In the ancient cities area of Sri Lanka, on the road from Dambulla to Kandy, 3 km north of Matale, is Aluvihara, an undervisted and non-commercial shrine that we here at WoWasis feel is well worth a stop, We loved the Dambulla cave temples nearby, but the overt commercialism there we found to be disconcerting. […]
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WoWasis visits Sri Lanka’s Spice Garden hawkers
On the road from Colombo to Kandy, especially near the area close to the Elephant Orphanage (which we feel is overpriced and unworth the visit, unless you’ve never seen an elephant before), you’ll find a number of signs saying ‘Spice Garden,’ or ‘Spice Grove,’ fronting local spice operations. We visited one of them, The Island 25 […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Nihal De Silva’s ‘The Road from Elephant Pass’ Sri Lanka
Every so often an exceptional book by an emerging author reaches out and strikes the reader unaware. Somewhat less often does the book encompass more than 400 pages. And rarer than that are cases in which the author, in some sense, predicts his own upcoming death. In an apt metaphor, the finally-fledged Sri Lankan writer […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thai debate continues over Article 112 lese majeste laws
The renewed emphasis on enforcement of Thailand’s lese majesté laws, which are used to prosecute individuals accused of insulting the royal family, is a topic on the front-burner of Thailand’s press these days. In a talk given by veteran Thai political observer Thongchai Winichakul (currently professor of Southeast Asian History at the University of Wisconsin), […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Dambulla, home of Sri Lanka’s Buddha cave temples
Sri Lanka’s cave temples of Dambulla lie approximately 2 hours north of the city of Kandy, and one hour south of the ancient city of Sigiriya. The site, at first, certainly doesn’t appear to be very holy, with a garish, kitschy front entrance, hoards of hawkers, and an aura of commercialism that you won’t find […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: of tea plantations in Sri Lanka
Herman Gunaratne is a well-known Sri Lankan tea planter, executive, and politician, who worked himself up through the ranks at the lowest levels in plantation life. He has written his fascinating memoirs in The Suicide Club (2010, ISBN 978-955-0000-02-9), the title of which refers to an exclusive and informal club, of which his illustrious grandfather […]
Read the rest of this entry »7 Andaman Sea dive spots remain closed In Thailand, as coral under recovery
Your WoWasis diving team has found Thailand’s Andaman Sea to be a prime scuba area, but one that has seen so much activity in the past few years that corals are being damaged. Coral bleaching and impact destruction are continuing problems, so Thailand’s National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department closed 18 dive sites in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis travel clothing road test: the Sri Lankan handloom sarong
Virtually everyone in Sri Lanka seems to own a number of sarongs, wrap-around garments that keep one cool in the hottest of seasons. You can buy colorful sarongs — identical to the longhi from Burma — in just about any marketplace. They are typically machine woven in Sri Lanka or India, and usually sell for […]
Read the rest of this entry »New Bangkok 5-star hotel to be razed in building dispute?
One of our favorite topics here at WoWasis is building scams in Thailand, so we just couldn’t resist what we think may be the juiciest story this week: the plush, new Aetas Bankok Hotel and Conference Center has been ordered to be demolished, because it’s in violation of a municipal code. Here’s the story: In […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Anuradhapura, ancient city, and Sri Lanka’s first capital
The ancient city of Anuradhapura is located roughly a 4 hour drive northwest of Sigiriya, which, along with Polannaruwa, comprises Sri Lanka’s three most significant ancient cities. This city is, to a large extent, defined by a series of dagoba’s, monumental stupas featuring massive domes. Although the small museum at GPS: N08°20.897’ E080°24.225’ is nothing […]
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