Between the wars

Walking along the beach, we come to the next village, Aluthgama, home to the most sensational chicken curry ever. Weeping and gasping, I down the stuff with fresh hoppers and beg Shanti the dhaba-like restaurant for the dregs of my curry8212;it8217;s flaming hot, but boy, is it good!

A day trip to Galle is definitely on the cards, especially for the cricket-crazy. Apart from offering the most picturesque cricket pitch, Galle is a world heritage site. Taken over from the Sinhalese kings by the Portuguese in 1587, it was subsequently a Dutch colony until the English politely asked them to move over and planted themselves on the stunning ramparts of the fortified town.

Notwithstanding their garish stained glass windows, the two churches with the 100-year-old Bible, the ancient organ and the remembrance stones of British officers who died in the revolt of 1857 are enough to awe even sceptics. But the best part is probably the walk along the ramparts8212;and the gemstones, if you have deep pockets and a discerning eye.

The heart of Sri Lanka beckons and we abandon the hippy beaches for Kandy. Besides providing the perfect base from which to visit the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala and the magnificent botanical gardens at Perideniya, Kandy is home to Dalada Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth, housing Sri Lanka8217;s most significant religious relic, a tooth of Lord Buddha.

Brought from Kalinga in the 4th century AD, the sacred tooth has been held in veneration for centuries. The daily viewing is of the casket, not the actual relic. And in July/August for 10 nights, a fabulous procession with dancers, drummers, trumpeters, whip crackers and torch-bearers parade through the streets with the casket on the back of a tusker.

Speaking of elephants, a lucky accident brings us in contact with the very man in whose company Kandy is best enjoyed. Simon runs a guest house, but is also an expert on local wildlife, having had an elephant-trapper for a father.

In his company, we head to Pinnawala8212;and arrive at feeding time. The six-month-old elephants are fed milk through sawed-off hoses attached to litre bottles. Judging from the noise they make, the pachyderms obviously feel half-a-dozen litres of milk thrice a day, plus sundry other foodstuff, are triflings for growing jumbos.

The daily bath is also quite an experience. Sixty-odd elephants trundle out with all the baggage of their dignity, only to lose it in the lake. A young 8217;un proceeds to make amorous overtures to an older lady who walks away calmly just as things hot up, leaving him to fall on his face, another pair wrestle each other with an eye on the audience, and an old tusker lies there quietly, half-submerged8230;

The gardens at Perideniya demand a full day. Among the must-sees: the 8216;celebrity8217; section where trees have been planted by dignitaries from all over the world, the Coco-de-Mer which produces the largest nut in the world and is only found elsewhere in Seychelles, the gorgeous avenues and gardens.

But the real getaway for the white sahibs was Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka8217;s only hill station, set bang in the middle of tea and coffee plantations. Complete with a golf course and the 8216;hill club8217; with a strict dress-code 8216;No entry without tie8217;, Nuwara Eliya is full of the sights and sounds of a different era. Quaint hatstands, tables carved from tea-tree roots, candelabras and fireplaces round off a delicious two days. Then it8217;s back to Colombo and a hysterical bout of shopping at Odel and Arena.

Anuradhapura8230; Well, we had to save something for the next trip. By then Prabhakaran may be ready to promote tourism in Jaffna.