The Srilankan Honeymoon

I couldn’t have asked for a better reason to celebrate (which translates to burning some hard earned money). My three year old relationship was finally entering the next stage. I was to marry my boyfriend. Apart from the usual wedding planning stuffs like fixing mandap, inviting folks, finding the right caterers and blah blah blah, a very important question lingered on top of our minds. Where to go for honeymoon?

The thought of an international honeymoon never failed to catch my interest. What with my FB friends posting pics of their newlywed spouses with the alps as the backdrop or posing in front of the Petronas twin towers. But as a humble salaried employee, I stumbled upon the inevitable teeny-weeny issue of monetary capability. That’s when a friend of my then fiancé’s dad suggested that after my wedding we should visit him at his place. And what place was it? Its Srilanka – the land of beaches, mountains, tropical forests and what not. After duly discussing this with each other, we decided. “So Srilanka, it is.”

It was decided that we leave three days after the wedding. I so graciously agreed to do all the packing. (Not that he would do it anyway. His mom used to pack his stuffs until then). I don’t know how it happened, but I managed to pack a gargantuan luggage and also went on to prove that every single item is indispensable to the trip. So with two huge trolleys and three more ‘light’ hand baggage, we boarded the flight which took us to our destination.

We were soon swathed by a sense of etherealness as the flight crossed the Chennai shoreline. Balls and balls of cottony cloud around us just added the needed romance to the air. Soon one of our co-passengers, a sweet Bengali woman looking at my then three days old Mehendi wished us good luck and suggested a few must-see places.

Even Gods can see the beauty of this island nation from up there. As the short flight was about to end we had a glimpse of the Srilankan shoreline dotted with many small islands. You just couldn’t ask for a more beautiful descent. All we could see was blue above and green below.

We were received by my hubby’s dad’s friend who also played chauffeur and took us to our hotel. The ride reminded me how a place can be so foreign and so home-like at the same time. Everybody there knows Tamil, so language isn’t an issue. We stayed at the Global towers hotel just across the beach, at the Marine drive road. The beach view room added the necessary spark of romance to the air (which is the sole purpose of this trip anyway). We went shopping that evening. You know he can’t say no to his newly wedded wife. Much to my dismay and his relief the entire city seemed to be on a lock out. We never knew how frenzied the Lankans were about cricket. There was a crucial match between them and Aussies that day and people wanted to cheer their team rather than earn their bread.

View from our hotel in Colombo

Spice Garden en route to Kandy

Spice Garden en route to Kandy

The next morning we went sightseeing in Colombo. The beach which was extremely clean by any Indian standards topped our list. A visit to the zoo and the Museum completed the day for us. We were lucky to witness a dolphin show with a bunch of Kindergarten kids, who were laughing and playing and fighting for snacks. Innocence is universal.

We set to Kandy the next morning. Our hired driver for the next 6 days, Mr.Jackson spoke impeccable English and respected his job. He can not compromise on his sleep and booze schedules and would not drive if our schedule clashed with his. But otherwise he was good.

Contrary to the common picture of a war torn nation Srilanka poses, it is actually a country with postcard mountains and valleys and beaches and villages. We actually couldn’t spot even a vestige of bitterness anywhere in all the places we visited there.

Since I wanted to go to atleast one temple during our visit (whats it with men never wanting to go to temples anyway?!?!?!?), We went to the Tooth temple of Budha. To know that such an old relic is still preserved here was awe inspiring.

The world is small, Srilanka is really small. We were surprised to meet the nice Bengali woman whom we met at the airport in Chennai, at Kandy Botanical Garden. After exchanging pleasantaries and taking pictures, We headed for the next place in our itinerary – Nuwara Eliya. No Srilankan honeymoon is complete without this quaint little mountainous town. 

Lake at Nuwara Eliya

The visibility was near-zero when we ascended to Nuwara Eliya. We visited a tea factory and were offered a complimentary sip. The man who showed us around was sweet enough to click a few pictures of us. I don’t know what the temperature was at Nuwara Eliya. But I just couldn’t get any words out of my mouth because of my chattering teeth. And due to budget constraints, we were staying in medium-class hotel with not much room heating. But otherwise, Nuwara Eliya is indeed the best Srilankan honeymoon spot.

The next day was meant for shopping and sight seeing. It’s really nice when people give you a warm grin in a foreign land. Puts you at ease instantly. A stroll along the banks of the central lake, watching the setting Sun cast golden rays on the lake ended the day for us. We are sure to remember the fond sights and sounds of Nuwara Eliya for a very long time.

The next morning we headed to Haputhala, another hilly village. Unlike Nuwara Eliya, Haputhala had moderate climate. It is a place for people who wish to wind down and relax. We went for a walk admist shops and small eateries playing Indian Tamil songs and people talking in Lankan Tamil. I felt like I was in a village in south Tamilnadu. There was nothing foreign about this place.

We were back again in Colombo the next day. Uncle had asked us to stay at his place for the night. That evening we went shopping to the ‘House of Fashion’, dubbed the Srilankan Mega Mart. Pick any branded item, you will get it for half the price that you will get it for in India. We bought some dresses, handbags and some toys for our then future kid(s). (thankfully we were able to pack all these wares without adding extra trolleys and hand baggage.)

With loads of profound memories, we boarded our flight to take us back home.  Looking back down the memory lane, I would vouch anywhere that my Srilankan honeymoon was the best ever. (Until I go on my second honeymoon though !!!)