Houseboats Worldwide - Villas of Bali & Asia

Bali & Asia travel
& Gold Coast
"Apartments Afloat" Rely on 35 years experience!
John Forsyth and Aileen Collins welcome you to their world of unique holiday ideas

Sri Lanka
"Handy Info" - Places of Interest

Negombo Approx. 20 minutes' drive from the airport, Negombo's stretch of hotels, small restaurants and shops could be compared to Kuta in the early 70's. This was an old spice centre and the Dutch left their mark with kilometers of canals built to transport enormous cargoes in roofed barges. This isn't the best bathing beach - we suggest you enjoy the hotel swimming pool - but it is extremely interesting to see the traditional fishing fleets early morning and in the afternoon. Negombo is an excellent "last-night" stop prior to early flight departures the next morning.
	Colombo Sri Lanka's capital and port with a population of approx. 700,000, and spread out along the shores of the Indian Ocean, approx. 1 hour's drive from the airport. Linking the present with the past, there's a colourful blend of colonial and modern architecture - bazaars, department stores, supermarkets, temples, mosques and churches. Some interesting shopping can be enjoyed for antiques, homewares, ceramics, books & handwoven fabrics at places such as Paradise Road, Barefoot, The Gallery, Villa Saffron and The Oasis Company. Odels has a huge selection of clothes & accessories at amazing prices.
Mount Lavinia A beachside suburb south of Colombo and our choice for an excellent combination beach/city holiday. A few days' rest and relaxation with a nice array of beachfront restaurants interposed with some shopping sprees in town. Approx. 1¼ hrs' drive from the airport. Hikkaduwa A popular resort town with a seaside stretch of hotels, restaurants and shops. A reef encloses Hikkaduwa's shallow coral gardens, excellent for snorkelling to see tropical fish and coral formations. Just south of Hikkaduwa is excellent surfing between the November-April months.
	West Coast Beaches Wadduwa / Beruwela / Bentota Popular beach areas with an excellent choice of hotels. Kalutara, near Wadduwa, has excellent basketware made from coconut by-products (visit Basket Hall) and the most delicious mangosteen fruit on the island. The large shrine beside the Kaul Ganga (River) is revered by Buddhists for its sacred bo-tree of the type under which Buddha meditated. Beruwela and Bentota seem to merge into each other with plenty to offer in the way of boating, water skiing, windsurfing, para-sailing and river cruising. The Kechimalai Mosque marks the landing spot of the first Muslim settlers in the 11th century.
Galle The fortified city of Galle has a long history - possibly being the port known in the Bible as 'Tarshish" where King Solomon's ships loaded gemstones and spices. The next visitors of note were the Portuguese in 1505 who built a small fort, greatly expanded by the Dutch in the 17th century. Strolling along the ramparts is one of the special experiences of Galle, especially at sunset. Inside the fort are many fine old Dutch colonial buildings, such as the 17th century Government House, said to be inhabited by the unhappy ghost of a young woman betrayed by her Dutch lover. Its 'de rigeur' to take tea on the verandah of the New Oriental Hotel, the former office of the Dutch governor, built in 1684. Galle is a haven for history buffs.
	Unawatuna Just 6 kms. south of Galle, the Dutch colonists built their country houses here and there are a number of houses and villas owned by expats. in this region, a quiet beach resort with good snorkelling and diving. Between October and March, sea turtles return to the beach here to lay their eggs and the local hatchery looks after them until the baby turtles are ready to set off on their maiden voyage.
South Coast Mirissa / Matara / Dickwella Tangalla / Hambantota We believe the South Coast of Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful places on earth and ideally situated for year-round beach holidays. The palm-fringed road hugs the coast where you can still see stilt fisherman near Ahangama and Weligama, sitting or standing tirelessly on all-but-submerged poles, casting their lines into the sea.
	The town of Matara, once an Arab trading post, is the end of the southern railway line from Colombo. There are two old Dutch forts, the smaller one now a museum of ancient paintings. The local market here is extremely lively. A few kms. past Matara is Dondra, the southernmost point of Sri Lanka with its octagonal lighthouse marking the spot. Near Dickwella is the biggest Buddhia statue in Sri Lanka, about 50 m. tall, and hollow to receive visitors inside the seated figure. This is part of a 250 year-old temple complex.
The resort of Tangalla has an excellent shoreline, divided into intimate little sandy bays. The resthouse was an old hangout of Dutch colonial officials. The region produces a perfume based on citronella. At Rekawa, 10 kms. east of Tangalla, between January and July, many turtles come to lay their eggs - the local Turtle Conservation Project acts as nest protectors. Turtle watches start at 7 pm each night. Between Tangalla and Hambantota you move from a wet zone into the dry zone and the countryside changes from tropical to a little like rural Australia. Hambantota is inhabited largely by Malay Muslims who fish and gather salt in shallow pans from the sea water evaporated by the hot sun.
	Nuwara Eliya Meaning "above the clouds" Nuwara Eliya is surrounded by tea plantations. The industry prospered in the 1880s, after a sudden failure of the island's coffee crop. Tea remains a very significant part of the Sri Lankan economy and the well irrigated hillsides are closely packed with tea bushes pruned to a height that's convenient for the pickers - all women. The complex process of drying, fermenting and blending the tea is shown on a guided plantation tour ending with - you guessed it - a nice cuppa!! The highlands get really high at Nuwara Eliya, at the top of a zigzag road south of Kandy. In imperial days, the cool climate attracted British colonial officials and tea lanters and the British didn't skimp on nostalgia and homesickness when they designed the church, post office, houses, gardens and country club of this hill station in the image of "the old country".
Kandy Surprisingly, Kandy has few ancient monuments and was the last capital of the Sinhalese Kings before being ceded to the British in 1815. Spread out around an artificial lake created in 1807 by the last king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, the island in the middle of the lake was his pleasure garden. Kandy is the home of arts and crafts in Sri Lanka and a visit to Kandy market is a must, as well as the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya - outstandingly beautiful. As Kandy begins to expand and modernise, many of the resort hotels are being built in the hills surrounding the city to enable a more relaxing stay.
	The oldest tooth in the world ? On the northern shore stands the Dalada Maligawa, more commonly known as "The Temple of the Tooth" built in the 17th and 18th centuries is and surrounded by a deep moat. This building has deep significance for Buddhist as the Buddha's Tooth is Sri Lanka's most hallowed relic. The story goes that it was rescued from his funeral pyre and brought to the island hidden in the hair of a princess.
It now lies in resplendent glory on a golden lotus blossom in the smallest of seven caskets. (That's right, you don't actually see it - dentists of the world please protest!) One of the highlights of a visit to Kandy is visiting the Temple of the Tooth due to the ceremonial opening of the shinre at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily - to the beating of drums, the clashing of cymbals and the wailing of flutes. Join the ever-present queues of white-clad pilgrims with lotus blossoms and fragrant frangipani and approach the shrine … a curtain is drawn aside to reveal … only the outermost golden casket …. But you can imagine what a centuries-old tooth looks like … can't you??
	Kandy Esala Perahera This is the island's biggest spectacle, when a replica of the shrine is carried through the city. The culmination of 10 days of preparation, this magnificent pageant is held in late July or early August each year, featuring a procession of richly-clad elephants and thousands of dancers - with the biggest elephant bearing the sacred reproduction. Sigiriya Perched on a 600 ft. high rock amidst the vast wilderness is the amazing fortress built by King Kassyapa in 500 A.D. If you climb beyond the Lion's Paws, the view is breathtaking, and the famous frecoes of the Sigiriya maidens make it even more worthwhile.
NATIONAL PARKS Bundala Famous for its birdlife with at least 149 species, the flamingo population of approx. 2,000 is quite exceptional. Many birds make epic migratory journeys from Siberia and the Rann of Kutch in India. Bundala also provides sanctuary to elephants, leopards, sloth bears, civet cats and giant squirrels.
	Yala The major elephant reserve, also known as Ruhuna National Park, with the best time to visit being October to December. Visits are scheduled for early morning or late in the day - you never know what might turn up around a waterhole - buffalo, deer, wild boar, even, if you're very lucky, a leopard! The birdlife is excellent including peacocks, pelicans, storks and spoonbills.