sri lankan history — Blog — Sri Lanka by Ish

The first time I arrived at Geoffrey Bawa’s country estate of Lunuganga I had rushed up the old coast road from Galle Fort amid the monsoon. I had gotten waylaid languishing around the fort during a lull in the storms, unrealistically hoping to avoid the slow local traffic (which of course I didn’t) and was therefore 10 minutes late for the 2 pm garden tour. “I am sorry madam but the tour starts strictly on time and so you cannot come in,” said a stone-faced groundkeeper. What?? But I don’t live in Sri Lanka and I’ve travelled all this way … but … but.

Travel, Design & ArtIshanthiFebruary 18, 2019garden, geoffrey bawa, sri lankan design, garden design, sri lankan architecture, sri lankan history Comments

Travelling to Sri Lanka with kids

Quite frankly, Sri Lanka beats Bali, Fiji and Thailand hands down as a holiday destination with kids. Sure, there’s a little more flying time involved for those living on the east coast of Australia but the pearl of the Indian Ocean packs more punch in two weeks than the other three put together.

TravelIshanthiNovember 3, 2018sri lanka travel, sri lankan history, sri lanka with kids, sri lankan itinerary, Pepper Experiences, travelling with children, travelling with kids, sri lanka with children, where to go in sri lanka, when to go to sri lanka Comment

History of ceylon tea: Plain tales from the hills

I am kicking myself for forgetting something very important in my tale of Empire. Black versus green. No, no, it’s got nothing to do with rugby although that too was a British colonial export. I’m talking about an almost century-long shift from ...

History & CultureIshanthiMarch 13, 2018sri lankan history, contemporary perspective, ceylon, ceylon tea, british ceylon, british empire, colonialism, sri lanka travel, sri lankan highlands, kandy, nuwara eliya, haputale, tea factories, history, travel Comments

History of ceylon tea: A tale of empire

What’s the first word that pops into your head when you think of Ceylon? I’m betting that it’s tea. It’s not surprising really – it’s a common supermarket item. Behind that everyday product though is a swashbuckling tale of Ceylon’s role in the long history of tea ...

History & CultureIshanthiMarch 5, 2018sri lankan history, contemporary perspective, ceylon, ceylon tea, british ceylon, british empire, colonialism, history, travel Comments

Steps and stones: the mystery and magic of moonstones

A journey of a thousand miles, said the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, begins with one step. For me, that ceremonious step is this post today with a photo of my feet placed on something uniquely Sri Lankan – a moonstone ...

History & Culture, Design & ArtIshanthiFebruary 8, 2018moonstone, anuradhapura, sri lankan history, sinhalese art, sinhalese design, ancient wonders, buddhist art, polonnaruwa, sandakada pahana, contemporary perspective, art, design, history Comments