For someone who has no problem with going from one extreme to another none of you will be surprised that I left my ramshackle beach accommodation in Hikkaduwa for one of Sri Lanka’s top boutique hotels. I’d call Kahanda Kanda (KK) five star luxury, a place I’d known about since it opened in 2006 and somewhere I’d been dying to visit after hearing so many great things! I was not to be disappointed. Let me take you on a journey to an amazing find...
I took my usual tuktuk transport to get to KK and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful scenery inland Sri Lanka has to offer. Confident that the tuktuk GPS system would get me there I was able to relax and take it all in. ‘Tuktuk GPS’ is my name for a system which never fails as there are tuktuks wherever you go: stationed on corners of roads, paths and tracks; parked up outside shops and houses; waiting near temples and schools. The drivers are always willing to help and steer you in the right direction ensuring that you eventually reach your destination - who needs the drone voice of SatNav when the charm of the locals is so much more fun?! Inland Sri Lanka is a place to really experience daily local life as you drive along the complicated network of tiny tarmac roads that take you past ever changing scenery: weaving around paddy fields; passing through cinnamon, coconut and tea plantations; ducking under jungle creepers; and driving past ramshackle village huts and colourful houses. These inland roads open a window to Sri Lankan life though, as life often feels here, they never seem to have any direction - you feel utterly lost as they criss-cross the lush tropical land like the slimy staggered snail tracks found on a giant jungle leaf.
It was a beautiful drive from Hikkaduwa to Kahanda Kanda, starting with the coastal road – jungle and houses to the left, patchy views of the sea to the right with its queues of waves and multiple blues. There were kids playing in the shallows and adults keeping watch, waist deep in water, fully clothed, smiling and soaked in their sarees and suits. We then passed through the old town of Galle with its legendary Dutch ramparts towering over the cricket ground, its colourful fruit and veg market, its overflowing fish stalls, and its navy base, before taking a left turn inland. Here the scenery changed to the multiple vibrant greens of paddy fields, giant leaves of banana trees and tropical ferns, towered by coconut palms. The route was slowed by wandering cows, scatty goats, and Sri Lankan villagers going about their lives as we drove along the rutted twisty roads. Scenery accompanied by familiar smells - earthy cabbage scents of the paddy fields, fumes of frying fish and mouth watering aromas of simmering curries drifting from the houses. At the time of day I went, just after lunch, this lush green picture was dotted with the white uniforms of smiling kids as they walked back home from school – giggling and bravely shouting out ‘hello’, ‘how are you’, ‘what country’?
KK: cool, calm and utterly charming
After driving through peaceful and picturesque inland Sri Lanka we arrived at KK’s big gates. They opened to a winding, uneven grey-stone drive pushing its way uphill through lush green tea bushes. This took me back to my colonial past. Whether a good thing to admit or not – tea is a huge part of my family. My grandfather lived most of his life in Sri Lanka - he arrived in the country to learn the ropes as a young tea planter, a wee lad at the tender age of 18, and worked hard to become top man of Finlays Tea. He had to leave the country in 1962, a sad departure for him, my grandmother and my mother (then aged 15). In 1927 he had made Sri Lanka his home, years later in 2005 I made it mine, and coincidentally we both felt we had to leave due to the government’s aversion to foreigners! Him after 40 years, me after 4. A digression, but also an explanation as to why arriving at KK felt so special as it reminded me of Hapugastenne, the tea estate where my mother grew up, with all the charm and tranquillity that tea plantations seem to bring.
This characterful, cobbly driveway led to the top of the tea hill and stopped at huge steep steps seemingly leading up to the skies, with tall imposing walls either side – one painted bright saffron yellow and one made up of dappled grey stone. (Although it sounds like an intimidating start it felt dramatic rather than unwelcoming.) The staff warmly greeted me, took my bags and I followed. At the top of the steps the giant saffron wall continued to my right whilst to my left the wall stopped and opened up to gardens, rooms, statues and ponds. After passing these, the stone slab path ended at a beautifully set swimming pool of subtle design, not overpowering the rest of the hotel but still decently sized and very tempting! Beside the pool, green lawns sloped down to pristinely pruned tea bushes and long views over Koggala Lake below. Simply breathtaking. I took in this setting as I sat in the hazy afternoon heat sipping my welcome drink in the living area - a wonderful open space lined with long white sofa cushions, for essential lounging, and filled with antique furniture, ornaments, candles, vases, plants, and book cases. In case you needed entertaining the tables had a fantastic selection of coffee table books including some with incredible photography of Sri Lanka’s exquisite villas, beautiful landscapes and wonderful wildlife. The room was decorated with Sri Lanka’s signature black and white Paradise Road cushions, mixed with lovely deep red to add some colour. Clearly KK was going to be different to anywhere I had previously been – this was to be all about the rooms, the décor, and the setting.
Rooms with a view
I had the opportunity to check out most of the rooms, known as ‘suites’ – five in total, separate rooms built like little villas over the property and all with their unique flavour. The Peacock Suite (the master room) was the most impressive. A huge open space with polished concrete floor, black and white décor, a king sized bed in the middle of the room, and sparsely but exquisitely decorated right down to the detail of unusual ornaments on the book shelves. It also had its own private garden with a fun water feature, lounge chairs and an amazing view. Across the path was the Mango Suite decorated with purples, pinks and reds, the balcony filled with views from left to right of neatly plucked green tea bushes packed tightly and covering the hill from top to bottom.
My room was the Garden Suite – different again. This was not the same contemporary feel but more stepping into colonial past, not minimalist but cluttered with old pictures and portraits making up a cosy room - I was looked down upon by race horses, historical figures, architect drawings and tapestries. The four poster bed in my room was elegantly draped with the ubiquitous mosquito net acting like a curtain enclosing the bed. Lifting this mesh I discovered a small bouquet of fresh red and white flowers placed on the pristine white duvet cover, letting off the wonderful sweet vanilla scent of frangipanis. For the record this has to be one of the most comfy beds I’ve ever slept in! Four large pillows, packed, squidgy and soft, were perfect for lying against to read and luxury for sleeping on. Aside from the bed the other highlight of my room was the shower, about the only thing that would manage to tempt me out of this cosy comfort at six the next morning. I love the outdoor showers you find in hotels in Sri Lanka – the one at KK was such a treat, particularly after the cold Hikkaduwa showers! It’s a wonderful feeling of indulgence as you stand outside, enclosed in your own little garden, under a torrent of alluringly hot water.
Dawn chorus
Most of you would think I’m a little crazy to get up early when staying somewhere so comfortable but honestly early morning is the best time in Sri Lanka. It’s a time for listening to the sounds of the birds, the bark of the monkeys, the chants and bells from the temples, the distant whirr of tuktuks and bikes as people get on the move. It’s also a great time for taking photos before the light is too bright. The morning at KK was no exception. As I yawned and stretched and opened my doors to the outside balcony I heard all the familiar bird noises including babblers, bulbuls and barbets plus the distant meowing of a peacock! I hadn’t realised there were peacocks on the tea estate, so I walked through to the tea bushes at the back and watched the magnificent noisy bird meowing as it perched in a shade tree above the tea. It was a male peacock calling to its mate in the valley below and I was offered the treat of watching him display to the female as he spread his feathers, yellows, blues, purples and greens catching the early morning sun. A spectacular sight balanced on a branch half way up a tree! As I walked back I saw a smaller but no less beautiful bird, the Asian Paradise Flycatcher with its elegant long white tail floating through the air as it darted between the trees.
I returned to my balcony, sipped my ‘bed tea’ (tea brought to you early in the morning when you’re supposed to still be in bed!) and listened to the birds and the wind rustling in the trees feeling very relaxed, loving the tranquillity! Curled up on my outdoor sofa I looked down to the white balcony floor and watched a family of red ants tidying up the remains of a dead beetle. I am always fascinated by ants and their military operations. When I lived in the jungle anything that died was soon taken away by the big jungle ants, whether a huge beetle, a small gecko, or food I’d dropped, the ants found it.
Speaking of food, the food was as good as everything else that came with KK - the menu small and simple, the food delicious (especially the breakfast), but the ambience and the attention to detail were what made it so special. The dining room, another big open room overlooking the views to the lake, was simply done with two large square tables in the middle and four small outer tables making the best of the views. I sat at one of the outer tables, camera at the ready for another vibrant Sri Lankan sunset where I captured a perfect pink sky behind silhouettes of spidery palms. Whilst I was enjoying this painting of nature, the staff were working hard behind me to get the big table ready for dinner decorating it with tiny delicate white flowers, a meticulous labour of love which I later admired before tucking into my delicious meal.
Night lights
At night the hotel was creatively lit up, the lighting used to capture the best of the architecture and design – for example, the dining room reflects spectacularly in the swimming pool. The pool itself looked magical, dimly lit revealing blue water covered in the dots of heavy rain drops as they ricocheted across the surface. The statue in the pond added to the drama of the scene lit up from below; in fact many unusual features were highlighted by low lighting such as the concrete urn and rain chains outside my Garden Suite. The living area too was nicely lit with small lamps and candles, a wonderful place to relax for a G&T aperitif or an after-dinner amaretto prepared for you at the cosy wooden bar.
A little about the hotel for those that may want to escape and chill...
The Design: After thoroughly enjoying the wonderful decor of the hotel, and simply being able to relax from one peaceful spot to the next, it was no surprise to discover that the owner of the hotel was an interior designer. George Cooper bought the property in 2000, then a small planter’s bungalow, on a slightly crazy whim to move from the comfort of the UK to the craziness of Sri Lanka. But it paid off! Fortunately for the rest of us George decided to share this beautiful setting with others by building the five suites and turning Kahanda Kanda into a boutique hotel. He employed a local architect to build the property, and employs local staff to run it. The tea estate is a working one and the workers are from the local village. The hotel also helps local projects, and has planted so many trees that it is now carbon neutral (check their website below for more details).
Activities: If you are not the type to enjoy sitting around reading and relaxing there is plenty to do – bike rides, whale watching, cookery courses, tea tours, massages, visits to temples, and much more. Most trips are aimed at people that really want to learn about Sri Lanka’s culture which is something I applaud. The hotel also offers Yoga retreats, wellness weekends, and is planning to run artist weeks and cheese making courses. It would also be a good half-way stop on route to a leopard safari in Yala National Park.
For me KK was a wonderfully excluded spot. A place to get away from it all, have some time to myself and relax amidst the familiar smells and sounds of Sri Lanka’s jungle whilst enjoying the hotel’s ambience and never tiring of its unbeatable views.
Photos: check out my Flickr set to see more.
Further info can be found on the hotel’s website.
Kahanda Kanda – Secret Hideaway
What to do in Hikkadu...
‘What to do, madam?’ The infamous Sri Lankan phrase spoken by locals when they can’t (or won’t) help in a variety of situations: the shower isn’t working: ‘what to do’?; your dog’s barking kept me up all night: ‘it’s a problem - what to do?’; my transport hasn’t arrived: ‘driver is on Sri Lankan time, madam – what to do?’. You get my drift. It’s actually a great saying which I love to use myself, an understood and kindred phrase used by all Sri Lankans! 'What to do in Hikkadu' became a phrase used for nothing other than simple lazy rhyme as we travelled on our frequent trips to Hikkaduwa from our hectic city lives a couple of hours away. I lived near this wonderfully long stretch of beach for two years, and when I moved to the big smoke it became my retreat from city life.
Returning to Sri Lanka this time around wouldn’t have been complete without the obligatory Hikka trip. And the only real way to experience it was to get the bus from my old flat in Colombo’s Wellawatta suburb to travel the 100km south to Hikkaduwa. I went with friends on a Saturday, usually a good day for a bus journey – not so busy, less traffic, etc. However, there were very few buses which we soon found out was due to a national bus strike, only a handful were actually running. What to do?!
Bussing it
There are two types of bus to get in Sri Lanka: either a) an AC bus (privately run air conditioned mini buses, bloody freezing but easier to get a seat and usually faster); or b) a noisy smelly monster bus (big buses run by both private companies and the government - the only difference I can see between them is that the government buses are red). We got one of the big monsters – a white bus leaning at an extreme angle towards the left dangerously dragging over the wheels, it was as though there was a bulky elephant weighing down one side of the vehicle. I think this is some kind of long term damage from the amount of people on the buses each day, gradually the buses gain a slanting angle like a permanent limp. This bus disability is a leftwards lean where the front and back doors get jammed with passengers every day in rush hour - people clinging on with one hand and one foot (two if lucky) as they travel peacefully to work! It’s an experience where personal space can’t even be considered as you are squished by bags, busts, and butts, crotches and armpits, and are surrounded, of course, by smiling faces!
Hot, though strangely not bothered, I somehow managed to score a seat much to the chagrin of a nearby Muslim man with his family – two wives and a son. Wives and son were lovely, friendly and smartly dressed, while husband was scruffy and bossy trying to tell everyone his wives were sick so that they would give up their seats to his family. There’s no way I could give up my seat, even if I had wanted to, with my heavy bag weighed down by camera, lenses, laptop and a few clothes for the week balanced on my knees, and nowhere else it could possibly go. So for the entire journey I seemed to have camera bag and Muslim family in my lap. Though I think I fared better than my friends – Jan, who is a big framed German guy, spent most of the journey standing on one leg hanging onto the ceiling rail swinging his way south; David, of smaller frame, was standing completely squashed in the middle of the bus finding it hard to breathe; while Lisa was sandwiched at the back with her bright red t-shirt trying to avoid the SL boys taking advantage of the packed bus situation!
I still managed, with one eye towards the window looking through the transparent sleeve of one of the Muslim ladies, to enjoy my favourite scenery as we travelled south. Colour all along the roadside. I never tire of watching Sri Lankans get on with their daily lives selling all things from coconuts to plastic buckets, to roti to fish. Flashes of greens, yellows, oranges, reds, blues, purples – as we passed sarees, sarongs, shop fronts, houses, palm trees, bicycles, motorbikes, brightly coloured trucks and tuk tuks, rivers and the sea. This all accompanied by the familiar smells of spices, curries, fish and fumes - Sri Lanka! Scenes and scents dramatised by the loud and tinny sound track on the bus which blasted Hindi music through crackled speakers all the way to our destination.
Hanging out in Hikka
It is a wonderful feeling to arrive in Hikkaduwa, ignoring the horrendously noisy smelly Galle Road that leads to and through the middle of town, as to me it is a symbol of peace and tranquillity - a home from home. We hopped off the bus and took a 3-wheeler to our accommodation on the beach, and when we squeezed through the shops and guest houses that line Galle Road it was time for the big ‘sigh’ as we had finally arrived.
Hikkaduwa beach is about a mile long (that’s my calculation not an accurate description!), curving its way along the Indian Ocean with its warm shallow bays of dark reef, deep dappled blues and booming white surf. It’s a sea that demands respect for its strong currents as demonstrated by the way it pushes and pulls at the sand forming an ever changing beach which banks, flattens and curves its way along the coast. Across the sand this characterful beach is sheltered by the elongated shadows of coconut palms. These classically tropical trees hang over the beach as though they are giant daddy longlegs with orange coconuts tightly tucked into their branches like spider eggs. The trees are scattered in between Hikkaduwa’s higgledy piggledy guest houses with ramshackle tables, chairs and beach beds filling out onto the sand. This is an uncrowded paradise dotted with happy looking tourists enjoying much of the beach to themselves as numbers have still not recovered since the horrors of the tsunami, the fear of the war and the impact of the world’s economic crisis.
One of my favourite Hikka pastimes is a morning stroll along this stretch of soft orange sand – striding through the shallows from the guest house to the village of Dodanduwa at the far end of the beach. Early morning is a wonderful time in Hikkaduwa – a time when the party goers have gone to bed, the beach boys have not yet arisen and real community life surrounds you. I love to walk and feel the morning sun as it sneaks out over the palm trees to the east before the day becomes stiflingly hot. It’s a time to encounter genuine Sri Lankan lives watching the fishing boats return from their night out at sea and the fishermen pull in their nets. This is no easy task – heavy boats and heavy nets have to be dragged up the beach by tiny, agile Sri Lankan men with weather beaten skin enveloping wiry muscles working hard to pull in their catch. A task that needs help, which soon arrives as villagers emerge through the trees to add to the line of men pulling the ropes that drag the fish filled nets onto the beach. From the distance this looks like a giant tug-of-war game with up to 10 men, bare chested wearing hitched-up sarongs, pulling at a huge rope that leads into the sea - the hidden fish their underwater opponents. Once the pulling and heaving is done the locals are rewarded for their work by heading home with the catch of the day, and the fishermen set to selling their fish or transporting them up to restaurants in Colombo.
For me this is a blissfully wandering hour or so, soaking up local life before turning back to the guest house for my morning cup of tea. A time when I never cease to be amazed at just how lucky I’ve been to have this on my back door step for so many years.
Beach life
Back at the ranch the others were slowly emerging - time to get ready for a busy beach day! This was a new kind of Hikka for me – in the past the beach was a weekend retreat where I disappeared, often alone, to hang out by the sea, read, walk, swim and catch up with the locals from the nearby village I worked in. But having left my life in Sri Lanka to only return for a few precious weeks it became a different experience for me. This time I guess I went more as a tourist as I travelled with a group of expats - friends from Germany, Switzerland, UK, France. I even stayed in a different guest house, a first for this creature of habit! It was nice to share my past haunts with old and new friends and it also felt like I was passing them on to the next group who had come to make Sri Lanka their home. The new accommodation (Vernon’s) was much cheaper than my habitual Drifters, not so nice but perfectly adequate – a single bed with mosquito net, fan and ensuite shower – can’t ask for more at £4 a night.
Being back on the beach also meant being back amongst the familiar creatures - I looked out of my door and watched a crab sizing me up with its big eyes, leaning backwards, folding its claws in front of it as if deciding whether to scuttle past or attack. I left the curious crustacean to its indecisions and ducked inside for a quick freshen up. It’s always tough to return to cold showers, I lived this way for two years and still find it excruciating to get under one but always refreshing after the first few seconds. In fact I’ve realised that when you shower in Sri Lanka the cold water becomes warm as it reaches your feet and hits the floor. (But when I returned to the freezing cold UK to my horror I noticed the opposite – hot water became cold after passing down my shivering body leaving barely tepidly water to reach my feet and hit the floor. Not pleasant!)
Apart from the familiar things, Vernon’s had a different view to where I usually stay – rather than the middle of the beach it is situated on the corner where the main surf rolls in and is placed on a high bank of sand with the waves lapping below. Tables and chairs were placed under the ubiquitous Sri Lankan corrugated iron roof which was held up by vertical wooden pillars - these functioned rather like windows to the surf as they broke up the panoramic view. A fantastic place to have a cuppa whilst watching the surfers bobbing up and down in the distance to vie for their morning wave.
Surf is Hikkaduwa’s main attraction for most visitors so Lisa decided to plunge into areas new as she took her inaugural surf lesson with Neil from Wales – yes we even hooked up with tourists, another new experience! Three lovely lads from Wales – Neil, James and Fish who were thoroughly enjoying their surf trip to Sri Lanka and seemed quite happy to learn a little about the history of the island as well. It was so refreshing to have people interested in what’s going on but bringing an optimism that is so much needed. Sri Lanka needs more visitors who are willing to understand what the people have gone through, and not be scared to explore and see the island for the wonderful place it is. Though with the wonder also came the more challenging side to Sri Lankan life... Lisa’s surf lesson ended in a stormy tale.
Beach deterrents
Those of you that know me are aware of my irrational (?) fear of storms as I cower like a frightened animal when the big tropical mothers come though. To be fair this is partly due to my house being struck by lightning and burning down when I was a wee lass, but that’s another story. So when the heavy rains fall in Sri Lanka I know that it is time for me to find a place to hide as it’s almost inevitable that a massive storm will follow the floods falling from the sky. This time there were five of us sitting on a couple of beach beds when the rains rapidly descended. These beds are more like mini huts – mattresses placed on waist high platforms sitting on stilts buried into the sand, topped with flimsy roofs made of woven palms that tend to leak when overly challenged with monsoonal weather! As the heavy waters dropped at terrific speed I was caught between my fear of the coming storm and the importance of protecting my camera gear - to dash for cover would have meant total drenching and ruination of my equipment. The others laughed at me trembling on the mattress, cuddling my bag and wishing the storm away. However, the mockery soon stopped as there was an almighty crash accompanied by a huge flash and terrified screams from all!
I was facing the sea huddled up with my jaw slowly dropping as I watched lightning fork the shallows right in front of us, James was facing the land and saw the lighting flashing on the other side of us – so it basically forked either side of our little hut like a hat of electricity being placed over our heads. We realised our lucky escape when we saw the faces of people about 20 feet away staring dumbfounded after witnessing whatever we had narrowly escaped. In addition to being terrified by the deafening bang and the blinding flash, Lisa and Fish got zapped! Both had their feet on the beach and both were wearing metal (rings on fingers and toes) and both felt an electric shock as the lightning struck. Nothing serious but enough to make us all dash for cover, giggle nervously, tremble a lot and order comforting cups of tea and bottles of beer. When the storm rumbled off southwards we remained in the safety of the café watching people slowly emerge back on to the beach and the boats slide off the sand back into the water. The most amazing sight for us was watching a fishing boat circle the exact spot where the lighting had struck – our theory was that they were looking for dead fish and again we realised just how lucky we had been!
However, we weren’t so lucky in escaping the vermin of the beach – the dirty old massage men who hunch over the beds smelling strongly of weed and grinning cruel toothless grins. They tried to sell us pineapples for ten times the normal price and attempted to offer us overpriced massages. When we asked them to go away in Sinhala they would hobble off leaving an echo of Faganesque laughter as if we were the freaks. This may sound a little mean but they are old men who are sadly drugged up to their eyeballs, were probably good looking beach boys 30 years ago but somewhere along the way they became mean, hardened, grizzled and ready to cheat any foreigner out of a buck or ten. Sadly they also seemed to be teaching their youngsters a trick or two - I was accosted twice by a trainee beach boy who must have been no older than 14!
Beach boys and the old men are a pest – they walk in parallel to you along the beach from 10 metres away and gradually angle themselves a path that ‘accidentally’ collides with yours. Then they offer you something like a very expensive lagoon boat ride (if you’re lucky) or weed, brown sugar or even a young boy or girl to keep you company. This trainee beach boy was pushed towards me by some of the twisted older men and as he approached I told him to leave me alone, I wasn’t interested. He was not deterred. He kept asking my name, my country, whether I was married (common Sri Lankan questions) so in Sinhala I politely told him where to go. Then he nervously called me ‘sexy?’, putting the one word to me as though it was a question, as he clearly didn’t know how to cope with this difficult foreigner and knew no more words. Who knows what he was trying to achieve but I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or give him a whack around the ear and tell him to bugger off home to his parents!
There are people who visit here, or temporarily volunteer here, that would say I’m being cruel about these beach vermin, after all it’s their country they are only trying to make some dosh. However, I don’t condone old men who cheat you, men who push drugs (probably bad quality and highly over priced), or men who sell boys and girls. They bring shame to their country. The local community could start up a tourist friendly service vetting those that patrol the beach so sellers that are genuine and actually take the money back to their families are the ones that benefit from the tourist dollar. Sadly I don’t see this problem as being top priority with the tourism promoters in Sri Lanka who boost the big hotels and festivals but tend to ignore the local communities leaving the beaches to the guest houses. But someone needs to take responsibility - maybe they’ll read this and finally decide to do something about the problems of the beach boys and their impact on communities and on tourists. (Rant over!)
Reminisced and relaxed
Aside from nearly being struck by lightning and getting a little animated by the hassle on the beach it was yet another lovely trip to Hikkaduwa. This is no five star destination (there are plenty of those across Sri Lanka) and is often dissed by guide books as an unhealthy concrete jungle attracting drop outs and soft drug users (in places they have a point!) but to me it is still a great area to visit. You can get as involved as you like in the tourist shenanigans or keep to yourself; it’s up to you how much you have to see of the party scene, the hippy hangouts, or the surf dudes.
Our trip reminded us of what a diverse and fun island Sri Lanka is, not to mention beautiful and unpredictable. Our days were filled with beach breakfasts, tasty teas and sunset snacks, whilst scrutinising the surf and soaking up the local life. We feasted on spicy curries, quick fix rotis or dinner at the best pizza joint in the country – Fabio and Paula’s Spaghetti House. Our nights were topped with drink, chat and chill at Saman’s Top Secret bar where we nattered and joked over arrack and coke until 4 or 5 in the morning. These long relaxing days ended with us wandering back along the beach to Vernons guided by the moonlight, feet dipping in and out of the warm sea getting ready for another eventful sun and surf day on Sri Lanka’s beautiful coast.
A few photos.
Return from Africa
(1st anecdote)
Well my 2.5 months in Africa is over:-( It was a fantastic journey and I'm going through thoughts of what's been great, what hasn't and what I'd still like to do (LOADS!). The highlight of the trip was getting to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro with the added bonus of having no altitude sickness, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience particularly seeing the world from 5,895m high! I've been really very lucky by what I've seen and experienced and there are only 3 slight downers that I can come up with:-
1. I lost my diary (but recovered it and had it sent home)
2. I ran over a sheep (which didn't recover!)
3. I thought I'd freeze to death trekking up Kili (and it took 3 hot showers to recover!!)
Aside from these small things the trip was fairly uneventful in terms of anything bad, it was one incredible view or experience after another and has left me with many wonderful memories of both places and people I've met along the way... in particular my flexible, fun and patient travelling companion, Rob. For two people who thought they could only successfully travel alone in the past we did really well in changing that view and shared some great times.
I also have to mention a few others who really helped in making it a memorable trip:
Shane and Asanthi in Dubai who picked up the pieces as I got off the flight after leaving my friends and life in Sri Lanka.
Paul and Squeaks in Kenya who were wonderful hosts and generously lent us their car so we could have a week exploring the national parks and getting our first glimpse of real Africa
Brandon and Tanya for giving me such a great time in Cape Town, showing me around your beautiful city, taking me to some fantastic places (still salivating over the food!) and for making me giggle a lot!
When I lost my diary I lost my notes on Kenya and Tanzania so the first thing I wrote was in South Africa – it's not up to the usual standard but to quieten all of you asking for something here's a little anecdote from the Wild Coast:
Africa: the Wild Coast Safari
There's a puffed up, chatty chicken sitting next to me, pruning herself before she sleeps perched atop of the chair. There's a big black soppy dog pawing at my back to get my attention, and there's me temporarily distracted by whales breaching in the distant sea (sigh!) enjoying every moment of South Africa. I'm in a guest house on a hill overlooking the sea relaxing and recovering from a four day horse safari with Ambadiba Adventures... and it certainly was an adventure. Travelling for me is about meeting the locals, enjoying new cultural experiences, stumbling across spectacular scenery and dealing with the unexpected along the way - all of which were catered for on our Wild Coast trip in the Transkei.
Our safari started with the kind of hanging around I am used to – the promised ten minute wait for our horses stretched to two hours but it didn't worry me as Africa time is much like Sri Lanka time, i.e. never on time!, and who cares when hanging around on a beach in the sun? The first real surprise of the adventure came from the initial sighting of the somewhat mangy mutts that were to be our transport for the next four days. A slightly unfair description of horses perhaps? Maybe, but I am used to riding gorgeous well kept Irish horses which was not the case with the Pondo Ponies - so small and scrawny that I felt my legs would touch the ground half the time! But it was all part of the experience, and they certainly weren't petted bored stable ponies. They were local horses that hadn't been ridden for some time and weren't really up for a few days of beautiful coast - they just wanted to be home, running around in the wild rather than entertaining foreigners.
So the reluctant horses with their slightly disappointed riders headed off, though the riders at least got over the mismatch as we travelled through the distraction of incredible scenery. Afterall, the whole idea of the safari was to see the Wild Coast of South Africa and to meet the local community which is what we got and something we will never forget. The riding itself was fairly uneventful except when my horse nearly broke her leg by getting stuck in the rocks and being particularly stupid about placing her feet, even with me on foot guiding the way, and when Rob's horse threw him off every time we waded waist deep through a river! We had three nights and four days riding along beaches, over sand dunes, up and down hills, through rivers, and learning a little about the people along the way.
The local community in this part of the Wild Coast are Pondo, indigenous to the area we travelled through. They live in the classic African round huts which have peaked thatch roofs shaped like asian hats, with outer walls painted white, pale blue, or turquoise. You see small clusters of them dotted across the green folding hills, often accompanied by squares of tree enclosures sheltering vegetable gardens and livestock - the ubiquitous goats, cows, chickens and dogs. Inside, the huts are slightly dark and damp with a musty smell of animal manure as the walls and floors are made of mud, straw and dung. Strangely cosy and comforting once you get used to it.
The Pondos live in one of the most beautiful places I have ever encountered (as most of you know I have travelled somewhat extensively so that's quite a statement coming from me). It's a place that around every corner, over every hill, and beyond every bay the view literally takes your breath away. A cliché but there's no other way to describe the beauty of this place. Frothy blue surf meets dark black rock bordering pale white sand. A sight of endless unspoilt, untouched beach with miles of spectacular scenery spreading inland - sand dunes of pale white and deep orange with green hills folding into the distance patched and parted by rivers, gorges, and swimming holes. On top of that you have the place to yourself - even on a public holiday there was no one in sight. It's a wonderful feeling to stand on the beach listening to the sea with the wind and sun on your face knowing that you've stumbled upon somewhere so special - though for how much longer it will exist this way no-one is sure.
Pondering the Pondo Problem
Sadly, like many really special places in the world this one also has a problem hanging over it – TITANIUM. Those stupendously beautiful sand dunes are tragically also full of titanium and there's an Australian mining company just itching to get their hands on it.
The Pondo community is incredibly welcoming, lives to it's traditional ways and means, is safe, friendly and unique BUT is small so it is hard for them to get their voice heard. They are trying to revamp community based tourism that started a few years ago, and a large majority of them hope that tourism can beat mining. If they get the right marketing and the right people helping them they may just manage it – the place is eco-tourism's dream and would tick many boxes for South Africa: saving one of the most beautiful remote spots in the world; supporting a small and possibly dying out community and offering tourists something really unique.
Sadly I reckon the mining boys and the dollar will win out, but the locals we met were not interested in money they just wanted to keep their land, their traditions and their language. So the power of money and natural beauty in the world battle it out again... This issue dominated the trip and all the Pondo people we met so I had to share it with you (I didn't meet any of the pro-mining locals).
Home stay
Having spent two weeks in small tents in Tanzania, and having experienced the toilets on Kilimanjaro we were quite used to roughing it so fortunately had learnt to take things as they come. We stayed in a local hut on the first and third nights of the safari with a family that had never entertained foreigners or tourists before. The hut belonged to a man who had two wives, and we stayed within the cluster of huts overseen by his first wife. He had about fifteen children of all ages who were either intrigued by us and stared (the younger ones), or shyly interested and cautious (the kids in their teens). The family looked after us very well and cleared one of the huts for us to stay in with two mattresses on the floor and plenty of big cosy, colourful fleece blankets to keep us warm. They were pleased that we wanted to eat the local food and we had delicious rice and chicken for dinner, though the breakfast was less desirable - a form of semolina type porridge which stuck to the bowl even when turned upside down!
Toilet humour
As with many of these places there was a toilet issue - in that there wasn't one! No drop hole, no secret tree to hide behind, no out-building. To go to the toilet I was told the best place was in a big open field in front of the huts, next to the pig coral, overlooking a wonderful view of fields and hills stretching out to the ocean. Sound idyllic? Possibly not?! It certainly caused a panicky dilemma in me - how could I, the only white lady around, drop my knickers and pee in the middle of a field without creating local giggles and intrigue? In my mind I was imagining all the kids and locals watching how this blonde chick would pee. What made it worse (sorry boys, but ladies you will empathise) is that I had my period. This added the extra dimension of having to fumble around with toilet paper, tampons and plastic rubbish bags as well as trying to fight through layers of clothing to pee as quickly as possible. My only solution was to cross my legs and go after dark, and in the morning set my alarm to just before daylight so I could pee before any of the family awoke. Aside from these slight complications it really was a spectacular view shared with the horses, pigs, goats and dogs but as far as I was aware none of the people!!
The second night of the trip was spent in a fairly well established camp which had beds in permanent green canvas tents raised on wooden decking. The camp site was situated on a cliff top with a wiggly path down to the river mouth and sea – very beautiful. We were well catered for by local ladies who even boiled up water over a huge log fire for us to have a bag shower overlooking the river.
Looking back on the whole trip both East Africa and South Africa provided us with the most amazing spots of beauty for going to the toilet or having a shower - not something either of us had thought of before we set off and another happy surprise!
Local gathering
Along the way, as we tried our hardest to get Sally-4-left-feet and Spot-the-sure-footed-horse to actually move more than snail pace, we were invited into a cluster of huts where the family were having a small celebration. In the Pondo community when they celebrate they invite everyone in the local area to join them so we felt quite privileged to be included. The party was going on in one of their larger huts. The women sat on the ground on one side with their backs leaning against the circular walls, legs stretched in front of them and either food or babies in their laps. The men sat on the other side on low down stools and benches smoking and drinking. They giggled at Rob and I initially grabbing floor space next to each other, before we realised Rob should be sitting up with the men.
The story of the separation of men and women was not so much a religious or cultural gender division, like in the Muslim or rural gatherings I was used to in Sri Lanka, the reason was different. Traditionally the women sit in view of the open doorway so any enemy approaching will only see the women therefore assuming it easy to attack with the men away; the men sit hidden behind the door opening so they have the element of surprise and can attack when anyone enters. I thought this slightly flawed seeing as it's a tradition that everyone (including the enemy) would know about!
Anyway, Rob sat up with the group of 'protective' men to sample the home brew and I sat chatting to the women who were drinking the traditional coffee – which consists of a mix of hot milk and water poured out of a big old metal kettle into a mug of coffee powder and a LARGE amount of sugar, accompanied by the ubiquitous cake. The men were drinking their home made concoction (vaguely described as beer) and a cherished bottle of Smirnoff vodka. The celebration was due to the father giving land away to his daughter who was soon to be married. It was a fun, giggly and close insight into how this gentle and friendly community live.
Flying surprise
Our second invitation of local hospitality was of a very different nature and totally unexpected. On our last day as we were riding along the beach a microlite appeared out of the sky, followed us along the beach for a bit (by this time we had actually got the nags to canter which was an achievement!) then landed ahead of us. The 2 guys flying it waited for us to catch up with them and, after laughing at our horses(!), offered to give each of us a flight. The microlite was owned by Dan who had built it himself and was quite an expert / champ / internationally renowned microlite star – so I felt safe enough to jump at the chance. I'd never been on one before and aside from the noise it was absolutely awesome. Looking at the land we had been riding across from the air felt very special and I enjoyed the bumps and being pulled around by the thermals. Most of all I loved being high in the sky looking down over the endless wild coast beaches and the Indian Ocean with its patchy blues lining the white sand.
As we landed back on the beach I felt quite privileged and thought it an appropriate way to end an eventful and memorable few days and thought that perhaps next time the Wild Coast by air, or by foot might be a better option than four days of reluctant Pondo ponies!
Click here to check out the photos.
All creatures - great and small
This small island has so much to offer that even after four years of living here there are so many more things to discover in terms of wildlife and beautiful scenes. This month I thought it time to pack up the search for the large creatures and head in search of the small. Previous trips to national parks and nature reserves have been for the more obvious wildlife – capturing big cats on camera, watching for whales, enjoying close proximity to elephants at play, smiling at awkward-antlered dancing deer, clicking away at crocs, bears, birds and boars, and returning home with thousands of shots to edit, upload and share. So the small creatures for me were a new experience and it took a little time and patience to get attuned, or, rather, focussed.
I was lucky to manage two trips - to Talangama and Bodhinagala with the folk from Jetwings Eco Holidays, which for me were a way to both grab more wildlife photography opportunities in Sri Lanka and to understand and learn more about the indigenous species, the rain forest and wetland life, the migration patterns, and the breeding plumages, amidst two very different yet beautiful areas of the island.
On the first trip (to Talangama) we stopped the car to much excitement and I was wondering what it was we were looking at, until our guide Wicky pointed out a red dot perched on a twig beside the track. It was the aptly named Variable Flutterer dragonfly, such a vibrant red - a marvel of nature and its incredible ability to continually surprise. It stayed close for quite some time, this scarlet spec darting from twig to leaf. I took a while to work out what camera setting, what lens and what patience was needed to photograph this tiny compact creature with its glorious colouring. Whilst attempting to focus I was also wondering just how did Wicky spot it? I realised it would have been a futile attempt at photography on my behalf without someone there to point out where to look, how to look, and to explain what things were.
After the encounter with the VF I had now become hooked on the small. It was easy to appreciate these tiny, delicate net-winged creatures which became fun to seek out and photograph. So much so that I almost forgot about the plentiful birdlife, alongside my favourite buffalo herds, as they went about their business pecking, munching and wading through the Talangama wetlands or gathering in groups enjoying evening baths of mud - scenes illuminated by the golden light of dusk.
Talangama and Bodhinagala have different scenes to offer - wetlands and rainforest, both worthy of photography in their own right but for me the dragonfly had become my new interest. This could be found in both, so I was pleased to find more of these miniscule flights of colour whilst strolling beneath the forest canopy.
Bodhinagala was as impressive as Talangama in what we saw despite the odds being against us with the weather - we spent an afternoon seeking out dragonflies, butterflies, moths and birds. This time the guide was Sam whose excellent mimic of birdcalls alerted us to the huge variety of birdlife in the rainforest area. However, it was not the birds I was there for.
On arriving, after donning our fashionable leech socks (!), we set off up the hill to see what we could find having been warned that the light was not quite right for dragonflies or butterflies. Almost immediately our luck proved good as a Common Birdwing butterfly flew in front of us and perched for a few minutes on a branch just above our heads. It seemed to glow through its feathered markings of black, grey, white and yellow. The name is a great description of an incredibly impressive feat of nature - a butterfly’s wings mimicking those of a bird. We were privileged as the Birdwing, not normally known to stay around too long, settled on the branch for a few minutes giving us photographers the chance to happily click away.
The next impressive sighting for me was the Dark Forestdamsel dragonfly, which also proved a great challenge due to the patience needed to photograph this minute, compact and colourful insect. It had a long thin black abdomen, which kinked at the end with a small strip of electric blue, topped with fine net wings with a delicate patch of brown at their tip. Another dragonfly we managed to photograph, equally impressive and almost an insect caricature to an amateur such as me, was one yet to be identified but the experts amongst us thought it could be of the Drepanosticta species. This had a rustic red body dotted with six small blobs of turquoise along the back, the biggest being on the tip on the tail, and its tiny head was topped with two huge white eyes and mouth. Magnificent! For those of us that are not experts in the field and simply appreciate learning more about nature, these delicate and vibrant creatures were like cartoon characters – A Bugs Life coming to life. You don’t need TV when you have it here for real - natural, incredible and true. These three sightings were the highlights for me but we also encountered moths, lizards, geckos, caterpillars, millipedes, frogs, beetles, and Sri Lanka’s ever present monkeys which threw things down at us from the tops of the trees!
So, another successful couple of trips and yet more knowledge gained from the helpful and informative Jetwings team about this wonderful land and its incredible diversity of life. For me, it is time to get out the photography books and learn for next time how better to capture of the beauty of the miniscule, in focus and in glory, to share with those not fortunate enough to travel here to see for themselves.
Spotting Leopards
What do we commonly wish for from a safari trip? Wildlife, birds, scenery, sounds, smells, open spaces, remoteness, and often something unique to the particular park that we are visiting? On a safari trip to Yala surely everyone’s ultimate goal is to spot a leopard? Ours certainly was. Unfair though this is on the rest of the wildlife and the spectacular scenery in the park, it is the possible sighting of the legendary leopard that gets the binoculars out, the lenses at the ready, and the adrenaline pumping.
My last trip to Yala, and my first, in January 2007 involved two highly satisfactory safaris. We saw bears with cubs, elephants (including tuskers), jackals, crocodiles, hoopoes, black storks, eagles, bee eaters, owls, wild boar, buffalo galore, and a whole lot more plus some amazing photo opportunities. But we didn’t come across the elusive leopard.
This time around the Yala trip was with my mother (on a short visit from the UK), Jetwing Eco Holidays guide Sam, and our ever so patient and excellent driver Thiranga. We had already agreed that Yala had enough to offer for our safari trip to be excited about and that seeing the star of the park would simply be an added bonus (this so as not to get our hopes up too high). And we got more bonus that we bargained for! In our two safaris we sighted not one, not two, but three leopards. Up close and personal.
First sighting was of a male, excellently spotted by a tracker in another vehicle. He was well camouflaged sleeping under a bush just off the road, getting shade and cool after feeding on his buffalo kill. Several jeeps were crammed onto the road with many heads poking out to watch this magnificent creature. He was oblivious to the clicking of the cameras as we focussed in on his ribs heaving up and down in the heat, eyes closed with the occasional lifting of his head, and not a care in the world. We left him to it and decided to return at the end of our safari at dusk.
On our return he had vanished from his den, but instead of driving off on another round of the park we decided to patiently sit and wait. Patience is often rewarded. After ten or so minutes he strolled back through the scrub to his bed in the shade where we watched him playfully swipe at the flies with his massive paws and snap at them with his huge head. He was a big cat. He soon got bored with this game and to our delight decided to come out into the open. So we had the privilege to watch this magnificent male cat meander into the grassland; he was muscular, with clear markings, bright eyes, and all-in-all looking incredibly healthy. He walked around, lay down, rolled in the grass, watched us, watched the distant deer, yawned, rose up again and moved off as something made him decide to leave the area and his kill. He walked towards us, stopped in front of the jeep, took one long look and disappeared into the scrub with our eyes following in wonder at the time we had just spent with him.
As we headed off, thrilled with our close cat sighting, another male leopard walked into the road in front of us. Quite a contrast to the first. This cat was skinny, almost scrawny, and nervous – not the confident creature we had just been with, but none-the-less impressive. Our guide Sam thought this may be the brother of the first leopard going to feast on the buffalo kill. We quietly sat as he squeezed past the jeep, darting a look up at us before he trotted along the road behind. If I had stretched my arm out even slightly I would have touched him, he was so close. We quietly drove off all hoping he would get his clearly much needed feed.
As if this wasn’t enough, our third leopard sighting was two days later, although not so exclusive this time as others on safari shared the spectacular view. Again it was patience that got our rewards. The first sight of the cat was in the distance on some rocks – even far away has was an impressive animal, as large and healthy as the first we saw, confidently slinking his way over the top of the rock, standing and looking over the land before disappearing from our binoculared eyes. Most of the other vehicles hung around for about five minutes and then gave up, only a few of us played the patience game, heads anxiously turning 360 degrees for him to emerge from one of the bushes close by. Again we were rewarded as he came out onto the shallow rocks close to the jeep. He slowly sauntered through the open area towards us, then onto the road and into the scrub passing the rear of our vehicle and taking a look at us all staring back at him before he continued on his way.
A thrilling and exciting three sightings.
Not to do discredit to the other wildlife in Yala that day, as we also spent a wonderful 45 minutes watching an elephant family munching on trees before having the time of their lives in a shallow mud bath. Three mums with varying ages of babies – one about a month old, the other two were toddlers, one a young tusker. It felt very special to watch these huge and gentle creatures enjoying their bath time with smiles on their faces and snorts of satisfaction. The baby was well protected by long and bossy trunks pushing it this way and that. The toddlers were a little more exposed delighting in the mud and needing a bit of assistance in getting up. They were clearly being trained to face their fears as one was forced to cross the road in front of us without the protection of mum who had already gone on ahead and was waiting on the other side for him to reach her. He skipped, grunted and darted across the road. Two minutes later he was slotted in next to mum, sleeping in the shade waiting for the rest of the family to catch up.
We happily left them to their peaceful morning and headed back to our own for a much needed cup of tea and downloading of some memorable shots.
Check Mum's trip report on Bundala Birds.
The waiting game… watching for whales
On Sunday 29th March after months of talking to Gehan (friend, wildlife expert, photographer, businessman and someone who knows anything about everything including whales!) about checking out the whale watching I finally got to make the trip as I headed south with Lisa and Di for a weekend. It was a bleary-eyed early morning start as we journeyed the picturesque route from Hikkaduwa to Marissa, which after turning the corner in Galle becomes a constant reminder of how beautiful this coast is – pale blue seas pushing gently at the land as the coast road opens up to glimpses of sea in between houses, fishing huts, villas and hotels. As well as trying not to nod off, there was a feeling of excitement that finally I will be seeing SL from the ocean rather than the land and looking for the marine life I had heard so much about. Last year Gehan highlighted the fact that SL is one of the best spots in the world to see blue whales, also sperm whales, as they pass by the south coast between January and April.
We headed out at 7.15am on the pretty wooden ‘Spirit of Dondra’ fishing boat, with its friendly and helpful crew. A neat little boat with striped wooden deck, and comfy seats to lie in drifting off as she headed out to sea. The passengers were relaxed and soaking up the morning atmosphere as we set our sails towards the horizon slowly moving away from the misty shores, watching the shrinking outline of the hills inland. It was a calm morning with a gentle swell and we all hoped this meant some good whale sightings. We passed a wonderfully busy community of fishing boats - reds, blues and greens, darting in and out towards harbour or sea, and we eyed huge domineering cargo ships in the distance. Whilst all good fun by 10.30am we had still seen no whales!
Then one of the crew spotted some splashing in the distance, and although not the huge creature we had all anticipated we had come across a pod of playful spinner dolphins. I’m not sure how many there were, possibly between 10 and 15 giving us a wonderful display of acrobatics as they leapt out of the water twisting into the air than splashing back into the depths. A few came to check out the boat swimming alongside the bow before curiosity was over and they disappeared back to the seas. Sadly not many good photo opportunities but sometimes it’s nice to just put the camera down and enjoy the moment.
The Marissa Sports crew tried their hardest to find us some whales, but after travelling almost 20 nautical miles we thought it was time we gave up and headed back to land. Although some obvious disappointment dwelled amongst us we had had a calm and relaxing 6.5 hours out to sea - a rare and enjoyable time away from the hassles and pressures of life on land. Apparently there were whales the few days following, but nature cannot be put to a time table and the trip only entices me to try again! Besides, the dolphins were fun, the trip smooth and oh so relaxing, we were all well looked after …and you can’t ask better than that!
Australia Adventures Christmas 2008
As many of you know Australia is like a second home to me and I am devastated by the awful fires, the destruction and the loss of life. There's little I can do to help except keep in touch with those I know that are close to it, and perhaps update my blog to remind people of what a beautiful place Oz is.
At the end of 2007 Kangaroo Island suffered some terrible bushfires and we saw the extent of these on our trip to Oz this time around. However, although only a year ago, nature has been incredible at fighting back and growing again, and the island has very much come back to life in a short period of time. Perhaps this can offer a little hope to the hopeless situation of the bushfires in Vic right now?
(I started writing this blog update a month ago so have quickly finished it to show those in Oz I'm thinking of you all…)
Usually I find it easy to write a blog update as latterly it's been to places new to me which I always find exciting and words spill over themselves trying to get out (Japan:-)), or its been to places still not explored in Lanka that will constantly have a 'wow' factor for me. However, this Christmas the trip was to Australia, and it must be at least trip number 10 there for me, so how to describe anything new is difficult as it's like writing about home…. mmm….
Well the highlight of this trip was Kangaroo Island,
to which all of us privileged to have gone there, lived there, visited there often, it has a large place in our hearts as it really is a very special spot. An island full of old favourites including friends, food and familiar sites. It's been 17 years since I last properly saw the island, but not that much has changed particularly in the nooks and crannies off the beaten track. Although KI as a whole has quite a tourist trade now, with tarmac roads circling the island and monstrous wooden platforms dominating naturally beautiful sites like Admirals Arch, Remarkable Rocks and Seal Bay (which as a result are not so natural or remarkable !), it is still very peaceful and unspoilt.
To get to KI you either drive down from Adelaide and take your car on the ferry braving one of the worst sea crossings I've ever encountered (except perhaps a close-to-death experience on a hovercraft from France when even the ferries weren't stupid enough to cross), or you wimp out and fly, which also can have its moments! This time we took the cheats' way and flew from Adelaide to Kingscote in a compact little 10 seater plane which was a little like a fair ground ride - a cross between the one where you sit in an umbrella and whirl through the air as the machine judders up, down and around, and the ghost train where you're not sure what will loom up in front of you. For our trip what loomed in front of us was an impenetrable density of dark, dark grey and as we got closer to this wall of weather mum's face got whiter and I should have told her that we were about to land before having to enter this curtain of uncertainty. The feeling of relief was clear with a knowing silence as we touched down on the little runway - a smooth and perfect landing. Once on the ground the storm was spectacular with forks of lighting guiding our way as we drove across the island towards and through it in the little hire car, feeling safe in our rubber-wheeled red-painted cart. This is the best way to describe the most inappropriate car for driving around KI - very small, very low, and not even 4WD! Having said that though, it did us proud.
What to see on KI? The most beautiful, rugged beaches in the world. Our first stop was Bales Beach - the picture postcard of white sand, shrouded in sea mist, with multiple blues dappling the scene in front of you as you walk towards the sea, down sand hills scattered with lilac green scrub, and onto the beach. The grey storm clouds lingered like a ceiling full of mobiles made up of misshapen cotton wool balls, suspended in the sky with invisible string. Come rain or shine, all the KI beaches are spectacularly beautiful in their unique way - Vivonne Bay, Seal Bay, Snake Lagoon, Snelling and Stokes to name a few, but the two best for me are: Hanson Bay, and Kangaroo Beach. Hanson Bay is one of those places with a wow factor - the extremes of colour with blues, greens and whites in the sea and sand are Australia at its very best.
I drove to Hanson to pick up Mum and John who I'd sent off on a looonnnggg walk. I parked up the cart, zipped up my top and headed towards the scrub and the sound of the ocean. When I emerged through the hedges, towards the view of the bay and the coast beyond, I was hit by the breathtaking beauty of the place. I am hard to please and rarely get stopped in my tracks by anything much unless it really is very special - and this was. It was one of those "nature is incredible" moments: standing on a sand hill wrapped in my fleece with the winds rolling off the sea, tasting the salt in the air, gazing through the spray and feeling very alive, very happy and wondering how to stay longer!
Kangaroo Beach is the other side of the island (well, other side being north as opposed to south) and our visit there a day or two later was very hot with greatly improved weather. This is a private beach in the midst of farm land reached via a steep, almost vertical decent through folding hills of brown-green fields, with bemused cows watching you creep down the slope in your 4WD (Graham's, not ours - the hire care wouldn't have made it!). This is different to the south - the beach is calmer, the sea clearer, more transparent shades of blue, lined with fields and cliffs with scattered rocks below falling into the sea. As we waded in the (c-c-c-chilly) sea a seal lifted its nose through the surface but on realising s/he was no longer alone in this little piece of paradise it shimmied off, a shiny black head occasionally popping up to check our movements before disappearing into the depths below.
Aside from the spectacular beauty of the place, the wildlife is another reason to visit KI. From the seals in Seal Bay who lounge on the beach slowly raising their heads to gaze and growl at the groups of tourists - controlled in clusters by strict wildlife wardens, to the seal nursery at Admirals Arch where you watch them play on the rocks, diving in and out of the sea, to the lizards, the birds and the roos. As you know from previous posts my knowledge of bird life can be somewhat improved upon. But I still appreciate driving along with dashes of red, green, pink, grey and white diving in front of my eyes as the parrots ride the airs above and in front of the car; and I enjoy watching the bright coloured blue wrens and red breasted robins pecking at the grass while I'm sitting having a morning coffee or an early evening beer. Something we very much enjoyed doing at Graham's place.
We were lucky that while we were on KI Gaia - the impressive wooden house built by Graham on the block next to his, was free and not only for the 2 days we booked it but for the following few days as well. So we took advantage, changed our flights back to town and snuck in an extra few days to continue exploring, reminiscing and simply enjoying the pace of life on the island. Walks, wine, BBQs, beers, and Roos! Yes, the wildlife highlight was Graham's adopted family of Roos - Bella, Bugsy, Liz, Frank, Sam, etc. They were great fun. Most mornings …mmm, 5.00am!... you'd be woken by the THUD, THUMP, THUD of their long feet slowly hopping around the wooden deck outside the house hoping to wake you so they could get a feed. Early morning and early evening (and, err… mid-morning, lunch time, tea time….) plates of grain were much enjoyed by them all. It didn't stop there - eating breakfast was a challenge with Bella around as this little nose would suddenly appear close to yours just as you were trying to pop a piece of toast in your mouth, followed by two strong paws pulling at your hand trying to grab the bread away before you munched it all down! Possums and wallabies were also frequent visitors. And for the first time no spider sightings for me which was quite a pleasant change!
Graham was a great host and nothing was too much trouble for him so we were royally treated and very much enjoyed it. I cannot depart from the delights of KI without mentioning Graham's Michelin starred cooking - the most AMAZING marron dish to rival any 5 star restaurant in town. My mouth is watering just thinking about the succulent flesh of the marron soaked in a tangy champagne sauce accompanied by freshly baked bread - yummmm. (Marron is a sort-of fresh water cray fish to those of you that don't know). So we left the island sad and tearful but content after having had a wonderful and unforgettable week.
What about the rest of the trip? Well it was hectic and fun and great to see so many family members all at one time - it was Christmas chaos, but good! The food was a delight - BBQs, sea food, roast lamb, (drinkable - whoopee!) coffee, chocolate and cheeeeese… all the things I really miss from living in Asia. And of course how could I mention my trip to Oz without bringing up WINE. Yes, as usual I indulged, and with mum and John that's not hard. So I took them to visit one of my favourite wine regions - the Clare Valley.
I booked a cute old settlers cottage in Mintaro which as we arrived was lit up like rough pale gold in the evening sun. It was positioned in the midst of farm country at the bottom of a hill with nothing close by. We were overlooking yellow fields of stubble full of pink and grey galas, and watching the farmers working on a dusty hill behind us moving their tractors through the hazy evening light in front of a deep blue sky. Very picturesque. Also very noisy with hundreds of galas squawking and fighting for their place on the branches of the gum trees which surrounded the cottage and lined the fields. A wonderful scene whilst drinking a cool glass of Riesling on the patio. It was an amazing deal - a small 3 bedroom cottage with breakfast provisions included at AUS$75 pp/pn and more surprisingly included was a very pleasant decanter of port sitting enticingly on the sideboard - deep burgundy coloured liquid calling out to be slowly sipped and enjoyed. Which we did as the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped, and the warm fleeces came out along with the cheese, Maggie Beers pates and nibbles.
I have blogged about Clare before so I won't go on but it's a beautiful part of South Australia and the wineries are a delight - Skillogalee, Mitchell, Knappstein, Annies Lane, Tim Adams, Chapel Hill... to name a few. Plus a diversion home through the Barossa is always a treat particularly visiting my old favourite Henschke and my new favourite Two Hands - where a most delicious autumn brown coloured Muscat, in its a coffin shaped cool and trendy bottle lying in my fridge, comes from! (My luggage was 10 kilos over weight due to the wine, books and chocolate I brought back to Lanka with me - but I managed to charm my way through and not pay any extra - phew!)
A big thanks to Sue, Andy, Liz at no 25 and to Mary, Richard, and especially David for the Adelaide hospitality and the wonderful supply of drinks and chat at Hart Street.
So Australia still and always will have a place in my heart and I expect I will be back again soon! May try to sneak it into a round-the-world trip when I leave SL this year, though it might not be quite on route to Africa or South America which are potential places to explore as I take some time out after my 4 years in SL.
At the risk of repeating myself - watch this space!!
Oz photos on Flickr.
Black Out
Last night was a rare night of no rain during monsoon season. A perfect night to launch the coffee table book we recently published, guests mingling outside with wine and nibbles. The book contains 200 pages of photos, and related text, depicting the long history of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
After a really successful night with over 150 happy guests heading home from the wonderful location of the Barefoot cafe, Jeevan, Mumtaz and I headed back to my place in Wellawatte for some much needed food.
Whilst star gazing at the beautiful clear night, munching away and chatting on my balcony the whole city suddenly went into black out. All electricity gone, except the bright blue neon of the local Global Towers Hotel (generator powered).
Then the sky lit up with 5 or 6 batman-esque light beams searching the darkness of the night. These cones of light were shifting above our heads clearly panicking - they were searching for LTTE planes, like looking for a needle in a haystack! Confidently safe due to my living in the Tamil part of town we watched to see what would happen.
Suddenly the black sky was filled with the red dots of anti-aircraft fire. It was like fireworks on 5th November. These red flares were launched from strategic points across the city and from military boats in the sea. A few bright flashes in the distance also indicated that a possible bomb had been dropped - confirmed a few minutes later by the efficient text service from work telling us a power plant had been targeted.
The balcony last night became circle seats to the live theatre of war. I went to bed feeling so desperately sad that the citizens of the same country are doing this to each other.
Perhaps tonight we will all be hoping for those cloudy skies again with the monsoon rains and no more raids.
Side splitting moments... and splitting up
Well, here it is, finally, the long awaited (?!) update to my somewhat inconsistent blog! Although the title is not the greatest juxtaposition of words, it has certainly been a roller coaster of a year so is an apt description. Time flies and I'm conscious I've not written anything much since February or posted any photo details since April. Since then rather a lot has happened. In brief:-
- Dad turned 70
- Al turned 40
- Bron and I split up
- Mum and Tony split up
- my stress levels did a melt down and I lost 1 stone
- I spent 3 weeks in freezing UK
- I spent 2 weeks in funky Japan (photos) (blog post)
- I'm off to Oz for Christmas :)
- I'm still in Sri Lanka!
Dad's 70th
Sadly none of us were there to cheer in Dad's 70th as, aside from us all living 1000s of mile apart, he was off on a 3 week cruise seeing Argentina, Chilli, and climbing up Machu Picchu in Peru. Honestly, he lives his seemingly quiet Canada life in style with all his trips abroad. I'd say a great way to see in 70...
Al at 40
What can I say? None of us has changed; we all look a little older but act just as foolishly. A lot of the old crowd from both Al and Helen's friends came to celebrate at a wonderful Crazy Bear evening. Much wine, beer, Thai food, wine, beer, and catching up were done. The photos tell all....
Bron and I
Sadly we split up while I was in the UK. There's not much I will say except obviously it was sad, upsetting and difficult, but there was no animosity.
Mum and Tony
Not for me to say except that they split up this year.
Stress levels high!
Well both of the above obviously contributed, plus working all hours as usual - though self inflicted of course, I can't imagine working any other way.... which is part of the problem!!
3 weeks in the UK
My UK trip this time around was really to be with family and to sort a few of my things out, so apologies to those of you I missed catching up with. A HUGE thank you to everyone for looking after me so well - dinners, lunches, beds for the night, comfort and care. It was much needed and very much appreciated. You know who you are! Though it was lovely to come home, drink copious amounts of much missed wine, and enjoy many a tasty pub meal I was not remotely impressed with the weather. It was bloody freezing and I spent most of the time trying to find bits of winter clothing in order to survive.
2 weeks in Japan
Japan was quirky, cool and fun and despite expecting an alien world, as I had always thought Japanese culture may be a little mad, I actually felt very much at home and enjoyed / understood the oddities. Amidst the seriousness there is also a tremendous sense of fun. There were a few side splitting moments - not least the musical toilet; my friend's curiosity resulting in an unexpected bidet face wash; the Japanese dog hairdressing salon; and the fun loving staff at the coolest restaurant in Tokyo. However, let me stop as Japan deserves its own blog section so please read the next blog update for the Japan experience...
Oz calling
Yes, again I return to Australia for 3 weeks at Christmas time in Adelaide. Suffice to say I can't wait! Family, friends, wine, beach and KI. Counting down the days....
Back in SL
Pointing out the blindingly obvious with this... but, yes, I'm back, and with some renewed enthusiasm after my break in Japan. Funding for me at work runs out in January (though I have said if more money comes in I'll stay until April) so I'm not sure what the future holds next year.
2009 is up for grabs and I have to come up with some ideas. exciting? scary? new chapter? who knows... currently going with the flow until something makes me decide what to do. But until then it's back to balcony beers and weekend jaunts to the beach in Hikkaduwa. Anyone wanting to visit should get their skates on before it's too late and I move somewhere even more inaccessible!!
two SL anecdotes....
The Post Office Experience
I went to collect a friend's parcel with the post office slip put through the door. I arrived and was sent upstairs to the 'foreign parcels' section. A room which stepped back in time where all data was entered into huge dickens style ledgers and 5 people were sitting around doing nothing while the only woman in the office was doing all the work. The men just sat and looked at my passport photo.
They wouldn't give me the parcel without my friend's ID, but he was long gone and in the UK. So we came to a deal and I sat in their office and wrote a letter from him giving me permission to pick up the parcel on his behalf.
An hour later... and I am sent downstairs to the collection point where I sit and twiddle my increasingly impatient thumbs while the staff sit and chat and do nothing. After another hour I get really impatient and ask what the delay is. One of them decides to shuffle to another room and finds the parcel. It then takes half an hour for them to open it. I discover I have been waiting for spices sent from India and useless bits and bobs that would have costs about 100 rupees here. Then, after another 20 minutes, I am sent to the finance guy who decides that I'm a rich foreigner so he tries to charge me Rs 3,500 for the privilege of collecting the parcel. By this time I am at boiling point and I shout the whole place down with extremities and storm out. Never to return again.
The Motorcycle Admirer
Many Sri Lankan men really have no clue about chatting people up and seem to think approaching you as a complete stranger is perfectly acceptable. I walk out of the office with some papers in an Odel bag. Odel is the department store here which I hadn't been to for at least a month. A boy pulls up on his motorbike and tells me he just saw me in Odels where he was with his parents. Although in the West admitting you are with your parents is a total loser thing to do, here it is respectful. Anyhow, I told him I've not been near the place for ages, though he still insists he just saw me there due to me having the bag, wants to take me for a drink and finds it odd that I won't give him all my contact details. Aside from the worst approach to a woman possible he was about 20 and clearly had no clue - somewhat sad! Though perhaps not as bad as the tuktuk driver who told me he was very much into foreign women and the fact I was married made me even more attractive to him. He was toothless and ugly and extremely untrustworthy, what on earth made him think I would be happily taking a journey down any road with him other than to get home and fast as possible?!
Japan Junky
I would never have got there if it hadn't been for a work trip. This was to an essential conference which would help us with ideas and contacts for our centre in Sri Lanka. Although that was the primary reason for my trip, I was of course excited to go to Japan and I had factored in a couple of days off in Tokyo at the end of the journey to see a bit of the country.
To be honest when I stepped on the plane heading East I knew nothing about Japan other than:- the handy tips my friends had given me; watching Lost in Translation; and growing up watching a lot of pretty terrible WW2 black and white films (old and biased). So I was surprised and satisfied to find a new land to add to my world travels and top the list of cool and interesting places to go.
But what had I expected?
Misconceptions: a land of raw fish and ultra healthy food (therefore weight loss); an obsession with Tamagotchi pets; a land of very short people; a suicidal and serious race; new technology everywhere; neon everywhere; people like ants in the streets pushing and shoving to get space; no English; complete chaos; the inevitable feeling of being very alien.
Reality:
• calm, not chaotic
• busy, not balmy
• peaceful, not pushy
• serene, polite, kind and thoughtful people
In summary: a land of sashimi, sushi, sake, yakatori and delicious deserts - AMAZING food (and no weight loss!); no weird pets other than tiny little dogs which seemed a Tokyo accessory; trendy cool people (not that short); a race with a feeling of wholeness, contentedness, kindness and a tremendous sense of fun as well as seriousness; no astoundingly new technology (at the conference it was appallingly out of date!); lots of neon; no chaos - a lot of people but with an aura of calm; feeling completely safe, at home, at ease and welcomed. Already missing it!
Arrival in Tokyo
I travelled alone so had booked myself into some quite nice hotels doing cheap deals if booked early - prices equivalent to the less expensive hotels in town (the prices were 3 times more than I had paid upfront so I did well!). The reason for booking somewhere reasonable was to feel comfortable in a nice hotel in case I freaked out and couldn't cope in a strange new land. That way I could at least hide behind my laptop and do some work, or join the other sad unadventurous bastards in the hotel bar. Suffice to say that of course didn't happen, but caution seemed a must at the time of booking!
It wasn't the greatest start I have to say. I flew all night so was tired and grumpy when I arrived in the lobby of the Shibuya Excel Hotel. As I got off the airport bus at 10.30am my somewhat knackered old case, which has travelled all corners of the globe with me, decided to snap its handle. I dragged the broken bag in behind me, and with no handle and only one wheel it didn't look great next to all the smart guests with their deluxe designer cases. The hotel staff looked at me as though a tramp had walked in off the streets. What to do? To top that I was secretly hoping I would be able to check in early and was a little put out to discover I couldn't check in until 2pm.
No room, no sleep, no shower. Tired, smelly and disinclined to be even remotely adventurous I skulked to the hotel cafe to sulk and to decide what to do. However, very quickly the waiter realised I wasn't going to order so kicked me out as though I was vermin rather than a hotel guest! So I left my embarrassingly scruffy bag and took to my place on the streets negotiating my way to Tokyo Station to buy Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets to Kyoto the next day. This was a wise move as I started to realise this was a city that was easily negotiable and that I really wanted to explore.
Tokyo began to unravel itself to me as I travelled by metro gawping up at the sky scrapers and people watching all the cool folk sharing my carriage. I wandered the corridors of Tokyo train station wondering how many food outlets and vending machines the station managed to accommodate as they lined each corridor packed with eager customers. My mood had reversed and I was sad to have to return to the hotel and check into my room at 2pm to spend the rest of the day at my laptop working on my conference presentation. However, I could hardly complain as my room was on the 23rd floor with the most spectacular views looking down upon Shibuya Junction - the ultra famous 5-way busy pedestrian crossing in Tokyo.
I was also lucky when I returned to Tokyo a week later (staying in the deluxe Cerulean Towers Hotel again for a bargain price!) when I was upgraded to an enormous sky view room on the 26th floor. I felt somewhat lost as I staggered into the room with its walk-in shower and bath tub big enough for me to comfortably stretch out in. The greatest treat here was watching the Tokyo skyline light up as the sun set, or watch the city gradually reveal itself as the sun rose. A wonderful night time neon view of blue, red, green, orange, pink and white lighting up skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes including the Tokyo Tower (the Eiffel Tower replica) splendidly lit up in red. One of the buildings had a 5-aside footy pitch on the roof top constantly in use - what a cool way to play sport! This hotel also had a top floor bar. Viewing Tokyo from the 40th floor with a very nice glass of Riesling on my last night was something to be savoured and an enticement to return! However, it wasn't all plain sailing in this hotel either - they were also very snobby and jaws most definitely dropped when I asked where the nearest coin operated laundry was!
Fish Market
The top Tokyo score for me on this briefest of trips was the fish market. I believe the biggest in the world? The guidebook suggests getting there just after opening at 3am, but when I was in Tokyo the only day it was open was Tuesday and I wasn't staying up until late on Monday night to head fishwards with no sleep. So it was up at 6 arriving at the market 7.30 on Tuesday morning - the later time didn't matter in the least as it was still absolutely FULL of life and FULL of fish!
There are literally rows and rows of stalls, like mini streets, with men and women slicing, hacking, stabbing, dissecting and carefully packaging or displaying their fish. From giant grey coloured tuna with sharp yellow fins, to deep red octopus, spotty orange crabs, scarlet shrimp, large eyed slimy squid, and multicoloured fish of reds, yellows, greys, whites, and blacks, this was the most incredible collection of seafood I had ever seen. It was like an artwork to view and also to watch. The sellers meticulously crafted their fish slicing off the ugly and bad bits to perfection ready to sell or to be shipped off for someone to enjoy a sumptuous sushi supper.
Surprisingly the smell was not too bad, I had of course anticipated only a limited endurance of fishy smell but the stuff was SO fresh most of it was still flapping, squirming or crawling in various shapes and sizes stored in boxes and bags, tanks and trays so there was no smell. However, there was water everywhere so the only danger would have been to slip in a pool of fresh fish blood which would not have been pleasant. I would say that for those of you who are remotely squeamish (or vegetarian) perhaps the market would not be a priority place to pick.
The market was full of chatter, laughter, shouts and screams creating a wonderful atmosphere to completely lose yourself in - except if you remotely lost concentration you would be run over by the hundreds of electric carts darting through the small market lanes. These were bizarre barrel shaped vehicles with a man at the controls standing up and skilfully manoeuvring his cart through the market stalls at incredible speed. They were like dodgems weaving through carrying cartons and boxes of fish from market stall to vehicle. They took no prisoners, so if you got in the way it would be your fault. Not easy so early in the morning to be completely alert so as not to be mowed down by highly sped fish. This was juxtaposed with the traditional trolleys slowly pulled along by wizened old men, or old mopeds with baskets on front and back full of fish.
All this gawping and wonder worked up an appetite and you would not be forgiven for avoiding a sushi breakfast. So dutifully I queued in the hour long line to get into one of the best and most famous sushi restaurants in the market. This was theatre in itself as we were bossed through the queue and into our seats by 2 women efficiently getting their customers in and out of the restaurant door in record time. In the meantime the men practiced the art of making and serving sushi with flamboyancy, fun and flair. By 9.30am I was indulging in ultra fresh tuna and red snapper sushi with miso soup and green tea.
Old versus new
Kyoto was a different kettle of fish - the old city compared to the new. This used to be the capital of Japan and has a completely different feel to it. Tokyo is modern, busy, very tall and very cool. Kyoto is old, full of temples and shrines, houses are tiny and compact, nothing is high rise, and it has a laid back arty feel to it with wide quiet streets. However, this is not the first impression you get on arrival - this is the feeling that is created after a few days there. The first impression was of chaos which stemmed from pulling into the HUGE train station with levels and levels of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars - it took me 20 minutes to negotiate my way to the subway and escape to my hotel!
Arrival was via the high speed and very smooth Shinkansen (bullet) train. Not remotely scary and very fast so looking out to the passing countryside was a little dizzying. A missed opportunity though as most of the journey was spent working on my plugged laptop so I didn't see much of what I was zooming past at a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph)!
Hiroshima (even newer!)
On a more sombre note part of our conference was spent in Hiroshima, hosted by the Peace Park, which included some thought provoking talks by the Mayor and survivors of the A-bomb. It is very hard to describe this place. A city that was completely destroyed by the atom bomb with no word nor warning. People literally melted from the heat and radiation and I still have nightmares from the few photos and the many horrific stories of human suffering. The city feels strange as it is only 60 years old and everywhere you go you are reminded of what happened as you pass by little memorials, statues and shrines. A determination for world peace prevails here and for nuclear weapons to be abolished worldwide.
Until I saw Hiroshima and the devastation caused by the bomb - a terrible weapon that should be in no human hands, I naively hadn't quite appreciated just how awful nuclear weapons are. Now I am with the ever growing movement that believes they should be eradicated so this can never happen to people again.
Museums for Peace conference: friends and fun!
The Hiroshima trip was on the last day of the conference, however most of it took place prior to that in Kyoto. A pretty much missed opportunity for any sight seeing as the 6 days spent there really were all about work. Not that I'm complaining as that's why I was there and I met some truly amazing people, learnt heaps and have a lot to disseminate. The organisers had us up at 7am, bussed us to the conference at 7.45am, only returning to the hotel at 8 or 9 at night. As usual, I managed to find a really nice group of people to hang out with for the week. A multicultural group we were too:-
Sajid and Hina from Pakistan: I think I can speak for the others in saying that we were all truly humbled and inspired by the inter faith work these guys are doing in Pakistan. Inspiring, courageous and lovely people to spend time with.
Alexis and Eleni from Cyprus: these guys were a bundle of European fun and they ran a fantastic sports management life skills project that I could totally relate to having run sports programmes in SL for 2 years.
Karen from Rwanda: on a German funded programme Norbert had recently told me about, Karen was doing some interesting and brave work in the rural areas of Rwanda, something I think I could learn a few lessons from.
Kunda from Nepal: a wonderfully inspiring man who had produced a coffee table book on the conflict in Nepal after running a successful travelling photo exhibition. He was now thinking of setting up a peace museum, he had also worked for the BBC, worked in SL and was from the media so we had a lot in common!
Erik from the Netherlands: a Dr in the field of war documentation (academia, therefore way over my head!) who worked on interesting projects and whose wife worked at the Anne Frank Museum.
We confused many with our locations: Faye from Sri Lanka (but really from the UK); Alexis from the USA (but really from Cyprus); Karen from Rwanda (but really from Germany)! A diverse and dynamic group of people! We also hung out with Maria from Guatemala, Tom and Joyce from the US, Peter, Clive, Julie and Eddie from the UK. I was also lucky to meet up with Alexis, Karen and Erik in Tokyo so we reunited over sashimi and sake before going our separate ways.
It was an honour and a privilege to meet and spend time with you all, a lot of fun too. I hope we will somehow manage to meet up again in the future. Take care and thank you!
Sushi, sashimi and sake
One thing our group seemed to share was a common appreciation of the food, and boy was it good. So here I go saving the best to last....
The Kyoto Experience: The night I arrived I was tired and a little crotchety mainly due to the fact that the conference organisers had demanded I give them my completed presentation the night I checked in. So after a long journey, and more suitcase dragging, there was no rest for me! I had to do a quick rehearsal to check on the length of the presentation, add some finishing touches, and hand it in without getting any rest. This was completed by 8.30pm, and after a brief search on the internet for good Kyoto food I headed out in the pouring rain to satisfy my rumbling tummy. I aimed for Torito Restaurant which sounded quite nice from good recommendations online...
As I walked on I realised that my map was not to scale and what seemed like a 5 minute stroll was in fact a 25 minute hike. This would not have mattered had it not been sheeting down with rain making me completely soaked despite rain-coat and umbrella. So I was wandering through very deserted streets and had no clue as to whether this Torito place would a) be any good, b) be affordable, or c) be open on a Sunday night! However, all was not lost as I arrived to an empty restaurant which at least seemed open. They asked if I had booked? I looked around at the empty seats and wondered what they were on about. Was this a polite Japanese way of telling me that I was not welcome and that they wanted to close? I indicated there was only one of me and that I didn't take up too much space, so they let me in. 10 minutes later the place was completely packed! I was soon to realise why...
Torito was very well designed - dark wooden bar and tables, charcoal grey bar stools and chairs, black slate and clear glass plates, shiny sharp wooden chop sticks, young cool chefs dressed in black with red and white headscarves. Like many places in Japan it was minute with a long breakfast bar overlooking a galley kitchen. At one end was a thin rectangular deep metal container full of burning charcoals with white smoke curling into the air and a wonderful BBQ smell drifting through the restaurant. This came from the grid sitting above the charcoals on which was a neat row of the famous Japanese 'yakatori' being cooked for us contented customers. Yakatori is meat on skewers to you and I, and mostly chicken where all parts of the bird are used. This was pure theatre to me - somewhere you could sit and watch the experts cook then order new delights from them through the evening. Yakatori washed down with a couple of cold and tasty Kirin beers was extremely satisfying stuff on a rainy Sunday night in a strange city. I had duck, chicken leg, and chicken wing yakatoris with a grilled rice ball and a watercress salad. I left a very happy and somewhat full bunny and took this as a good omen to the beginnings of the Kyoto trip. Naturally 2 days later I dragged the others there and the meat lovers amongst us shared my awe and wonder of the place.
The Tokyo Experience: There were many great places to eat in Tokyo, mostly tucked away down little streets and alleys - some stumbled upon, some discovered through the Lonely Planet Tokyo Encounters bible, and some which needed assistance from very friendly Japanese folk.
For example, after the conference I had a couple of days to spend in Tokyo as did a few of the others. So on the first night I arranged to meet Alexis and told him I'd look up a bar for us to head to before grabbing some food at a place I'd discovered the previous week. However, finding bars in Tokyo is quite a task. Some of them are at the top, bottom or middle of department store buildings, some at the top of hotels or towers, and some are discovered down winding streets not listed on maps. So when I suggested Insomnia Bar and headed in the right direction despite being near the place could I find it? No! So we had to ask a friendly group of trendy Japanese 30 somethings (who actually were not from Tokyo) to help us. They took the guide book from me and rang the bar. Within 3 minutes we had been booked in as Mr and Mrs Smith and they had escorted us to Insomnia's entrance to ensure we made it for our much needed drink!
This place was very cool! On arrival they took our shoes and we walked barefoot into this tiny bar with red carpet, red walls, contemporary art work and mirrors. The corridor you walked into had a wall on the left and a bar on the right with sunken seats which sat you opposite a mirrored wall with glass shelves full of all drink bottles imaginable. This corridor led to a small open room with floor level tables and seats full of trendy Japanese people. A very nice place for a swift G&T before heading to the best restaurant in the world.....
Kaikaya
I love this place for several reasons:-
1) it was kind to me on my first night alone in Tokyo. Despite not booking they squeezed me onto a table sitting me opposite 3 French blokes and by the end of the evening I was sharing stories, sushi and sake and very much looking forward to the rest of my Japan trip - intrepidation over and eagerly awaiting new experiences.
2) it's a popular Japanese pub and fish restaurant with a great atmosphere which prides itself in the quality of its food and service and this rings through - the staff are clearly expert in what they do and love working there. The camaraderie is genuine with shouts and cheers as dishes are ordered, served and satisfyingly consumed.
3) the food is simply incredible! Here's a taster:-
• Toro sashimi (the top quality tuna) which literally melts on your tongue as you place it in your mouth savouring the flavour and texture with a little soy sauce to add to the delight.
• Tuna spare rib - this is simply divine. Tuna slowly cooked which falls off the bone and slips off your chop sticks into your mouth in anticipation and appreciation at the delicious flavours landing on your tongue.
• Scallop risotto / omelette - a round fried dish with scallops encased in rice and egg, very tasty and more-ish.
• Sizzling mushrooms - arriving in a wooden tray with an inner black hot plate full of sumptuous, sizzling local mushrooms - a great accompaniment to the fish.
• Fried fish - whole and crispy little fish, crunchy and lip smackingly good!
• Steamed chicken salad - many light spicy flavours in this most cleansing of dishes.
• Sizzling slices of succulent beef (another hot plate dish) - the most tender beef you could imagine either take it off the hot dish as soon as you can to savour the unique flavours of the raw meat, or leave it cooking a little longer to your liking.
I could go on... stuffed squid, fish carpaccio, raw tuna and avocado salad, prawn patties. This all accompanied by SAKE.
Yes, I am a sake convert. I hadn't realised you could have so many different types. In Kaikaya, much like a good sommelier's advice, the sake menu gives you an accurate description of each sake - dry, sweet, medium - and what dish it would suit.
Sake is either drunk in medium sized shot glass which sit in a box so that when the sake is poured and the glass is full it overflows into the box. Hence at the end of the pouring you end up with 2 glasses worth - one you drink from the glass the other you drink from the box. The other way to drink sake is in tiny ceramic cups poured out of misshapen ceramic pots. Whichever way, it's tasty and fairly lethal in alcohol content!
All these delights were topped off with a tasty morsel of either green tea or raw sugar cheese cake expertly wrapped in small little rectangles and produced from the coolness of the fridge. A perfect way to end the most perfect of meals.
I went there 3 times!
In summary?
If you get a chance suss Japan out for yourself. It's not cheap but costs no more than London, Sydney or New York. The food is a treat. The place is safe. The people are friendly. If you book way ahead you can get a really nice hotel for a reasonable price!
Lose yourself in the Shibuya Lanes. People watch the Japanese fashion and the outrageous punk Harajuku girls. Check out the top floor hotel bars and their plummeting city views. Gorge on coffee and cake in the cool cafes. Visit the temples and shrines. Explore and enjoy!
