One of my favorite travel destinations is Srilanka (Also known to many as Ceylon), where I have been twice after the war ended in 2009. One of the reasons why I love Srilanka, as a travel destination is the respect that Srilankan immigration authorities give to a Pakistani Passport holder by granting a free on-arrival visa for 30 days.
When I went there the first time in 2010, I was impressed by the cleanliness of streets, and responsible drivers. The Srilankan drivers are particularly courteous towards pedestrians and they stop their vehicles the moment they see a pedestrian wanting to cross the road. The first encounter to Srilankan food was not quite good, but once I adapted to the hot and spicy Srilankan Cuisine, there was nothing better than that. I still miss the spicy Srilankan food. Culturally, Srilankan people are very helpful. They will always find time to accompany you to different notable places. In Colombo, Many people speak fluent English, so there is no linguistic difficulty for foreigners.
The second time when I went to Srilanka in 2011, I saw a stark rise in the number of foreign tourists in Colombo. This was also reflected by the rise in prices, in the markets of Colombo. This time, I also had the opportunity to visit Kandy, about which I always heard good things during Cricket commentaries. I decided to go to Kandy via Train, and also explore the railway system of Srilanka. The country is using old “Made in India”, trains that are slow and congested but they provide a greater opportunity to move around and converse with different people. The train also passes through some serene and scintillating places that compensate for the extended travel time, as compared to a bus journey. It also gave me an opportunity to talk to many Srilankan families about their lives and learn more about their culture and history. My conversations were very interesting; the families were friendly and hospitable; and they also offered me some Bananas that they were eating, which I accepted with thanks.
After four and a half hours of train journey, I finally reached Kandy. Kandy welcomed me, with a sprinkle of rain and an exotic scent of tea. I simply loved the natural beauty and the sprinkle of rain, which is a regular feature of Kandian Climate. The city is also very famous for its tea plantation. One interesting incident that happened in Kandy was when I asked the directions for Kandy Lake from a traffic sergeant. He instantly stopped a bus, and told me to board on it; he also told the Bus driver - in Sinhala - to drop me off at my destination.
I also went to the highest hill-top in Gampola (a place next to Kandy), where the government has constructed an amazingly beautiful Inter-faith worship place having a Mosque, A Buddhist Temple and a Hindu Temple together. The place was filled the spirit of peaceful coexistence among the three major religions followed in Srilanka.
I also visited the “Tooth Palace”, that was full of pilgrims from All over Srilanka and South India. Every day hundreds of people come to Kandy just to see a glimpse of Buddha’s tooth, which is preserved in the Tooth Palace. It was interesting to see the excitement of people, who travelled long distances to visit the Holy Palace. I also visited the International Buddhism Museum that contains Buddhist archives from all over the world. It was nice to see a special “Pakistan Corner” that contained Buddhism archives from Taxila, Pakistan.
On my way back, I took a bus, to diversify my experience. The bus was much quicker and it completed the distance in just three in half hours. But, I missed the beautiful scenes and long conversations that I experienced through a train journey. Kandy has left pleasant memories in my mind; still when I think of Kandy, I became nostalgic about the Beauty and hospitality of Kandy.
A smile comes to my face whenever, I think about the great time that I had in Srilanka; and I want to go there again and again.
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