Travelogue-Columbo, Srilanka

I am trying to recap all my past travels before it fads away from my memory….

This travel goes way back in 2006. We headed to Columbo, Srilanka from Bangalore, India. It was a 1.5 hrs flight journey. The visa to Srilanka is on arrival, which is good for last minute travel planners. I understand now there are many more low-cost carriers to suit our budgets. We headed from Columbo airport to a place called Ranweli Beach Resorts in Waikkal close to Nigombo. It’s surrounded by backwaters on all three sides and we had to use a small ferry to enter the resort! That being my first beach resort holiday, I just loved it! We got a nice cottage and it had a spectacular view of the sea (or should I say simply sea-view cottage). We were very impressed with the resort’s commitment to being eco-friendly. The buffet breakfast was typical continental food and I liked it for the variety for breads you get and different types of jam. Back then, I was not so conscious about sugary foods and use to load my plate with lots of jam for a single bread sandwich set. I was not too happy with the lunch options we had as Indian vegetarians. We typically had a bland vegetable with steamed rice(trying to spice it up with pepper/salt). I used to hog their deserts for the lunch. That would be like my main course! (Absolutely I had no control over food those days!). I had my first alcoholic based beverage there! I used to sip a very small glass of wine for like more than an hour or so. My initial taste for alcohol was not so good. I understand as you drink for a while, you develop a taste. But, to be frank, I have never felt a lift in my spirits (or call it maabu(tamil) feeling) after having them . In and around the Columbo, we visited the Pinnawala Elephant orphanage, Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya and Kandy-Buddha tooth relic temple. Pinnawala Elephant orphanage is the home to some 60 or more elephant orphans. It’s a place where baby jumbos are bottle fed and bathed by their human foster fathers. It’s about 90Km from Colombo towards Kandy. The botanical garden is a must to watch and you can spend a whole day there, provided you carry your own food and drink to go with it. As it was a little off-season, could mostly see lot of young love birds (school-going pairs) having a good time in the garden. We had been for a bird watching trip along with a german couple in the backwaters surrounding the ranweli resort. There are lots of indoor activities available in the resort like table-tennis, chess, carom and other outdoor activities like beach volleyball, tennis, cycling, canoeing. The resort offers a romantic ferry cruise with a personalized butler and boatman and good five-course dinner served on a beautifully decorated ferry, as the ferry glides along the backwaters. We were pleasantly surprised by a very personalized Indian dinner served by them in the ferry and a different dessert arrangement (with a whole pineapple kept in front of us, which had an ice-cream nicely arranged inside the pineapple removing the pulp!). Before I finish this post, this was my honeymoon trip and Ranweli resort made it very memorable. I am happy to recommend this resort to all.