dying art; estimates range from 50 to 200 throughout the country, but most of them live and work in Ambalangoda.

That the tradition of puppetry is concentrated around Ambalangoda is due to the tradi-tional dexterity of the craftsmen of the area. Ambalangoda is also the centre for making the wooden masks used in the devil-dancing rituals of the low country.

Both masks and puppets are fashioned from the smoke dried wood of the Kaduru (Nux vomica) tree which grows in the marshy lands around the paddy fields of the area. The wood is bolsa-like, meaning it is light enough to be worn as a mask or for creating performing puppets.

Sri Lankan puppets are unusual in their size (about 140cm in height), only just smaller than the humans they represent. Thus the technique of manipulating them is unique with the way they are threaded at the joints and to the operating keyboard, followingtraditional designs. Their costumes, too, are based on ancient patterns.

There are actually several types of puppets found in Sri Lanka. The most common is the thread puppet, known as Nool rakada, and there are also hand puppets (Ath rukada), finger puppets (Angili rukada) and shadow puppets (Sevaneli rukada).

The puppet stage is portable and travels around with the puppeteers. It is in twosections, the front for the drama and,behind a screen and elevated, the plat-form for the artists who operate the pup-pets. They lean over the screen supported by a bar as the puppets themselves weigh around 10kg. As well as giving the puppetmovement, the puppeteers also add the voice and temperament of their puppets and even provide the sound effects, lighting and live music.

How puppetry arrived in Sri Lanka isspeculation but the art form probably came from India, with additional input fromvisitors from China, Malaysia and Japan. Somecharacters may have come with the

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Portuguese and Dutch colonisers but the technique of manipulation and the stories themselves are uniquely Sri Lankan.

There are possibly about 25 groupskeeping the art alive. Some are graduallydiverting away from the traditional stories andcharacters to offer a more contemporary, even slimmed down, version of the old folk dramas.

Some Sri Lankans are keen to keeppuppetry alive. In Dehiwela, south ofColombo and close to the Zoo, a private museum exists dedicated to traditionalpuppetry. A variety of puppets in traditional costumes are on display in a purpose built building, suspended from the roof’s beams and sitting in nooks and crannies.

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The museum is beautifully maintained to highlight its colourfulcollection. At the entrance a puppet couple, the woman dressed in tradi-tional sari and the man in national tunic and sarong, pose with hands claspedtogether in the Sinhala welcome of Ayubowan. A whitewashed corridor gives access to rooms devoted to puppets, both old and new. Labels, however, are only in Sinhala so the tourist must guess what they represent.

Puppets can be bought at the museum and genuine old puppets can also be found in the antique shops on the coastal road between Bentota andAmbalangoda. Tourists may not be aware of the traditions and folk stories, or the skilled craftsmanship, that created the puppets because it is the fascination ofowning a different kind of souvenir of Sri Lanka that attracts them.

Demonstrations of puppetry can be arranged in a manner that brings the excitement of the folk dramas uncannily alive. The Director of The Traditional Puppet Art Museum at Dehiwela (tel: 011 2714241) can also arrange performances on request for a modest fee.

The support of curious tourists will encourage those dedicated artistes to keep this precious art form alive. Otherwise soon there may be no one left to pull the strings.

q

The Western Province Tourist Boardoffers a unique service

ISLAND WIDEPERSONALISED TOURS

&Transportation

AT AFFORDABLE RATES

• WP. Tourist Board recommended drivers• Clean, well-maintained fully insured private vehicles• Expert, trained guides speaking your language• Boutique, luxury or budget accommodation• Itineraries especially planned to match individual and group packages

The Western Province Tourist Board has a database of more than 1,000 drivers and knowledgeable guides who are reliable and trustworthy, as well as happy and keen to explain and share Sri Lanka’s attractions with guests, and to see that visitors have a stress-free and enjoyable holiday here.

SEE SRI LANKA AT ITS BEST WITH OUR PERSONALISED SERVICE DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR YOU.

FOR FIRST TIME TOURISTS OR REGULAR VISITORS

TO FEEL COMFORTABLY AT HOME IN SRI LANKAContact:

+94 11 309 444 1

wptb.tours@gmail.com

Reserved forVilla Read Advertisement

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PHOTOGRAPHS BYFeather Pan Visual Studios.

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BEST OF THE WESTSRI LANKA’S BLISSFUL

BEACHES

Moragalla

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Whether you like broad strands of sand to jog along at the sea’s edge, soaring waves to surf as they splash on the

shore, intimate coves for private sunbathing, or beaches lined with seafood cafés and bars, the beaches along the west coast are amazing, sunny playgrounds for visitors to Sri Lanka.

Being so close to the Equator, Sri Lanka’s seasons are not well defined, and there is no cool winter. Daylight is almost regu-lar throughout the year, the difference inColombo being only 48 minutes between 22 June and 22 December. The main difference in seasons is caused by the monsoons and it is from October to March (as the winds blow from east to west) that the sun shines daily, the sea is calm and the beaches are sandy along the west coast.

NEGOMBONegombo has the closest beach to the main international airport, a mere 5km distant. You can be basking in the sun within an hour of leaving the plane. Some quiet stretches of the beach are maintained by the tourist hotels, while other parts of the beach are

busy with fishermen with their boats and nets.

Water-sports and diving are popular withvisitors, and there are a few well-preserved coral reefs and a 50-year-old shipwreck (Kudapaduwa) that serves as an artificial reef and attracts many varieties of fish. There are local handicraft, batik and jewelleryboutiques in the tourist area. The beach strip is lined with bars and restaurants and has an engaging after-beach nightlife.

The first hotels ever to open in Sri Lanka, when they catered for passengers in transit flying between Europe and Australia, are in and near Negombo. Now they have been renovated or replaced with new properties and offer an exciting beach holiday.

MOUNT LAVINIAThe closest dedicated beach strip toColombo is at Mount Lavinia, 12km south of the city. North of the headland, home of the Mount Lavinia Hotel, is where locals do their thing – early morning joggers and, in the late afternoon, families taking a stroll, with all day activities by the beach-loving young at heart. South of the hotel the beach is for the more genteel.

KALUTARA Kalutara’s prominent landmark is theshining white stupa of the historic KalutaraBodhiya south of the Kalu Ganga (river). Near the northern bank, the Calido Beach adjoins a thin strip of land that runs between the Kalu Ganga and the Indian Ocean. There are other small stretches of sand to the south of Kalutara where the beach hotels also have swimming pools.

MORAGALLAMoragalla has a beautiful coral reef running almost along the side of the main Colombo-Galle A2 coastal road. The coral reef has created many pools of warm water for safe bathing and the area is popular with local tourists who stop their vehicles for some lunch and a swim.

BERUWALASouth of Beruwala a small coastal town 58km south of Colombo, is a long stretch of beach. Beruwela is considered the firstdedicated beach resort town along the coastal belt. It was originally a fishing and trading

Negombo

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village known as Barberyn where Arab traders of ancient days would use its natural harbour. It has a flourishing early morning fish market.

Beruwala beach’s shallow waters are inviting and there are several hotels along its stretch with swimming pools beside the beach. There is a functioning lighthouse built by the British in 1928, standing a majestic 33m tall. Built on a cliff, it is surrounded by rocks that protect it from the churning waves.

BENTOTA Located south of the bustling coastal town of Aluthgama and south of the broadBentota (Benthara) river, Bentota isfamous as a sprawling seaside resort setunder an endless canopy of palm trees. It is considered to be the water sport capital ofSri Lanka since it has a large lagoon ideal for all kinds of water sports. The beach itself seems to stretch for miles and is lined with modern hotels. Bentota is popular with tour-ists who don’t want to do very much while on holiday, as there is not much action at night.

HIKKADUWA Hikkaduwa, 97km south of Colombo, is renowned for its after-beach activities with dozens of small cafés, bars and seafoodrestaurants as well as lively hotels andguesthouses to suit all budgets. The sandy beach is not as broad as Bentota’s and is structured in coves, popular with the young and young at heart to explore during the day (there are glass bottom boats for viewing the coral) and to party at night. It’s also popular with surfers.

Kalutara

Hikkaduwa

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Looking for an o

ut-of-print book

, a paperback

novel to read wh

ile on holiday o

r a

guide to Sri Lan

ka? There are

books galore to

be bought at the

second

hand bookshops

in Colombo’s Maradana

district,

discovers Royston E

llis.

BOOKSABUNDANCE

IN

PHOTOGRAPHS BYT h i l i n a M a d u r a n g a.

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Paris has her bouquinistes, used and antiquarian book vendorslining the banks of the Seine, and London has its alleyway of rare book sellers by Leicester Square Station. The equivalent in Colombo are the wayside booksellers opposite the traffic

island where D R Wijewardena Road meets T B Jayah Road.

I discovered them over 30 years ago when I was looking for books about the history and manufacture of Pure Ceylon Tea. Here I found precious volumes, 1930s novels with art deco covers as well as old copies of Reader’s Digest, culled from the libraries of tea plantation bungalows.

It was due to the influence of the British when they were in Ceylon that the second hand book shops came into existence. The story began when a young man from Matara, Premadasa Weeraratne, was invalided out of the British Royal Navy in 1953 after an explosion of a gas cylinder left him without his left arm and right leg below the knee.

Although he received a pension, he wanted something to do with his life. In the Navy he had noticed how the British officers liked to read. He also noted that British planters were selling up their possessions to return to Britain. Since plantation bungalows contained lots of books that the retiring planters were happy to get rid of, Premadasa saw a career opportunity.

He began to collect books and took to offering them for sale on the streets of Colombo. He soon realised he needed a permanent base for his collection of books, and that’s when he arrived at Maradana, later setting up in D R Wijewardana Mawatha. His original shop is no longer there but his nephew, Sarath Thewarahennadi, also from Matara, is - and he runs Sarath Books. Premadasa’s early success

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at bookselling also inspired others and there are now seven second hand book stalls in the same place.

While all the shops stock general books, each one has its own speciality. One shop presents a wall of paperbacks catering for the mass market, another specialises inmagazines. At Sarath’s the emphasis is on textbooks, but he also has some rare oldvolumes, including the third edition ofRobert Knox’s book on Ceylon originally published in 1681. He proudly showed me a copy of Tennyson’s biography by his son published in 1898, for which he expects Rs7,000 for the two rare tomes.

Sarath knows the price of every volume he sells, and keeps prices low. He will even give a refund, less a reading charge, if someone buys a book and then returns it. This is the way he runs his own private lending library. Customers can deposit the cost price of a book and borrow it to read (at a reading fee of Rs100), and then collect the deposit when they return the book.

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His shop appears to be a disorganisedjumble of books but Sarath knows where everything is. “It’s in my memory,” he sayscheerfully. “My only filing system is my brain. Ifsomeone comes asking for a book by its title, I can name the author, and find the book, if I have it in stock.”

Sarath, like his fellow booksellers, has acollection of old books on Ceylon,including an original print of The Colombo Plan. He also has an extensive collection of books about Buddhism. He has beencollecting books for nearly 40 years since being introduced to the business by hisuncle, who died in 1985.

The second hand book business, even in the age of Kindle, remains brisk withSarath selling over two dozen volumes a day. His customers are students seeking text books when the brand new editions are tooexpensive; Sri Lankans looking for a good read; researchers after a rare tome; thecurious; as well as tourists in search ofinteresting books about Sri Lanka.

Sarath and his colleagues welcome visitors to browse through their stock and, like the riverside book stalls of Paris, these shops have become a tourist attraction. They are open every day, except Poya days, from 9am to 5pm.

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Mr. Sarath Thewarahennadi

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THE SETTINGOF THE

TROPIC SUN

PHOTOGRAPHS BYFeather Pan Visual Studios.

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if you’re lucky Sri Lanka is one of the few places in the world where

you can observe the legendary Green Flash.

No, the Green Flash is not the name of an exotic cocktail served on theterrace of a beach hotel; it’s something that if you keep your eyes open and the horizon

is clear, you can see as the sun sets.

The first requirement is a cloudless sky and anunrestricted view of the ocean and the horizon from Sri Lanka’s west coast. Tourists in other tropicalcountries, such as the Maldives and the Caribbeanislands, have boasted sightings of the Green Flash, while the sceptical claim it is a myth. Sri Lanka,however, on the right day, is the best place to glimpse this sunny phenomenon of nature.

It happens as the sun sinks towards the horizon in aflaming orange ball. Watch carefully, but be careful not to be dazzled by the sun or you’ll miss the flash. It’s asudden - and very short – pinprick of green emphasising the majestic beauty of the setting sun’s bright orb.

If you’re not lucky enough to witness the Green Flash, don’t worry; sunsets seen from Sri Lanka’s western shores are sensational. Even when there are clouds gathering along the horizon, watching the sun descend gracefully at dusk is an inspiring experience. Then, if

the sky is clear, a fraction of a second after the rim of the sun has sunk below the horizon, there it is: the Green Flash! Don’t blink though; otherwise you’ll miss it.

Of course, science has an explanation for this magic of nature. It has been described as anatmospheric event caused by a scattering of light by molecules in the atmosphere. It is light refracted by air. Factually, it’s the last bit of sun coloured green by the sea when it disappears below the horizon. Thecrowning rim of the sun appears green and red on the horizon: when the sun sets, the green halo is the last todisappear.

The Green Flash is extremely rare, but it can be seen, even accidentally, from hot spots along the west coast; perhaps from the beach at Negombo, from Colombo’s Galle Face Green promenade, or from sandy coves along the west coast from Kalutara to Galle.

Even if you never see it, it’s fun to wait and watch – and then to have that cocktail.

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Goldi Sands HotelGoldi Sands Hotel offers a host of amenities, facilities and levels of com-fort and maintains the meticulous standards required by the discerning guest. Accommodation at Goldi Sands Hotel comprises a stunning array of seventy air-conditioned double rooms.

At Goldi Sands Hotel, the combination of Sun, beach and the ever at-tentive staff is guaranteed to rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. Take a stroll down the sandy beach and enjoy the invigorating sea breeze or simply relax in rooms which benchmark elegance and luxury… truly an abode of serendipity…

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No. 39B, Poruthota Road, Eththukala, Negombo, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 31 2275866

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IMPROVINGTHE TOURISTEXPERIENCEFor the fourth consecutive year, the Sancharaka Udawa exhibition was held in Sri Lanka.

The 2014 Exhibition took place at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre and was organised by the Sri Lan-ka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO). The main sponsor for the event was the Sri Lanka Tourism Pro-

motion Bureau. The co-sponsors were the Western Province Tourist Board (WPTB), Laksala and SriLankan Airlines, supported by the Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers (SLAPCEO).

SLAITO held a Special General Meeting parallel with the exhibition with participation from key players in the tourism sector. The ex-hibition venue provided exhibitors and visitors with a chance to in-teract and share knowledge in a conveniently located, professionally organised, comfortable and spacious environment. Outbound tour operators also took part in a special ‘Tourism products meet mart’.

The event formed a platform for stakeholders in the tourism sec-tor and enabled them to experience and educate themselves about

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enhanced products and services. The main object of the exhibition was to provide more exposure to tourism related enterprises with interaction between trade and public entities. The aim was also to provide opportunities for those less exposed to mainstream tourism, creating a platform for small and medium service providers to network and build vital links with the tour operators, and enter the wider spectrum of the tourism industry.

The two-day exhibition was declared open by Hon Basil Rajapaksa MP, Minister ofEconomic Development. Among thoseparticipating in the opening ceremony were Dr Nihal Jayathilaka, Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Development; Rumi Jauffer, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau; Dr D S Jayaweera, Director General Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority; Claude Thomasz, Chairman, Western Province Tourist Board; Kapila Chadrasena, CEOSriLankan Airlines; Anil Koswatha, Chairman Laksala; Maahen Kariyawasan, President Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators; SLAITO committee members and foreign ambassadors.

Visitors to the exhibition included government officials, industry stakeholders, transporters, entrepreneurs interested in starting tourism activities, destination management companies, airlines, members of the forces, prospective business people and the general public. The aim of SLAITO to enhance the event’s opportunities and turn this venture into an internationally recognised event, giving the country a wider scope from the event, was advanced by the success of this year’s Sancharaka Udawa.

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The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) was formally known as the Association of Group Tour Agents (AGTA) and was established in 1975. In 2002, AGTA was reconstituted as SLAITO.

The SLAITO Membership consists of 150 companies out of which over 95 percent are from the SME Sector. SLAITO is recognised as the Apex Body for inbound tourism and the membership handles 90 percent of all inbound tourists in the organised tourism sector. SLAITO plays an integral role in all important private sector decision-making fo-rums and is affiliated to The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

ABOUTTHE PRIME OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION:

The prime objectives of the SLAITO are to promote and foster long term growth of tourism by providing and maintaining a high standard of excellence; to establish and maintain cordial relations with the Minister in charge of tourism and all other competent authorities for the advancement of tourism; to liaise and maintain cordial relations with all stakeholders in the Industry; to establish and maintain a good cordial relations and affiliate with international organisations and promote international relationships for the purpose of achieving the objectives of the Industry; to submit, pursue and finalise through the appropriate channels established by the government, legislative or considered nec-essary by the Association for the successful promotion and advancement of the Tourism Industry; and to take all steps as deemed necessary to protect and further the interests of the members of the Association, who are indispensable arms of the Tourism Industry.

Looking at the national interest of the coun-try, SLAITO recently opened its membership to all stakeholders in tourism in the form of an Associate Membership scheme which will enable all stakeholders to promote the coun-try and go forward as one Apex Body.

SLAITO is at 50, Navam Mawatha,Colombo 2, Sri Lanka;tel: 00 94 11 5588800,fax: 00 94 11 2449352,e-mail: slaito@chamber.lk; www.slaito.com q

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ITS PRIZES MAY BE SMALL FOR THEWORLD’S LEADING LONG-DISTANCE

RUNNERS, BUT THE PLEASURE OFTAKING PART IN COLOMBO’S

AMAZING ANNUAL MARATHONATTRACTS RUNNERS FROM

AROUND THE WORLD.

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The Colombo Marathon (now an annual affair) is scheduled to take place on Sunday 5 October 2014 and over 3,000 potential competitors

from 25 countries have registered to take part.

It’s the fun of the run in Sri Lanka that at-tracts many competitors, while for serious athletes, because the marathon is recognised by the world marathon authority, participa-tion is valid for their marathon cvs.

The race will start from Colombo’s In-dependence Square and follows a route through Borella, Dematagoda, Peliyango-da, Wattala along the Hamilton Canal, Pa-munugama, Thalahena, Pitipana and Duwa to Lewis Place to finish at the Beach Park, Negombo.

The full marathon (open to both male and female competitors over 18 years old on 7

October 2013) is a run of 42.196km. The prize to the winning male and female are the same, US$2,500 each with an air ticket on SriLankan Airlines for each winner. There is also a veterans’ event for the over-50s and special Fun Run contests.

Marathon running only began in Sri Lanka when the travel company, Lanka Sportreizen (LSR), under its dynamic chairman, Thilak Weerasinghe, organised the first LSR Inter-national Marathon in Sri Lanka in Galle in 1998. Since 2010 it has become an annual event, internationally recognised as the Co-lombo Marathon.

LSR is a pioneering company in the field of sports tourism, having been founded by former national surfing champion, Thilak Weerasinghe, when tourism was suffering because of the unsettled conditions in the country. LSR persevered, attracting tourists

interested in water sports and scuba diving. The company has expanded to operating seven hotels, watersports centres at Bentota and Passikudah, a fleet of 84 vehicles, and handling over 100,000 passengers a year as the Ground Handling Agents for SriLankan Airlines.

Even though it has expanded as a major in-bound tour operator, LSR has not lost its basic passion: sports. It provides logistics for golf tournaments organised by SriLankan Airlines as well as adventure tourism involv-ing of biking and trekking. The Colombo Marathon is its key event that brings compet-itors and tourists and Sri Lankans together in an amazing fun-filled event.

Details of the fees payable by competitors (and entry forms) are available on the ded-icated website http://www.srilankamarathon.org. The Colombo Marathon is not run for profit by LSR but as a contribution to society allowing athletes from overseas to compete locally and with local athletes and form last-ing relationships with those they meet here. Excess fees are donated for charitable caus-es to provide sports facilities, especially for children.

Closing date for entries is 20 September 2014.

Lanka Sportreizen, #29BS De S Jayasinghe Mawatha, Kalubowila,Dehiwela, Sri Lanka;tel: 0094 11 2824500;fax: 0094 11 2826125;email: colombomarathon@LSR-srilanka.com; http://www.srilankamarathon.org/

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WELLBEINGF O R Y O U R

MEDICAL TOURISM

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SRI LANKA IS GAINING POPULARITY AS A DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR MEDICAL TOURISM, WITH TOURISTS VISITING ESPECIALLY FOR HEALTH SCREENING OR MAJOR OPERATIONS. OUR TOURISM CORRESPONDENT REPORTS ON HOW TO GET WELL WHILE ON HOLIDAY.

Imagine returning home after a holiday in Sri Lanka to be told by friends and family how well you are looking. For a growing number of visitors to Sri Lanka, that’s not just because of a relaxing holiday, but also because the visitor has experienced the splendid medical services

available in the island.

Medical, or health, tourism is the travel of people away from their home country to another country to obtain medical treatment, whether it’s simply a full body screening, dental treatment, plastic surgery or a major operation. Since recuperation and convalescence is often required after surgery, Sri Lanka has become popular because of the wonderful places to stay and relax, as well as for the highly skilled and professional medical care available here.

Health tourism is nothing new. The first recorded instance of people travelling to obtain medical treatment dates back thousands of years to the time when Greek pilgrims journeyed to Epidauria, the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios. Spa towns and sanatoriums were created for tourists such as in the 18th century when patients travelled to other countries to partake of health-giving, natural mineral waters, supposedly good for treating diseases from gout to liver disorders and bronchitis. Even in Ceylon, as it was then known, the present-day Bandarawela Ho-tel was built as a sanatorium for those affected by the Colombo heat in the late 19th century, and neighbouring Diyatalawa was where military personnel were sent to convalesce during World War II because of its salubrious, healthy climate.

Actually medical tourism began when people from less developed coun-tries and who could afford it, would travel to developed countries for medical treatment that was unavailable or at a better standard than in their home countries. Now the trend has changed as people from the developed world seek top standard treatment at less cost and with less waiting time than in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia.

Sri Lankan culture has a long standing tradition of massage and wellness techniques. The country has been renowned for its Ayurveda therapies since ancient times and there is evidence of an ancient, pre-Christian hospital at Mihintale. Many Sri Lankan kings were recognised as physi-cians. With its history of care coupled with the skill of today’s modern medical practitioners, Sri Lanka is a natural place to consider when plan-ning a health check up or even extensive treatment.

Medical tourism in Sri Lanka is split into two categories: health tourism and wellness tourism. Health tourism refers to clients with medical con-ditions who travel to experience health-restoring therapies. People who come on a wellness visits are generally healthy and seek therapies to maintain their wellbeing. For them, Ayurveda and Spa Treatments, with adjusted diet and detoxification regimes, are available, fortunately to suit every budget.

Thousands of visitors to Sri Lanka, as well as expatriate residents, have already discovered that combining a holiday with a form of health treat-ment is the perfect way to recover health and wellbeing and to rejuve-nate, invigorate and heal.

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In Sri Lanka there are medical spa resorts and wellness retreats that combine Eastern practic-es, like meditation, with Western medical tech-niques to provide a variety of treatments for ei-ther relaxation or rehabilitation in a conducive and well-tended environment.

More crucial for those in poor health, or who want to check on their condition, Sri Lanka’s world class medical facilities are not only open to tourists but cost a fraction of what similar treatment would cost in the USA or even in Singapore and Bangkok (both popular Asian medical tourist destinations).

There is no lowering of standard in the medi-cal treatment in Sri Lanka. In fact, treatment by surgeons, specialists and doctors in Sri Lanka can be better than in a tourist’s home coun-try. All consultants in Sri Lanka have spent at least two years doing post graduate training at a British or Australian hospital.

If you are looking for a medical check up, cos-metic surgery, dermatology, dental work, or-thopaedic or cardiovascular surgery, Sri Lanka is the place. There are some 20 ultra-modern, accredited private hospitals where the empha-sis is on medical services that incorporate high levels of trust, safety, efficiency and effective, successful outcomes.

Medical personnel are some of the best trained in the world, with many world-class physicians in practice here. Dental treatment is one of the most popular medical programmesavailable for tourists with practitioners holdingspeciality post graduate degrees and being highlyexperienced.

The fee-paying hospitals operate to the high-est medical standards with specialists in every discipline assisted by trained, caring nurses, placing great emphasis on diagnosing patient conditions correctly and subsequently treating them efficiently and successfully. Those hos-pitals have the full range of advanced medical equipment to ensure effective patient diagno-sis and treatment. There are top specialists in the major accredited hospitals covering cardiac care, ear nose and throat, cancer diagnosis and treatment, osteopathy, spinal treatment, liver and gastro-intestinal treatment and infertility consultation.

A health check up is a preventive procedure which ought to be taken every five years for

those under 40 years of age, and every year for those over the age of 40. While you are on holiday in Sri Lanka is the perfect time to do it. The procedure takes a day and the consultant discusses the results with the patient, leaving the patient to decide what to do.

Sri Lanka also offers a wide variety of cosmet-ic procedures for both men and women. Im-plants, reductions and lifts are performed and botox injections, facelifts and eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), abdominoplasty (tum-my tucks), hair transplants and liposuction, together with chin augmentation, lip augmen-tation and ear pinning. Dermatology is well developed too.

Treatments most commonly sought by medical tourists under these programmes include Botox cellulite treatment, dermabrasion (skin refresh-ing) chemical peel, laser skin resurfacing, facial revival and nourishment, blemish removal, as well as anti-ageing face-lifting. No wonder friends will say how well you look after a medi-cal holiday in Sri Lanka!

Fees are lower than in other countries not be-cause the expertise is less (it isn’t) but because the general cost of living is less, and foreign currency yields generous amounts of rupees as foreign exchange rates increase. In addition, the time and care taken by medical profession-als towards their patients stems from the Sri Lanka tradition of concern for the health and wellbeing of visitors.

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When planning a holiday in Sri Lanka combined with a health screening, treatment, an operation or dedicated Ayurveda or spa therapy, allow plenty of time. You owe it to yourself to relax and recover after treatment so you can enjoy full benefits from the health holiday. If you are reading this while you are in Sri Lanka, you have the opportunity to visit the various hospitals yourself for a preliminary consultation. You can also check the websites of Sri Lanka’s private hospitals to see what treatments they offer. There are tour operators, too, that specialise in medical tourism and these will put you in touch with the best specialists for your needs.

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WILD LIFEON THEMOVE

Keep your eyes open as you drive around the country in your tour bus or taxi, advises our wild life correspondent. There are so manyanimals to see from your vehicle window with-out leaving your seat.

Palm squirrel

Tree frog

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Sri Lanka’s wild life is not confined to the 16 National Parks dotted around the country, nor to the zoo at Dehiwela nor to the Ele-phant Orphanage at Pinnawela. Fascinating wild life can be seen by the roadside when you’re on the move, even in the suburbs

of Colombo although the rural districts are obviously best for impromptu wild life spotting.

If you look out of your vehicle’s window carefully you might see animals ranging from the small and cheerful palm squirrel to a large elephant stand-ing motionless and camouflaged as a grey boulder among bushes beside a road.

Sri Lanka actually has six species of squirrel (Funambulus palmarum), in-cluding two types of flying squirrel but those are rarely seen as they are nocturnal. The palm squirrel is the most common and can easily be spot-ted in gardens even in towns. It is very vocal with a loud piercing cry, some-times uttered as a warning when it is disturbed, and also to keep in touch with other squirrels. The giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) avoids towns as it likes a forest environment but it is confident around humans, willing to accept food offerings from guests in hotels in a wilderness setting.

A curious sight on the road to Kandy, at Mawanwella, where the road bridges the Maha Oya, are bunches of flying foxes hanging upside down from branches of trees on the river banks. These are actually bats known as the Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) and are the biggest and best known of Sri Lanka’s 31 species of bat. Bats are active after nightfall and can often be seen from roads along the west coast as they fly among the palm groves as the sun sets.

In woodlands along the west coast south of Kalutara, and sometimes visible from the Galle Road, are gangs of the endangered purple-faced leaf mon-key (Presbytis senex). The monkey is endemic to Sri Lanka and because of encroachment on its habitat by large buildings such as coastal hotels, its survival is threatened. The endemic toque macaque or toque monkey (Macaca subuca) with its reddish/yellowish brown fur can often be seen beside roads in the hill country.

Another common mammal to be spotted scooting across lawns or even crossing the road is the mongoose. There are four species in Sri Lanka all of which can be seen although found in different parts of the country. The grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi) is common in the northern half of the island while the ruddy one (Herpestes smithii) is to be found in the south. Not so common is the brown mongoose found in both the lowlands and highlands. The badger mongoose (Herpestes vitticollis) is the largest and is found in the highlands and on Horton Plains.

Sometimes seen waddling across roads, and avoided by traffic, are moni-tors (also known as iguanas); extremely large, pre-historic looking lizards.

Indian flying fox

Indian rock python

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The water monitor (Varanus salvator) can ex-ceed 2m in length and lurks around river banks and is pointed out to tourists by opportunists as a crocodile. The land monitor (Varanus ben-galensis) is a wary creature but happy foraging in gardens during the day.

Snakes, which you would only want to see from a distance, are related to lizards. There are said to be 95 species of snake in Sri Lanka but only a few are venomous. The largest is the Indian rock python (Python molurus) which can reach 6m in length. The rat snake (Ptyas mucosa) is one you might see as it wriggles across a road or lawn. There are also a couple of types of flying snakes that sometimes reveal themselves gliding between trees.

Wet weather will bring frogs out into the open and there are 66 species of old world tree frog (Ranidae) in Sri Lanka. The one frequently seen in gardens is the Sri Lankan bullfrog (Micro-hyla tapbrobanica) which has a pair of bright red markings and a rotund body. The chorus croaked in damp habitats at night is vocal, if not visible, evidence of the island’s wide variety of frogs.

There are 33 species of birds endemic to Sri Lanka and one that visitors will probably see while driving around in the early morning is Ceylon Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii) the male of which resembles a domestic cockerel. By

roads in the south, sometimes near the new international airport at Mattala, Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) are plentiful and especially at-tractive when the male (the peacock) spreads its turquoise tail feathers. And every roadside telephone wire near a paddy field seems to be a favourite perch of the white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis).

Although they used to be a regular sighting as they inched slowly across roads in the dry low-lands, the star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is becoming rare as people pick them up for pets. It’s Sri Lanka’s only tortoise species and is dis-tinguished by its beautiful star-patterned shell. The biggest thrill is to see elephants from your vehicle’s window, especially if not actually in a National Park. The Sri Lankan elephant is distinguished from the African elephant by its

smaller ears and concave back and is in fact larger than the Asian elephant found in India. Elephants eat around 150kg of vegetable mat-ter every day and as recently 60 years ago could be seen all over Sri Lanka up to Hor-ton Plains. They are now almost confined to the dry lowlands and you are likely to see them lurking in the scrub beside the A11 road from Habarana to Polonnaruwa or beside the A6 to Trincomalee.

Of course, there are lots of other animals to look out for from a vehicle’s window, such as deer (there are four species) wild boar and golden jackal. A good guide to all the animals of Sri Lanka is Sri Lankan Wildlife by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne.

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Tortoise

Deer

Elerphants (National Parks)

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Brown mongoose

Water monitor

Purple faced leaf monkey

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Adventure Kitesurfing: the sport of riding on a modified surfboard while holding onto a

specially designed kite using the wind for speed and propulsion

Sri Lanka is an Island yet to be discovered by those who travel around the world looking for an unique experience. This Island which is stra-tegically placed in the Indian Ocean for reasons yet to be discovered by ‘you’, have tourists with specific dreams travelling to it and are assuredly discovering the little treasures that would give them that unique experience relating to their own interests.

I am travelling with a small group of enthusi-asts around this Island finding locations that are just perfect for our special interest—kite-surfing. This is not to say that kitesurfers had not yet discovered that Sri Lanka provided an excellent venue before our arrival. Kalpitiya is a peninsula where many enthusiasts (local and foreign) have since 2011 worked tirelessly to-wards making the lagoon a kitesurfing paradise. It is by visiting them at the onset that I devel-oped a taste for the sport. Kalpitiya is now a great location equipped with the necessary in-gredients to make it a perfect location for kite sports. There are five or six kitesurfing lodges that provide accommodation on a bank of the lagoon. There is also a smaller lagoon further down the peninsula which has three more up-market hotels, all providing equipment for hire. As we kitesurfers know we may not have the right length of line or the right size of kite for all speeds and varying gusts.

Kalpitiya is now renowned for Kitesurfing all over the world. It is an exceptional location for the novice as well as the proficient kitesurf-er. Once you have tried out the lagoon and exhausted its maximum potential, there is an Island further up the peninsula which provides one with an alternative setting. Most tourist lodges will provide you transport by boat to the Island. This Island is an excellent location,

however, be sure to plan ahead and start early as the trip itself is forty five minutes from your lodge and there is no turning back for an extra length of line or a different board.

We are on a quest to find several more kitesurf-ing attractions around the Island. Up North is Mannar which has the same potential as Kalpi-tiya and will no doubt be an alternative attrac-tion in time to come. On our travels we have also discovered other locations in which the winds have been just perfect; and for the expert who understands how to handle them, this is a sweet treat indeed. There is also the open land on which kiteboarding has been tried out. As a result we have broken away from the traditional culture of using inflatable kites thereby finding new heights in adventure kite sporting with foils and kiteboarding. In doing so we seem to be discovering an extension to the sport which is to indulge in a sport in exceptionally beautiful natural surroundings that is on offer on this beautiful Island.

The best time to try out kitesurfing in Sri Lanka is in July when the winds are low and is perfect for the larger kites like the Spleen X19 or a sim-ilar sized inflatable. During August, the winds increase and I would advise you to be prepared

with smaller more agile kites as certain parts of the Kalpitiya lagoon is gusty in the afternoons. To ride the best winds in Kalpitiya I start at 9am. Towards September to December the rains may be a glitch in your plans, however, it will not be a wash out. If you are willing to try out foils I vouch to give you an excellent kitesurfing experience any time of the year in Sri Lanka. The rest of the year the winds seem to move to the other side of the Island – the eastern beaches - which is yet to be discovered for kitesurfing and are known for surfing and if you are keen to try it out check out locations such as Parsikuda and Arugambay.

Alex Sanz: “I love to kite and I have been kite-surfing all over the world ever since kites be-came an adventure surfing sport. Join me and my friends on a kitesurfing tour in and around Sri Lanka. I will not only help you find excellent locations to kitesurf but will help you experi-ence the scenic beauty of this beautiful Island.”Whether you are new to the sport and want to experience adventure kitesurfing, an intermedi-ate or advanced rider we can cater for you. We will take you to the best local kiting locations for the wind and wave conditions encountered.Contact us to plan your personalised tour to adventure kitesurfing in Sri Lanka.

Alex Sanz, IKO

e-mail: kite_mad@hotmail.com Tel: +94777746654Sallelanka (Pvt) Ltd.

ADVENTURE KITESURFING TOURS

S R I L A N K A

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A WELCOMEV I S I T O RProfessor Manfred Domroes obviously loves Sri Lanka. He re-

cently visited the island for the 85th time and was welcomed at the airport by the Chairman and staff of the Western Province Tourist Board.

Professor Manfred, as he is known to all his many friends in Sri Lanka, first visited the island as a junior research fellow from the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 1967. He went on to a successful academic career with Aachen University and Mainz University as a professor and has written three books on Sri Lanka and around 50 scientific articles. In recognition of his profound research, Professor Manfred Domroes was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from both the Universities of Perad-eniya and Sabaragamuwa in Sri Lanka. He tries, whenever he visits this country, to bring a group of colleagues and students with him so they, too, can discover all that fascinates him about amazing Sri Lanka.

“I can truthfully declare,” said Claude A Thomaz, the Chairman of the

Western Province Tourist Board at a reception and dinner hosted for the group at the Pegasus Reef Hotel, “that Professor Manfred is a lover of Sri Lanka and seems to know more about our country than even Sri Lankans do. It is an honour to know such an erudite and enthusiastic person who consistently champions tourism to Sri Lanka in his home country, Germany.”

At the reception the group were entertained to displays of cultural danc-ing and a firework display. During his visit, Professor Manfred and his delegation of 23 people, both young old, toured the country for two weeks and were also hosted to a dinner on the floating restaurant on the Hamilton Canal.

At the request of the Western Province Tourist Board, Professor Manfred has translated and edited a special German edition of Amazing Sri Lanka, due to be launched in Frankfurt on 6 October 2014.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BYThilina Maduranga

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PHOTOGRAPHS BYNadun Egodage & Thilina Maduranga

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RAMAYANA

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It is no surprise that Sri Lanka with its fertile rugged scenery is

also a land of exciting legends and myths reflecting the past. Sasindu Balage looks at the Ramayana.

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The Ramayana is the great Indian epic written more than one thou-sand years before the Christian era began about the adventures

of Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, and a king of Ayodhya in Hin-du scriptures. Rama is the protagonist of the epic. Wikipedia states: “He was born about 1.2 million years ago.” Reference in the epic to Lanka is assumed to be Sri Lanka and the Aristha mountain to be Ritigala, near Habarana.

From there, Hanuman, the warrior mon-key-god, leapt across to South India to con-vey the news to Rama that Sita, his wife who had been abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka, was held captive there.

One guide book explains “Local tradition goes further and maintains that some of the miraculous healing herbs brought from the Himalayas by Hanuman, to restore the dead and wounded of Rama’s army after one of the great battles waged in Lanka against Ra-vana, found their way to the summit of Rit-igala.”

This legend is also claimed by a hill outside Galle, in the south, called Rhumassala kan-da, a huge mound-like hill strangely out of place in the surrounding landscape. In the Ramayana the story is told of the beloved warrior Lakshman who was wounded in bat-tle. Only a Himalayan herb could cure him. Distraught, Rama despatched the mon-key-god Hanuman to the Himalayan moun-tains to fetch it.

On the way, Hanuman forgot the name of the herb so, to solve the problem, he uprooted the entire mountain with all the herbs grow-ing on it and returned to Lanka. Parts of it fell in five places in Sri Lanka; namely Rhu-massala in Galle, Dolukanda in Hiripitiya, Ritigala close to Habarana, Talladi in Mannar and Katchchathivu in the north.

Whatever was the source of this epic, the Ramayana is part of the rich fabric of Sri Lanka’s history and there are more than 50 sites here relating to many important events in the epic. These include the place of Sita Devi’s capture and the place where Rama slew Ravana, the king. People living in the areas featured in the epic look upon the tales as part of their own history, something that

happened recently, not 3,000 - nor a million - years ago.

The soil of the battlefields mentioned in the Ramayana can be identified even today by their blood red colour, whereas the sur-rounding soil is the normal earth tone. The presence of herbs known elsewhere only in the Himalayas is said to give credence to the story of Hanuman collecting and dropping the plants.

Although mass social, cultural and religious changes have taken place in Sri Lanka over the millennia, names of the places connected with the Ramayana remain unchanged. The reputed footprints of Hanuman are to be seen and several tour companies in Sri Lanka operate special programmes that take in the important sites associated with the epic.

The story in the Ramayana relating to Sri Lanka is told in seven chapters (Kanda) and narrates how Sita, the wife of Rama, was abducted by Ravana, the demon (Rakshasa) king of Lanka. According to this ancient San-skrit epic, which is attributed to the poet Val-miki, and is an important part of the Hindu canon, Sita Devi was brought from India in a pushpaka vimana, which is known in Sri Lan-ka as Dandu Monara Yanthranaya, or Large Peacock Machine in Sinhala; in other words, a flying vehicle.

Ravana ruled ten kingdoms and was known as Dasis (or Dasa Shirsha) meaning ten heads, because he had ten crowns. The story has all the ingredients of an exciting teledrama beginning when Ravana’s sister, Surpanakha, became enamoured with the handsome Rama when she met him in Jambudweepa.

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Rama being faithful to his wife, Sita, did not respond and asked Surpanakha to approach Lakshman who was unmarried. Surpanakha felt humiliated by this and angrily tried to attack Sita, saying she was the cause of the men’s contempt for her. Lakshman then in-tervened and cut off Surpanakha’s nose.

Surpanakha flew at once to Lanka to seek the protection of Ravana. She told him that she had seen Sita who was a woman of such in-comparable beauty, she wanted to bring her for Ravana. Ravana resolved to take revenge for the insult to his sister as well as to get the lovely Sita for himself.

Ravana, using a golden deer as a decoy and in the guise of an old sage, visited Sita when she was alone and abducted her, bringing her to Weragantota (in Sinhala the name means the Place of Aircraft Landing) in his flying ve-hicle, the pushpaka vimana.

Sita Devi was kept at Queen Mandothari’s palace at a place now called Sita Kotuwa which means Sita’s Fort in Sinhala. It is said that Ravana had an aircraft repair centre close by at Gurulupotha (which means Parts of Birds in Sinhala).

Sita was then held captive at Ashok Vatika, a garden in the vicinity of Sita Eliya, close to the city of Nuwara Eliya. Today’s Hakgala Gardens located at the base of the Hakga-la Rock, forms part of the garden. The Sita Pokuna is a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle where Sita was kept captive and she is said to have bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, Sugriva, ruler of the Vanara or monkey king-dom, ordered his monkey armies to search for Sita in all four corners of the earth. Hanu-man was the only one strong enough to cross the ocean to reach Lanka. On the journey he encountered a Naga maiden in what is now known as Nagadeepa.

Hanuman after finding Sita at Ashok Vatika, began battle by uprooting trees and destroy-ing the garden but was captured by Ravana’s army of Rakshasa guards. As a punishment, Hanuman’s tail was set on fire and he in turn set fire to houses in the city. Ussangoda is one such torched area. Ravana decided to hide Sita at various secret locations as a precautionary measure. Ravanagoda, which

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means Ravana’s place, in the Kotmale area is one such hiding place, a complex of tunnels and caves.

The tale is complex too and involves many places throughout Sri Lanka that aretestimony to the ancient epic. For instance, Neelawari in the Jaffna peninsula is the place where Rama shot an arrow to the ground to obtain water for his army upon arriving Lanka. In the south Dondra, Seenigama andHikkaduwa are all associated with the battle.

During the height of the battle, Indrajit,elder son of Ravana beheaded a lookalike of Sita Devi in front of Hanuman to break his spirit. This place is known as Sitawaka

and is in the Avissawella area. Yudhaganawa,meaning battlefield in Sinhala is a place in Wasgamuwa where the major battles took place.

Ravana was eventually killed and after his death his body was kept at Yahangala (Divan or Bed Rock in Sinhala). Sita was reunited with Rama after the war, Divurumpola is the place where she underwent a test which proved her innocence and purity to Rama. The word means the Place of Oath in Sin-hala.

Of the many other places in Sri Lanka ofinterest to the followers and fans of theRamayana, there is Kanniya, where Ravana

carried out the last rites for his mother; Gav-agala or Ghoushala, Ravana’s dairy farm; his “airports” at Thotupolakanda at Horton Plains, Weragantota in Mahiyangana, Ussan-goda in the south, Wariapola in Matale and Wariapola in Kurunagala.

Tourists can learn more about this fascinat-ing story of love and war and see where the Ramayana is set by joining special Ramayana Tours, giving an added depth to exploringSri Lanka’s amazing countryside of legend.

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PEOPLE

Someone once described Sri Lankans as being like “tropical Italians.”Sri Lankans are generous with their smiles and their eyes express genuineemotion. The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist with Tamils (mostly Hindu),Muslims and Burghers (descendants of Sri Lankans and Portuguese or Dutch colonisers; mostly Christian) making up the rest. Sri Lankans welcome strangers and are keen to see that visitors are happy to be here.

SOMETIPS FORTOURISTS

MONEY

The Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs) is made up of 100 cents but you’ll rarely see cents as most coins are of Rs10, 5, 2 and 1 in value. Currency notes in circulation are in denominations of Rs5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 20. As new notes are being phased in replacing two older versions, you will find some notes of the same denomination come in three different colours. Watch carefully when you are handling currency to see that you don’t mistake a high denomination note for a lower one. Even Sri Lankans make that mistake.

Visitors bringing into Sri Lanka an excess of $10,000 in any foreign currency should declare the amount to customs on arrival, to allow that much to be taken out again. Keep exchange receipts so you can easily exchange excess rupees back into foreign currency on departure.

Banking Hours: All banks in the country open for the public from 0900hrs to 1300hrs from Monday to Friday, but some banks have extended their opening hours until 15.00hrs and are also open on Saturday. There are ATMs for

obtaining cash with credit or debit cards in every town; look for the sign equivalent to the one on your card. Some ATMs do not return the card until after the transaction is completed, so don’t pocket the cash and leave without collecting your card.

CUSTOMS DUTY-FREE ALLOWANCES

Import on arrival: visitors to Sri Lanka are officially required to declare all currencies, valuable equipment, jewellery and gems etc., so they can be taken back on departure. Visitors are notallowed to bring in goods in commercial quantities, or prohibited/restricted goods such as dangerous drugs, weapons, explosive devices or gold. Drug trafficking or possession leads to severe punishments up to the death penalty.

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A tourist is allowed to bring in duty free: 1.5 litres of spirits, 2 bottles of wine, a small quantity of perfume and 250ml oftoilet water. The duty free importation of cigarettes, cigars ortobacco is not permitted. However, locally manufactured brands ofinternational cigarettes are readily available.

Tourists are allowed to export without paying export tax up to 10kg of tea grown and packed in Sri Lanka. The export of Sri Lankan antiques (defined as an item over 100 years old) is not allowed.

CONDUCT

Cleanliness and modesty are appreciated even in informalsituations. Nudity and topless bathing are prohibited andsubject to heavy fines. Display of intimacy is not suitable in public and will probably draw unwanted attention.

HANDS AND EATING

Use your right hand for giving, taking, eating or shaking hands as the left hand is considered to be unclean. Do not shake hands with a Buddhist Monk or a Hindu Swami. Greet them with your hands clasped together as if in prayer and raising them to your forehead bending slightly forward. When handingobjects to another person, using right hand or both hands would be appreciated by the receiver.

VISITING PLACES OF WORSHIP

Visitors to Buddhist and Hindu temples are welcome though the shrines of Hindu temples are sometime closed tonon-Hindus. Visitors to temples are expected to be respectably clad, bare footed and with heads uncovered.

Do not attempt to shake hands or be photographed withBuddhist monks or to pose for photos with statues of theBuddha or other deities and paintings.

WOMEN

To avoid causing offence or inviting harassment, there aresimple precautions that women should take, since what a woman might wear in her home country could be regarded as provocative in Sri Lanka. Thus loose–fitting, non-see-through clothes covering the shoulders, and skirts, dresses or shorts that are at least knee length should be worn, and are sensible for protection from the sun too.

SMOKING

Smoking is prohibited in public places. Please observe non-smoking rules. Smoking is permitted in some enclosed spaces (like bars) but if in doubt, ask before lighting up.

IN CONVERSATION

In conversation Sri Lankans may ask questions that a foreigner wouldregard as being too personal. This simply reflects the emphasisSri Lankans place on family life.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sri Lankans are happy to pose for photographs but it is polite to ask for permission first. Street entertainers like snake charmers would expect a fee for posing.

SAFETY

As in any country, theft can occur, especially when travelling by train or in a crowded bus. It is sensible to secure valuables, passport and credit cards out of sight, such as in a money belt or buttoned pockets, and not to leave bags, computers, cameras, etc., unattended when travelling.

Keep a record of vital documents, including your passport number,credit card numbers etc., separate from those documents in case they

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do get stolen. If items are stolen, report the theft to the nearest police station and, if you need proof for an insurance claim,obtain a copy of your report. The paper work involved in reporting losses can be time consuming and irritating. Tourists should not assume that if procedures move slowly they are expected to offer a bribe. If you face really serious problems, e.g. in case of a driving accident, you should contact your consular office as quickly as possible.

UNWRITTEN RULES OF THE ROAD

The rule of ‘might is right’ applies. Flash-ing headlights mean ‘get out of the way, I’m not stopping’. In these circumstances it isadvisable to give the oncoming vehicleadequate space, since they usually approach at high speed. Roundabouts are generally a free-for-all, so take your chance cautiously.

DRIVING PERMIT

Foreigners intending to drive in SriLanka are required to obtain a ‘recognitionpermit’ that is issued up to the expiry date of your International Driving Permit. This is a simple process. Just call at the Automobile Association of Sri Lanka at 40, Sir M.M. Markar Mawatha, Galle Face, Colombo 3, open 08.30-16.30, Monday-Friday except on public holidays.

If you do not have an International DrivingPermit but have your national licence, you must apply for a temporary Sri LankanDriving Licence from the Registrar ofMotor Vehicles, Department of MotorTraffic at 341, Elvitigala Mawatha,Colombo5. Tel:0112694331. Temporarydriving licences are issued on payment of Rs 2500+VAT per month up to a maximum period of one year. (Rates are subject to change)

MAINS ELECTRICITY

Mains power in Sri Lanka is 230 V @ 50 Hz AC. Some hotels have transformers/converters enabling visitors to use non-

compatible appliances. There may be pronounced variations in the voltage and occasional power cuts. As socket types vary, it is advisable to carry a universal adapter.

BUSINESS HOURS

Government Offices: Open 09.30-1700, Monday-Friday.Restaurants and Bars: Permitted hours for alcohol service are 11.00-14.00 and17.00-2300; however some restaurants/bars have different licences and do not close in the afternoon. No alcohol is served on Poya (Full Moon) Days.

A L U X U RY H I D E O U T I N K A N DY

CLUB LE S PR I

L o c a t e d i n a p i c t u r e s q u e s e t t i n g a t t h e e d g e o f a p i n e f o r e s t a n d

s u r r o u n d e d b y m i s t y h i l l s a n d m i c r o t e a p l a n t a t i o n s , i t i s a

p e r f e c t s p o t f o r a g e n u i n e “ a w a y f r o m i t a l l b r e a k ” .

U n i q u eU n i q u e l y d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e a t r u l y “ h o m e ” a t m o s p h e r e , b u t w i t h a l l m o d e r n f a c i l i t i e s , t h e l u x u r y ‘ H i d e o u t ” o f f e r s c h a r m ,

s o p h i s t i c a t i o n a n d a b o v e a l l t h e m u c h n e e d e d p r i v a c y.

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The Kite Flying Competition organised by the Kite Sri Lanka Organisation was held for the sixth year at Negombo on 31 Augsut 2014. It was a huge success with more than 1,000 participants registering to take part.

The kites were in every conceivable col-our, shape and design, many built over several weeks by their enthusiastic owners.

The beach at Negombo was packed with crowds and it is estimated that there were ever 50,000 spectators, all cheering on their favourites. The Western Province Tourist Board was one of the main sponsors of this annual Kites Festival. Other sponsorship was pro-vided by the Regent Language School & ZEON Hybrid Lanka Pvt Ltd.

KITE FLYING TAKES OFFIN

NEGOMBO

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Restaurant . Lounge . Courtyard

Follow us on:

No. 91, Barnes Place, Colombo 070112682144 - 0112675767

www.thebarnesbury.com

At The Barnebusry you can Enjoy a Variety of

European and Asian Fusion FoodWe can cater to any of your events

We have an amazing outdoor garden area which we host Weddings, Birthday Parties, Weddings, Birthday Parties,

Fashion Shows, Cocktails etc.

Restaurant

Lounge

Courtyard

Shisha Lounge

Pizza Parlour

‘Come & Live In The Moment’