Newsletter aus Sri Lanka von Royston Ellis

Claudia · 13. Sep. 2011

Ich finde es klasse, dass auf SL jetzt auch glutenfreie Nudeln zu bekommen sind.
Da diese Unverträglichkeit nicht behandelt werden kann und oft vererbt ist,
ist es für diese Personen eine Verbesserung der Lebensqualität.
55 Cent für 200 gr. sind allerdings für die Einheimischen ganz schön teuer. :gruebel:

Premasiri · 18. Sep. 2011

roystonellis.com
18/09/2011

Greetings from Sri Lanka where daily rain squalls are buffeting my cottage during this mild monsoon season. Last week I took a train to the hill country towns of Haputale and Ella for a change of climate; sunny during the day and chilly at night.

Made In Sri Lanka
There is a neo-Gothic retreat in the hills of Haputale built in 1931 as the home of Sir Thomas Villiers, scion of the houses of Clarendon and Bedford. Villiers was the black sheep of a distinguished family (a grandfather was Lord John Russell, twice Prime Minister of Great Britain) who arrived in the then Ceylon in 1887 with £ 10 in his pocket.

He parlayed this modest stake into a fortune, rewarding himself by building Adisham (named after the rectory where he was born and resembling Leeds Castle in Kent) thereby expressing his nostalgia for home, and arrogance at his own success. (More about him in my Guide to Sri Lanka, see below.)

Adisham remains intriguing in this predominantly Buddhist country as it is now a Benedictine Monastery used as a training centre for the Benedictine order. It is also the source of local produce (but alas no liqueur) such as a delicious bittersweet marmalade, a fruity ginger cordial and a spicy mango chutney. These can be bought at low prices (from Rs 200 [£ 1.14; U S $ 1.81) at the shop just outside Haputale on the road to Bandarawela.

Lovely Ella

Ella was a tiny hamlet in the hills, 204km from Colombo, with only the rest house offering accommodation. Now the rest house with its view of Ella Gap is being transformed to become The Heritage, and Ella bills itself as a Tourism City.

Because of Ella’s location at a crossroads with buses going eastwards to the surfers’ hangout of Arugam Bay and south to the wildlife park of Yala, the hamlet has become a favourite haunt of travellers old and young and boasts numerous guest houses and family-run restaurants, like this charmingly named one.

Odd Spot
Colonial days when the country and the countryside tea plantations were governed by the British, are recalled by this letter box, still in use, outside the Haputale Post Office. Note the George VI crest.

Pears Galore
Along the A4 highway outside Haputale at this time of the year, wayside kiosks are stacked with that amazing tropical fruit, avocado pear. Amidst the cabbages and leaks, also grown in the area, these pears were on sale at Rs 100 for 20, that’s about (UK) 02pence or (US) 04cents each. I bought several score and just hope they don’t all ripen at the same time.

Barfly Notes
One of the secular joys of visiting Haputale (181km from Colombo at 1,429m above sea level) is to discover the bar at High Cliffe, a famous travellers’ hostelry overlooking the railway line. Entrance is a mystery, achieved by sidling behind a brick wall and climbing a dark, narrow flight of stairs to the first floor.

It is a real hill country pub with seven young waiters (some seen here) serving drinks and snacks on demand to tables where drinkers summon service by pushing a bell. Even at lunch time on a weekday it is busy and exudes a jolly camaraderie that makes it hard to leave. To my delight, a bar counter has recently been added with stools and it was there I warmed myself up with local lemon gin, at Rs 750 (£ 4.28; $ 6.81) a half bottle.
Definitely one of my favourite bars in Sri Lanka.

Best value meal?
I’ve written before about Golden Grill, the restaurant in Bentota that’s been there for nearly 30 years and has recently undergone a facelift. It’s no longer a rural retreat but a slick emporium for meals designed for trenchermen (and women, of course). I love it for comfort food (like this massive mixed grill at Rs 1,200++ [£ 6.85, $ 10.90]) and because of its reasonable mark-up on wine, instead of the usual 300 percent that hotels levy.

Cheers!
Royston

LG Premasiri :wink:

Claudia · 19. Sep. 2011

Das reicht für mindestens zwei Personen

feuergold · 19. Sep. 2011

Es fehlt aber an nix ... :-)

Echt danach würde ich erst mal eine Stunde Heija machen ... :-)

LG

feuergold

Premasiri · 26. Sep. 2011

roystonellis.com
25/09/2011

Greetings from Sri Lanka where, as I sit in my garret gazing out of the window at the swell of the Indian Ocean, the sky is an inspiring summery blue. Just the day to be in the garden.

Made in Sri Lanka
On the label it says “Pick of the Palms” and I found it on the shelves of Nebula, my favourite independent supermarket in Alutgama (New Town) the nearest shopping centre to where I live. It’s called Baraka Virgin Coconut Oil.

There are some amazing claims on the label, beginning with it being Cholesterol Free. Among its benefits are that it is “energy boosting, reduces the risk of heart problems, protects against bacteria, virus and fungal infections and improves digestion.”
It claims to promote weight loss by “improving body metabolism and reduces fat disposition.” It is also flavour enhancing and ideal for salad dressings. Since it’s made in Sri Lanka, I bought a 750ml bottle, at Rs 1,250 (£ 7.14; U S $ 11.36) to try.
I don’t know about the medical benefits yet but it adds a wonderful fragrance to cooking and a fascinating coconut taste to sautéed items. And splashed on the ripe flesh of one of the avocado pears I bought last week, transformed the taste to something even more scrumptiously tropical.
When I checked the website (www.barakaoil.com) I learned that the company specialises in natural herbal products and exports Black Seed products to more than 30 countries.
From the catalogue of its on-site shop I discover it makes something called Virega[ Black Seed Powder in Ashwagandha (Vitania Sominifera) & Welpenella (Cordiospemum halicacabum)] that “helps improve sexual performance.”
Perhaps I should see if the supermarket has any in stock!

Odd Spot
On a recent rail journey to the hill country, I photographed this carefully preserved shunting engine in a siding at Bandarawela Station. According to A History of the Sri Lanka Government Railway, 1864-1989 published by The Institution of Engineers in 1991, this G2 Class Diesel Electric shunting locomotive was built by the North British Locomotive Company with a diesel engine of 625hp, in 1951.

This 60-year-old loco has a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement which “facilitated an increase in adhesive weight which resulted in a higher tractive effort which was needed on the up-country line.”
Yet another of the surprising sights to be seen here.

Multi Talented
Sri Lanka has an outstanding writer and TV presenter in the slim and energetic, multi-talented Ashok Ferrey. His first book, a collection of intriguing short stories called Colpetty People is “the biggest selling book” (in Sri Lanka) “of English fiction by a Sri Lankan author” according to the press release for his new television series, The Galle Files.

Ashok Ferrey (it's a catchy pseudonym) spent most of his early childhood in Africa and much of his formative years in the UK, a past he has mined richly for his stories. His background and enthusiasms make him an inspiring television host, and I am looking forwarding to watching his interviews with international authors who took part in the Galle Literary Festival held earlier this year.
The series was launched during a jolly party hosted by Ashok and Lakshaman Bandaranayake, MD of ETV-Vanguard, at Park Street Mews in Colombo last week. Readers in Sri Lanka can view the 13-episode series on Saturdays (8pm), Sundays (8am), Tuesdays (10am) and Thursdays (10pm) on ETV.

Best Value Meal?
Last week I raved about the mixed grill served at the Golden Grill restaurant in Bentota because of its amazingly good value, to say nothing of its cholesterol content. Now here is something completely different.
When a restaurant calls itself Green Curry, customers can expect interesting food. In this case it is the daily buffet lunch consisting of both red and white rice, chicken curry (sometimes it's fish), lentil curry, two curries made with home-garden-grown veggies and pappadums. It costs just Rs 200 (£ 1.14, U S $ 1.81). The restaurant is by the Haputale Road at Haldemulla, some 176 km inland from Colombo.

This photo shows two extra dishes that can be prepared to order. In the foreground is banana flower, shredded and seasoned; the other plate contains a deliciously herb flavoured mutton curry.

Birthday Party
Another party on my veranda last week when our neighbours (they have an apartment on the beach three minutes walk away) Kenny and Ingrid joined us for cocktails and cake on Ingrid’s birthday. Neel (the same age as Ingrid) also joined in the fun.

New Bar

This is a new bar, according to Michael Richardson, a reader of this newsletter. It’s going to be called Slightly Chilled Lounge and has the slogan “chilled laidback vibes with stunning views of Kandy.” The grand opening is planned for 11/11/11.
It will be part of several Slightly Chilled properties planned for Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia that Michael and his travelling friends are trying to set up. There is already a Slightly Chilled guesthouse with six non-ac rooms, popular as THE place to stay for the climb up Adam’s Peak. In my Guide To Sri Lanka, I describe it thus: “as spectacularly colourful as its new name is evocative of the climate.”
I’m looking forward to reporting after November about those Slightly Chilled cocktails.

Cheers!
Royston.

auch von mir ganz liebe Grüsse und einen guten Wochenstart

Premasiri :wink:

Claudia · 26. Sep. 2011

Just the day to be in the garden.

Der hat`s gut!

Diese alte englische Lokomotive in Bandarawela sieht ja klasse aus.
Das Green Curry natürlich auch! :smilhech:

Premasiri · 2. Okt. 2011

roystonellis.com
02/10/2011

Welcome, readers near and far, to this weekly report from Sri Lanka where, today, the weather is gorgeous.

Made in Sri Lanka
What is made of vinegar, sugar, tamarind, onion, garlic, lemon grass, sprats, ginger, coriander, chilli, cumin, turmeric, sweet cumin, cinnamon, pepper, garcinia, mustard, screw pine and cardamom? Dad’s Garden Worcester Sauce, as made in Sri Lanka.

It tastes denser than the traditional Lee & Perrins Worcester Sauce (which doesn’t list individual spices on its ingredients label), has to be kept in the refrigerator and is best used within two months of opening.
It is manufactured by Ma’s Tropical Food Processing at Dambulla in the centre of the island. It’s said to be great in meat loaf, stews, curries, pies and dressings as well as with fried mushrooms, steaks and eggs. It adds a spicy sweetness to Bloody Mary as well!
The 375ml bottle shown here cost me Rs 380 (£ 2.17; U S $ 3.45) at the local supermarket. (www.masfoods.lk)

Silky
I’ve mentioned the Silk Route Restaurant on the Galle Road at Warahena before – as a stop for snacks and good espresso coffee served all day. It is also a great place for better dining than usually available at roadside restaurants. I like it because the chef, given enough notice, is prepared to go off-menu and produce special dishes.
Knowing they have duck curry on the menu, I asked him to use a whole duck and prepare Roast Duck for my party of five. It came stuffed with vegetables and was tender and flavourful. Instead of the offered “boiled vegetables” we demanded and got green beans extravagantly doused with garlic butter, and fresh fat chips (fries) made from Nuwara Eliya potatoes, not from a frozen packet.

Since the restaurant doesn’t have a liquor licence we took our own wines, so avoided the 300% mark up on wines added by most restaurants in Sri Lanka. There was no corkage charged either. Our meal for five with mango and prawn starters, and the whole duck (I took the carcass home and made soup the next day) cost Rs 2,520 (£ 14.40, $ 22.00) per head.

Grey beard
Another grey bearded creature in the garden this morning! A troupe of bewhiskered monkeys were gambolling on the lawn as I had breakfast. I tossed them a banana, which the boss monkey grabbed and climbed a tree, leaving this one looking slightly peeved.

This kind of monkey is actually known as the “Purple Faced Monkey” (Tachypithecus vetulus) with its distinctive white rump identifying it as being of the low country (the hill country ones have no white patch). All have long dark grey fur and (like me) white whiskers. It is said they rarely descend to the ground but are gregarious, so perhaps they dropped in for breakfast because they wanted me to play with them too.

Maldives Invitation
On Tuesday I fly to the Maldives on the kind of travel writing assignment that makes up for all the rotten ones (believe me, there are some). I am to be hosted for two days at a brand new resort called Dhevanafushi where the room rate begins at U S $ 2,000 a night.
However, it means leaving home at 3am to check in at Colombo airport at 5.25 am. Then, after arriving in the Maldives at 9am, having to wait a couple of hours to board a small plane for another hour’s flight, and then a 20-minute speedboat ride, to get there.

The blurb on the resort’s website (see: http://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Maldives/Maldives/Jumeirah-Dhevanafushi1/ ) breathlessly promises that: “guests experience mesmerizing beauty far from the pressures of modern life… a secret place caring for your every desire…if it exists in your dreams, it’s bound to be part of our reality.”
Good, sounds just like home then.

Dominica Days
I lived in Dominica from 1966 to 1979 (when Hurricane David blew me away to Sri Lanka) and have fond memories of life in that “nature island of the Caribbean.” Another expat resident at the time was Pete Brand who, with his wife Margie, ran the often-lamented Island House Hotel, then an unacknowledged prototype for sustainable tourism in a tropical wilderness.

Thanks to Pete (who now lives in Florida and corresponds by email with old Dominica hands around the world), I have received this photo, taken over 40 years ago. The svelte young wizard is me (before the beard turned grey!) with Margie on the right.

Tea & Trekking
This odd looking contraption is a copper water boiler used in the wayside teashops of old, where water was kept constantly hot for making tea. My old friend in Haputale, Loga, has one on display in the tiny teashop he has opened at the back of his communications bureau on the road linking the Haputale railway station with the hilltop town.

He uses an electric kettle to make tea for his customers and to encourage them to purchase his own brand of fresh hill country loose leaf tea. In addition, he is a trekking guide with an unrivalled knowledge of the Haputale-Haldemulla area, and has just opened a website devoted to the adventurous tourist: http://srilankanaturetours.com/

FITs
Fully independent tourists or freely independent travellers (FITs in travel trade parlance) can enjoy Sri Lanka with the help of my guide to the country published by Bradt (UK) and Globe Pequot (USA), again available in Sri Lanka at Vijitha Yapa Bookshops throughout the island or internationally through amazon, or direct from the publisher: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/198/Sri-Lanka.html

Good trekking!
Royston

Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz

Premasiri :wink:

Claudia · 3. Okt. 2011

Dieser alte Wasserboiler, einfach super :fing002:

Der hätte in meinem Sammelsurium auf der Ofenbank zwischen altem Samowar und Kaffekocher aus Ungarn auch noch Platz.

Premasiri · 9. Okt. 2011

roystonellis.com
09/10/2011

Welcome to readers, new and old, here and away, to this weekly report from Sri Lanka.

Made in Sri Lanka
In response to many requests (from curious readers) and purely in the interests of scientific discovery, I have been trying Virega.

You may recall in Newsletter No. 76 I reported discovering that the local Baraka company (www.barakaoil.com) markets pills called Virega (sounds familiar?) billed as “a combination of Ashwagandha (Amukkara), Welipenella and Black Seed … traditionally used as aphrodisiacs for many years.”
Apparently a couple of capsules after dinner “enhance nervous stimulation … improve overall sexual performance and physical fitness.”
Does it work? Well, it’s hard to tell…

Coconut
The man who climbs the coconut trees in my garden to pluck the nuts every six weeks, reported that one tree was diseased and was likely to fall. He advised me to have it felled. Kumara found someone prepared to cut it down for Rs 3,000 (£ 17.14, U S $ 27.27 ). Even when he reduced his fee to Rs 2,000, Kumara sent him packing.
The next day two men turned up and rigged the tree with ropes.

One of them scrambled to the top and began hacking away at the trunk above his head. Thus they managed to cut down the whole tree, section by section, with no damage to the buildings.

When I asked Kumara how much he had paid to have the job done, he told me: “Nothing!” The men were happy to do the job free of charge as they could salvage some timber from the trunk and sell it.

Coconut timber makes delightful furniture as it has a beautiful grain and an attractive, natural appearance. We made a stand for our aquarium from one of my trees, as can be seen from this photo.

Snorkelling with the butler
On Tuesday I flew to the Maldives to stay, on a travel writing assignment, on an island where the room rate starts at US $ 2,400 a night. The itinerary sent to me in advance promised at 15:00 on Wednesday “Guided snorkelling with butler. Optional, please advise your butler.”

I was relieved to hear it was optional although the butler, a Maldivian Jeeves, seemed disappointed. He met me at the regional airport after a 55-minute flight from the capital city, Male’, and escorted me to the resort, called Jumeirah Dhevanafushi.

This butler was not in tails but wore a flowing white kurta shirt with an orange and burgundy motif taken from the resort’s logo of a sea horse.

Accommodation on the island is in villas of various magnitude. Mine had a 21 square metre swimming pool and 206 square metres of interior space. This included an enormous bedroom with kingsize four-poster bed, a study, a pantry with maxi bar, a dressing room, a huge marbled floored bathroom with marble tub and granite walls, a rain shower and toilet in two other rooms, and a rain shower in a secret, walled garden.

The villa was full of gadgets (including an integrated media centre and inter-active television which I didn’t even attempt to understand) and the latest in light switches that had to be operated by the butler as they were so contrary. Instead of a tuk-tuk (the three wheel taxi of tropical Asia), there were tricycles for staff use.

The cuisine (sauternes-poached foie gras with apple tart tartine and Tahitian vanilla chocolate liqueur and apple radish salad [U S $ 46]; 8 plus score marbled 250g rib eye of Wagyu beef [$ 160]) was exquisite. I relished the breakfast of egg white omelette, bacon, wild mushrooms and baked beans which, fortunately, was included in the room rate.

I guess the high price per night is necessary to cover the wonderful extravagance of space, luxury and contemporary style created with incredible flair on an isolated coral island.

Back home
It’s always a pleasure to return to Sri Lanka after being away, even though I usually don an airline eye mask and stretch out on the back seat for the three hour drive home from the airport. Tourists coming to Sri Lanka would want to see more, of course, and so if you know someone coming here on holiday, a great gift would be this book!

It’s available internationally through amazon, or direct from the publisher: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/198/Sri-Lanka.html, and in Sri Lanka at Vijitha Yapa bookshops throughout the country.
Sunny regards
Royston

LG Premasiri :wink:

Premasiri · 16. Okt. 2011

A VIEW FROM SRI LANKA, Number 79
Sunday 16 October 2011.

Welcome to readers in Sri Lanka and overseas to this weekly round up of news and views from and about Sri Lanka.

Seat of Love
About 20 years ago when Tropical Villas, a hotel on the west coast of Sri Lanka, first opened its doors to tourists, I fell in love with a love seat.

The hotel had four of them in its lobby. These wonderfully practical seats (for intimate conversation if not for actual intimacy) are S-shaped settees on which one person faces forwards, the other backwards, side by side.

When I googled “love seat” I came up with a sex position from Cosmopolitan magazine, but nary a photo of the kind of love seat I lusted over. Plenty of two seater settees though, surely wrongly called “love seats”?

Those four love seats came up for auction last Sunday by my favourite auctioneers, Schokman and Samerawickreme (see Newsletters 59, 60, 61). When I asked Navinda, the auctioneer, what he thought one would sell for, he suggested Rs15,000 - which happened to be the maximum I had decided to bid.

Two of the love seats were in a dilapidated state and I didn’t want them to be auctioned first in case they sold for Rs15,000, thereby creating a higher price for the two in better condition.

Luckily, Navinda started with the one I wanted, Lot 6864. I held my breath as the bids rose rapidly from Rs5,000 to Rs8,000 to Rs10,000. I then held up my finger, making sure Navinda knew I was bidding: Rs12,000…Rs13,000… Rs14,000 … Rs15,000!

That was my limit. I had known that love seat for 20 years and was determined to have it, so what to do? How much would secure it for me?
The bidding was so fast I just kept my finger up.

Rs16,000 … Rs17,000…

I was weak with relief when the bidding suddenly stopped at Rs18,000 (£ 102; US$ 164) and I realised that the love seat was mine!
It is now having the awful black paint scraped off it in my workshop at home, and has delighted me by revealing old jak wood with a beautiful grain. So it will be given a clear, matt varnish and installed on my veranda

Made in Sri Lanka
I was very happy to find a notebook made in Sri Lanka that is just the right size (A6) to fit into the pocket of one of the safari-type shirts I love to wear. The shirts have four pockets and are perfect for carrying passport, pens, diary, credit cards, etc. The notebook has 50 pages and is spiral bound; it costs Rs50 (28p; 45cents).

However, I am not quite sure what the inspiring sentence on the back of it means: “The world awaits a generation. A generation that will bed knowledge and thought to its will.”

Bar None

Actually, I wasn’t barred from this marvellous old teak bar complete with brass foot rail; it just wasn’t open at 10am. It’s the focal point of the Kelani Valley Club, a planters’ social and rugger club opened in 1884. Although membership has dwindled to 100 it still has convivial evenings and thrives on its motto,Usque Ad Tertium Diem meaning All The Way To The Third Day, apparently a reference to a drinking session beginning on Friday, continuing with thirst-making rugby playing on Saturday, and merry picnicking on Sunday.

This is the view from the road of the old clubhouse, complete with massive ancient roller for the grounds. It has faded photographs of rugger teams of days gone by on its walls as well as a disturbing reminder of recent history, a plaque dedicated to 15 planter members “who paid the supreme sacrifice for the love of these lands” in the insurgency of 1988 to 1990.

Just Desserts

When we were having dinner at the Golden Grill restaurant in Bentota last week, Neel declined the offer of Pineapple Surprise (half a pineapple cut length ways and filled with fruit salad and topped with a scoop each of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream and served flaming in rum). I was disappointed because I wanted to photograph it and of course to taste some of it too.

Instead he opted for what was my mother’s favourite when she dined with me in Indian restaurants in England in the 1970s: Irish Coffee (coffee with sugar and a generous measure of Irish whiskey topped with cream). I wonder where else in Sri Lanka you can get that drink, originally created for cold travellers in Ireland? At Rs725 (£ 4.26, US$ 6.59), it is a worthy and potent stand-in for dessert.

Wine Tasting

Any wine lovers living within easy driving distance to (and back from!) Bentota who would like to join in a tasting of New World Wines at a local restaurant at 7pm on Saturday 22 October are asked to send their names and email addresses by sms to Neel on 0777 366263 (before Wednesday 19 October) to receive an emailed invitation.
The complimentary wines to be tasted are imported, selected and distributed by Rockland Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd; a finger food buffet is being provided courtesy of the restaurant. Numbers are limited so please let Neel know quickly.

Fan
Instead of displaying a cover of my Bradt Guide to Sri Lanka as usual, here is a photo of me (in safari-style shirt) presenting an autographed copy of the book to a friend and fan during my recent visit to the Maldives.

The book is available internationally through amazon, or direct from the publisher: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/198/Sri-Lanka.html, and in Sri Lanka at Vijitha Yapa bookshops throughout the country.
Happy travels!
Royston

auch von mir die besten Reisewünsche

Premasiri :wink:

Claudia · 16. Okt. 2011

Dieser "Love Seat" sieht ja stark aus, Den könnte ich mir in meinem Haus auch vorstellen :fing002:

Premasiri · 24. Okt. 2011

Sunday 23 October 2011.
Welcome to readers far and wide. Some Beatle connections this week, because of an extraordinary encounter.

Extraordinary Lives
In my varied career as a writer I was once a reviewer of pop music records for a magazine and one of the first 45 rpm records sent to me to review in 1963 was a Beatles’ number. Playing on my laptop now as I type these words is a just-released album with a bass player by the name of Paul McCartney.
This CD was given to me during my recent visit to the Maldives when by chance I met a dynamic, multi-talented young man from New Zealand who was taking photographs for a commercial shoot at the resort where I was staying, singer/musician/photographer Glenn Aitken (www.glennaitken.com).

This photo from Glenn’s album was taken by Kaushar Aitken, whom he married after meeting her while he was working in the Maldives a few years ago. They are now based in London where Glenn devotes his life to music (he still tours with famous bands) and photography.
Paul McCartney plays bass on the title track of this, Glenn’s first album, Extraordinary Lives. Glenn met Paul by chance and it’s easy to guess they got on well when you listen to the nuances and easy rhythms of Glenn’s music. He confesses to being influenced by Paul adding “to have him as a friend and playing on my album is simply a dream come true.”
Glenn has written the lyrics of all 14 songs on the album and plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano and saxophone as well as singing on all tracks, most of which also feature strings by the Chicago Symphonic Orchestra. The lyrics are remarkably profound with the theme of chance encounters and what they lead to, being paramount, clearly based on Glenn’s own eventful life.
Extraordinary!

Love In
Some concerned readers have wondered if there was any connection between my nightly dose of a couple of Virega capsules (see Newsletter 78) with my passionate desire to possess a love seat (Newsletter 79).
Who, they ask, is to share the love seat with me?
Alas, I have no choice in the matter as Ollie, the cat, has assumed squatter’s rights.

Made In Sri Lanka
Tomato Juice? Well, why not. Tomatoes grow here so why not produce tomato juice here too? It’s a welcome change from the thick, canned imported stuff. With the brand name “Pasha” and manufactured by the local company Edinborough Products (www.edinboroughfoods.com), this juice is sold in one litre bottles at Rs170 (97p; US$ 1.59). The label claims “no artificial colour added” and that it is “Halaal.”

With the local Worcester Sauce I mentioned in Newsletter 77 and Tabasco Sauce (alas not made in Sri Lanka) plus a squeeze of garlic, onion and lime juice, pepper and salt, shaken vigorously with ice in a cocktail shaker, it makes a rousing “Bloody Mary.” Oops, that’s a “Bloody Shame” – I forgot the vodka.

Wine Tasting
There will be a full report on the wine tasting at the Silk Route Restaurant on Saturday 22 October quaffing wines from South Africa, Australia and Chile imported by Rockland Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd, next week (when I’ve recovered!)

New eBook
Apollo Magazine gave a glowing review to the exhibition of portraits at the National Portrait Gallery that I attended in March this year. I especially liked this bit: “My favourite was a portrait of London Beat-poet Royston Ellis, a poet and friend of John Lennon who inspired the song ‘Paperback Writer’. Ellis gave a reading of one of his poems at the opening of the exhibition.”
The poem I read was called “Gone Man Squared.” It was written in 1959 as one of the poems I used to perform to music. It is included in my new eBook, BEAT: THE COLLECTED POEMS. This photo shows me performing in 1960 with a beaming Jimmy Page in the background.

Jimmy has written the introduction to the eBook. The eBook consists of several sequences of poems centred around the jazz clubs and night life of Soho and its street life. Many were published in book form during the 1960s and those books are unobtainable now unless you pay huge sums to rare book dealers.
There is a poem “Burn Up” that I wrote for backing by chamber music, about two motorcyclists “doing the ton on the M One motorway.” It was performed once but has never been published.
There are also poems set in Berlin when the wall dividing east and west was being built. Another sequence — “The Cherry Boy” — is set on the beaches of the Canary Islands, while the epilogue poem is a reflection inspired by Sri Lanka.

Andrew, my dedicated webmonster, has formatted all these poems into an eBook and set up a page on my website from which the eBook can be downloaded to your own computer. It took me a while to figure out how to do it on a test run, but it does work. If not, let me know.
Simply go to www.roystonellis.com/shop, click on the image of the cover of the book. That will take you to a page telling you a bit more about the book and to a sign that says ADD TO CART.
Click on that and a note will pop up saying you have successfully added the book to your shopping cart. Next go to check out and authorise the payment process (quoting a credit card number via Paypal; don’t worry, it’s safe).
The book only costs £ 2.99 and once payment is confirmed, you’ll receive an email with a link. Click on the link and the eBook will download to your computer.
I hope you enjoy the poems.
Beat regards
Royston

LG Premasiri :wink:

Premasiri · 30. Okt. 2011

Sunday 30 October 2011
Greetings from Sri Lanka where, on the west coast, it’s currently hot and sunny in the mornings with rain in the afternoons. Good for the garden.
Made In Sri Lanka
Seeni Sambol is a wonderful sweetish onion relish that adds zest to breakfast (spread it on toast or have it with scrambled egg). It is lovingly made in Sri Lanka by keen cooks mixing lightly fried onions with various spicy ingredients.

It can also be bought readymade by several local manufacturers. My favourite is made by Larich and exported worldwide by Pan-Am Foods Ltd. (Google it for more information.) I like it because it tastes just like the home-made product. According to the label, it contains onions, yellow fin tuna (sundried pieces from the Maldives), sesame oil, tamarind, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves, cloves and rampe. This 300g jar cost Rs295 (£ 1.73, US$ 2.68).
It certainly helps blast away a hangover. (I had it for breakfast the morning after the wine tasting, see below.)
A Taste of Wine
“It was so well organised,” one of the 40 guests commented as she left the wine tasting at which I was the host on Saturday 22 October. That wasn’t a compliment to me, as all I did was send out the invitations to the foreigners who live in this area and to the Sri Lankans who run restaurants around Bentota.

All of us who attended what turned out to be a super event have to thank Manoj S L Rasiah, the Product Development & Promotions Manager of Rockland Distilleries Ltd for the wines (and the swift serving by his team during the tasting), and Sujeeva, the proprietor of Silk Route Restaurant where the event was held, and his attentive staff and cooks.
The restaurant, an open sided one by the Galle Road, is a refreshing change from the usual run of roadside eateries, being spacious, clean, well-equipped (there’s even a toilet for the disabled) and colourfully decorated with a Silk Route theme.

Rockland Distilleries is a company known for producing excellent dry gin (as well as white rum and vodka and, of course, arrack, Sri Lanka’s national tipple). The company has branched out into importing wines from the New World and Europe, and Manoj brought a selection for us thirsty expats to try.
The tasting was conducted by Nissanka C B Petiyagoda, a veteran wine journalist and educator (and Flight Attendant Trainer for Sri Lankan Airlines) with an encylopaedic knowledge of wines. The amazing array of unusual canapés (hummos and pomegranate; fruit kebabs) was produced by the Silk Route chefs.

And the wine? Jolly good! We tasted one each of red and white from three countries, South Africa (Tall Horse), Australia (Banrock Station) and Chile (Cono Sur Reserva) under Nissanka’s expert guidance. Then we were invited to help ourselves from the pop-up wine bar to other wines imported by the company, including a scintillating white shiraz from Australia.
There were still people there, dining from the Silk Route’s menu, when I left about 11pm. It was a splendid time and, as one expat resident told me happily, “we should do this more often.”

Naturally
I know this is a rotten photograph but it was taken through my grimy garret window of a young kingfisher sitting in the rain on the wire that brings electricity to my cottage. Its colours were dazzling during the downpour and it gave me an excuse to reflect on the wonders of nature that abound in Sri Lanka. Then the electricity went off.

No news?
No newsletter is not good news it seems, since I have had a few complaints from subscribers who find suddenly that they are not receiving the newsletter every Sunday or Monday. If that happens to you, check your spam folder. If it’s not there, please send me an email so I can check what’s happened (royston@roystonellis.com). However, It is also possible to read this newsletter every Sunday on www.roystonellis.com/blog.

The Maldives Avenger
This is not the name of a stomach bug found in the Maldives but the title of this week’s selection from my online bookshop.The Maldives Avenger is a new version of my historical novel, A Hero In Time, first published as a paperback in 2000. I’ve added more romance and action.
It’s set in the 16th century, when the Portuguese invaded the Maldives and imposed colonial tyranny. The inhabitants, devout and simple fisherfolk, traders and rustic islanders, were powerless to resist... until a young man, Mohamed Thakuru, who became a favourite of the Portuguese governor, returned from martial and religious training in India. Appalled by the ruthlessness of the invaders, he led a seaborne guerrilla campaign to oust them.
It’s a swashbuckling yarn of adventure, intrigue, lust, passion and faith in the face of adversity and a “rollicking good read.”

To buy it, simply go to www.roystonellis.com/shop, click on the image of the cover of the book. That will take you to a page telling you a bit more about the book and to a sign that says ADD TO CART.
Click on that and a note will pop up saying you have successfully added the book to your shopping cart. Next go to check out and authorise the payment process (quoting a credit card number via Paypal; don’t worry, it’s safe).
The novel only costs £ 2.99 and once payment is confirmed, you’ll receive an email with a link. Click on the link and the eBook will download to your computer. (If it doesn’t work, let me know!)
Happy reading!
Royston

LG Premasiri :wink:

Premasiri · 6. Nov. 2011

Greetings from Sri Lanka. I’ve been travelling a lot the past few days: to Maldives for a quick visit, and by Air Force flight to and from Jaffna.

Made in Sri Lanka
Famed for its natural herbal medicaments and therapies, Sri Lanka produces many intriguing aids to good health. Neel bought this one, Medisole Cinnamon with Bee Honey, because it claims to be effective for people with high cholesterol and diabetes.

On the box it says “Medisole ayurvedic medicinal herbal formula has made of true Sri Lankan cinnamon (Cinamomum zeylanicum) and pure bee honey.” The recommended dosage is one teaspoonful twice a day. As you can see from this photograph, with cinnamon quills, it is an unappetising brown in colour and it happens to taste dry and gritty. I think I prefer cinnamon as seasoning in a curry rather than with honey!
Bread treat

Instead of featuring a dessert this week, here is something that looks just as delicious, the bread and dips presented free with dinner at The Sea View, the fine dining restaurant of the Vivanta By Taj hotel on the beach at Bentota. I don’t eat bread any more (that gluten!) but enjoyed tasting the dips which, left to right, were basil pesto, sundried tomato and mushroom puree.
For my main course I had the New Zealand Rack of Lamb. That’s a dish served so many different ways in Sri Lanka but in this case (on a bed of wild mushrooms and chunky mashed potatoes) it tasted better than it looks, being tender and oozing flavour. It cost Rs4,100 (£ 23.42; US$ 37.27) so perhaps the bread wasn’t free after all!

Maldives Orchids
I was in the Maldives again last week, at Kurumba only a few minutes speedboat ride from the airport and the oldest resort in the Maldives, which celebrates its 40 Anniversary in October next year. One of the astonishing features of Kurumba is its lushness. This has been nurtured over the years, turning a former coconut plantation island into a veritable botanical garden.

It was amazing to see an orchid nursery has been created on what was formerly a castaways-style desert island, proving how with care and attention anything is possible in the Maldives. The plant that most fascinated me was the Staghorn Fern, shown below in detail.
According to Wikipedia, a mature staghorn can grow more than 1 metre wide. “When positioned well, Platycerium species are able to add focal points, privacy, and a tropical look to gardens.” The one that impressed me so much at Kurumba apparently came from Sri Lanka, so now we are searching for one to cultivate and hang on my veranda.

Flying to Jaffna
Regular readers will recall I went to Jaffna by road a few weeks ago (No. 69). Well, I’ve just returned from a flying visit by Sri Lankan Air Force Helitours prop jet Antonov AN328 aircraft of a certain age that noisily growled its way there on time, but was two hours late for the return trip.
The flight left from the Air Force side of the Bandaranaike International Airport where facilities are well handled, and landed at Palaly Airfield in Jaffna. There, arriving passengers were transferred by a rickety bus for a couple of miles through a high security zone to the public car park.
The plane had an equivalent of business class with about ten seats, which is where paying passengers sat (it cost Rs19,500 [£ 108.57; US$177.27] return), while the rest of the aircraft had metal seats that folded down from the side walls and were filled with military and police personnel. A tip: take sandwiches, a bottle of water, and earplugs to make the 45-minute flight bearable.

A little bird (of course) told me that Expo Aviation will start commercial flights with Cessna Caravan aircraft at least once a day from January 2012. I stayed at the company’s Expo Pavilion – Margosa, a charming boutique bungalow guesthouse some 10 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes from Jaffna town.
It is one of the few guesthouses I would be happy to stay at again. With four double rooms (two double beds in each one at Rs7,500 with breakfast a night) and two singles, with some rooms having open-air rain showers, it is soothingly decorated in saffron and burgundy, furnished with rugged antiques and cement settles, and run with care and attention with enjoyable Jaffna cooking and keen Jaffna youths in courteous attendance.

11.11.11 Corduroy Ahoy!
This Friday is an important date to remember as it is World Corduroy Day, the date that most resembles the wales – ridges – of Corduroy fabric, as being celebrated by The Corduroy Appreciation Club of the USA (www.corduroyclub.com). This is a social club that endeavours to cultivate good fellowship by the advancement of Corduroy awareness, understanding, celebration and commemoration of the fabric and all related items.
Like the 3,500 members of the society worldwide, I adore Corduroy. Alas, there’s not much chance to wear Corduroy in Sri Lanka but I have dug out a Corduroy bush jacket and heavy Corduroy brown trousers (both bought in Paris a decade ago) to wear on Corduroy Friday.

If there are 10 other Corduroy fans in Sri Lanka (so we have the necessary minimum of 11 members) we could form a chapter of the club here to commemorate 11.11.11.

Cordially
Royston

LG Premasiri :wink:

Premasiri · 6. Nov. 2011