Ayubowan.....welcome. hello. good morning......friendly word of welcome accompanied by a warm smile and hands held together in front to signify that you are truly welcome to Sri Lanka.

Awoke early considering yesterdays epic journey. Started the day with a substantial breakfast in the hotel restaurant which overlooked the pool and garden areas – lovely and peaceful – just have to stop the birds taking your food!!. Then I did a wander about the grounds and the beach to try and get my bearings. The hotel seems to be fairly isolated from the town centre but maybe I just haven't found they right entrance/exit yet!!! The beach is a disappointment for an Aussie who is used to sandy beaches. This one is full of grit – but hey I’m not here for beach time at the moment. My biggest delight is that it is WARM….Yes it is sunny, warm, summer weather!!!!

Think today will be spent relaxing and waiting for the rest of the tour group members to arrive. Will spend the time learning a little about this country and what I can expect to see and do.


Sri Lanka’s history is a source of great pride to both Sinhalese and Tamils, the country’s two largest ethnic groups. The only problem is, they have two completely different versions. Every historical site, religious structure, even village name seems to have conflicting stories about its origin, and those stories are, in turn, blended over time with contrasting religious myths and local legends. The end results are often used as evidence that the island is one group’s exclusive homeland; each claims first dibs.

In fact, the island’s location – its position along hundreds of ancient trade routes and its proximity to India – has resulted in a potpourri of visitors, immigrants, invaders, missionaries, traders and travellers, mostly from India, but also from East Asia and the Middle East. Many stayed on, and over the generations they assimilated and intermarried, converted and converted back again. The island’s history, like that of its ethnicities, is one of constant flux and shifting dominance. Nonetheless, the contemporary Sri Lankan take on history is deeply political and marked by deep ethnic divides – divides that may be totally artificial.

Sri Lanka has more than 2,500 years of continuous written history by means of the Mahawansha, and was also mentioned in several ancient Indian texts. One of the most famous is the Ramayana, in which the island, which was referred to as Lanka, was the island fortress of the king Ravana, who captured the wife of Rama an incarnation of the Hindu God, Vishnu. Legend has it that Hanuman the monkey god flew over to Lanka and destroyed the capital by setting it on fire, while Rama and his remaining troops later crossed over from the mainland by building a land bridge across the sea.

The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century BC, probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-3rd century BC, and a great civilization developed at such cities as Anuradhapura (kingdom from c.200 BC to c.1000 AD) and Polonnaruwa (c.1070 to 1200). Other notable but relatively more recent kingdoms are Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Gampola, Kandy and Jaffna Kingdoms.

Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, and became a crown colony in 1802. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; the name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972.

A pearl-shaped island of enormous natural wealth and potential, Sri Lanka has been a poster child for misfortune for far too long. An earlier effort at peace was upended by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed tens of thousands and plunged the nation into a chaos that allowed the war to erupt again

With end of the 30 year prolonged bitter separatist war between the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009 it seems this island nation is on a new chapter of its history.

'Everyone agrees, they’d rather die than live through the war again’. Decades of delay in investment and progress are being made up for with vengeance. New roads and airports are being built across the nation. A great deal of work is being done in the former LTTE areas to try to mend the wounds. The economy is booming and Colombo, which for years was a capital under siege from terrorists, is turning into a building site, and newfound wealth is translating into new shops and restaurants, restored historic buildings and huge public events such as pop-music concerts and fireworks. Optimism across the nation is replacing the relief that was pervasive immediately after fighting stopped. Literally gazing down on it all is the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose moustached visage adorns huge billboards everywhere. His challenge is to steer the nation into reconciliation while so much pain remains.

Had tour group meeting at 6.30 tonight and met our guide – Irosha – who seems to be a very nice, knowledgeable young lady. There are 11 of us in the tour – 5 Aussies, 5 from the UK and 1 from USA. Had dinner with a few of my fellow travellers before once again falling into bed ready for our tour start in the morning.

Have enjoyed just having a relaxing day in the sun – reading about this amazing country and all it has to offer.......am looking forward to heading off on our adventure