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Archive for the ‘Travel and Transportation’ Category

Discovering Sri Lanka and Other Destinations

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Looking for a tropical paradise for a great vacationing? There can be no better place than Sri Lanka to escape from your daily hurly-burly routine state of affairs. Yes, you do need some time for yourself and your family to give yourself a break from the increasing stress! So, plan your journey, book your flights for Sri Lanka by SriLankan Airlines, and give your holidaying spree a new boost.

You will find in Sri Lanka a number of locations around the world and the most beautiful beaches including a diverse range of other tourist attractions. It would be wise on your part to make a list of all tourist sites before you arrive in the country. Not included in the list of the cities of Colombo and Kandy, showing great mix of cultural, historic and modern. The historic cities such as Mihintale, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Dambula, and Aluvihara will allow you to have a peep into the history of the country. Golfers can opt for Nuwara Eliya whilst for beautiful beaches, Bentota, Weligama, Mount Lavinia, Negombo, and Beruwela are the best visits. Lovers of wild life will find delight in the wildlife sanctuaries like Bundala National Park, Horton Plains National Park, Yala National Park, and Maduru Oya National Park. Do not miss the events and festivals; the rituals, color, and celebrations will only make you wonder about the great diversity found across nations. The 10-day long Kandy Esala Perahera fair, Duruthu Perahara, Kataragama festival are a must see for any tourist visiting Sri Lanka.

You can experience cheap flying to Sri Lanka by SriLankan Airlines. A travel portal or the official website of SriLankan Airlines will best serve your purpose for online booking. This is the best place to learn about the Buddhist religion. It’s the centre of the religion that used to and still does retain its ancient cultural practices.

Once you are done with your trip to Sri Lanka, you can next plan your visit to Thailand, Singapore, and more destinations which are equally mesmerizing locations. Flying by Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways to the respective destinations will help you plan a cost effective trip. To know about package deals and low airfares for these two destinations, visit the official websites of Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways.

The Legend of Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Adam’s Peak is one of the most recognisable places in Sri Lanka, yet many people are not aware of the island’s famous mountain until they visit it for themselves on their Sri Lanka holidays.

The mountain is held in sacrosanct by followers of four religions: Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims. However, long before any of these religions appeared on the island, the mountain was worshipped by the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, the Veddas. They named the peak Samanala Kanda after one of the island’s four deities. Hindus also have a different name for the peak and call it Sivan Adi Padham

The large footprint is five foot seven inches by two foot six inches wide, but Buddhists believe that the original footprint is even larger and was left by the Buddha on his third and final visit to Sri Lanka. If you are a follower of the Christian religion, then on your Sri Lanka holidays, you’ll most probably hear the story of St. Thomas, who brought Christianity to the island. However, the mountain gets that name “Adam” from the Islamic belief that he stood for a thousand years on one foot as penance. The Islamic tradition tells how, when Adam was expelled from heaven, God put him on the peak to make the shock less terrible. This is because Ceylon was believed to the place on earth that most resembled heaven, with Adam’s Peak being the closest spot on earth to heaven.

On your Sri Lanka holidays you may want to take a boat trip around the peak as the mountain is most impressive when viewed from the sea. Marco Polo was among one of the explorers who visited. Early Arab seafarers who spotted the peak, described it as the largest mountain in the world. However, the peak is not even the largest in Sri Lanka.

If you want to hike around the island, then the best time to visit is from December to May. This time is popular with pilgrims and gets busiest in the winter months of January and February. The trek takes about four hours and although it is possible to climb Adam’s Peak from June to November, mist and rain make the climb much less appealing. When climbing the mountain on your Sri Lanka holidays you will spot hundreds of beautifully coloured butterflies on your climb, which have earnt Adam’s Peak its nickname, Samanalakande or butterfly mountain. Once you’ve reached the top, you will notice a small Buddhist temple and the shrine of the strange footprint. It is customary to make offerings here and small coils of silver are offered by those wanting to recover from sickness. Rainwater that falls in the footprint is also said to have special healing properties.

Your Sri Lanka holidays just won’t be complete without taking a visit to Adam’s Peak and after spending time on the spectacular mountain, you’ll understand just why the Islamic tale describes it as the closest place on earth to heaven.