Sri Lanka OVERVIEW
The list of Sri Lanka delights is far from short. Palm-fringed beaches and sun-glittering sea pamper with golden basking moments in the sun, aquamarine waves caress not only the shores but also the ear of a tired traveler and fresh coconut sipped in the shade of wind-whispering palms quenches the thirst for a blissfully calm holiday.
No doubt then, that spiced up with contemporary tourist attractions such as luxurious Ayurveda spas and broad-based shopping opportunities, Sri Lanka has become one of the world's most desired destinations to forget about the everyday troubled life and switch to a ‘relax' mode.
And again, it is not size that matters. This small teardrop-shaped island cast adrift in the Indian Ocean brims with cultural and natural diversity. As Sir Arthur C Clarke once remarked, "The island of Sri Lanka is a small universe" and the sky-high imagery best illustrates a place so compact. Once a British colony with Indians, Portuguese and Dutch past inscribed in its history, the land is a delightful mix of ancient cities like Anuradhapura and Pollonaruwa, monuments and atmospheric colonial architecture. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to nature wonders and truly delighted with miles long stretches of sand, laidback lazy lagoons, cotton wool clouds over misty wetlands and verdant tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya.
But there are scars too, and the teardrop shape is not inappropriate. Sri Lanka has suffered its fair share of political turmoil when, after becoming a republic in 1972, the separatist Tamil Tigers stirred fierce riots undermining the country's stability. And then, in 2004, came the big water, a tsunami which devoured more than 30,000 Sri Lankans and wiped out many coastal communities. With the Tamil conflict smothered and finally ended in 2009, the hard-hit country is opening up to tourism and you can be sure that the healing force lies within it, as the outstanding beauty of the land matched by its people's hospitality are heart-winning.
