We will be updating our site in the next week with new articles and features to include a section called:

Tips for Travellers - which will give you advice and warnings of risks, ideas for avoiding over charging and suggestions for making the most of your money whilst in Sri Lanka!

Sid has a new Facebook page called: Sri Lanka Abode Tours. Check out his wonderful photos and ideas for trips and tours to remote regions, and his website: http://www.abodetours.com/ As ever you can contact him directly on Sidabode@yahoo.com

Our previous tour was back in October 2011 and was another amazing trip to Jaffna’s Islands,  Kilinochchi and the extreme north east, Triconmalee, Batticaloa, Gal Oya, Central Highlands and of course to see our friends at The Abode.

New information on the site from October 2011 includes:

The Travel and Security section on this page (which will be updated in Feb 2012) to show road works, improvements and places to drive with caution….

Boat Safari at Gal Oya to see the elephants…..

Beautiful Batticaloa – its beaches are magnificent!

And one of our guests has given us permission to show you his photos of the Waterfall Trek in the Knuckles he did with Sid and some friends in September 2011. They are fantastic. Take a look!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150440645084358.470264.763729357&l=d3f71147f4&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.10150440645084358.470264.763729357&l=d3f71147f4&type=1In

September 2011 the New Zealand Listener published an article by one of our friends about The Abode. See: http://www.listener.co.nz/lifestyle/travel/sri-lankas-untouched-walpolamulla/

We have been featured again in a front page article in the Guardian. See:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/aug/26/sri-lanka-family-knuckles-mountains/print

The Tarring family spent four days in the Knuckles Mountains with Sid and the grandparents earlier in August and had a fantastic time by all accounts. Read all about it by following the link above…

Sid helps to get the harvest in at The Abode. Read below his first hand account of two week’s hard work in a traditional harvest in the remote Knuckles Mountains, the celebrations and Buddhist thanksgiving ceremony.

And great news! Sid has been featured in the Guardian Travel Magazine in a three page article with a glorious front page photo of sunset at Mannar. It tells of our homestay accommodation on Mannar and our efforts to bring sustainable tourism to this remote and previous war torn area of the NW. Read it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/mar/12/sri-lanka-mannar-island-pesalai

Following our brief visit to Mannar Island in April 2010 we have set up a new retreat, we call Hibernation, for our hardy visitors. It is located in Pesali, a Catholic fishing village which has one of the largest churches in Sri Lanka. Rebuilt in 1999, the church has an image of Christ under a mosquito net and passion play is performed here every Easter using life sized dolls!

It is a beautiful place, untouched by tourism but, sadly, not untouched by the 26 year long civil war.  Tens of thousands of people were displaced and the area is still very much in need of serious infrastructure investment. Beaches are beautiful and the people very welcoming and offer every hospitality though there are no western standard facilities.

But we love it just like this:

Mannar is joined to the mainland by a causeway to the east and by Adam’s Bridge, a series of rocks and shallows, to India.  There are two theories about how Adam’s Bridge came to exist – so take your pick!

One story says Adam’s Bridge was made by an army of bears and monkeys who laid stones for the passage of Rama and his army when they came to Ceylon to rescue Sita from the demon Ravana. The squirrels helped in the work by rolling in the dust at either end of the bridge and shaking out their coats on the stone causeway until every cranny was filled up and made smooth.

The monkeys then tormented the squirrels to such an extent that they went and complained to Rama. Rama gently stroked them by the hand and left upon them their soft back stripes made by his fingers, which squirrels still carry to this day.

The other story shows NASA space images revealing the crossing to be man made because of its composition and curvature, thus proving that settlers arrived in Sri Lanka at least 1,750,000 years ago.

Whatever the truth, there is talk locally of making a modern bridge from Mannar but for now the only way is by fishing boat.

Fishing is the main source of work for the Tamil Catholics who live on Mannar. Below you see the day’s catch waiting to be gutted on the beach.

A kilometre north of  Talaimannar town is an old pier from which, until 1984, ferry boats crossed to India. And close by is a Muslim shrine, which legend says, is the burial place of Adam and Eve. Below is the pier.

And fresh lobster is a speciality!

If you would like to stay in our Hibernation -  quiet, unspoilt and absolutely spectacular – please contact:

Sid@theabodetrust.com  (in Sri Lanka)  or Sue@theabodetrust.com (in the UK)

Permission to travel

From January 2012 you will need to obtain permission to travel to Sri Lanka by completing an on line registration form which should be processed within 24 hours but you will be charged. See the website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/sri-lanka#visas

The good news is that you no longer have to get a military pass to visit the northern territories of Sri Lanka. Since August 2011 the government have relaxed this requirement and you can now venture forth into the area from almost any direction. The most used route is the A9 from Anuradhapura straight to Jaffna but we have also travelled on other routes such as A32 from Mannar to Pooneryn and across the new bridge into Jaffna and from the east coast on the A35 via Mullaittivu, Puthukudiyiruppu joining to A9 at Kilinochchi.

Travel News October 2011

A9 – Anuradhapura to Jaffna

You will still need to produce your ID and passport when you go through the military check point at Omanthai north of Vavuniya.

The A9 is subject to a massive rebuilding exercise and there is hardly a stretch of it which is not free from road works. You can expect everything from patches of pristine tarmac which has not yet been white lined and aspires to be two lanes wide on both side of the road, to sandy tracks, subsidence and pot holes. In-between are huge sections where the work is taking place. Approach these with caution as they are hell holes of dust, machinery, people (men and women) with scarves tied round their mouths and noses labouring with pick axes and shovels to feed the mighty tarmac laying beasts.

Fed by endless legions of 4.5 tonne bright yellow Leyland tipper trucks of sand and grit, water tankers spraying the surface and surveyors with tripods and maps, you will have to navigate by instinct as any rules of the road are suspended here. The work is more organised in some places than others and has people waving red or green flags but you still run the gamut of bikes ignoring all traffic control and forging ahead regardless of the space on the road and the tendency for when the flag does go green for all vehicles to spread and set off six deep like a Le Mans start. This is no place for a hesitant driver or a nervous passenger and at sunset the light is blinding and you cannot see anything for dust clouds and glare.

Kilinochchi is particularly bad. What was only last February a tiny passing place on the A9, a one horse town, is now turning into a dual carriageway of motorway proportions with equivalent differences in height between carriageways which you have to be careful of when you switch from one lane to another. You will not get either a peaceful or smooth ride for some time but all will be well when it is done….. meanwhile, beware!

Jaffna roads

Subject to road works as above but most are narrow and rutted. You will be stopped still at checkpoints, roads signs are few and far between so you have to stop and ask people the way. On the islands the military will quiz you as to why a foreigner is out there and ask for passport and other ID. There are no regular vehicles and some islands have only uncomfortable (no suspension) tractor driven carts – see our section of Jaffna on the main website page for further information about travel on the islands.

A35 via Mullaittivu, Puthukudiyiruppu joining to A9 at Kilinochchi

This is a track relatively used by modern traffic and only recently reopened after the conflicts but it was a main military route during the final months of war for not just the opposing forces but the thousands of civilians trying to escape from the area. In October 2011 it is littered with army and navy camps, checkpoints, lined by burnt out buildings and hosts several burnt out vehicles mounted on plinths in memory of notable actions during the final stages of the war.

Mostly an orange track it is still basically a military road but with massive road works taking place. Culverts are being constructed, which means diverting round the digging, new tarmac is being laid, and it is ploughed by loads of lorries driving like fury across ruts, lurching through potholes and showing no mercy to lesser vehicles.

You can expect subsidence, collapse of the surface, detours, huge amounts of dust, animals all over the road. At times the road shakes you to pieces, at others it swells and soars like the sea so you feel queasy and nauseous and you can never, ever take your eye off the surface as the dust makes it very hard to see the ruts, holes and major crevices.

Watched along the entire length by wary soldiers with their fingers on the trigger it is a not a hospitable area for a picnic. Unless you are interested in the debris of war, or want to see the bunker of the Tamil Tiger leader, use the A9.

Rest of Sri Lanka

Most of the roads in the rest of Sri Lanka are much improved. Gone are the long drives as you labour painfully across atrocious surfaces worrying about your track rods ends and suspension. Mountain  passes have been widened with tonnes of rock being blasted out to make room for vehicles to travel side by side. New bridges are sprouting everywhere and roads being made where none existed before.

Here is quick run down:

A4 from Ratnaupra to Balangoda

Good surface but took 2 hours to do 45Km because of the torturous bends but great scenery

From Trinconmalee to Seruwila on the north east coast

Most of the ferries have been replaced by bridges but one last one has not been done which means you cannot take the coast road all the way there. You have to go via Mutur and some worse than sandy tracks which often disappear into the salt flats leaving not knowing which way to go. There are no road signs either… You really need a four wheel drive in these conditions or a water buffalo cart.

A15 from Trinconmalee to Batticaloa

Good road, black top and fast.

From Mahiyangama to Hettipola in the Knuckles Mountains

The road is much improved in last six months and travelling time has halved but beware as it becomes a mountain track at Pallegama.

By way of another contrast, here is what we reported in September 2008, only two years before…..

travel-and-security-in-the-north-and-east-updated-4109

Harvest at The Abode:

http://www.theabodetrust.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Abode-Harvest-2011.pdf

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How to deal with bugs and bites in the remote areas!

Things-which-bite

Buddhist New Year in April 2010 saw us being invited to a cricket tournament high in the Knuckles Mountains at The Abode. Read all about speed cricket as it is played between 13 village teams on a very hot day.

Cricket at The Abode

We also aim to extend the borders of traditional holidays beyond the usual comforts of the western world on two/three day expeditions for individuals or groups of up to four people to remote and inaccessible areas.

These are for those who enjoy the challenge of jungle trekking, mountain walking, beating your own path, wading streams and can take in their stride the leeches, ticks, mosquitoes and occasional encounters with snakes and scorpions!!

But the satisfaction is immeasurable – sights few westerners have seen before, the experience of living with hunters, sleeping under the stars by rivers, even the delights of rock climbing in the dark in torrential monsoon rains!

Every tour is designed individually around your pocket, enthusiasm, interests and comfort zones! You can sleep rough and wild, in hotels or somewhere inbetween in tents or on the floor of village houses. We can either offer a themed approach to your trip, with tours focused on:

• Waterfalls, walks and mountains
• Little known Buddhist monasteries and sanctuaries which are not on the map or in regular guide books
• Social, cultural and traditional life in remote villages
• Wildlife, elephants, birds, flora and fauna
• Deserted beaches and water life
• Expeditions and explorations into little explored territory living wild

Or a combination of all or any of these.

See Sid’s new site for more details and prices: www.abodetours.com

A printable double sided leaflet is available by clicking on the link below.

trips-and-tours-with-the-abode-trust

Climbing Westminster Abbey

In the middle of the December monsoon season we set off to climb Westminster Abbey – a remote peak in the southeast of the country. The adventure started with the floods… and ended before dawn when we saw what we had climbed for the first time. 

Read all about it here: Westminster Abbey

People and Places

What is very special about Sri Lankan people is the warmth and sincerity with which you will be welcomed.  We have a new article called  ’interesting-people-and-unusual-places1‘. In it you can see the biggest stupa in Sri Lanka, explore with us some remote and little visited Buddhist sites, read about some very special people and hear about a curious and secretive eco lodge hidden away on the edge of Yala National Park called Kumbuk River.

Their response is as follows:

“I just stumbled upon your spectacular tour diary offering a graphical essay of your travels to South-East Sri Lanka.  I found your comments candid and unbiased despite experiencing a difficult situation even though remarks by guides are what folklore is made of. I’m extremely sorry if you have been inconvenienced as you tried to gain entry to KumbukRiver.  The security measures were in place to prevent some of the very scenarios you had been detailed by your guides.  I suppose the rumor mill has added more color to our destination LOL. Yes, we try to get a dialogue going with our visitors before we confirm bookings as we prefer to have people who understand and appreciate responsible tourism.  Hope your next visit would be more pleasant!”

Dinesh Watawana

4.05.10

Now read on:

http://www.theabodetrust.com/wp-content/uploads/Beautiful-Batticaloa.pdf

Gal Oya Boat Safari

Five in the morning is never an enthusiastic time to get up wherever you are in the world and in Sri Lanka it is still dark. Muddle headed, as I had slept in so many different beds this trip, I could not sort out where I was as the light round the door and the chinks in the window were in strange places but there was no mistaking the urgent bleeping of the alarm. Time to begin the day.

No breakfast or even a cup of tea, we scrambled to leave Bibile and were on the road and dodging the jogging platoons of soldiers flanked by white clad PT instructors, armed guards, an ambulance and support trucks by 5.30am. Even at that time it was very hot and I did not envy the soldiers in full combat gear and huge rucksacks with guns slung across their chests. Dawn keen reptiles dotted the road, sleepy dogs who had hogged the central position all night on the hot tarmac and startled birds put up by the sound of our engine, were all a backdrop to our journey to Gal Oya and the Boat Safari.

Now read on by following the link below….http://www.theabodetrust.com/wp-content/uploads/Boat-Safari-Gal-Oya-20.11.11.pdf

To go on this trip contact:

sidabode@yahoo.com (Sri Lanka) or sue@theabodetrust.com (UK)

The Abode Trust is a not-for-profit organisation based in Sri Lanka which offers eco-tourism to fund its work with people who live traditional lives in remote villages. It is named after a simple village house, The Abode, which sits at the top of a remote valley in the Knuckles Mountains to the east of Kandy on the borders of a conservation area.

Read more about us:

the-abode-trust-updated-04091

In November 2008 elephants attacked the The Abode house wrecking the kitchen and bringing down walls and the roof. But we worked desperately hard with the villagers for many weeks to restore it.

Follow the link to read more and see the photos.

elephants-devastate-the-abode

In June a ‘Pirith’, a Buddhist ritual, was held at The Abode, to bless the house and the Trust.

Please click on the link below for more information:

pirith-at-the-abode-updated-301208