I had my very first trip overseas, with my family to Sri Lanka in March 2010. It was a 5 day trip. We traveled from India to Sri Lanka via air. We reached the Bandaranaike International Airport and started our journey to one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura. While we were seated in our cab, our cab driver told us some interesting facts about Sri Lanka.
Just located southeast of India, Sri Lanka was formerly known as Ceylon and is now considered one of the crowning jewels in the Indian Ocean. Poetically referred to as the ‘teardrop of India‘. The language spoken over here is Sinhala alongside you will hear people speak in Tamil and English also. The currency used here is the Sri Lankan rupee. 1 Indian rupee = 2.55 Sri Lankan rupee. The Sri Lankan national flag is one of the oldest in the world. Volleyball is the national sport of Sri Lanka. It is home to the world’s oldest human-planted tree and cinnamon is originated from here. It’s packed with a large variety of animals. The national flower is a blue water lily.
Blue Water Lily
After a long drive of 5 hours from the airport we reached our hotel. The place where we stayed was called Habarana. Habarana is a small city in the Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka, situated nearby to the ancient rock fortress and castle/palace ruin of Sigiriya. Habarana is a popular tourist destination for safari lovers as it is the starting point for safaris in the nearby Habarana jungle. Elephant back riding is also an attraction in this small city.
We stayed in a beautiful village themed hotel called Chaaya Village. Set amidst lush forest off the A6 highway, this relaxed, rural resort on Habarana Lake is 18 km from Sigiriya Lion Rock.
The rooms were good with wood accents, the food was tasty and plentiful with a casual buffet restaurant which serves international cuisine and the staff were very helpful. It was really a relaxing place to stay. This hotel is set next to a glorious lake which has many species of birds, monkeys, bats, squirrels including the giant squirrel. Some of the amenities here include a spa, a triangle-shaped outdoor pool, and a cricket pitch, as well as tennis, badminton and volleyball courts.
Chaaya village – Habarana
Appam also known as Sri Lankan Hoppers
Sri Lanka is an easy country to visit and is a very budget-friendly country. Sri Lanka may look small but is a place with lots to explore. See you guys in the next part until then Bye folks! Stay tuned for more…..
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