SLOW LIVING IN SRI LANKA

I’m sure you’ve heard of Sri Lanka, the peaceful land with immense green tea hills, beautiful dark forests, long sandy beaches, and honest and kind people…

I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD OF SRI LANKA, THE ISLAND COUNTRY IN THE VAST INDIAN OCEAN; THE PEACEFUL LAND WITH IMMENSE GREEN TEA HILLS, BEAUTIFUL DARK FORESTS, LONG SANDY BEACHES, AND HONEST AND KIND PEOPLE. SO, WHY NOT TAKE THE TIME TO BLEND IN WITH THE SLOW LIVING LIFESTYLE OF THIS STRANGE LAND TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS CULTURE OF ONE OF THE LESSER KNOWN SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES.

RIDING A TRAIN THROUGH THE SPLENDID TEA HIGHLANDS

The tea industry in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka has a long history. In addition to India, the British brought tea plants to Sri Lanka and developed the industry there into a very largescale production system during the colonial period, which lasted from the early 17th century until the country gained its independence almost at the same time as India in 1948. Nowadays, the immense hills are still dominated by the famous black tea estates that produce tea not only for the domestic market, but also for Lipton’s large processing factory that ships worldwide. When thinking about a trip to Sri Lanka, you shouldn’t miss taking a spectacular train through these highlands. It was also my own first goal when embarking on a “slow living” journey through this South Asian country.

The entire country of Sri Lanka has only one international airport, Negombo, located about 30 km north of the capital. In addition, public transport systems spread throughout the country primarily by only 2 means: bus and train. Both types of transport have bit of ancient color, looking like they have been in use since the British Ceylon period. From an economic perspective, of course, the system seems to be well suited to the living standard of the majority of Sri Lankans. Personally, I think perhaps Sri Lanka is the country with the cheapest travel costs among the countries where I have travelled, and the convenience isn’t bad - maybe just below average. But, if you are immersed in the slow pace of life as the local people, the tourism standards don’t really matter much. The experience of a new life is what is most valuable.

I started one of my life’s most scenic railway journeys from Kandy, the capital of the Highlands of Sri Lanka, in an excited mood. The train huffed and puffed, slowly crossing the green tea hills in the sunlight. With the terrain changing constantly, the train passed through the deep valleys, the dark forests and began to plunge through the lovely villages located along the gentle slopes. Occasionally, the train stopped at a substation, and I sat by the window, gazing at the continuous activity on the platform, sometimes catching the curious black eyes on the opposite trains. Fresh air and lovely scenery from the train platforms really softened our hearts. Sometimes just a few eyes gazing at each other, or witnessing hands holding on the platform in the afternoon sunshine through the glass, suddenly made me realize that life is so meaningful.

SLOWLY DRIFTING TOWARDS THE SEA...

I stopped for one night in a small mountain town with the beautiful name “Ella”, and then took a very interesting bus ride farther south, near the Indian Ocean coast. The farther south we travelled the more villages we encountered, the more crowded the population became and the more bustling the atmosphere was. No longer immersed in the cool, exciting plateau of the highlands, I began to plunge into a chaotic society often found in developing countries.

While the central highlands are the agricultural estates famous for their black tea processing industry, the south of Sri Lanka is important for its port towns. Even before British Ceylon period, Western empires looked to Sri Lanka as a transfer point needed to colonize the Far East. Therefore, many ancient fortresses and a port system spread from the southeast to the southwest of the island. One important colonial port town is is the quaint Galle with the most famous lighthouse of the country.

Galle has been known as an important port town since the island was ruled by Portugal in 16th century. Through the Dutch colonial period in 18th century, Galle remained a prosperous city - the largest port in Sri Lanka at that time. Because of this, today Galle is a unique collection of colonial architecture, combined with a large fortress and an extremely beautiful white lighthouse on the edge of the vast Indian Ocean.

Visitors to Galle will experience an extremely interesting place. Like many similar ancient port cities in Asia such as Malacca, Penang (Malaysia) or Surabaya, Makassar (Indonesia), the atmosphere in Galle itself exudes a very slow pace. The small, well-paved streets are carefully cleaned, extending from the surrounding fortress to the coast of the Indian Ocean, where the famous white lighthouse is located. Along the sides of the road are

GALLE IS A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE ON THE EDGE OF THE VAST INDIAN OCEAN.

beautifully arranged jewelry stores, souvenir shops and small restaurants to satisfy any tourist. In addition, the slow-living travelers can also hang out in the old bars or coffee shops that are elegantly and sophisticatedly decorated in the classic style.

But Galle’s main charm seems to be centered on a mix of beautiful architecture including the white lighthouse by the sea, the National Maritime museum and St. Mary’s Church built by Jesuit priests. All blend together to create a beautiful and peaceful space that makes visitors want to stay there for a long time and live life very slowly, blending into the long history of this ancient coastal town.

THE COUNTRY OF THE KINDHEARTED PEOPLE

Although located next to India with the natural border being a very narrow and shallow strait, the cultural life and religious communities in Sri Lanka are completely different from the rest of the Indian continent. Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country with 70% of the population belonging to Theravada Buddhism. Perhaps because of its religious background, generally, Sri Lankan people are gentle and kind. During the entire journey across this island, from the capital Colombo to the Highlands, and then gradually down to the town of Galle in the southwest, I had the opportunity to be part of a very gentle and safe society. .Although, in the past, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam operated in the northernmost part of the island, it seems to be a thing of the past.

Sri Lankan people today have a living standard below the world average, but their kindness and hospitality are very precious presents for foreign visitors. The hospitality of the local people is one of the main reasons people return to Sri Lanka again and again. This island country is a great place to experience a slow journey, to immerse yourself in lush nature and to integrate into a bustling but very safe society...