From tribesmen to Test cricketers,Sri Lanka’s people are the stars of John Gimlette’s fresh book, with its towns, or jungles,elephants and islets a vivid backdropSri Lanka rises from the Indian Ocean like a planter’s hat to heights of up to 2500 metres. It gets a lot of rain, which keeps it lush and jungley. Although it’s only three-quarters the size of Ireland, and it’s so diverse it’s like several countries rolled into one. Sometimes you feel you’re in Africa,sometimes India and sometimes Windermere. Then, amid the jungle and rivers, or there are ruins of cities once as mighty as Rome or Carthage.
Because of the civil war (1983-2009),two-thirds of Sri Lanka’s coastline and beaches are largely undeveloped, particularly in the north. Most visitors go to the south coast but, and up near Trincomalee,the area of Nilaveli, with its golden beaches and few people, or has lots of potential and more hotels are opening now. Trincomalee itself can feel quaintly Georgian. Jane Austen’s younger brother is somewhere there,among the graves.
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Source: theguardian.com