Love island
century. Colourful and chrome-rimmed old-fashioned Leyland buses are packed to the gunnels with commuters, and mopeds weave in and out of gaps in the often chaotic traffic, dominated by the noise of tooting horns and two-stroke engines.
A common sight is a helmeted Mum and Dad on a moped with a small child sandwiched precariously and usually unprotected in between – enough to make the heads of health and safety teams spin back home. But this is everyday life in South Asia.
A tailor sits behind his trusty Singer sewing machine, working on his latest line in childrenswear, smiles and says “hello” before offering to run up a made-tomeasure shirt or jacket, while a “licensed” money exchange dealer enquires politely to every passing tourist if they need local currency.
Being a closed currency, you cannot take Sri Lankan rupees in or out. The airport at Colombo provides the first opportunity to convert your spending money, although there are plenty of ATMs and banks.
There are smarter bazaars selling gifts and souvenirs from locally made woodcrafts and ornaments to the usual tourist tat, plus a lively fish market and stalls selling coconuts and bananas – there are 17 varieties – and corn on the cob cooked in large pans.
This is real life – a taste of local culture that’s starkly juxtaposed with the hotel’s luxurious resort location.
For a more tranquil experience, the nearby Lunuganga country residence of Sri Lanka’s famous architect Geoffrey Bawa, who designed and built the Cinnamon Bentota Beach hotel in the late 1960s, is 10 minutes away.
Bawa spent 40 years perfecting the landscaping of his weekend retreat which has glorious views from several vantage points in the extensive gardens hidden away in the forest on the banks of Lake Dedduwa. A must-see is turtles emerging from the water to lay their eggs on the beach at a nearby hatchery and conservation centre where you can even release the baby reptiles into the water.
Another highly recommended trip is to the fortified coastal town of Galle which has plenty of upmarket boutiques and eateries.
It’s also home to a Test match cricket ground that was washed away by the 2004 tsunami that claimed over 30,000 lives on the island, and which the late, great Australian spin bowler Shane Warne paid to be rebuilt.
A coastal train was wiped out in the natural disaster, killing 1,700 alone, and a monument stands as a reminder of the huge loss.
But this is a vibrant country full of positivity, and a welcoming culture that’s only too pleased to see travellers from afar.
But maybe think twice about going swimming in the rivers!
See turtles emerging from the water to lay their eggs on the beach