Ayubowan,

We have passed the half way mark for 2012 and come to the month of July where Sri Lanka proudly shows off our Esala Pageant in Kandy. With over 150 majestic elephants on parade clad in their brightly coloured and sequined costumes, the daring torch dancers who jump through balls of fire, etc. makes it a site to behold. The processions begin on the 23rd of July (kumbal perehara until the 27th and Randoli from the 28th of July) and conclude on the Esala Poya Day which falls on the 1st of August. At an auspicious time on 1st August, the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha will be deposited in the Kandy Temple until its taken out during next year’s Esala Pageant. Having witnessed this mighty spectacle as a kid with my parents many years ago, I am looking forward to seeing it again on the 1st of August this year. If you haven’t seen it so far, I sure hope you can make it one day as it is indeed a worthwhile experience.

I also had the opportunity to go to Ella last weekend. As always, travelling inland is such a pleasant experience and one I thoroughly enjoy (how I wish I can do it more often!). Ella has developed into a pretty interesting “tourist hub” shedding its “sleepy town” reputation. Just by the Ella railway station, an area of about 2 kilometers is frequented by many foreign visitors. With many guesthouses offering “budget” accommodation and street cafes offering everything from Chinese to Italian cuisine, I saw many young guests and families with children enjoying the pleasant climate of this “hill” station(about 1400 meters above sea level). There were people reading books or writing notes at the cafes, others engaging in hikes and still others just hanging about. About 2 kilometers inland, there is a quaint property called the 98 Acres with 12 chalets set amidst a tea estate overlooking the mountains. With rustic but comfortable rooms, it offers those who have a bigger budget comfortable accommodation. We climbed the “little Adam’s Peak”, took the treacherous road to see the 9 Arches Bridge guided by a talkative 12 year old boy who insisted in getting in to our vehicle and telling us the interesting story as to how the bridge was built (by the way he dreams of being an engineer one day and I hope and pray he will), visited the Demodara Train station and also went to Bogoda to see the “wooden bridge” built during the period of the Kings. We were also approached by another villager who narrated to us the interesting story how Rawana is still alive and his cave has seven swords dangling about.

I am looking forward to visiting Sri Lanka’s first purpose-built eco lodge called the Rainforest Lodge in Deniyaya this weekend. This is a pilot project undertaken by about 7 private sector company’s including Jetwing, and set adjoining the magnificent Rain Forest at Sinharaja.

Let’s hope the 2nd half of the year will bring us more joy and happiness.

Warm Wishes,

A riot of colour, sound, and dance, the annually held Esala Perahera is eagerly looked forward to by the young and the old, and is revered as a magnificent celebration of Buddhism.

Long years ago, legend has it that as the Buddha was cremated in the 5th century BC, one of his loyal followers took a tooth from the pyre. The tooth was then smuggled to Sri Lanka, where the king at the time was overjoyed to be blessed by its presence, and had the sacred relic paraded for all his people to see. The tradition has continued since then, and the modern day festival takes place in Kandy, where for more than 400 years the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth Relic) has housed the precious artifact. The procession of brightly costumed elephants, drummers, Kandyan dancers, and fire performers travel through the city streets, with a replica of the golden casket housing the relic carried atop a majestic tusker; a sight to behold, especially in the glow of the lit torches.

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