Ayubowan

Till now I thought that Sri Lanka is just an island in the ocean, but after my trip there, it’s actually a pearl in the Indian Ocean. Let me take you on a mind trip to Sri Lanka and show you how Anantara Resorts made it even better. It’s mind mapping time!

One of my “things to do” was to travel solo. And then after lots of ‘no’, ‘not now’ and ‘let’s see’, I was finally going to Sri Lanka in the summer of 2017. Then began my planning for the trip. I started by creating storage space on my iPhone, charging the batteries of my Nikon, researching on the places I am going to, collecting lists from people who wanted souvenirs from there and most of all pretending to be calm about the vacation I was going for. Well excitement was on another level.

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Three and a half hours flight and I was in Colombo at around 12 am and I had another three hours drive to reach my destination – Tangalle. Honestly, I had a very different visual in my mind of Sri Lanka or you can say Indians are too self-contained. The roads were well lit up, signage were brilliant and I had a good supply of food in the car. My night was made. Half an hour into the journey and I was already excited for the next five days.

The driver wakes me up and informs me that we’ve reached Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort. I stepped out rubbing my eyes but also pretending that I was awake throughout, I see the porch and the reception, boy it was heaven! There is nothing better than the sound of water trickling down in one corner to an absolute quiet everywhere. Not a single soul to be found and that’s what probably made me even happier. I thought my car ride was over but wait, I still had a golf cart to travel in, this time to my villa. Whatever ‘sleep’ idea I had in my mind, vanished. I see this absolute gorgeous villa with a pool. It was 4 am and lots of travelling but I still had the energy to ‘explore’ my room.

7 am, I was in my bathrobe standing with a cup of coffee on the pool deck. It’s difficult to even pen down what I was seeing in front of me. As a north Indian, having a water facing property is a big deal and when you are standing in a villa which mind it has a pool, is ocean facing, you can hear the gush of the waves clearly and in the foreground you have these tall coconut trees with a clear blue sky with literal white clouds, the resort had blown me away completely.

As I called the front desk to have me picked up for breakfast, my villa host, Shafni is there in minutes in his golf cart. I have been to different hotels in the world, spoken to a few people from the hospitality industry, but I have never seen a staff this friendly. It feels nice when you are sleep deprived and people are there to take care of you with a broad smile at any hour of the day. As Shafni and I were talking about the weather in Tangalle, we reached Journeys, the restaurant that serves Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine. Devouring myself with some falafels, king coconuts, cinnamon rolls (which I love) and of course some tea, I was all set to explore Tangalle. My first stop being at the Tangalle port close to a Sri Lankan navy station which has a few fishing boats, ferries, and fishermen of course. After a ten minute halt at a Buddhist temple, we head back to the resort. On the way we took a slight detour to explore the by-lanes of the town where one can see some local cafes, Portuguese cottages, lots of greenery and a few iguanas. The drive back was something you would see in a movie. Narrow lanes, quiet beaches and no traffic. I was literally in the middle of nowhere and neither was I in any kind of a rush. I never wanted this day to end, but at the back of my mind, there was one important thing that had to be done. Spa. Well the world can wait when it comes to pampering your own self, that’s the theory we all have, don’t we? The moment I had back to the resort, I head straight to the Anantara Spa. Level of desperation: High. As I was waiting in the lobby for my turn, I was given four options to choose from - Sweet (lavender, rose, magnolia), Spice (black pepper, ginger, orange), Splash (peppermint, rosemary, lemon) and Smooth (sandalwood, patchouli, clary sage). Detox was my target and I wanted to get rid of the toxins, so went in for Smooth. As Atun, my masseuse for 90 minutes escorted me to the room, all I was hoping was that people don’t hear my thoughts because the hall was quieter than a library. It’s unrealistic. Anyway, I head to the changing room, got into a robe and I was all excited to get detoxed. Believe me, there is magic in that spa. The amount of relaxation I got with this treatment of 90 minutes was beyond a nine hours sleep and what better way to end this spa than some mildly sweet dried oranges to eat. My next destination was Il Mare, a terrace top Italian restaurant that over looks the ocean. I am Indian, but Italian at heart. My one-year stay in Milan has only spoilt me when it comes to the cuisine. My expectations have gone high and Il Mare meets it. With some exquisite wine, perfect caprese, series of sauces and not to miss the cioccolato dome, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.

My day two started with waking up at 5 am and today I was going to meet a few elephants at the Udawalawe National Park. After a journey of an hour and a half, I was then transferred onto a park’s vehicle which was a little elevated and of course would make my viewing easier. The park was fun, but I had already seen a lot of elephants before in my life so that probably didn’t excite me much, though I did spot two families of the same, a herd of wild bull, a golden deer and a few varieties of birds. For those who haven’t been to a safari before, the park has a lot to offer as it lives up to it’s ‘wildlife spotting’ concept. As I am back to my villa now, I have a few hours to myself and what better than a plunge in the pool. Four hours in the water and I am pruned like a bitter gourd and bronze-ly tanned. Man it was an exotic vacation. I could see Verele, the teppanyaki inspired dining right from my room. About 5 minutes from my villa, this Japanese restaurant seemed to be the favorite amongst the guests. Me being a vegetarian was bit of a problem there, but the chefs, as good as they are, produced a fine spread of vegetarian sushi, stir fried vegetables and a bowl of soup in a jiffy. The interesting part is, at the live counter the chefs show their culinary skills fused with some acrobatic skills which they keep updating every now and then. After reaching back to my room, I just wanted to do as much as could. Relax myself in the tub, read a book, FaceTime with the family and say a good night to Tangalle. Next I know is I was packing my bags.

I know there was a lot of sadness in my previous line, but my journey still hasn’t ended. I was now on my way to Handunugoda tea factory which was on my way to Kalutara. There are many interesting stories which have been a part of this 145 year old tea estate. They specialize in world’s most sought after speciality teas like the Sapphire Oolong, Lapsang Souchong and Flowery Camellia tea. I will tell you two stories about his estate, one being of the Virgin White Tea. This tea is the only tea in the world that is harvested without human-touch. In the olden times, the tealeaves were cut with a pair of golden scissors and only by virgins for the royals, hence the name. Another unique variety of tea I found here was the Suicide Blend, which has a trace of brandy in it. Why the name you would ask. Well, this is the tea that the members of the Suicide Club would start their day with reading the best selling book – The Suicide Club. Besides just tea, the estate also has rubber cultivation, coffee plants, a tea museum, a factory where you can go see how exactly tea is processed right from step one, and top it all lots of wildlife (I am here talking about roughly 30 varieties of birds, monkeys, porcupine, wild boar, lizards, only if you are lucky). If you are a tea lover and ever happen to go to here, you must visit the owner’s cottage where you can taste tea, read books and have cake. As I bought my ration of tea from the estate outlet, I was all set for Galle fort. It is a mini Portugal hiding in Sri Lanka and the whole area has this uncanny similarity to Goa, only cleaner. I wasn’t feeling quite well at the time, so I couldn’t really spend as much time as I wanted to, but had a fair kilometer walk around and guess what did I find there, an Indian restaurant. It’s amazing how we have invaded every part of the globe and to be honest I skip Indian food abroad as much as I can (recommended). Moving on, after an hour or so, I enter yet another Anantara – Kalutara Resort, that is breathtakingly beautiful with some modern architecture inspiration from late Geoffrey Bawa’s work. Here is an interesting story about the property. So, Geoffrey Bawa had started on the design for Anantara Kalutara property and due to his sudden demise, the project was held stand still. It was after years that the project was given a push. With crisp and sharp edges, grey walls, high ceilings, Anantara Kalutara’s walls will give you a sense of chicness and elegance along with some culture speaking out loud through the vibrant tapestries. With afternoon at leisure I had a chance to go and look around the property. The resort has this beautiful library, which as per me was the highlight of the resort. One can see some maps, blueprint of the property, a telescope, and not to miss the chairs in three different designs. The library gives you a more homely feel than just any other reading place. Out of the building, the property has a beach to itself and some water sports close by, Kalu Ganga river view and of course the Indian Ocean making it the perfect destination for a family holiday.

My day one in Kalutara was pretty relaxed, so I planned on catching up with my sleep and preparing myself for some good food at the resort’s Asian restaurant, Spice Traders. If you are a pre dinner drinks kind of a person, the resort has a perfect place for – Upper Deck, where one can have anything from sake, aperitifs and botanical spirits to some of the finest Sri Lankan cocktail blends. All this, with a great view. I never realized that with all this running around, it was time to pack my bags, yet again. With final day in Sri Lanka, I wanted to make the most of it and nothing better than starting the day with a visit to Kosgoda, a sea turtle conservation project where they rescue disabled or new born turtles. All you need there is half an hour and you must go there. The administration has with all their heart and soul, gone out of their way to protect them. One can see turtles suffering with albino (they can swim for long), ones that are blind, two day of babies, etc. After this I went to Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa’s (Sri Lanka’s most renowned architect) country estate. If you have a keen interest in architecture, this place has to in your bucket list. The property is way beyond words. Smart architecture and great landscaping, you can book yourself rooms in there for your stay or just take a tour. I have a thing for doors and thanks to the estate, I literally have pictures of 12 different kinds added to my collection. With colours like cream, white, grey, black and yellow, Geoffrey Bawa’s estate is elegance personified. He had placed different kind of bells in different area of the estate so that it was easy for his help to know which part of the residence the architect is. He made his own sundial, lots of different kind of trees right next to the back waters and of course his main house where from one end you can see the backwaters on the other end of the house. With exteriors done with so much of meaning, one is forced to believe that yes he was what he was certainly because of what he did. After my one hour tour in Lunuganga, I was starving and scared. I was going to cook my lunch with Anantara Kalutara’s chef. Yes, this was happening.

As soon as I got back to the resort, I thought I’ll go to my room, freshen up, laze around a bit, but the moment I entered the lobby, chef Nuwan was already waiting for me. So we headed straight to the cooking area in front of Spice Traders overlooking the river. Believe me, I felt like I was on a travel show and quite literally behaving like an anchor until I was given onions to chop. My Masterchef side was dying to come out. I’ll let that be there and fast forward to what I cooked. Now I can proudly say I made four dishes – coconut sambol, which is a traditional, grated coconut chutney which you can eat with rice or have it as a filler. Then I made a Thai eggplant curry, which probably was my favorite, mixed vegetable in curry and some rice. I am glad Anantara has started with this unique way of exploring the local cuisine as it familiarizes you the authentic taste, what goes into it, the procedure and of course the river view lunch.

After my last meal in Sri Lanka at Aquolina, an Italian restaurant in the resort, where you have great food, good wine with all the fine dine, it was time to come back to reality. My first solo trip ended and what better than exploring such a beautiful country, with extraordinary places to see, good food to eat, fresh air to breathe, and experiencing the finest of hospitality at Anantara. Until next time, in some other part of the world.