.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa (89)

The medieval ruins of Polonnaruwa are located in east-central Sri Lanka.
During my last trip to Sri Lanka I revisited Polonnaruwa as I’d only been there on one prior occasion.  During that prior visit, Polonnaruwa was at the fringes of the front in the country’s lingering Civil War, and not considered safe, so we didn’t stay any longer than necessary to visit the highlights of the ruined city.

UNESCO Marker, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

UNESCO Marker, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka


This trip was done at a more relaxed pace.  We spent two nights in the Polonnaruwa at a charming small hotel adjacent to the ruins, got to celebrate Sri Lankan New Year with the hotel owners, staff and guests, and I had a leisurely day to explore the ruins. 
Polonnaruwa is part of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle, …

Read More

Tagged , , , , , ,
.All Trips / Asia / Food / Sri Lanka

St. Clair’s Tea Center, Sri Lanka

01 St. Clair’s Tea Center

High in the mountains of central Sri Lanka you’ll find vast plantations of tea.  Interspersed among these are tea centers, wherein you can stop, sample some of the local tea and purchase some to take with you.  Some of these stops include a free tour of a tea production factory; here you can see how the tea leaves are dried, fermented, roasted, crushed and prepared for market.

Near the city of Nuwara Eliya we stopped at St. Clair’s Tea Center, which is only a tea shop with no adjoining factory tour.  St. Clair’s was founded in the 19th century by James Ryan, who was among the first in the region to begin growing and experimenting with tea.  The plantation is named …

Read More

Tagged , , , ,
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka

St Francis Xavier’s Church, Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya St, Francis Xavier Church (1)

When I last visited Nuwara Eliya, situated high in the mountains of Sri Lanka’s tea country, I made a point of seeing some of the local sights.  One of the my friends and traveling companions, a devout Catholic, wanted to visit St. Xavier’s Catholic Church, which I’m glad we did because it is quite lovely. 

The church’s construction was begun in 1838, and it was completed over a 10 year period.  It’s still a lovely building, a brown color with colonial architecture, so it fits in well with the overall appearance of the town.

St, Francis Xavier Church. Nuwara Eliya

St, Francis Xavier Church. Nuwara Eliya

The interior  of the church is bright and cheery, and has some interesting mementos of the Saint it’s named for. 

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge and right arrow to …

Read More

Tagged , ,
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka

Rambling through Colombo’s Fort Neighborhood

00 Old Fort District, Colonial era buildings (8)

Columbo’s Fort District is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.  Developed extensively during the British Colonial era, a visit to many areas in the Fort seems like stepping back a century or more.  Many of its hotels, shops and offices date to this period.  To this day it remains the city’s center of business and is home to the Bank of Ceylon headquarters and Ceylon Stock Exchange.

The Fort District was built around Colombo’s fine harbor and it is here you will find the Maritime Museum, lighthouse, and Naval barracks.  The area is also site of the country’s Presidential residency and some branches of the country’s government offices.  The area is not exclusively a slice of old England.  For example, the Old Dutch …

Read More

Tagged , , , ,

“Pic of the Week”, August 9, 2019: Scenes from the Batticaloa Waterfront

10 Batticaloa harbor

Situated on Sri Lanka’s east coast, the small city of Batticaloa was all but neglected by tourists until the country’s Civil War ended a few years ago.   Fortunately for the region, that’s changing and valuable tourist dollars are flowing in.

Most people who visit Batticaloa go to see its historic fort, which I’ve previously discussed.  The city is situated on the Indian Ocean, to which it is connected by a series of lagoons, and there are many great scenes to enjoy from the water.

Below are some scenes from the city’s waterfront, including of its harbor including fishermen bridges and the city’s lighthouses….

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge and right arrow to advance)

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, August 9, 2019: Scenes from the Batticaloa Waterfront
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka

Around Nuwara Eliya

02 Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is unlike most of the destinations you’re likely to visit in Sri Lanka.  Situated in the Hill Country at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) , the city is at the heart of Sri Lanka’s important tea growing industry.  It’s also the country’s most important center for vegetable growth.  In fact, the farm land on which vegetables are grown is more expensive than much of the land in nation’s capital of Colombo.  

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya

The city was developed by the British during the period of Colonial occupation in the 19th century.  Besides its importance as a tea growing area to the British, the cool temperate climate appealed to them as it was similar to that back home.  Nuwara Eliya …

Read More

Tagged , , , ,

“Pic of the Week”, April 19, 2019: Easter Week in Batticaloa

01 St. Mary’s Cathedral, Batticaloa (5)

During my last trip to Sri Lanka, I spent some time visiting with my friend, Dottie, Sir Arthur C Clarke’s personal secretary.  I got to know Dottie during my travels to Sri Lanka decades ago and we have kept up our friendship and correspondence over the years; it was nice to reconnect in person for a few days.

Dottie is a devout Roman Catholic and wanted to visit the Catholic churches in eastern Sri Lanka, which gave me the opportunity to see places and observe religious customs I otherwise might not have.  One of these places was the Cathedral of St. Mary in the small city of Batticaloa, an old church dating to 1808.

The church is simple but nicely maintained.  I …

Read More

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, April 19, 2019: Easter Week in Batticaloa

“Pic of the Week”, March 22, 2019: Sambodhi Chaithya, Colombo

00 Stupa

Stupas, or dagobas, are very commonly found throughout southeastern Asia.  I’d never seen one with legs before my visit to Sambodhi Chaithya, located on Marine Drive adjacent to the Harbor in Colombo’s Fort district.

Sambodhi Chaithya was built in 1956 on a platform supported by two massive interlocking concrete arches.  No one is sure why it was designed in this manner, but likely so that it can be seen at a distance by ships as they approach the harbor.  The stupa can be entered by climbing 11 sets of stairs (barefoot — no shoes allowed in a stupa — beware of burning your feet on a hot day!), and then crossing a steel bridge as you can see from the photo …

Read More

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, March 22, 2019: Sambodhi Chaithya, Colombo