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Message: <blockquote data-quote="netlife007" data-source="post: 15245386" data-attributes="member: 79514"><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/netlife007/pic3_zps14325dcb.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Life's a beach ... pool at the Fortress Hotel Photoego Spend a week discovering the cultural and natural highlights of the interior before relaxing on one of Sri Lanka’s many fabulous beaches on the south coast. Hiring a private guide and driver will cost around £120 for a week and is well worth the outlay. Heading from Colombo for the ancient city of Kandy in the centre of the island gave me a tantalising first glimpse of this beautiful country. All around is green — from glistening paddy fields to tumbling, dense forests. The bumpy road took us through ramshackle villages and dusty towns past waving schoolchildren in white uniforms. We stopped at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to see the gracious beasts at play in the Maha Oya river before touring the centre itself. We reached Kandy by mid-afternoon and the colonial charms of the Mahaweli Reach Hotel on the banks of the Mahaweli River were captivating. We headed straight for the pool — with its river views — and relished the chance to wash off the dust. Later, the hotel’s manager gave us a lesson in the art of making a pot of tea with fresh leaves direct from the nearby hill plantations. There was much muttering about the correct tea-milk-sugar order but we were all far too polite to disagree — and anyway, it really was a fabulous cuppa. As the sun set and the heat of the day cooled to a balmy warmth, we headed out to the nearby Temple Of The Tooth relic — one of the most revered shrines in the Buddhist world. <img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/netlife007/pic4_zpse6a8145c.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Pack your trunks ... Lisa Minot at Pinnawala Elephant OrphanageSaid to have been snatched from Buddha’s funeral pyre, the relic sits in an ornate 17th Century wood, ivory and lacquer temple inside a grand 18th Century complex. We paid our respects along with hundreds of locals — be sure to cover your arms and legs and only enter the temple barefoot — before strolling along the lake by the temple admiring the lights of Kandy over the water. Our next stop was the southern town of Galle — a colonial gem known for its fabulous 17th Century Dutch sea fort. The coasts here are fringed with fabulous beaches and it is here that most first-time tourists fall in love with Sri Lanka’s many charms. There are good-value, boutique hotels in many of the colonial villas, now restored to their former glory. Take a stroll along the dramatic fortifications before exploring the narrow streets and many shops. This is the place for retail therapy, with gemstones, silks and crafts galore. Check out Barefoot and Elephant Walk on Church Street for crafts, silks and clothes or Laksana for jewels. </blockquote>

Verification: Awruddata maasa keeyada?

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