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Polonnaruwa’s

Stupendous

Structures

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Arrayed around

a vast grassy

quadrangle like the chess

pieces of giants, these

intricately carved buildings

and monuments offer a

visitor-friendly briefing on

what was the centre of the

kingdom some thousand

years ago (p 206 ). Handy

plaques are loaded with

information, although you

may find the buildings too

extraordinary to switch

your concentration to

signage. Catch sight of

the ruins at sunrise and

sunset, when the rosy rays

of light bathe the complex

in a romantic glow. Reclining

Buddha, Gal Vihara (p210)

Exploring

Undiscovered

Beaches

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No longer off-limits

due to war, or in-

accessible due to primitive

roads, the truly magnificent

east coast beaches are

ready to lure travellers

away from their more fa-

mous counterparts in the

west and south. Just take

one look at these beauti-

ful ribbons of sand and

you won’t want to leave.

And you may well have

them to yourself. A few

areas to consider: Nava-

lady (p 242 ), Kalkudah

(p 245 ), the islands near

Batticaloa Lighthouse

(p 245 ) and beaches

down the strip from Up-

puveli and Nilaveli (p 251 ).

Uppuveli beach

Richly Spiced

Food

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Venture into the

entertaining pan-

demonium of a large Sri

Lankan market, such as

those found in Colombo

and Kandy, and you’ll soon

see and smell the rich

diversity of foods and fla-

vours that come from this

fertile land. An average Sri

Lankan cook spends hours

each day tirelessly roast-

ing and grinding spices

while mincing, slicing and

dicing all manner of foods

(p 34 ). A seemingly

humble rice and curry can

consist of dozens of intri-

cately prepared dishes,

each redolent of a rich and,

yes at times, fiery good-

ness. Spices

ANDREW BURKE / GETTY IMAGES ©

RICHARD NEBESKY / GETTY IMAGES ©

GRANT FAINT / GETTY IMAGES ©

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PLAN YOUR TRIP

Sri Lanka’

S

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