House and Garden
March 2004
I shall never forget the moment a leopard bounded across the track ahead and
disappeared into the dense jungle. We did not see it again, and none of the
other jeeps we passed that morning had enjoyed a sighting. I never saw a sloth
bear or any of the elephants who reside in the Yala National Park but that one
quick glimpse of a leopard’s backside was well worth travelling to the
far east coast of Sri Lanka for. I was so euphoric on returning from my dawn
safari drive to the Yala Safari Game Lodge that I delayed my departure by taking
a long, baking hot walk along the rough sea coast where turquoise waves crash
violently on the rocky shore, then back beside the tranquil inland lagoon, past
flocks of pelicans and painted storks, for lunch.
As I tucked into a plate of crispy egg hoppers and coconut stir-fry, the Lodge
manager enquired politely about my morning. When I enthused about my walk, he
said sharply, “You went alone, Madam?” I had encountered no one
but had visions now of muggers with designs on my camera and cash. It was another
sort of mugger he had in mind. “You passed a pair of marsh crocodiles
living under a boulder, Madam. You should have gone with our naturalist.”
No wonder I had had the sensation of being watched. That evening it was my turn
to lurk beneath a boulder. I had left the arid east coast and driven up into
the incredibly green and fertile hills in the centre of Sri Lanka to the Boulder
Garden Hotel, situated near the Sinharaja rain forest. Recently constructed
on the site of a former tea estate, this is prehistoric cave dwelling at its
most luxurious. The Grotto Restaurant and several of the rooms are natural caverns
formed beneath vast overhanging boulders. My room was a more conventional stone
dwelling, with a painted wooden door, hewn into the rocks. Many rare species
of endemic flora and fauna thrive here and dinner beneath the stars was accompanied
by the phenomenally loud background music of rainforest squawkings. Next morning
I breakfasted during a tropical rainstorm, enjoying toast and marmalade as water
cascaded down only feet away. Again it was a wrench to leave.
Sri Lanka is an island blessed with an extraordinarily rich variety of landscapes
and micro-climates. Every valley feels different, every village is utterly distinctive.
In the new relaxed atmosphere following the recent cessation of the country’s
internal war - joyfully evident the moment you step off the plane - it is now
possible to roam freely and enjoy the many new destinations that are constantly
opening up. Cosmopolitan Colombo which was for a long time off the tourist map
is clearly enjoying an energetic renaissance. Attractive shops and restaurants
proliferate. Barefoot on the Galle Road (which sells colourful handwoven toys
and clothes and has a delightful bookshop) and the nearby Paradise Road Gallery
(imaginatively converted from the late architect Geoffrey Bawa’s office)
should not be missed. Both have superb cafes although my favourite eating place
is Le Palace on Gregory Road, a beautifully preserved colonial house offering
inexpensive all day cuisine. The French chef once made Madonna and Sean Penn’s
wedding cake and now turns out fabulous sea food and delicious ice cream. I
stayed at the Havelock Bungalow, a spacious bungalow in the heart of the capital
which has recently opened and offers a stylish alternative to the great Galle
Face Hotel on Colombo’s sea front.
For sheer voluptuous relaxation, nothing could beat the two days I spent at
the magnificent 18th Century Dutch House in Galle on the south coast. I awoke
in my four poster bed in the middle of the old ballroom with light filtering
through a mosquito net, and thought I was dreaming. This airy mansion built
on the hill overlooking the old Dutch Fort - with plump turquoise dragonflies
and bright yellow butterflies darting over the swimming pool, grey monkeys with
comical black spectacles bounding high above in the coconut palms while athletic
squirrels dart across the manicured lawns - is utterly magical. It was only
late in the afternoon of my second day that I stirred myself to walk down into
Galle to circumnavigate the ancient ramparts and then rummage through the fascinating
antique and jewellery shops in the Fort.
These are lucky times, my tuk-tuk driver told me as he sped me in the fading
light back up the hill to the Dutch House. Sri Lanka has much to offer the visitor
but its greatest asset is its charming and gentle people. It is wonderful to
find the island thriving at last in a new atmosphere of peace and hope and watching
the sun set over the old Fort that evening, I felt very lucky indeed.
Charlotte Cory travelled to Sri Lanka with Abercrombie
& Kent.