Mining For Gems The mining of precious stones in Sri Lanka seems to be as old as the country itself. The tales of ancient mariners about their visits to the island frequently mention the “jewels of Serendib” telling of “the sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets and other costly stones of Ceylon.” One of the many… Read More »
Collecting Ceylon Ceylon ceased to exist in 1972 when the island’s name became Sri Lanka, 24 years after obtaining Independence from Britain in 1948. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the country officially becoming part of the British Empire in 1815, but there are no commemorations of that. However, there are many collectable items… Read More »
Sri Lanka’s rare martial art. An item in a local newspaper has set me on a discovery of a unique Sri Lankan martial art. The report reads: “A presentation and display on Angampora was conducted by the Sri Lankan Air Force Angampora team in Colombo last month, marking yet another significant milestone in history of… Read More »
Tea Time It’s a bit too early to put the kettle on but if you like tea then there are lots of events associated with tea being held in Sri Lanka in 2017. That’s to celebrate tea’s sesquicentennial based on it being 150 years since James Taylor, from Scotland, planted the first field of tea… Read More »
Perahera Season Next month, August, the world famous Perahera takes place in Kandy. It’s a 14-day event open to the public as spectators, beginning on 17 August culminating in the glorious evening Perahera on the night of the Full Moon, Saturday 29 August and followed by a less elaborate day Perahera on Sunday 30 August.… Read More »
New Rail Museum Passengers on trains heading from Colombo to the hill country are astonished to see smart, but ancient, classic locomotives alongside the platforms at Kadugannawa Station, 16km before Kandy. Hill country trains stop at that station but expresses to Kandy rumble through so passengers only get a glimpse of Kadagannawa’s link with trains… Read More »
The beach is back “The beach is back!” As soon as the pumping and gushing of sand over the exposed rocks at Unawatuna was finished, these words buzzed around Sri Lanka, and Unawatuna in the island’s south was back in business. Once acclaimed as one of the 10 best beaches in the world… Read More »
Holiday Month April is holiday month in Sri Lanka. Whenever a public holiday falls close to a weekend, Sri Lankans love to make the most of it and visit friends, the hill country, and the beaches. Friday 3 April is a holiday, being a Full Moon Poya Day, which makes for a long weekend. Then… Read More »
This month: a brief account of a fascinating place, steeped in history but contributing hugely to modern Sri Lanka’s prosperity. Unknown Sri Lanka: China Fort It’s not a fort and the connection with China is conjecture, but China Fort is a vitally important part of Sri Lanka’s economic prosperity as well as a fascinating… Read More »
Greetings to fellow travellers and visitors to Sri Lanka with train news. By train to Jaffna Following the election of a new president in Sri Lanka in January, several changes are obvious to the frequent visitor to the island. One of interest to travellers is the lifting of restrictions on foreigners going by train to… Read More »
