Category Archives: tourism & travel

Penetrating Sri Lanka: Foreign Enclaves & Global Powers

Dr Asoka Bandarage, inThe Island, 5 September  2025  where  the title reads: Lanka: The beautiful, besieged island” ++ with highlights and “A NOTE to ASOKA”  being The Editor’s Interventions

“Israelis are coming to Sri Lanka, and they’ve done what they do best — taking over the place. They’ve occupied it and made it feel like Tel Aviv. They host parties advertised as ‘no locals allowed.’ The Israelis have come to Arugam Bay, throwing raves and refusing to let Sri Lankan people attend.”

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a major tourist attraction

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The ManyTourist Attractions along Sri Lanka’s Coast

ITEM sent by Keith Bennett, entitled “SRI LANKA’S BEACHES – The Ultimate Insider’s Guide”

Here’s what makes Sri Lankan beaches absolutely unique – and why timing is everything. The seasonal secret,

 West/South Coast (Nov-Apr): Unawatuna, Mirissa, Bentota East  Coast (May-Sep): Arugam Bay, Pasikuda, Nilaveli …………. tip: Most tourists get this wrong and end up with monsoon rains

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Travels & Travails: Cycling Along Australia’s Ocean Roads

An Editor’s Apologetic Note, August 2025

I got to know Eardley because his anthropological fieldwork and dissertation in Uva in Sri Lanka came to m attention way back, maybe in the 1980s when I was teaching in Adelaide. I think we met once or twice in Sydney. That is how Eardley’s subsequent “adventure” … presented below … came into my files.

…. and THEN got swallowed up somewhere.  But fortune has favoured the arduous and I can tell the world WHAT no other migrant Sri Lankan Aussie has done …... A BUGGER OF A JOURNEY

Eardley Lieversz

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Women’s Cricket: World Cup in India & Lanka, 2025

Anjana Kaluarachchi, at CEYLON TODAY, 22 August 2025 where  the title reads Revised Schedule: Colombo to Host 11 Matches of ICC Women’s World Cup”

 The ICC has released a revised schedule for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 30 September to 2 November.  Due to the unavailability of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Navi Mumbai will replace Bengaluru as one of the five host venues. The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is now set to stage five key fixtures, including three league matches, a semi-final, and potentially the final on 2 November.

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Seeking …. Travelling As A Goal ….

Fazli Sameer, … The Compass Café …… If you donno where you’re going, then, any map will do

It was the sort of café people stumbled into without planning. A little crooked building on a side street that never seemed to appear on Google Maps. The hand-painted sign above the door read: “The Compass Café, Directions Served Daily.” Situated in the heart of Kollupitiya, on Green Path, the ambience was amazing and many young people made it a regular place to hang out in the evenings.

Inside, the air smelled of strong coffee and cardamom buns. A jumble of maps covered the walls: ancient parchment, subway diagrams, star charts, even children’s doodles of treasure islands. Every table had a globe, most of them cracked and faded.

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A ‘Refreshing’ Mountain in Portugal: Pico del Areeiro

A cinematic mountain backdrop

Pico do Areeiro, the third-highest point on the island of Madeira, is located at an altitude of 1,818 metres. From this elevated spot, the ample view allows observers to extend their gaze over the unique grandeurs of Madeira’s Mountainous Massif, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

Besides the wide view over the central mountain range, from Pico do Areeiro you can also see Ponta de São Lourenço, Curral das Freiras and, on clear days, the island of Porto Santo.

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