Premasiri
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ROYSTON’S REPORT, Number 146
Sunday, 3 February 2013.
Welcome to this weekly newsletter on Sri Lanka and other tropical topics.
Made in Sri Lanka
Honey made by the bees of Sri Lanka is thin but rich in flavour. I discovered this when I found in the local supermarket, a plastic bottle of Uva Bee Honey, 100% pure, according to the label. It claims to be “Natural wild bee’s honey” but adds a note of caution, “Colour and flavour may vary according to the near by flora.” The 250ml bottle cost Rs380 when I bought it last week, but this week it was selling for Rs450 [£ 2.25 US$ 3.60].
It is produced by Uva Bee Honey Industries in Buttala, Sri Lanka. Buttala is a hamlet by the A4 highway that links Colombo via Avissawella, Ratnapura and Beragala, across the island to Monaragala, Potuvil and the east coast. The Uva Province includes Bandarawela and the craggy beauty spot of Ella. It is renowned for its tea, which has a special quality imparted by the caressing of seasonal breezes. Tea and scones with butter and honey enjoyed on the veranda of an Uva hillside plantation bungalow? Perfection!
Lightning strike
A couple of weeks ago, at night, lightning struck one of the coconut trees in the garden. Last Sunday, two experts coconut trees came to inspect the damage and decided that a total of four trees had been affected and were dying. They had to be cut down.
The operation began with Nalinda, 33, shinning up the first tree (at least 60ft tall) and cutting down the branches. He tied ropes to the top of the tree, then strapped a wooden bar across the trunk to use as a support while he wielded an axe to chop at the top third of the tree. On the ground, his partner, Wasantha, and Kumara pulled on the ropes so the chopped trunk landed squarely on the lawn and not on the railway line running alongside the garden.
The remainder of the tree was then efficiently felled and Wasantha used the chain saw to cut a smooth, level top to the trunk so we can use it as a garden table.
Wasantha then climbed another tree and hoisted up the chain saw, which he used to cut down the top of the tree. It was a sad sight to see four noble trees, probably 60 years old, lying on the grass, but their life hasn’t ended.
Wasantha’s team came the next day and took them away to cut up as boards and beams for house building.
Sugar sure is sweet
Sugar, in this case, refers to the Bistro & Wine Bar called Sugar that opened a few weeks ago in the Crescat Shopping Mall attached to Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand hotel. Wine Bar? Well it’s more of a boulevard café since it overlooks the Galle Road and you can’t even see a bottle of wine, although the wine list is extensive and wine is available by the glass.
So are cocktails, and that’s where I tried this signature mix, called ‘Sugar and Spice’. It consisted of vodka, fresh strawberry juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and ground pepper, well and truly shaken. In spite of the ingredients, it tasted innocuous but had a jolly effect. [Rs 650; £ 3.25; US$ 5.20]
There is good menu too and my pepper crusted seared tuna and Asian salad with wasabi, mango and soya glaze is something I’ll try again; however, the “Asian” salad was lettuce and too much of it. [Rs450; £ 2.25; $ 3.60]. Sugar’s décor is simple and striking, with air-ducts coated in silver foil and nine odd clocks, all working, on the back wall.
One of the best waiters I’ve met in Colombo served us with the genuine care and style of an elegant butler. His name? Royston! (He’ll obviously do well!)
Dog day
Next Sunday, 10 February, is an important date in Sri Lanka’s social calendar. Not because it happens to be my birthday but because on that day the Ceylon Kennel Club holds the 106[SUP]th[/SUP] & 107[SUP]th[/SUP] All Breeds Championship Dog Shows.
The Ceylon Kennel Club (http://www.ceylonkennelclub.com) was founded in 1899 “to take care of canine affairs in Ceylon” and to register recognised breeds in the country. It is very active and conducts dog handling classes as well as breed verification programmes and a “sponsor a street dog” campaign.
Every Sunday there is a page of advertisements in the magazine of the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka about dogs for sale, with Rottweilers being very popular. Last Sunday a one-year-old male Rottweiler was advertised at Rs 35,000 [£ 175; US$ 280].
Amazing Sri Lanka
This is the name of a new magazine, currently in its third edition, published by the Western Province Tourist Board (www.wptb.lk). Many visitors might ask why should the Western Province have its own magazine aimed at tourists, and where is the Western Province anyway?
Actually, at present, visitors to Sri Lanka arrive (whether by plane or boat) at the Western Province since the country’s main international airport and seaport (Colombo) are located there. The Western Province stretches from Negombo on the northwest coast, embracing Colombo and suburbs, including the Gampaha and Kalutara districts, down to Alutgama in the south. It comprises a landmass of 3,834.6 sq km and a population of 5,622,274.
It’s packed with attractions for tourists and has a dynamic Minister of Tourism (Nimal A Lanza) supported by a dedicated Chairman of the Western Province Tourist Board, Charles A Thomasz. Mr Thomas contacted me last year and asked if I would help, as Editorial Consultant, in the publication of a magazine highlighting not just the appeal of the Western Province but also the whole of Sri Lanka for tourists.
It was a suggestion I couldn’t refuse since it gives me another chance to promote Sri Lanka, my amazing adopted home for the past 33 years.
For more details about Sri Lanka, my Bradt Guide is available from: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/552/Sri-Lanka.html
Sunny good wishes
Royston Ellis
leider seid gestern wieder zurück in der kalten verschneiten Schweiz...will wieder zurück auf die LG Premasiri
Sunday, 3 February 2013.
Welcome to this weekly newsletter on Sri Lanka and other tropical topics.
Made in Sri Lanka
Honey made by the bees of Sri Lanka is thin but rich in flavour. I discovered this when I found in the local supermarket, a plastic bottle of Uva Bee Honey, 100% pure, according to the label. It claims to be “Natural wild bee’s honey” but adds a note of caution, “Colour and flavour may vary according to the near by flora.” The 250ml bottle cost Rs380 when I bought it last week, but this week it was selling for Rs450 [£ 2.25 US$ 3.60].
It is produced by Uva Bee Honey Industries in Buttala, Sri Lanka. Buttala is a hamlet by the A4 highway that links Colombo via Avissawella, Ratnapura and Beragala, across the island to Monaragala, Potuvil and the east coast. The Uva Province includes Bandarawela and the craggy beauty spot of Ella. It is renowned for its tea, which has a special quality imparted by the caressing of seasonal breezes. Tea and scones with butter and honey enjoyed on the veranda of an Uva hillside plantation bungalow? Perfection!
Lightning strike
A couple of weeks ago, at night, lightning struck one of the coconut trees in the garden. Last Sunday, two experts coconut trees came to inspect the damage and decided that a total of four trees had been affected and were dying. They had to be cut down.
The operation began with Nalinda, 33, shinning up the first tree (at least 60ft tall) and cutting down the branches. He tied ropes to the top of the tree, then strapped a wooden bar across the trunk to use as a support while he wielded an axe to chop at the top third of the tree. On the ground, his partner, Wasantha, and Kumara pulled on the ropes so the chopped trunk landed squarely on the lawn and not on the railway line running alongside the garden.
The remainder of the tree was then efficiently felled and Wasantha used the chain saw to cut a smooth, level top to the trunk so we can use it as a garden table.
Wasantha then climbed another tree and hoisted up the chain saw, which he used to cut down the top of the tree. It was a sad sight to see four noble trees, probably 60 years old, lying on the grass, but their life hasn’t ended.
Wasantha’s team came the next day and took them away to cut up as boards and beams for house building.
Sugar sure is sweet
Sugar, in this case, refers to the Bistro & Wine Bar called Sugar that opened a few weeks ago in the Crescat Shopping Mall attached to Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand hotel. Wine Bar? Well it’s more of a boulevard café since it overlooks the Galle Road and you can’t even see a bottle of wine, although the wine list is extensive and wine is available by the glass.
So are cocktails, and that’s where I tried this signature mix, called ‘Sugar and Spice’. It consisted of vodka, fresh strawberry juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and ground pepper, well and truly shaken. In spite of the ingredients, it tasted innocuous but had a jolly effect. [Rs 650; £ 3.25; US$ 5.20]
There is good menu too and my pepper crusted seared tuna and Asian salad with wasabi, mango and soya glaze is something I’ll try again; however, the “Asian” salad was lettuce and too much of it. [Rs450; £ 2.25; $ 3.60]. Sugar’s décor is simple and striking, with air-ducts coated in silver foil and nine odd clocks, all working, on the back wall.
One of the best waiters I’ve met in Colombo served us with the genuine care and style of an elegant butler. His name? Royston! (He’ll obviously do well!)
Dog day
Next Sunday, 10 February, is an important date in Sri Lanka’s social calendar. Not because it happens to be my birthday but because on that day the Ceylon Kennel Club holds the 106[SUP]th[/SUP] & 107[SUP]th[/SUP] All Breeds Championship Dog Shows.
The Ceylon Kennel Club (http://www.ceylonkennelclub.com) was founded in 1899 “to take care of canine affairs in Ceylon” and to register recognised breeds in the country. It is very active and conducts dog handling classes as well as breed verification programmes and a “sponsor a street dog” campaign.
Every Sunday there is a page of advertisements in the magazine of the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka about dogs for sale, with Rottweilers being very popular. Last Sunday a one-year-old male Rottweiler was advertised at Rs 35,000 [£ 175; US$ 280].
Amazing Sri Lanka
This is the name of a new magazine, currently in its third edition, published by the Western Province Tourist Board (www.wptb.lk). Many visitors might ask why should the Western Province have its own magazine aimed at tourists, and where is the Western Province anyway?
Actually, at present, visitors to Sri Lanka arrive (whether by plane or boat) at the Western Province since the country’s main international airport and seaport (Colombo) are located there. The Western Province stretches from Negombo on the northwest coast, embracing Colombo and suburbs, including the Gampaha and Kalutara districts, down to Alutgama in the south. It comprises a landmass of 3,834.6 sq km and a population of 5,622,274.
It’s packed with attractions for tourists and has a dynamic Minister of Tourism (Nimal A Lanza) supported by a dedicated Chairman of the Western Province Tourist Board, Charles A Thomasz. Mr Thomas contacted me last year and asked if I would help, as Editorial Consultant, in the publication of a magazine highlighting not just the appeal of the Western Province but also the whole of Sri Lanka for tourists.
It was a suggestion I couldn’t refuse since it gives me another chance to promote Sri Lanka, my amazing adopted home for the past 33 years.
For more details about Sri Lanka, my Bradt Guide is available from: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/552/Sri-Lanka.html
Sunny good wishes
Royston Ellis
leider seid gestern wieder zurück in der kalten verschneiten Schweiz...will wieder zurück auf die LG Premasiri