Invited to Ulpotha, a yoga retreat in the Sri Lankan jungle, Drusilla Beyfus at first balked, believing her age ruled her out. In fact, it made her hungry to see more of the island.
My journey to the heart of the jungle in Sri Lanka could scarcely have come about but for a lifelong friendship. I was invited to stay at the ayurveda yoga retreat at Ulpotha by my friend's son, Giles Scott, an entrepreneur and one of the founders, and her daughter, Suzi Scott, who plays host at the camp. The idea was for me to see what they were up to in the wilds. There was a closer connection. Their mother had imbued her offspring with her own love of nature and the natural world. Ulpotha reflected that spirit.
Many would have jumped at the invitation, but at the outset I was chicken. The jungle in the north-west province was a long way from home and, besides, I believed that at my somewhat advanced age the moment had passed for adventure holidays. But wouldn't it be something of a betrayal of my friend not to accept? I knew she wanted me to go. So it was I found myself as part of a group, many of whom had travelled halfway across the globe to be taught by a chosen yoga practitioner or to experience the clinic's Buddhist-influenced philosophy of setting aside worldly cares. For me, it was to be a voyage of discovery and the gateway to a further exploration of the island.
One had to adjust, no doubt about that, and this went well beyond the change of climate from wintry London to tropical sun. Put away that mobile or first scale a nearby rock to find reception. Accept that the jungle is not for those who throw a hissy fit at the sight of a creepy-crawly in their tooth mug or who fear the odd mosquito bite. Take to cold showers as the norm. After sunset, grasp your battery torch as the entire camp is lit by the soft glow of oil lamps and lanterns (on the one hand, this encouraged people to linger and chat; on the other, it put a damper on such unreconstructed activities as late-night reading). Be respectful of Buddhist observances – the majority religion in the land – and remember indoors to walk barefoot and dress decorously.
After a while, one grew accustomed to sights and experiences that showed how far you had come. At dawn, lying in my mosquito-netted bedroom with one wall open to a veranda and the skies, I would thrill to the jungle cries – quite a change from BBC radio's dear Farming Today. I swam the silky temperate waters of the lake in the grounds, watching monkeys jump the trees. One lost the sense of unlikelihood of finding beneath a giant bamboo, for instance, a decked-out wattle-and-daub hut, which effectively gave mud a good name. These open-sided palm-leaf-thatched huts tucked away in the woodlands are where the guests stay.
Yogis and non yogis met for lunch and supper at the ambalama, Sinhalese for 'meeting place'. We dined Roman-style, curled up or stretched out on a long, cushioned couch that extended round the room. Dishes based on local produce – vegetables, fruits, seeds, beans, pulses – are prepared using traditional Sri Lankan methods. I'm partial to a bit of carnivorous protein, but I fell for some of the house specialities: red heritage rice, a special strain grown in the local paddyfields that had been in danger of neglect; the curries; a dessert of buffalo curd mixed with grated coconut and palm treacle. A supply of herbal teas and freshly prepared fruit juices somehow made the absence of wine irrelevant. How can I write this? Because it was true.
For me, a typical day was to rise early when the sunlight was gentle and pad down to the breakfast hut for a newly baked pancake wrapped round a sweet banana. Next I embarked on one of my ayurveda therapies, as recommended by the house medic based on a consultation with him (ayurveda is an ancient holistic medical system from the Indian subcontinent). A young female therapist doused my body in herbal oils, massaged me before pouring my oily self into a massive bath with waters steeped in herbs. Another treatment led to my being steamed in a sauna for 20 minutes.
Come the hour for yoga practice on the programme, I was encouraged to give it a go by our practitioner, Jean Hall, known for the 'Ashtanga inspired Vinyasa Flow' school of yoga (can't wait, as a novice, to drop this reference into my traveller's tales). Surprise! I found the elementary poses I could just about manage really satisfying and my intention is to take it further.
As the style of the hospitality is house party, it goes without saying that your fellow guests make a difference. During my stay the party included both Scotts; Giles's wife, Anthe, and their one-year-old daughter, Zindzi; Viren Perera, an investment banker from Colombo and one of the founders of the retreat, who brought family and friends; my sister Angela Darnborough, who accompanied me throughout our journey; an artist, a gallerist, media types, photographers, and many devout yogis and their teachers to whom the clinic is a place of pilgrimage.
The stay was an exposure to what might be called more responsible tourism. Ulpotha is run on a non-profit basis partly in order to fund a free ayurveda clinic for the villagers – many of whom are employed to work on the property. Funding comes from donations and fees paid by the guests (an average of £620 per week all in on a shared accommodation basis, excluding the ayurveda therapies, which start at £200 a week). This economic set-up enhances the atmosphere at the retreat undoubtedly – a no-tipping rule applies, and padlocks and guards on duty are nowhere to be seen.
Nothing if not Sri Lankan in culture, Ulpotha made me hungry to see other sides of the island and embark on the next stage of our itinerary.
The scale of the country is kind to travellers in that one can get an impression of the lie of the land in a relatively short visit. From this point on, we were accompanied by a Sri Lankan driver guide, Thilak, who put up with our somewhat esoteric queries and had an objective view of the history of the island and second sight for a rare butterfly, animal or bird. We covered about 1,000 miles in all by car.
Blithely ignoring the bone-shaking roads that network the country, we headed further into the area known as the Cultural Triangle that contains some of the textbook historic treasures. Sigiriya, the fifth-century fortress of granite that rises 600ft and rewards those who brave the dizzy-making ascent (count me out) with glorious views, frescoes and, at the top, a royal palace and water gardens. Onwards to the rock temple of Dambulla, which dates from the first century bc. A sequence of adjacent caves contains something close to a visual history of the Buddha. The first held a monumental statue carved out of the rock of the dying Buddha in a recumbent pose. Whatever one's religious attitudes, its emotional power hit home.
En route now to Kandy to witness a ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth, said to be one of the most sacred of Buddhist temples. As one who normally exists in a largely secular world, it was a revelation to be caught up in a Cup Final-like crush of worshippers of all sorts and conditions, paying their respects to the icon and bringing offerings such as lotus flowers. I spotted a retinue of rarely seen Sri Lankan Buddhist nuns in the melee. Security has raised its head and I was frisked at the entrance (by a female).
In contrast, the Royal Botanical Gardens, a short drive from the city, proved an oasis of tranquillity. Founded by a Brit in the mid-19th century, it is above all a tree-fest. Vast flowering canopies stun you with a profusion of colour and blossom. Avenues of giant palm trees are a reminder of their operatic life cycles. Umbrella trees the size of a villa grow trunk-like roots, forming a railing round the tree. Must not omit the spice trees: smell cinnamon, clove, nutmeg in a crushed leaf.
I usually love a ruin so we visited Polonnaruwa, the island's capital in the 11th and 12th centuries. It was a salutary outing. Once-splendid temples and palaces stand only for the leftovers of power and glory. Roofless columns reach for the sky, and monkeys and birds have colonised much of the terrain. One cheerful note was a carved frieze on the base of a decayed temple, depicting numerous playful dwarfs, symbols of wealth and health.
Time to board the observation compartment of a train to take us to Hatton in the foothills of the tea plantations. At Hatton we were picked up by our driver guide, Thilak, who had brought our bags, and began the long ascent through the tea trail country to our penultimate destination, Norwood Bungalow, a restored colonial outpost 4,000ft up.
Scenery fanciers have long put this landscape into a starred category. The tea bushes, planted laterally, curve round the hillsides in row upon row, the plantations seeming to stretch to beyond the beyond. In the distance, a mighty range of mountains puts the man-made tea business into perspective. A human element is supplied by the well-known image of colourfully garbed female tea pickers standing in the bushes. From now on a cuppa will be a reminder that their full story doesn't appear on the pack.
The deep comforts at Norwood were further evidence of the irony that under-developed countries produce the goods as far as forward-looking, creative ideas on high-end hotels are concerned. An eco approach was characteristic of the Vil Uyana at Rangirigama, our base for the Cultural Triangle outings. A group of independent villas built on man-made paddyfields was linked by narrow timber bridges and connected to the pool, the bar and the restaurants. Such is the architecture that the thatched constructions appear to disappear into the surrounding woodlands. Buggies take you around the grounds and to and from the main building. Wildlife flourishes and the site is a bird sanctuary.
At my pad, a combo of bedroom and living-room contained in the arrangements a huge tiled bath, a shower, a private dipping pool and a private veranda. Unlike Western hotels in the same category, the space is generous and roomy. What it is not, as a rule, is well lit when the sun goes down. The national electricity supply is dicey.
We did not have one bad meal during our trip, helped no doubt by the fact that Sri Lanka has trained up or imported a race of professional cooks and chefs. The cuisine at the restaurants where we dined is probably best described as fusion, but to me that doesn't symbolise the vigorous taste and spicy fresh ingredients of the dishes we enjoyed. Meat and poultry, on the other hand, were not a strong suit.
From the hill country, we took a five-hour drive back to Colombo, the last lap of our trip. We stayed overnight before taking the flight to Heathrow at a newly opened boutique hotel, Wallawwa, set in a formerly private garden and of a style you don't usually find close to the airport.
Reviewing my negative initial reactions, it is only realistic to point out that the heat, bugs, walking and climbing are factors to be reckoned with. Also, for anyone to whom travel is an open book, the venture needs advanced planning. Although there must be latter-day Hester Stanhopes among us, and notwithstanding the friendliness of the majority of the populace, I wouldn't say the island was the best place for a woman unfamiliar with the territory to go it alone.
My journey was full of wonders. But I'm under no illusion that my cosseted Sri Lanka was representative of the way things go for most travellers.
I had a partial view, but honesty compels me to state I wouldn't have had it otherwise.
ESSENTIALS
The Ultimate Travel Company (020-7386 4646; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) can arrange a journey following the writer’s trail from £3,635. A fully inclusive week on retreat at Ulpotha is followed by four days at Sigiriya, staying at Vil Uyana. Next, an overnight stop at the Kandy House, two nights at the classic Tea Trails and finally a night at Wallawwa. The price also includes flights from Heathrow, private car with driver, guided sightseeing and most meals
Share your luxury travel experiences at www.ultra.travel
OTHER RURAL RETREATS IN SRI LANKA
Lunugana, Bentota
The home of the late Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most renowned architect, has been transformed into an intimate four-room hotel (plus two-room cottage). Bawa spent 40 years turning this abandoned west coast rubber estate into an exquisite plantation house on a promontory surrounded by a jungle-fringed lake with Italianate gardens, pavilions and pools. Doubles from US$232 (i-escape.com).
The Kandy House
Gunnepana It may have only opened in 2005 but this nine-room property feels gloriously vintage, partly because it was built as a family home in 1804 and partly because it merges original antiques with understated, contemporary interior design.
And it’s only a 20-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Kandy. Doubles from US$130 (00 94 814 921 394; thekandyhouse.com).
Rainforest Edge, Waddagala
An eco-lodge in a beautiful mountaintop location in southern Sri Lanka, Rainforest Edge is ideal for those looking for a rustic, back-to-nature experience and easy access to the Sinharaja Rainforest. There is lots to do in the surrounding countryside from kayaking and Jeep safaris to botanical walks and mountain biking. Doubles from US$212 (00 94 11 5 339 202; rainforestedge.com).
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