Sri Lanka by iPhone January 2014 saw me sneak off on my first ‘proper’ holiday in two years – a 3 week tour of Sri Lanka. Initially I was going to shoot the holiday using a professional camera but last minute decided to use my old iPhone 4S… What follows is neither an authoritative nor comprehensive overview of Sri Lanka but rather one persons impression garnered during a fantastic 21 day tour. It should be said that we anticipated travelling through a beautiful country and enjoying meeting people – but as the days went on, without intention we encountered a great deal more which over the weeks changed the entire dynamics of our extraordinary trip. Sri Lanka is a developing country and one full of contrasts and challenges. The land and the people are beautiful, the land rich beyond belief but the people equally as poor. As I travelled I started to wonder at this contrast and it took little investigation to uncover a world that both inspired and broke our hearts, on many levels… ___
At the end, there is an itinerary of places visited, recommended accommodation etc that I hope will help anyone else considering exploring this beautiful island for the first time.
Travelling through Sri Lanka was inspiring but also raised a number of questions … As I spoke with people, a number of themes seemed to arise and repeat. • The economy • The politics • The 30 Year War • The 2004 Tsunami
Unable to help myself I asked questions, did some research, asked more questions …
Religion in Sri Lanka
When surveyed in 2008, 99% of Sri Lankans said religion was important in their daily lives, making Sri Lanka the 3rd most religious country in the World after Egypt (100%) and Bangladesh (99%)
Roughly speaking, about 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, 12% Hindu, 9% Muslim and 7% Christian (predominantly Catholic)
From the poorest to richest of towns and cities, each has at least one Buddhist temple, one Hindu temple, one Christian church and in many, an Islamic Mosque.
Traditionally, Buddhist monks teach or practice medicine – the two ‘professions’ that are deemed acceptable within Buddhist guidelines.
However, somewhat controversially, Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka are now getting actively involved in politics. On investigation throughout our tour, this was not well received by the people – regardless of their own religious beliefs
Animals of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, an island just South of India (30km, at its closest point) is stunningly diverse in its wildlife. Leopards, wild boar, elephants, porcupine, crocodiles, monkeys, bears are all part of the landscape and culture. Each is easily seen by tourists by visiting well maintained National Parks and enjoying remarkably inexpensive safari’s and tours (I fear no leopard images from myself – I was struck down with a tummy bug at that point, missing a great safari)
This young man waits for the bus, beside an elephant ‘tree house’. These tree houses are used for both escaping charging wild elephants – a growing problem as their habitat is destroyed by encroaching civilisation – and from which to make loud noises in the hopes to scare the attacking elephants away…
In the areas that wild elephants live, many of the villages are protected by electric fences to try and discourage them from entry to human habitats. Nonetheless, elephants are revered, often used in religious ceremonies across the country. Owning an elephant is a symbol of great wealth.
Sri Lanka has both a successful Elephant orphanage and National Parks dedicated to maintaining a safe habitat for these magnificent creatures.
Toque Macaque monkeys – or ‘Temple Monkey’ can be found living in the ancient temples of Sri Lanka - and indeed in the grounds of the ‘2nd Kingdom’ where these little ones were photographed.
iPhone? Lovely. Give, give!
Sadly the Temple Monkeys are on the endangered list, as their natural habitat is being destroyed for logging and farming.
Indian Palm Squirrel – a thirsty one at that!
These cute but oh so noisy Indian Palm Squirrels could be found across the island during our tour. They’re easily tamed and revered by the Hindu population as legend has it that they helped Lord Rama. Once only found in India and Sri Lanka, they are now also found in Australia (where they are considered a pest‌)
Stepping out one morning to admire the view at Ella ….
… someone else wanted to steal the show…
Whilst in many cases there is tremendous good effort in looking after the diverse wildlife on Sri Lanka, we were nonetheless shocked at aspects of animal treatment ‌ but conversely also heartened‌
Bags of goldfish for sale by the roadside‌
Tethered porcupines shoved or hit so their quills shot up to entertain passing tourists‌
King Cobras, as pictured here, contrary to popular belief tend to try and avoid humans. Regrettably they are on the ‘Vulnerable’ spectrum of the Endangered Species list. We were told that the Snake Charmer removes the fangs, every three months, as they grow back. Alternatively, they sew the snakes mouth shut…
Sri Lankan Street Dogs
Two little puppies asleep in the midday sun, already riddled with ticks and fleas
There is no escaping the fact that Sri Lanka has an appalling Street Dog problem. At one point when we were driving, I started to count the seconds between seeing these dogs on the street, many starving, ribs sticking through skin, scarred, hair missing, broken limbs … it was shocking in the extreme. “Fourteen.. and … fifteen … dog …. One and two and…” I felt particularly helpless as with people, I could offer money, chocolate etc but with these creatures I had nothing on me to alleviate their suffering, not even for a moment. My heart broke, time and time again…
Sri Lankan Street Dogs cont… However, as inescapably ghastly as the Street Dog situation is, not all the dogs seen, despite appearances, are street dogs. In many of the poorer areas of Sri Lanka, the dogs belong to people but simply aren’t collared. When the people go to work, the dogs roam the streets.
Turtles Turtles and indeed their eggs are considered a delicacy in some areas of Sri Lanka (mostly inland, where the people don’t know better) To help counter the declining turtle population, there are several conservation projects running. In one that we visited, villagers are encouraged to sell the eggs to the Conservation Project rather than as food. The highlight of that particular day for me was making a donation to buy 100 eggs (one hatching basically). These eggs would be buried, the babies raised for a short period of time and then released to the ocean…
Travelling often challenges us and at times, not always kindly so. In Sri Lanka there is no avoiding various aspects of animal cruelty – you turn a corner and the porcupines are in front of you, being hit, turn another corner and a snake charmer is beckoning you to watch. However, you can choose what to participate in … and what to walk away from… _________________
One of the most endearing things I saw was a family of monkeys using the electricity wires to cross the road, safely.
Mum and Dad shot ahead and then realised their three little babies were much more timid … so they turned around and came back, chatting away and encouraging the little ones to continue. The parental encouragement was almost 100% successful – Mum only had to pick up and carry the youngest.
People of Sri Lanka
So delighted with my curiosity that he kindly offered me his hard earnt fish
The people of Sri Lanka, of all races and religions have a reputation for warmth and welcome – and it is a reputation well deserved. We travelled more than 2000km through and around the island and everywhere there were smiles and curiosity. Hands were shaken, invitations extended. “Ayubowan” or “Hello” greeted us at every turn, from all ages. On a train journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, adults and children alike waved as we passed. Some shyly at first but the moment we waved back, the biggest smiles blossomed. Even groups of serious, tired looking men, resting for a moment in the high heat of the day couldn’t resist a grin and a wave. In one small town when we stopped to do a quick shop, not another tourist to be seen, a man tripped over the shop exit, so surprised to see us but then laughed aloud at himself, his children joining in with the giggles and shy ‘hellos’.
Granted, in some areas [read: tourist traps] the locals come out, approaching Westerners with a directness not familiar in our culture, asking for money outright or trying very hard to talk you into their shop / to make a purchase. I learnt to merely be firm – not rude, just firm – and instantly, without further challenge, I was allowed to make my way as I pleased. Locals will also ask for money – again, in the more familiar tourist areas – if they spot you taking a photograph of them. 100 rupees (60 euro cents) resolves the situation immediately and usually with smiles. Offering 100 rupees in exchange for a photograph in the more rural areas garnered such delight that it was worth doing just for the smiles, let alone the photograph.
This guy wasn’t worried about 100 rupees for being photographed – he was simply busting with curiosity about whether we had such a comprehensive range of fruits and vegetable in our country?
What floored me however, was that on an island so incredibly rich in produce and wildlife, indeed even gems, with a population that spoke at least 2 languages (Sinhalese or Tamil plus English, which is a mandatory 2nd language) was the incredible poverty encountered. In some circles the success of Sri Lanka as a developing country is heartening. Miraculous, some may say…
Since 2005 the earnings of the people has doubled. Can you imagine that happening in the UK or Europe?
However, for a little counter-perspective, the average yearly income is about £5,000 – or £400 a month. The problem is the cost of living has more than doubled in the time incomes have doubled - the people are worse off. We’re not talking about the luxuries of life but the absolute bare essentials – rice, dhal, baby food. The newspapers run adverts from people pleading for help to buy their medicine… I must comment that the £400 a month official figure floored me as nowhere we travelled did we meet anyone on anywhere near that income level. Most were just scraping through with £100- £250 a month.
She invited us into her home, a mud hut and cooked us lunch, whilst her husband fixed the roof with palm leaves and collected firewood
Despite the crippling poverty of the people, Sri Lanka ranked No. 8 (the only developing country in the top ten) on the 2010 World Giving Index, based on charitable behaviour. The index considers several factors including - Money given - Time Given - Helping a Stranger In fact, if we were to look only at ‘giving their time’, Sri Lankans ranked No. 2 in the World. If people can help, they will and we encountered this generosity of spirit across the island.
She walked 4km and up a mountain to sell her fruit.
Fishing
I think, with hindsight, that it is probably impossible to get a sense of Sri Lanka without also getting a sense, a measure perhaps, of the politics of the country. The entire ‘rich in resources vs. people living in incredible poverty’ contrast continued to gnaw away at me. Sri Lanka is theoretically and publicly a democracy but another truth lies behind this. As mentioned, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, aged 69 and sporting darkly dyed hair to camouflage the grey, is in his 2nd five year term in office. Initially asking in innocence about the political status and stability of Sri Lanka, people either answered oh so brightly with carefully rehearsed lines about the supreme goodness of the Buddhist lawyer trained President or nervously looked around and declined to comment‌
It didn’t take long to dig a little deeper and honestly, the digging needn’t be deep… What democracy in the World would condone eight family members also being part of the ruling party and in positions of incredible power both in Parliament and Foreign Affairs? (including but not limited to ‘Minister of Defence’ and ‘Minister of Economic Development’ – that’s the military and the money sorted then) As one very bold Muslim told me bluntly ‘One thousand rupees for the people but in reality, eight hundred rupees for the President and two hundred rupees for the people’…
Food seller makes his way alongside the train, offering snacks for a few rupees
The media are stifled but have moments of boldness in reporting on government corruption, alleged death squads etc. … but at a cost. In January 2009, the Editor for the Sunday Leader who dared to criticise the President was found murdered the next morning. The police have postponed the court case 24 times, stating there’s insufficient evidence and the one eye-witness disappeared without a trace… Reporters without Borders lists Sri Lanka as the worst of all democratically elected countries in the World for media freedom and states that during the last elections, media coverage was 96.7% about the President and only 3.3% about the opposition!
As to independent journalists, most have fled Sri Lanka or receive ongoing death-threats from supporters of the President. Even as I spoke with people myself, I was cautioned to be careful…
Murder and disappearances are not restricted to media personnel. The United Nations Human Rights Council has recorded 12,000 named individuals who have ‘gone missing’ whilst detained by the governments security services. Over half of them have now been declared dead. 6445 deaths whilst detained by the government…
People talk – nervously – of white vans without number plates. Vans that abduct people… they still speak of it to this day. Now.
Food for Thought? Democracy is usually presented as the ideal government structure for civilised societies… but I wonder at this, especially in countries as diverse as Sri Lanka. A great deal of the countries unrest comes from the majority overriding the minority (of which Sri Lanka has many – Tamils, Muslims, Hindus, Christians… ) What be the perfect political solution, I have no idea but if this (in my mind, false) democracy of Sri Lanka is to be maintained, by the grace of all the peoples respective Gods, may the people already poor and malnourished, be robbed no more…
69 years old and just finished her days work on the tea plantation. She carries firewood home, with her grandson.
Can I admit this is one of my favourite images from the tour? Tea Pickers. Sri Lankan – or Ceylon Tea – is World famous (and dare I say, quite rightly so!) Many of the workers are women and Tamil. They are amongst the most poorly paid workers in the country, receiving an average wage of £48 a month. The counter argument is that they receive accommodation, schooling for their children (now government compulsory anyway) and healthcare. Frankly, the argument fell apart for me the moment I saw the accommodation – utter squalor.
TIP: At some of the tea plantations you can undertake a tour, learning about the entire tea growing, selecting and tea making process.
When you meet the tea pickers at these tours they tend to beg for money and can be insistent. It can be quite shocking. Picking the tea leaves where the tourists are is a lucky day (the plantations are HUGE and the plants can’t be picked every day)
Trying to survive on £48 a month is not a lucky day… So please, don’t be shocked and if you have a few spare rupees…
Landscapes of Sri Lanka
Peace after a Thirty Year War For nigh on 30 years, Sri Lanka was torn apart by a bloody internal war. The twists and turns that led to the war are considerable but perhaps can be summed up as ‘institutionalised racism’ against the Tamil community. A group calling themselves the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) became the dominant aggravators and aggressors, calling for independence. Although in later years the LTTE stronghold was predominantly in the more arid north of the island, the war reached all provinces. The tactics employed by the LTTE lead them to be classed as a terrorist organisation. They carried out more suicide bombings than any other organisation in the World (370+)
The LTTE murdered 600 policemen after they surrendered having been promised safe conduct. Raiding villages at night and hacking people – man, woman and child – to death with axes and other weapons is part of their history. However the atrocities of war were present on both sides. There’s talk of the government responding with Death Squads and entire mass graves have been uncovered. Burning bodies by the side of the road became a typical, if utterly horrific sight. After 4 failed peace negotiations across three decades, the war was finally ended in 2009 upon the death of the LTTE leader. Yet war never stops in a day. Whilst President Mahinda is declaring Sri Lanka the first country to rid itself of an internal terrorist organisation, the UN is calling for a full Human Rights investigation…
It is thought some 40,000 people died in the last four months of the war (USA figures). Thousands upon thousands of other people are still missing and mass graves are being found, layer upon layer of bodies, many children. It is disputed at this time as to whether the areas were under Tamil or SLM control at the time. The UN panel found that the Sri Lankan military (SLM) had intentionally shelled both UN and Red Cross ships to stop them helping civilians – despite fore knowledge of ships identity, intentionally bombed civilian hospitals, torture and rape became the norm for those detained by the SLM. Numerous alleged crimes have also been listed by the Tamil Tigers. President Mahinda has so far responded belligerently in regard to the UN call for a Human Rights investigation.
Another matter came to light as we travelled. The Sri Lankan Army faced a high number of deserters and to keep numbers up, started to recruit younger ‘adults’ (Tamil Tigers have also been accused of recruiting children for war) However, now the war is over, these by and large uneducated soldiers are unemployable and know no other life than resolving conflict through use of violence. They’re poor, angry and lost – completely unequipped to deal with the World around them. The impact on society is starting to seep through…
For my part, as we drove along one dark night, down unlit roads, I asked why no-one hitchhiked? In a country of such poverty, surely hitchhiking would be common-sense? As soon as my words escaped me, I could have kicked myself. In a country recovering from war, with reports of disappearances still happening, of people being sent to government ‘rehabilitation’ (one woman threatened with this during our stay, simply because she was helping to compile names of missing people), no-one was going to stop on a dark road to pick up a stranger… not even now, five years later.
2004 Tsunami I suspect for many of us, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was the first time we’d heard the word ‘Tsunami’. In war torn Sri Lanka, the day was a public holiday. In a country of poverty, the beaches were free and the people flocked to the ocean to enjoy time with family and friends. At first the water rose, just a little and then it pulled back, leaving fish and other sea life flailing in the sands. Adults and children alike ran out to look at the phenomenon. And then the wave came… 35,000 people died. The 2nd highest loss of life of any country impacted by the disaster.
The Sri Lankans tell a story of people running to climb aboard a train that was in the station, hoping against hope that the train was stronger than the wave. It’s thought some 1,700 people crammed into the carriages. Some people stood behind the train, hoping it would protect them. The train was flung against the buildings, crushing those that had sought protection behind it. The carriages were so full the doors wouldn’t open and the wave rose metres above it. The people started to drown, trapped. Less than a handful of people survived, in total. The YouTube video of the train, drowned bodies within, bodies crushed beneath it, carriages swept into the jungle, are horrific.
The Tsunami waters rose as high as the Galle Fort walls (pictured) – see vehicles for height comparison‌
The Galle cricket club (pictured) opposite the Galle Fort (previous image) was completely destroyed, submerged under meters of water. It has since been rebuilt.
The waters flooded inland in some areas up to 1.5 – 2kms, wiping out everything in its path. Homes, businesses, restaurants, hotels, plantations. Even now, the shells of businesses and homes can still be seen along the coastline – I couldn’t bear to photograph it. The seawater killed the land, saturating it with salt and destroying the possibility of crops. Over 500,000 people were made homeless. International aid poured in to help … but as we travelled through Sri Lanka, ten years after the horror, we encountered another horror…
People remain homeless. Ten years of trauma, of loss, ten years of no one place to rest and rebuild… The government declared a ‘Buffer Zone’ in some areas – telling people to vacate the coastline, forcing them to leave without an alternative permanent location being offered. The people left … and now the Buffer Zone is filling up with new hotels, restaurants, smart houses … allegedly owned by friends of the government.
The subjects of which I have already touched upon are inescapable to those that have a modicum of curiosity and awareness – only the walking dead would be able to avoid it. However, these subjects, whilst all-pervading, aren’t the full story. By far. There is another Sri Lanka and I am pleased to say we found it – it was as inescapable as the subjects I have already covered…
‘Beauty’ is defined as a combination of qualities that pleases the senses – and Sri Lanka has it by the bucket load. I hope that although only using my iPhone 4S throughout the journey I have still managed to convey a little of it in my images.
Our days were filled with the most wonderful experiences – some made us laugh, some made the heart just blossom and others… well, I found myself having to acknowledge that it had been years since I had smiled so much. We often stopped by the roadside during our days , a quick stretch of the legs, a sip of water, a reminder of the incredible heat (even in images where the sky is overcast, the temperature was still in the high 20’s)
On one of these occasions we pulled over on a quiet road beside some rice fields. Stretching our legs I saw a man walking towards us and meeting my gaze he said, “Come, come.” I was quite shocked at the use of English, spoken across the country, even in remote areas such as where we had stopped. He was easily in his late sixties and led me down into the rice paddy. Proudly he told me it was his rice field and he would be harvesting it the next day. Then he bent down and cut some rice for me, wrapping it and handing it to me – a gift of good luck. He wanted nothing but to give, to share a little of his World with an obviously curious traveller.
On another day, during a particularly long journey we decided to not just stop and stretch our legs but to actually walk and have our guide catch us up. We found ourselves approaching and walking through a small village. Three young men sat on the bridge that was the beginning of the village and said ‘Hello’. One with a grin, said ‘I love you’ and proposed, making us all laugh. The Sri Lankans were as curious about us as we were about them. The women were less forthcoming but the boys had a format they liked to work to…
The format went something like this: • • • •
Where are you from? How old are you? Are you married? Would you like a good Sri Lankan boy?
It’s easy to be offended - not exactly a standard conversation starter in the Western World - and for a day or two I did find my hackles rising a little until I quickly realised it was more a cultural difference than any intention to offend. Most people simply wanted to talk and these matters were important to them.
Talking of ways of doing things… On New Years Eve we sat on the beach at Mount Lavinia Hotel, Columbo. We were still slightly jetlagged but settling down slowly. Next to us, a Catholic Sri Lankan started chatting away. He was in the region of 70 years old and enthusiastically introduced his 2nd wife, (Buddhist – these things are important and not to be underestimated in conversation) to whom he had only been married to for a couple of months. He explained that on the death of his first wife, he and his pet dogs had swiftly become lonely so he had placed an advert in the paper for a new wife. He was flooded with over 200 responses and told some 150 eager potential suitors that he’d already found a wife, just to clear through some of the calls…
Some time later in our journey, my partner succumbed to a heavy cold. Indeed the last week of our tour was hotel bound as she recovered, although we found ourselves luxuriating in the rest. During this time, we checked out the papers and sure enough, there were dozens upon dozens of marriage proposals on offer. I made a note of one: “Suburban Salagama Buddhist retired engineer father seeks well mannered and qualified partner for his only daughter, 5’3”, pretty, 1989, presently employed as a software engineer with BSc Hons in Computer Engineering from University of Moratuwa. Only brother also engineering graduate and lives in Australia. Caste immaterial. Please reply with horoscope.”
There were many cultural differences encountered on the journey, like the aforementioned manner of finding a marriage partner. For example, the towns and cities all have pedestrian crossings but I’ve no idea why – vehicles do not stop when you’re walking across them. I remain baffled to this day about that. Motorcyclists wear their jackets and coats backwards – to keep the dust out… Cows wander the roads freely… On several occasions we saw two cows tied together, side by side and asked why? To stop them entering peoples garden gates and eating everything, was the response. Gosh, yes. Of Course!
Gravestones beside the road though was perhaps one of the most unusual practices I encountered‌ and we saw a great number of them. Some standing alone, some with 20 or 30 others, so an unofficial cemetery was starting to take shape‌.
Recommendations •
Mount Lavinia Hotel, Columbohttp://www.mountlaviniahotel.com/front/index.php
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Priyankara Hotel, Tissamaharana http://www.priyankarahotel.com/
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Roman Beach Hotel, Hikkaduwa - http://www.roman-beachhikkaduwa-sri-lanka.lakpura.com/
Itinerary In just a short 21 days (actually somewhat less as for almost an entire week we were hotel bound as my partner recovered from a heavy cold) we managed to explore the following… 1.
2. 3.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
Columbo – explored 3 different ‘levels’ of markets (upper class, middle class and lower class – the latter of which it seemed ‘white people’ just didn’t visit – we caused quite a commotion) Columbo – celebrated New Years Eve at Mount Lavinia Hotel – apparently one of the best parties in Sri Lanka and we can believe it – an exceptional night. Sigiriya Village Safari – highly recommended and includes - bullock cart ride – river crossing – traditional lunch cooked in a traditional house (mud hut) – tuktuk ride (or drive in my case as the young man handed the machine over to me) Elephant Orphanage visit Elephant Safari Polonaruwa Kingdom visit Gem shop visit, including full tour, history and technique of mining Dambulla Buddhist Cave Temple Hindu Temple and blessing Spice garden tour (don’t buy spices from them – hugely overpriced – but prepare to be wowed by the magic of spices in ways that you couldn’t imagine) Kandy – Buddha Tooth Temple. Kandy – Traditional Dance Display – had some unexpected elements that means this is a must see! Royal Rain Forest Walk – watch out for the leeches… I jest not. Boots, thick socks and if squeamish, perhaps best avoid. Batik Cotton Design factory tour Observation Carriage Train Ride from kandy to Tea Plantation area – truly worthwhile – pack lunch for the 4hr journey through the mountains and amazing scenery Lunch at the private Hill Club (you’ll need to buy membership for the day) Strawberry Everything – super surprise – a restaurant that serves strawberry everything – including pizza! Adams Peak – check it out and dare! Ella – to wake up and look out over Ellas Gap (also ‘End of World’ walk in area) Stay in a fantastic beach cabana Visit a Turtle Sanctuary Visit Galle Fort
Itinerary, cont…
My partner also managed to fit in • Climbing Sigiriya Rock to the fort at the top (looked amazing) • White Water rafting – check time of year – waters can be low – great for 1st timers • Surfing – Sri Lanka caters for beginners to pro surfers • Yala National Safari Park – the place to see leopards, jackals etc • Turtle laying eggs on beach at night.
References •
World Giving Index - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Giving_Index
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Reporters without Borders - http://en.rsf.org/report-sri-lanka,79.html
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UN panel – war crimes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleged_war_crimes_during_the_final_stages_of_the_Sri_Lan kan_Civil_War
As stated at the beginning, this collection of images and information is in no way an authoritative nor comprehensive guide to Sri Lanka – merely one persons impressions. I asked questions, was sometimes offered answers, did a little research and asked more questions, all the while observing the World around me. Sri Lanka is beautiful, as are her people. Throughout our journey we were welcomed, beautifully looked after and although I was occasionally cautioned because of the questions I was asking, we felt completely safe. It wasn’t the holiday I was expecting but transpired to be a life experience, one I shall value and ponder for years to come. If you decide to visit Sri Lanka, please do with compassion and tolerance.