Ballys Magazine August 2017 Ballys Magazine August 2017 Published by Ballys | Page 16

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August 2017 - September 2017
THE DEPTHS OF COLOMBO'S NIGHT LIFE
THE DEPTHS OF COLOMBO'S NIGHT LIFE
August 2017 - September 2017
17
Tasting
Sri Lanka
KOLOMBO – KANDAKULIYA – TALAIMANNAR
WHY UNFORGETTABLE?
After leaving Kandakuliya we found
ourselves again in Putallam, from where
we were planning to get to Mannar and
it had to be by the coastal road. We did
not want to spend a few hours waiting for
the next bus. So when the initial travel
proposals from several drivers began to
take shape we made one of the most
crazy decisions, traveling over 100 km
...by tuk-tuk.
It was loud, windy, uncomfortable,
probably not very safe, but at the same
time unforgettable. An extraordinary
birthday attraction.
Wilpattu National Park is the largest
and oldest national park in Sri Lanka,
a truly beautiful place. The highlights of
this place is the opportunity of seeing
leopards and sloth bears. Apart from
them, you can see Asian elephants,
deer, boars, buffalos and also mugger
crocodiles. Scenic, natural lakes are
hidden in a scrub jungle and dry zone
forests are an ideal area for many bird
species.
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As to our tuk-tuk safari, we only saw one
fox, a lizard, some peacocks, a crocodile
and some deer but at the same time a
lot of birds, including an eagle. It was
beautiful and unforgettable.
On the same day, intrigued by our
earlier adventures we decided to reach
Talaimannar, a small fisherman village on
west side of Mannar Island. This is the
most windy place in the whole Sri Lanka
and it is famous for Adam’s Bridge, which
is the closest connection with India.
Adam’s Bridge, also called Rama’s
Bridge is not really a bridge but it is a
chain of shoals (30 km long). Geologic
research suggest that Adam’s Bridge is a
natural land. According to the Hindu epic
Ramayana, it is said to be the remnant
of a huge bridge constructed by Rama,
to facilitate the passage of his army
from India to Sri Lanka to rescue of his
abducted wife. A Muslim legend says
that Adam walked over the bridge to
reach Adam’s Peak and where he stood
repentant on one foot for 1,000 years.
Therefore, both names of the bridge take
their origins from a legend.
WHAT ELSE DOES TALAIMANNAR
OFFER TO US?
The Talaimannar Lighthouse was built in
1915 by the British but now it is not any
more in use. It is located close to the
Talaimannar Pier, which was the terminus
of a ferry service to India. Now it is mainly
used by the Sri Lanka Navy and local
fishing boats.
In 2015 , Talaimannar Railway Station
was reopened after a long time and now
it gives one more option to cover the
distance of 333km between Talaimannar
and Colombo, which is by train.
However, this time we travelled by bus
and we had only enough time to visit
some places and to talk with some new
friends . It was quite pleasant to walk
along the beach and visit St. Lawrence
Church where several local children were
being baptised.
Well, it was time to go back because the
bus was waiting, and the next day we
were going to set off for Jaffna. B
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