Category Archives: Sri Lanka

Dinner at our hotel, Cinnamon Citadel at Kandy #cinnamoncitadelkandy#kandy #srilankrew #srilankanstyle Beautiful set up by the pool.  We were a big group so we mostly had set meals planned in advance.

The only problem I noticed with having dinner venues by the water in Sri Lanka is – there are no lights by the water feature – so you cannot see the water.  Even at our dinner in Heritance Kandalama, it’s a pity because it would have been so beautiful to see the water.  I guess it is because there are no other developments across or surrounding the area and maybe just no financial resources to do it.  I hope they can improve this so it will even make it more spectacular 🙂

 Sri Lankan food is very unique.  Even if they have curries, it is not the Indian kind of curry that we are familiar with.  It has a different taste which maybe would be an acquired tasted because majority of the group did not acquire the taste even after several meals and even after the trip.  I just learned later on to mix the different sauces and toppings and my saving grace was pappadum and chutney which gave taste for me.  So maybe if you plan your meals in Sri Lanka – do not hesitate to try other cuisines because I heard Chinese, Japanese and other cuisines were good 🙂

 Our home for 2 nights in Kandy LOVE the amenities and signs at Cinnamon Citadel #cinnamoncitadel#srilankrew #srilankanstyle

A batik factory and a #srilankrew fashion show 🙂  #srilankanstyle #batik #h2hfashion

The real batik is a very tedious process!  Everything is handmade and the steps are more depending on the number of colours   Shopping after 🙂 

Click below to go to their website

Baba & Island Batiks home page

 Traditional Sri Lankan lunch at the home of the only internationally recognized batik artist in Sri Lanka – the late Ena de Silva -contemporary if Geoffrey Bawan. Our best meal so far – cooked by “Mamas” and for sure made with LOVE

Our host: The famous batik artist who once used this beautiful property as her workshop was the daughter of Sir Richard Aluwihare, the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police and Lucille Moonemalle. The legendary batik artist began her lifelong devotion to art in the 1960s. Together with Laki Senanayake she started producing batik. In the 80s she returned to her ancestral home in Matale where she has been living ever since and where she fYouounded the Aluwihare Heritage Centre in her own front yard, where she trained the villagers in carpentry, wood carving, abstract hand painting, brass foundry, batik, tie and dye and needlework. Her design work was inspired by traditional Sri Lankan art and crafts. #srilankrew #enadesilva #curry

Our bus could not enter the roadway to the house, so we took a tuktuk to get there 🙂   The mamas that cooked our mealRice is a staple food for Sri Lankans.  We honour before we eat. That that gives life to us.  We always keep it in a higher place.  So that brings health and life A typical meal has only 1 or 2 curries with rice.  But because they wanted us to try as many as we can, so we had 22 curries in the buffet plus bread and 3 rice

The spice loving #Morokrew also went to a spice garden in Sri lanka even if it was not in the itinerary 🙂  because we must have our spices that give us natural remedies 😉  We requested to stop at one on the way to lunch!

And not only did we go to the shop but we did the whole tour so we ended up buying more! haha!!

 Ranwelley Spice Garden for spices, essential oils and natural remedies #Ranwelley #Srilankanstyle #srilankrew #h2hessentialoils

This is one of the most interesting temples I have ever been to.  It is planned out very well and interesting how they built caves from the rocks to make the temple.

We thought Sigiraya was over! haha!!! a bit of hiking to go up to the temple!
Dambulla Cave temples This breathtaking cave temple consists of a complex ( 5 caves ) of Buddhist image houses. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colorful frescoes (2,500 sq meters ) , some of which dates back to over 2,000 years, which depicts Buddhist mythology, and the tales of the Buddha’s previous births. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues (158 Buddhas) all housed in one place, including a 14 meter long, colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock.
This was where the 1st Century B.C. King was kept exiled in a cave by a monk. #Dambullacaves #srilankrew #srilankanstyle

You cannot enter temples in shorts or sleeveless so our tourguide provided sarongs for those who were in shorts.  No shoes as well so if you do not want to walk barefoot Bring socks! or good thing our tourguide had socks 🙂  Sponsored by HSBC as per Kim!  haha!! At Vishnu Deity Dambulla cave temples. Ladies who want to get pregnant come here and if they are successful they come back with a gift of coconut ? #srilankanstyle #srilankrew #dambulla

We missed breakfast on our first day so i made sure we tried it before we left.  It was worth it 🙂 #heritancekandalama #srilankanstyle#srilankrew
Traditional Sri Lankan breakfast is honey 🙂 
with Curd  They have an oven baking fresh breads 🙂 

Pollonaruwa is the second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned archaeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom’s first rulers.  The King’s Palace  The Stupa
Monastery of 6,000 monks now a home for 3,000 monkeys ( 4 kinds) #Pollonaruwa#UNESCOWorldHeritageSite #srilankrew#srilankanstyle Eulogized by Disney’s Monkey Kingdom movie, the lost city of Polonnaruwa is home to a vast monkey population living among the impressively preserved ruins. Described by the film as “a secret land of magic few humans have ever seen,” this ancient archaeological site is the best place in the country to get up close and personal with Sri Lanka’s three diurnal primates: the purple-faced leaf monkey, the toque macaque, and the grey langur. In many countries, primates are increasingly difficult to see and observe due to declining habitats. However, here in the heart of Sri Lanka’s dry zone, under the protection of the Smithsonian Primate Research Center, Polonnaruwa’s primate population has flourished. Conducting conservation and scientific research in the area for almost half a century, the center offers a chance for visitors to engage and connect with Sri Lankan primates in a bid to educate visitors on the desperate need to continue to protect these fascinating creatures. Monkies 🙂  They look very small in this photo but they are there in the trees 🙂 Each and every monkey here is accounted for 🙂  and even have namesThe Rock Temple – with 4 carvings of Buddha #Pollonaruwa#UNESCOWorldHeritageSite #srilankrew#srilankanstyle

We were all so hungry after the climb!!  🙂

Picnic at Deerpark Hotel by Giritale Lake #giritalelake #srilankrew#srilankanstyle #deerparkhotel