TRAVEL
Sri Lanka was always going to provide
experiences to write about. But I
didn’t expect quite the number and
variety I found.
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Yes, let’s get the basic facts over with.
The island is relatively close to
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Singapore, which probably makes it
the second-closest all-round
motorcycle destination after New
Zealand. It is certainly far closer than
Europe or the USA. The countryside
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north, with outstanding mountains in
the middle. The mountains have
wonderful names like The Knuckles
Range, Bible Rock and Adams Peak.
Another one, Namunukula, gives you
a foretaste of the Sri Lankan
predilection for long names. The
trouble is that many names sound
a bit like English words or phrases;
every time I heard or saw
Batticaloa couldn’t help thinking
of “batty koala”.
At sea level, Sri Lanka is clearly
tropical with average temperatures
around 27 degrees. Upland areas are
cooler and more temperate with a
yearly average around 16-20 degrees.
At the coast the March-June season
experiences temperatures up to 33
degrees, while November-January is
around 24 degrees. Distinct wet and
dry seasons are caused by the Yala
monsoon in the western and southern
regions from May to September and
the Maha monsoon in northern and
eastern Sri Lanka from October to
January. The climate is at its most
enjoyable in the drier seasons; the
best time to travel to the west, south
and upland areas of the island is
during December to March, while
the recommended travel season
for the east coast region is April to
September. You don’t necessarily have
to stick to those dates, though!
Sri Lanka has good, if terrifying,
public transport. The red government
buses are everywhere, mostly where
you don’t expect them, and they care
naught for right of way nor much for
courtesy. They are the top predators,
and you’d better not forget it. Most
transport is taken care of by tuk-
tuks, little three wheelers powered by
anything from 50cc petrol engines
to big diesels. A comprehensive rail
network links major and many minor
cities and towns. Propelled by diesel
electric locomotives, the trains often
combine passenger and freight cars.
Old steam locos must hold happy
memories for many people, because
they are displayed all over the island.
If you’re a steam train spotter I
suspect you’d be in paradise. Well,
you’re damn near in Paradise anyway,
but the steam locos would make it
even better!RENT THE ROAD
I didn’t know this as my guide
Rohan and I left Colombo on our
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Lanka’s roads come in only two
kinds: they are either excellent or
execrable. There really is nothing
much in between. The road east and
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good pretty much all the way to our
overnight stop in Hambantota on the
south coast. And along the way
I made the acquaintance of Rambo, a
huge wild elephant. But let’s take
it in order.
Anyone who knows Colombo will
try to get out as early as possible in
the morning. In our case that was
5.00am, and we were only just in time.
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build up as we reached Maharagama
on the outskirts of the city. The
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is just as impenetrable to motorcycles
as it is to cars, mainly due to the three
wheeler tuk-tuks but also to bicycles,
cars, buses, vans and trucks.
Let me explain. You may remember
that you were taught the concept of
“owning the road” when you were
learning to ride. The idea is that you
position yourself on the road in such
a way that you control a sort of safety
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if you tried to “own the road” you
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possession with two bicycles, three
tuk-tuks and a bus. At least; possibly
there would also be a few pedestrians.This means that you only ever rent a
piece of road, you don’t own it; the
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gridlock, highly competitive but
surprisingly always good-natured.
But that’s why we were leaving
town early.
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road and able to devote some time to
looking around – but still watching
out for buses coming the other
way overtaking tuk-tuks overtaking
cars overtaking bicycles (and giving
them less than a metre and a half
of room!) – we found ourselves in
something pretty close to paradise.
Lush vegetation is everywhere and
the views to the hills on one side and
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other were almost overpowering. This
is good land, and except where the
elephants rule the roost (now there’s
an interesting image) it is worked
carefully and comprehensively.
There’s not much spare ground. Sri
Lankans work hard, and they deserve
a breather after their long civil war.
I wish them the best. But hang on;
we’ve only just started...
I was beginning to get used to the
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claims as much of the road as it
needs, and relaxing. Then, rolling
along through the countryside and
trying to take it all in, especially the
bright, colourful roadside fruit stands,
I suddenly noticed that Rohan was no
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stopped, but friendly locals took us to
a mechanic literally a hundred metres
away down the road and he replaced a
blown fuse and sent us on our way.ELEPHANT IN THE ZOOM
Just after lunchtime, we were riding
along the Udawalawe Reservoir when
I spotted a collection of cars and
minibuses stopped by the roadside.
Well, on the road, actually. Nobody
really bothers to pull off the road in
Sri Lanka. But in this case I could
see why; just alongside the road, kept
away from the vehicles and people
by nothing more than a thin one-
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elephant. This, Rohan explained, was
Rambo and there were strict rules