When good news travelled the world in May from the small island of Sri Lanka with the very welcome end to 30 yrs of unrest there, two of us from the CT team sprung into action and set off to explore this extraordinarily beautiful country with a view to creating some exciting new tours for our clients.
Travelling though this tropical island what struck us the most was the amazing diversity, not only of climate and terrain but also of peoples, their culture and religions. Sri Lanka is a wonderfully easy going country, bustling with vibrant life. A mass of human activity; colourful lorries carrying the local produce to market, cows wandering freely along the roads, the not so occasional encounter with a monkey, mongoose or iguana meandering across the road in front of us, bikes laden with the bright orange coconuts grown here. Beautiful women going about their daily business, dressed in brilliantly coloured saris, smiling and waving to us in welcome. The hooting of horns as tuk-tuks and lorries pass by with a wave and a cheer of encouragement. Sri Lanka is bustling with life and colour and it was easy for us to slip under its magic spell.
During our trip we passed many simple roadside stalls selling all kinds of colourful fruit and vegetables. Stopping at one of these for a welcome break we watched the locals pouring tea from a height to improve taste and texture, and with it came a natural sweetener, jaggery, a delicious dark brown sugar produced from the sap of the fishtail palm.
Cycling through the most rural of villages we experienced life as it is truly lived; women, with baskets strapped to the
ir backs, busily picking the bright green leaves of the tea plants, families performing their daily washing rituals in the streams while the kids bathe and play in the water. As we took a rest in the shade, the innocently seductive girls inviting us to swim with them in the fast flowing river, full of laughter and smiles and fun. Riding through villages, the exotic fragrance of herbs and spices wafting on the air got our taste buds screaming for another mouth watering curry. On one memorable occasion we stopped in a tiny local restaurant, made from the traditional wattle and daub (mud hut), surrounded by vivid green rice fields and banana trees. We had a delicious meal of curried squid and fresh vegetables from the adjourning fields, and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the owners.
Early one morning, while walking in the hotel gardens, we came across a loan flute playe
r sitting peacefully by some rocks, lost in his own private world of music. Sitting quietly on the hotel hammocks to enjoy his beautiful flute playing, we noticed some monkeys playing in the trees nearby. We watched this amazing scene play out in front of us while excitedly attempting to get just “one more shot” for our albums! On another occasion, while taking photos in a small town, I was tapped on the shoulder by an old man who insisted I take his picture. He posed proudly by his shop and then scribbled down a nearly illegible address and asked, with a shy smile, for me to send him the photos! And then there was our awesome ride on the railway that winds its way
through the high mountain region. People were selling nuts and fried food inside the carriages, and the school kids crowded around watching the screen on the camera as Marcus videoed life in the train. Everyone was taking an interest and pointing things out that we should be filming. Standing at the open carriage door hanging on as it rocked from side to side, trying not to miss a single shot, we watched life go by so close to the train. Waving good bye to kids we’d met only an hour before; an amazing experience just not possible from a car or coach.
The diverse landscape and changing weather patterns are so vividly experienced by cycling through this country. The central region has a dry dusty landscape with its red soil and bush vegetation, rem
iniscent of an African landscape. Wild elephants and monkeys roam free here and the temperatures are hot and dry. To the south lush tea plantations, as far as the eye can see, cover the hill country. The stunningly beautiful region of The Knuckles mountain range with its waterfalls, rivers and jungle vegetation and its tropical climate, and then the higher “misty mountains” with their cooler temperatures and colonial style hotels with English roses gardens. Then there are the ancient rain forests with their lush jungle vegetation and heavy humid air reminding you just what “the tropics” can be like. And of course, to the south west, the famous exotic white sandy beaches old Ceylon is renowned for, the where the tropical climate is moderated by gentle breezes.
Cycling here in Sri Lanka, so close to nature, brings the place alive - We simply don’t believe there is a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a country, to explore its treasures and appreciate the true essence of a culture while at the same time enjoying the enormous satisfaction of travelling under your own steam. It is this that inspires us to carefully plan and run our road cycling tours, and so bringing you the personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own te
rms. Bicycle touring really doesn’t get much better than this. Our personal tour of this tropical island left our senses reeling and increased our determination to add to our collection of Crouching Tiger road cycling adventures on offer. This is a country that leaves you wanting more!
After spending two weeks discovering Sri Lanka we are now back at HQ with masses of information and some fabulous itineraries on the drawing board
.
Watch our website for our new tours in Sri Lanka.. coming very soon.
Of course the best way to boost your fitness and get you through the winter blues is to enjoy a welcome break and come join us on an exotic road cycling adventure through Thailand or Sri Lanka. Imagine taking home a tan that your colleagues will be envious of and that extra fitness to tide you over those long cold winter days. We will leave you bursting with energy, full of enthusiasm and ready for the start of the road racing season. Cycling Active, also promoting our tours, will be on the shelves before Christmas in the UK and our Australian marketing campaign will start early next year. We will keep you informed.
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