Journey With Deb

After reading an article in Action Asia and missing the sight of a leopard during our South African safari, Yala National Park was a must as encounters with the agile spotted cat is almost guarantee (as safari guide claims). Descending from chilly Nuwara Eliya snaking down mountain slopes and onto wide open roads, the trip to Tissamaharama, a small town 24kms from Yala, was smooth one. The weather gradually changed from cold and dry to hot, arid and humid. Yala reflected the weather in the deserts of Dubai leaving a knot of dryness in our throats and trickles of sweat on our skin.

At Tissamaharama a, we checked into our hotel, treated ourselves to a serve of rice and curry and curd for dessert. We retired early that night to reserve energy for a pre-dawn start to our safari experience.  Yala National Park covers a vast area of 97,878 hectares mostly covered with dry vegetation of short thorny shrubs with patches of secondary forest interspersed between. The park is well known for it’s wildlife. Dubbed by Action Asia magazine as the “asian safari” spot, this national park is home to Asian Elephants, sambar deer, mongoose, water buffalos, sloth bear, crocodiles, pangolins and over 120 species of birds. The park’s coastline is a beautiful sight with historical significance and blocks of half torn buildings standing as a solemn memory of the 2004 tsunami.

We hired a safari guide who brought us into the park in his jeep at about 530am to beat the growing queue of jeeps rushing to go in. The atmosphere was tense, guides waited to purchase permits to enter while guests wait patiently in respective jeeps. This was incredible different from the South African safari experience we had in Kruger National Park. As soon as we got the permit, our guide rushed into the driver seat and drove rapidly pass the park gates.

We watched the solo elephant gallantly stroll pass swinging his clumsy trunk right and left. And we caught a peacock parading his fan in the bushes as we munched on our roti for breakfast. Yala is a pretty sight and the local guides need to learn how to respect it for what it has to offer, less nature and wildlife take a backseat.

While at Kandy we engaged a travel assistant named Pio Mendis who would be our driver / guide for the next 5 days. Traveling in Sri Lanka with a limited time frame is best to be done with a guide who can take you from one place to another.

Pio, a jovial and ‘giant’ hearted man was a pleasure to travel with. We talked about everything under the sun, from politics to tradition to our families – Pio was a marketing manager in a manufacturing company who quit his job to help his brother-in-law in his travel business. Pio chimes, “I love my job, I get to meet new people, bring them around and show them my country. These people usually end up being my friends.”

Continuing our journey on an ascend, we climbed 2000m above sea level on tight two lanes roads avoiding potholes, oncoming traffic and the occasional villager who decides to walk halfway into the road. It was a long ride but we finally arrived and ready to sprint out of the van for a stretch. Surrounded by lush tea plantations and a breath of crisp cool air, the washed out sign saying “Welcome to Nuwara Eliya” beckons us.

Known as the “Little England” of Sri Lanka, this region is a haven for tea lovers. A pleasurable retreat with many old colonial style guest houses refurbished to treat the tasteful traveler. This is also the base for those who want to climb Horton Plains to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking panoramic view of World’s End – an abrupt end to a cliff that overlooks several mountain ranges. The latter was the main reason we decided to stay a night at Nuwara Eliya.

We checked into an unusual place to stay – a Catholic convent / kindergarden that has several rooms situation at the top of the convent block. Basic, simple and more importantly clean; we decided this was the place to stay as we were on a budget. The sisters were extremely friendly too attending to our every request for extra towels and a speedy repair for our shower heater.

Nuwara Eliya has a lot to offer tourists including visits tea plantations, horse riding, hiking, exploring the beauty of the landscaped gardens or simply retreating to a cup of aromatic warm tea. We visited to Heritance Tea Factory hotel about 45 mins from the town centre an old factory, restored and refurbished elegantly. Tucked away on a hill surrounded by tea plantations, this hotel is a sanctuary for those who opt just to relax and unwind. Since we just came from the Heritance Kandalama, we thought it would only be far to pay their ‘sister’ a visit. We were in awe at how much they managed to salvage keeping the main structures in place.

Kandy (literally pronounced as Candy) is Sri Lanka’s charming hill capital. Formally known as the capital city of country, this buzzing cultural centre is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage City. Nestled in a large valley, the city is surrounded by low lying hills and buildings parade on the hills forming a concrete crepe-like sight. In the middle of the city is the Mahaweli Lake that connects to the Mahaweli River, Sri Lanka’s largest.

Kandy is a cultural hub with cultural shows of song, dance and fire rituals being staged daily for the curious traveler. Busloads of tourists are drawn to these shows, either by choice or great marketing, I’m not too sure. But I personally am not too keen with culture being staged, so we opted out and decided to walk the streets and observe life as is in Kandy.

A backlog of travel tales. I’ve finally found some time to write, recollect memories and relish in the folders of vibrant photographic images that was captured during our one and half week visit to Sri Lanka. And so the stories unfold…

All packed and set to leave, we bolted straight out of the door and into a speeding taxi bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Mindful not to be late, we quickly zipped into the check-in lane only to find that our flight to Colombo has been delayed for 4 hours! Our measly compensation was two RM20 food voucher and a weak apologetic smile from the Malaysian Airlines staff. We quickly filled up the hours with reading, Facebooking and catching a few cat winks.

Oh joy! I really don’t remember when was the last time I actually had a weekend absolutely free – and by that, I mean no appointments, no Rangers, no house chores… essentially just a blot-free calendar.

Taking advantage of the free weekend which incidentally coincides with Terence’s birthday, we found ourselves in Malacca. Checking into Cyclamen Cottage, an old-fashioned town house refurbished and restored to accommodate 11 guest rooms was idyllic. Located just 5 mins from Jonker Street where the buzz is, this is an ideal find as we were hoping for some peace and quiet.

Armed with trip advisor best finds on where to eat and what to see, we roamed the streets like how we would in another country or city. We visited most of the art galleries along Jalan Tun Cheng Lock, surveyed antiques stores inspecting every tiny relic, chatted up with some locals and found some interesting stories of life, history and the phases of development Malacca has gone through.

We walked Jonker Street after dinner and were mesmerized at how different the night market is from the ones in Petaling Jaya. Different delicacies and sweets laid out for the those with an eager taste bud, fridge magnets shouting Malacca’s quintessential notables like plastic durian cendol  and red wooden strappy clogs and pretty lanterns as deco.

Fortuitously stumbling into Hajjah Mona Assam Pedas, we were spelled into having our first dinner of fish bathing in red hot assam pedas gravy. Sweat broke out freely but who’s to bother when the whole restaurant sweats with you?!

The next day we uncovered this hidden gem called Baba Charlie a haven for homemade Nyonya kuih. We paid at visit to No.72, Lorong Pantai Tengkera 2C (about 2 mins drive from Jonker along Jalan Tun Cheng Lock).  The house exterior actually looks like a mega-sized kitchen with trays, pots, kuali’s and kitchen utensils spread out. I started to doubt if I got the right place, but as soon as I stepped into the house, my doubts melted away. A colourful patchwork of delectable kuih’s filled the table and I was transported back to my childhood days when my grandmother tagged me along on her market sprees.

We also found another obscure stall that sells Putu Piring (a light fluffy dough cake filled with palm sugar nodules that burst in your mouth as soon as you bit into it). Incidentally this home/stall is also located along Jalan Tenkera at No.252 (next to the Sports Toto shop). It opens only in the evening from about 7pm till late. The putu pirings cost 80c each. A bit pricey just for dough and sugar but definitely worth the try!

And for tea, we had Nyonya Laksa and Popiah at Poh Piah Lwee located at the intersection between Jonker Street and Tun Cheng Lock. The small shop often goes unnoticed as tourists bypass it to get to the buzz at Jonker. The laksa soup is velvety with a mild piquant taste stirring our appetite for more – but we resisted. The popiah although tasty, didn’t really stir me for more as I found out that the secret ingredient for its fantastic flavor are small pieces of fried lard hidden between the veggie fold.

Soon after we returned from Malacca, our bodies cried out for justice and we hit Gasing Hill for a power pack exercise regime to avoid the pending food guilt.