J'AIME March 2018

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T R AV E L Splendid Sri Lanka SAMUEL COOPER, LUXURY TRAVEL CONSULTANT AT RB COLLECTION, ENJOYS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME ON A TOUR AROUND STUNNING SRI LANKA Sri Lanka has always been high up on my list of destinations to see and explore. It’s diversity in culture, history and wildlife really appealed to me, and having previously visited Thailand and Costa Rica in the past two years, I was keen to see how the destination compared. I flew direct with Sri Lankan Airlines which took just over 10 hours and 45 minutes. The service onboard was excellent and choice of entertainment was endless (you can also fly indirect from regional UK airports). Colombo Airport is located around 45 minutes north of the city. Rising like a phoenix, Colombo is attracting overseas investment and new developments are springing up around the city including the Lotus which, once completed, will be the tallest building in Southern Asia. The city is, of course, home to an array of historic colonial buildings drawing on Dutch, Portuguese and British influences, not to mention a host of beautiful temples. From Colombo, we took the four-hour journey to Sigiriya through local villages and along the the modern network of motorways which, whilst in good condition can still have speed challenges when tuktuks decide to join the rest of the traffic! Sigiriya, is set within the ‘Cultural Triangle’ and in an ideal location to base yourself while exploring the various historic ruins of Dambulla, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. The iconic attraction in the area is the rock which dominates the landscape for miles. On and around the rock are ruins of a former capital city which dates back to the 5th century. Climbing up requires a good level of fitness and a level head for heights but once you make it to the top, you have stunning views which will take your breath away. History tells us that King Kassapa (477- 495) orchestrated the location of the rock and the remains are an interesting insight to the past. I would recommend avoiding midday at certain times of year due to heat. The next day, we visited Polonnaruwa, home to the Polonnaruwa Primate Centre. It is home to three 42
species of monkey native to Sri Lanka; the grey langur, the toque macaque and the purple-faced langur. When you walk into the boundaries, they are literally running everywhere! You are surrounded by these beautiful animals doing what they do best - hanging out. We had the pleasure of meeting a conservationist to explain the various behaviours and the challenges that they are facing in Sri Lanka. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who loves monkeys. I’d also recommend visiting the temple complex which sits around the conservation cent and home to 11th and 12th century ruins of the second capital city of Sri Lanka. Here you will come across sacred temples which today are still worshiped by Buddhists. Architecturally, they are stunning structures and I really enjoyed our time here. After a busy morning, we were very hungry and took lunch at a local husband and wife operated farmhouse. We were treated to a traditional Sri Lankan lunch while in the surroundings of the beautiful, peaceful countryside. That afternoon, we went in search of wildlife in the Minneriya National Park. Located between Habarana and Polonnaruwa, the park is home to Asian elephants, spotted deer, leopards, sloth bears and crocodiles. For bird lovers, Minneriya is also home to pelicans, storks and eagles to name a few. The next day we travelled from Sigiriya to Kandy which took five hours but this included a quick stop to see the Dambulla caves which are well worth the climb. Inside there are impressive Buddha carvings which are thought to date back to the first century. When King Valagam Bahu took refuge here, having being driven out of Anuradhapura, he converted the caves into a rock temple with various improvements been made over the years by other rulers of the land. Step out of the temples and the views of the countryside are jaw-dropping. In the afternoon, we arrived into Kandy which is the cultural center of Sri Lanka. It’s a busy city located in the hills with great views around the lake. The main attraction in Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth which is home to Sri Lanka’s most sacred relic which is a tooth of the Lord Buddha. Around the grounds you will see various Buddha’s which locals and people from all over Sri Lanka will come to pray. The most surprising and interesting thing I came across within the grounds was the embalmed elephant which belonging to a former king who loved him that much, he wanted him on display for his people to see. On the grounds of the temple are buildings such as the Royal Palace and the Audience Hall which are also worth a visit. The next day, we made a four-hour journey to Nuwara Eliya, home of the tea plantations. A visit to Sri Lanka is not complete without seeing how tea is made. From picking the leafs to processing them, you get to see that the process for just one cup of tea takes a lot of patience and love. I had a tour of the tea factory and even today, they use machinery from 43
Page 1: M A R C H 2 0 1 8 Y O U R L O C A L
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS InsideJ’aime this month.
Page 6 and 7: FEATURE C oncrete designs LICHFIELD
Page 8 and 9: time job any more. “We’ve made
Page 10 and 11: outside with the copper and it’s
Page 12: PROPERTY Property of the Month WE T
Page 15 and 16: B E S P O K E S O F A M A N U F A C
Page 17 and 18: WOODEN TABLE, £30; WOVEN PATTERN D
Page 19 and 20: BLACKBROOK INTERIORS We are a famil
Page 21 and 22: MARBLED FLOW WALLPAPER IN INK, £75
Page 23 and 24: アパート夀䔀䄀刀匀
Page 25 and 26: £36 £318 ELEMIS SLEEP CANDLE, WWW
Page 27 and 28: Mason Flooring Specialists In Woode
Page 29 and 30: P R E N T I C E F U R N I T U R E T
Page 31 and 32: options so we asked our charming wa
Page 33 and 34: ...... ...... .....................
Page 35 and 36: Proud to be a family run business f
Page 38 and 39: F O O D & D R I N K Dan sprouts up
Page 40 and 41: What’s the idea behind the Sprout
Page 44 and 45: when the British ruled pre-1948!
Page 46 and 47: F E AT U R E Feel the music A BRAND
Page 48 and 49: from golden oldies, newsies and eve
Page 50 and 51: LO CA L A R E A What’s On Local Y
Page 52 and 53: WHAT: The Full Monty WHERE: Sutton
Page 54 and 55: LO CA L A R E A What’s Competitio
Page 56 and 57: FA S H I O N Return of the mac AS T
Page 58 and 59: FA S H I O N Go long for contempora
Page 60 and 61: C ontemporary elegance Going to a w
Page 62 and 63: B E AU T Y More than skin deep SALL
Page 64 and 65: I N T H E N E W S Birmingham to wel
Page 66 and 67: WARM-UP: Plank hold 3 x 1 min Glute

J'AIME March 2018

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