Unpolished gem

Like most ancient entities the island nation of Sri Lanka did not have the easiest of transition into its present state. In the Ramayana it was depicted as the bastion of the demon king Ravana, and from the 14^th century, a parade of colonial forces successively breached her gates until the kingdom’s dynastic lines ended. The British then styled the island as Ceylon, a name synonymous with fine teas as it was infused with the exotic flavours of the Far East.

Fast forward into this new decade and the winds of change are heralding excitement and development across the island. Now that the threat of terrorism had receded with the elimination of the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka beckons once again to paradise seekers everywhere.

Few places can today claim to be unspoilt. When one shrugs at how far mass development had insidiously impregnated tropical havens the likes of Phuket and Bali, it is fortuitous that Sri Lanka, a good two decades behind in terms of tourism development, is just re-emerging as a travel attraction. With geological lushness and an earthy disposition so foreign to the rest of the developed world, everyone is suddenly finding it cool to boast of a visit to the isle du jour.

Excerpt from the January issue of epicure.