Vivekananda has gone to America. Gandhi went to South Africa and London. Xuan Zang came to India. Sangamitra voyaged to Sri Lanka. So many people are traveling.

People in Singapore like to travel around the world. Changi airport brings cheers to their minds. The cheer waves influence the Indian expat community of Singapore too. Rangamani’s son used to say, “Appa, he went to Korea, she went to Taiwan..”. That is not his demand. He knows that. But many of the middle class Indian slaves like him can not afford to visit overseas every year.

At last, Thangamani and his wife Rangamani decided to roll-out their plan to look for an affordable travel plan to satisfy their kids’ urge to step on foreign soil. Rangamani thought about Thailand and Bali. At last, they could get a package to Sri Lanka. Food – It is another important reason to choose Sri Lanka. Their kids are not mature enough to try non-native food. Sri Lanka’s food styles are not too much deviated from India, you know!

Rangamani became too philosophical. With the itinerary in hand, he started lecturing Thangamani. ‘See darling, how much interesting information we get while traveling! The cultural and historical background of the new places makes the trip even more interesting. We get a chance to see the new land; converse with new people’.

Rangamani continued. ‘A country within touching distance from Tamil Nadu. It is an island that is surrounded by the wavy blue water; wrapped inside a green carpet. A country inhabited by ancient Tamils – Sri Lanka! Let’s go!’

Thangamani knows about his hubby’s curiosity disorder. Hence, she replied with her usual single-syllable-replies like ‘hmm‘, ‘umm‘, ‘aama‘.

Itinerary

They did not inform their kids about that trip. He used to discuss this with Thangamani, either after they slept or before they woke up! In other words, he might have tried his best to persuade her to accept his choices!

He wanted to find a reliable local tour operator. Based on reviews on TripAdvisor, he contacted **** Lanka Travels (They do not sponsor this post!). He got a response. Their presales staff asked him about his duration and interest. Rangamani might have qualified himself well. So she drafted out a plan. The total cost stopped Ranga’s heart for a while. He changed it many times to suit his budget. He cut the duration, requested upgrades for hotels, and many chops here and there. She might have seen even tougher customers. So she handled him cool and sold off a package with a private van and chauffeur. Ranga made part of the payment.

Total Cost: USD 1600 (for a tailor made)

Visa

Next step was to get the visa. Sri Lanka offers on-arrival visa now. But when Rangamani applied, they did not have this scheme. They respected westerners with on-arrival visas. But not Indians 😉

Sri Lanka used to offer on-arrival visa earlier. You know about our fellow Indians, right! They used to violate visa norms, smuggling goods, and do trading. At one point in time, Sri Lanka stopped the on-arrival visa for us. You may know about the bumpy relationship between Sri Lanka and New Delhi.

More over, they make good influx of forex with Western travelers. So they get different treatment. After the war and China jumped into the race, some of the Sri Lankan businesses started accepting WeChat payments, too. A country – that made them bankrupt – gets special treatment, too! ‘Truth is stranger than fiction’. Though they are our neighbors, their politics and bureaucracy alienates us, but not the people!

It’s ok. Rangamani bought an e-visa for all of them by paying $41.

Cost: USD 41

Travel Tickets

Buying a travel ticket was another worrisome deed. He tried different permutations and combinations to get affordable tickets. Finally, he got it from Air India with a transit in Chennai. Both Singapore Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines were selling their tickets at sky-high prices. Rangamani strongly believed that those who play dhaayam (dice game) well, they get air tickets at good price.

Cost: Not relevant.

They were set ready to go!

Checklist

• Sri Lankan Visa – 41 USD/Passports/Air Tickets
• Daily expenses – 50 USD/Day
• Travel itinerary.
• Chauffeur charges (if you are going by private car/van) – 10 to 20 USD/day
• Mobile Numbers of travel agent/Chauffeur
• Enabling international roaming in SIM cards, mobile phones, chargers
• Summer wears, coolers
• Beach wears
• Mosquito patch/creams/mats
• Camera/chargers/SD cards/hard disks
• Bacterial infection medicine (creams…)

Day 1 – 4 Jun 2019: Reaching Chennai

The plan was to fly from Singapore to Chennai and take the early morning flight to Colombo. Rangamani and Thangamani, with their sons 9 year-old Junga and 4 year-old Bunga started their historic overseas trip. Rangamani was in his dreams while Thangamani dissolved his dream by verifying if she locked the door, switched off the fan. Changi was busy as usual. While Thangamani was in the waiting hall, Rangamani was in a queue to get them lemon tea and toast.

They gained some energy. Thangamani spent some time in the miniature orchid gardens inside the airport with her sons.

Air India got delayed considerably. Out of hunger, their tummies contracted like the baby mangoes in maavadu pickle. With a flat regret tone, the airline invited its passengers to onboard at last.

Day 2 – 5 Jun 2019: Reaching Colombo

Just before sunrise, they reached Chennai airport. That place got up in the morning and was ready to start the day. Thangamani was in arresting apparel, expecting to appear stunning in photographs. Rangamani wore his plain old dull t-shirt and pant. His dressing sense is so unpopular in Pudukkottai. ‘Ramar pachchai‘ (cerulean green) shirt with brown pant. White shirt with yellow pant are his favorite combos. When he used to walk with his mundane choice of suits, the stray dogs in his streets would be disturbed and activated. When they got out of the taxi, Thangamani appeared as mighty as Rajamatha Sivagami Devi and Rangamani was found as weak as her handicapped husband Pingaladevan!

Bunga vomited as soon as he stepped out of the taxi, due to his motion sickness. After realizing that Rangamani was in search of water, a middle-aged man – looked like Kattappah in his safari suit – helped by offering them his water bottle to clean their child. It was a help in need.

The airport was not crowded. So they cleared their immigration check soon. When they went inside, the same Kattappah-like person in the safari suite stood at the customs office and smiled at them. He was an officer in the customs department there. What a kind man he was! They began that journey with his message to the world – compassion!

They did not sleep well for two days. They had to get up early in the morning the previous day to come to Chennai from SG. They woke up the next day, before the rooster started his duty. So, they fell asleep as soon as they got into the air craft.

That was the first flight to Colombo from Chennai. The aroma of Air India, like broken seat handles, dirty luggage compartments made them feel at home. But it should be a hectic work for the staff members of the airline because it is just a 60 to 90 minute journey to Colombo. Being an international flight, they need to serve the food plate and collect everything back. Rangamani could see they were running front and back to clear the formalities!

Rangamani woke up when Air hostess tapped on his shoulders to ask him to unfold his table to place his breakfast plate. He might be sleeping like a Kumbhakarna with scary snoring! When he saw the breakfast plate, his mouth started pouring fluids! Yes. He was as hungry as Bakasura. He snatched the food plate like a hungry monkey. Thangamani and the kids were still sleeping in the front row. His mind has been deluged with cheers on seeing the bright sunlight on his window. He did not waste a second. As landing time was approaching, his hand and mouth started working as a speedy food processing machine.

By showing them the green patches of Sri Lankan land, their vehicle landed on time. Rangamani felt nostalgic as the view made him recall his village days. When they came out, he could feel the pleasant weather. He could say that for sure as he was roasted in Chennai summer the previous day. The trilingual board welcomed them. ‘Ayobovan‘ is the word he learned from Rupavahini (Sri Lankan television) in his childhood. Bunga was still sleeping on his shoulder, when Rangamani entered the hall, where PM Ranil Wickramasinghe was smiling in his photograph accompanied by another photograph where then president Sirisena appeared with his pale boring face.

Sri Lankan Airport looked like a ghost town. There were no passengers as international tourists stopped visiting Sri Lanka due to Easter Bombing. They cleared immigration on time. The immigration officer talked pleasantly in Tamil. Junga and Bunga were running and jumping like monkeys inside the empty immigration hall. It is not new. Sri Lanka has had monkey visitors from India since its Ramayana days.

The luggage came even before they reached the luggage hall. Due to the bombing, there was some restriction for the travel agents to meet their guests. So their travel agent asked them to catch the free shuttle bus and alight at the parking area.

Things to do in Colombo Airport:

• Money exchange at Sampath bank
• Local SIM card (if you travel without travel agent)
• Food (I missed it. If you travel with kids, take proper food here or near by)

Our Chauffeur, Tushara, came to the parking area with a garland and a goody bag. The bag contained our travel plans, his company information, and a local cell phone.

There was a confusion in our communication. He was waiting for them in the arrival section, as security eased. But they came to the parking area by that time. Before he came, they faced the unavoidable people in the parking area, who tried to lure them for taxis, tour packages etc. They were uncomfortable. They felt like they were standing in front of Chennai Central Station. More over, it took some time. Junga and Bunga started feeling hungry. There was no place to eat. Fortunately Thangamani had packed their Air Indian breakfast. That helped. Whatever, it was a hole in Rangamani’s travel plan.

One of the strangers, who was in porter apparel, forcefully helped to put their luggage inside their van despite his refusal. Firstly, Rangamani likes to handle his luggage myself. Secondly, he was not comfortable handling it with a stranger on a foreign land. He had a bad experience at Riyadh airport already. He was so close to being cheated at Manila airport. Finally, Tushara and Rangamani lifted the luggage bags; the stranger man was just touching it like the bishop of Rome touched the head of the wounded Ukranian kids passionately! He touted money for doing so. Ranga did not have any small amount to pay him. Finally, Tushara gave him something. Ranga settled it later during the trip. Anyway, it is part of any trip!

To Kandy

They got moved from Colombo to Kandy. The journey took three hours. But the trip was not boring as they keep on distracting their Chauffeur with various questions and dumping him with their thoughts. He might be wondering, would he have enough patience to drive the vehicle in that single lane.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fOWj75gW-LM%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Rangamani looked around. He was captivated by the trees, the green hills, and the lawns. The land was mosaiced with grass, trees, and bushes. But the same land has its own devastating side, which is the reverse of what his kids were enjoying from their window seats! That place was really spooky during the war against Tamils and LTTE. While writing this in 2022, as the Sri Lankan economy was devastated by incompetent rulers and Corona, what do you think of the Sri Lankan achievement after that genocide. Rangamani shook his head to get away from such thoughts.

They went there within two months of the Easter Sunday bombing in Sri Lanka. There were no tourists. Very few tourist vans were on the road. Instead, Sri Lankan soldiers were standing by its side. Rangamani booked our trip before the bombing. He was shocked to hear about the bomb blast. He was on a back foot, too. But the *** Lanka tour company assured him a full refund if I wanted to cancel. At the same time, they made him realize that this was the time they needed support. Ranga consulted Thangamani. She too, agreed to go ahead with their travel plan.

Three hours later, they entered Kandy.

Kandy is a city in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, surrounded by lush green hills. People say that it was called as Kanda malai (Hill of Kandan). During colonial times, they called it Kandy. The temple of the tooth is located here. We shall talk about it later.

The Peradeniya Botanical Gardens (Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya) is located at the outskirts of Kandy. It welcomed them. This was the first attraction of that trip.

Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya

There was no crowd at its entrance. Some locals were waiting for their turn to get entrance tickets. Ranga’s family were allowed in immediately, because they were tourists. That was Sri Lankan respect for tourists.

They were exhausted by then. As soon as they went inside, Rangamani felt so hungry. If he were a mighty ‘bison of Ooty’, he might have eaten all those leaves and grass! You want to ask me why he was always hungry? What to do? Our poor man’s addiction to food grimaces at him often. He searched for something like a café or restaurant. There was only one. They had Western dishes and drinks.

Rangamani ran in hunger, grabbed a chair, clutched the menu card, and started eating those English letters with his eyes! Urgently toasted breads, potato fries and juice were served as a nectar to satisfy their craving. Although they were not enough for their tummies, they gained some strength to walk around the park. Come, let’s see how our hero’s family went for a walk along that riverbank.

There flew a beautiful river on the left side. It is the Mahaweli River / Mahaweli Ganga! Like the Ganges in our India, it is the longest river in Sri Lanka. Starting in Nuwara Eliya district and outfalling into the sea of Trincomalee.

Bunga saw the local people taking a bath in the river. He asked his father Rangamani, “Appa, whey they take bath here? Don’t they have bath room at their house?”. How to explain these kids about the pleasure in taking bath in water stream?

Its banks were covered with dense bamboos. In addition, plants, bushes and vines had grown over there.

Lord Krishna never visited Sri Lanka. If he had come here, he might have wanted to make flutes with these bamboos, and immersed the bees in that garden with his divine tunes.

The elder kid Junga was not getting used to the new place yet. He was away from the family’s mindset. He grimed his face and began walking slowly. Rangamani tried his best child management skills to change Junga’s mood. ‘This is such a beautiful place, new place, new experience, new people, new plant, new vine’. Junga became even more furious. Thangamani felt sympathy at her husband’s worst ever child management skills.

They looked to their right. There are durian trees in the wide green land of the park. This is the first time they have seen a durian tree, though they can not avoid its smell in Singapore. Durians are not allowed inside public transport and few hotels due to its pungent smell.

Thangamani and Rangamani walked on the Royal Palm Avenue, in which the ancient Kings of Kandy used to walk as part of their royal procession. With his eyes glittering with proud, Rangamani saw Thangamani. She smiled and said, ‘enough, shut up and walk’.

There was a Cannonbell tree. Rangamani tried his luck another time to convince Junga by lecturing him about the Nagalinga poo (cannonbell flower) and how it resembles Shiv Linga. He further added that Lord Shiva likes it. The kid stopped there for a while and gazed at him. His eyes told his father, ‘It’s okay. It’s his wish. What am I supposed to do with that?’.

They completed that trail by walking on Royal Palm Avenue, which went through a road with palm trees on both sides. They climbed the swinging bridge and enjoyed the beauty of the Mahaweli River. It is enough of this moment! Is the twin human eyes enough to appreciate the beauty of this place?

Tushara said that there was an orchid garden. But they could not gallop. They moved out of that park with positive thoughts, hoping to be back there again!

Kattukalai Pillaiyar Temple

Their man took them straight from the park to Kattukkalai Pillaiyar Temple – a Ganesha temple – as they requested. Dear Readers, you should have gone with them inside that beautiful temple. The kumbabishekam took place recently. The temple was clean and beautiful to look at. Not much crowded. They waited and attended the evening pooja. They were able to worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in the names of Sri Somasundareswara and Sri Meenakshi, in addition to Lord Ganesha in the name of Sri Selva Vinayagar.

While Thangamani was waiting at the temple, Junga and Rangamani visited the Ganesananda hotel next to it. Junga felt better and started uttering words. Junga packed cheese dosa while Rangamani took away masala dosa-s for their dinner. They chatted about the ongoing IPL match, until the food package (another pack of nectar!!) arrived.

Around the lake

Before they went to their shelter, Tushara drove them to a place from where they could get a glimpse of Kandy City. It was a view point, from where they could see the Kandy City, the Buddha statue on the mountain, the Kandy lake, and the temple of tooth.

The day’s conclusion

Very long day it was. They could not go anywhere anymore. They went to their shelter on the bank of Kandy Lake, took a shower, and grazed on their packed masala dosas. Rangamani felt about the hole in his travel plan when he chewed his piece of dosa. He should have taken a proper breakfast at Colombo before starting his journey. With the babies on his side, he should have done a better plan.

Against mountains surrounded by trees, the gentle breeze comforted them. They lied down in a trance, thanking the Goddess Meenakshi for gifting them that day.

See you in the next post. Tata!

—
Thanks: Kannan Murugapandian, Google Maps

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