November dawns on Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary

The seasonal rains have been late coming this year at Kalametiya bird sanctuary Click Here , so the lagoon has not swelled and filled up as in previous years. However, I wait with baited breath. As soon as the waters begin to flow in and the waterholes begin to fill the birds will get a whiff of it on the wind and come forth.

I can hear the change from early in the morning. I’m used to waking up to the call of the peacocks from our roof or from the big ‘Palu’ tree in front of our house, but the day the rains begin to make a difference is something else.

The squawking of the Egrets vying for the small fry that will have ventured out into new waters from their dark shady pools in amongst the trees. The ‘did-he-do-it’ cries of the Red-wattled Lapwings as they try to stake their territory in the expanding wetlands. The whistling of the Lesser Whistling-ducks as they flock in together to test out the new visitors.

As soon as I open the front door to these noises I’m greeted by the glorious view of the busy, busy Spoonbills rapidly scanning the pools of water for food and if I’m really lucky the regal Painted Stork will be looming over the other bird life and dipping in for tasty morsels.

As the waters settle down and the initial excitement is over it’s time to enjoy throughout the day the swooping of the Bee Eaters, the hovering of the Pied Kingfishers and their cousins, the White-Throated Kingfisher and the Stork-billed Kingfisher. The beautiful White Bellied Fish Eagle might deign to swoop over the waters and of course the Brahminy Kites will always be present.

Wilst I wait for the rains to come I’ll just have to be content with our resident peacock, Freddie Feathers trying to impress the ladies (Peahens). Then there’s the on-going competition for the abundant juicy berries of the ‘Muliththan’ tree between the Red-Vented Bulbuls, Brown-Headed Barbets, Parrots, Mynas and Koels. As dusk approaches I’m happy to just get a glance at the discreet India Pitta out for an early evening peck. Then Freddie Feathers hops up into the ‘Palu’ tree to roost. If the rains are approaching he might call out during the night, otherwise it’ll be his 5am call heralding the dawn and the start of another day.

Survey Puts Sri Lanka Holidays no 1 For Value

A report by Post Office Travel Money has concluded that Sri Lanka holidays offer the best value for UK travellers out of all long-haul destinations.

Thailand holidays have often been praised for offering the best value, but in the latest Post office survey Thailand has nose-dived to sixth place as Sri Lanka has headed the list of rival countries anxious to attract UK tourists.

The Post Office said that since the end of the war the number of British travellers taking cheap flights to Sri Lanka was “already on a high”, with UK arrivals up 51 per cent year-on-year – and the trend was only likely to increase over the next few months.

Charlie Austin, director for Red Dot Tours said: “Sri Lanka has always offered remarkable holiday value. It is just that only now people are beginning to realize just how much money they can save. It succeeds as a holiday destnation at all ends of the market.”

The next countries named for long-haul value were Mexico and Kenya respectively, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia. The Post Office Travel Money report compiled the list using criteria such as the price of meals, drinks, suncream and gifts.

The head of the Travel Money division, Sarah Munro, said the good variety of cheap hotels and low-cost resorts, as well as a burgeoning boutique market to rival any in Asia, was a welcome development among many long-haul destinations.

“The information we have collected shows that Sri Lanka and Mexico offer excellent value for money,” she said.

The Sri Lanka Travel Blog could have told the Post office that years ago. But it is nice that people are catching on.

On the fringes of Hikkaduwa Beach Fest

My half-baked ideas for a painting the town red usually end up being memorable nights. The night of 30 July was no different: the first night of the Hikkaduwa Beach Festival. The past couple of years the Hikkaduwa Beach Festival had gained immense popularity although shrouded with some controversy. The 2010 Hikka Festival did not seem to garner the same crazed interest as the previous couple of years, but since I had no idea what the festival was all about I was determined to experience Hikka on this Friday night.

My friends from the Sun House – fondly known as the Galle Gang – were all in high spirits about the impending outing. So we set out for Hikkaduwa in four motorbikes after borrowing helmets from all and sundry in order to have a safe journey on roads overflowing with cops. I had not ridden pillion in over 20 years and the outing had the earmarks of a daring escapade.

We reached Hikkaduwa around 11.30pm with no clear plan how the night would unfold. The main street of Hikkaduwa was not dressed in its usual Beach Festival regalia except for the stretch near Amaya Reef where the festival was being held. But the festival mood was clearly visible with many people walking the streets and the overflowing eateries dotting the area. But we were disappointed when we heard that the entrance ticket to the Beach party would cost Rs.2,500 per person. None of my friends were ready to fork out that amount of cash on my harebrained scheme.

It did not take us long to settle on the next best option. We were going to experience the fringes of the Beach Festival by going to the popular night club Vibrations. The loud thump of the music beckoned us through the dimly lit lounge of Vibrations and we stepped in to a beach party in full swing. The atmosphere was wonderful and the house music was amazing. The dance floor was crowded with wreathing bodies undulating to the beat of the music.

We sat for a while and took in the scene before the irresistible beat drew us to the floor. What beach party in Sri Lanka is complete without getting in to fist cuffs? Not 10 minutes on the dance floor we see one of our friends being bashed by a complete stranger. We all gasped in horror and was about to intervene when the scuffle was broken up by what I now think was a Vibrations bouncer. We dragged our friend to safety and was curious to find out the reason for the altercation. No real reason except he bumped in to him on the dance floor!

The incident nearly put us off the whole outing and we were ready to go and chalk it up to experience. But the pulsating music and the smoky pungent atmosphere was too irresistible and we were back on the floor to have the most amazing night of pure uninhibited fun. The crowd at Vibration was a mixture of chilled-out tourists, lazy beach bums and visitors from Colombo who had come for the beach festival. Vibration was at its best that night with stints by a bongo band and fire dancers. I have no idea how the hours passed as I just let the music take over and it was 3am when we were finally ready to call it quits.

I am not sufficiently informed to talk about the Hikkaduwa Beach Festival as I did not make it to the actual beach party. But I would not have any hesitation in recommending a couple of nights stay in Hikkaduwa during the beach festival to imbibe in the wonderfully laid back party atmosphere.

Sri Lanka Travel Photo Competition

Good news for all you keen photographers: Red Dot has just launched an annual photography competition for Sri Lanka travellers. The competition is really easy to enter and the winner will receive a free flight to Sri Lanka valid for 12 months. There will also be additional prizes for runners-up including free accommodation stays and meals in Sri Lanka. So if you have recently visited, or if you are travelling before the end of December 2010, make sure you enter the competition and share your best holiday snaps with us.

For more information please see Red Dot Photo Challenge 2010