International Women's Day

This year Walkers Tours decided to celebrate International Women’s Day with the girls at Emerge Lanka Foundation.

‘Emerge Lanka Foundation is a charitable organization that supports Sri Lankan girls, ages 10-18, who have been removed from their homes due to past abuse or the threat of abuse and are courageously testifying in court. These girls are placed into shelters that typically lack resources and educational opportunities; Emerge partners with these shelters to transform them into entrepreneurship hubs, where girls develop the business and life skills needed for self-sufficiency. Emerge equips these girls with skills and resources for their futures, using a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes leadership, life skills, and business knowledge, while simultaneously generating a financial foundation for each program participant through the creation of unique jewelry.’

In line with the official theme for International Women’s day declared by the UN for the year 2013 - ‘Promise is a promise - Time for Action to End Violence Against Women’, Walkers Tours visited this safe haven and provided all these victimised girls with an individualised comfort pack, to celebrate their femininity.

In addition to this, all of our lovely ladies were surprised with a red rose to take home, just to remind them that they are special and appreciated!

 

If you are interested in helping out Emerge Lanka please visit their website for more information;

http://emergeglobal.org/emerge-lanka-foundation-receives-its-first-grant/

The Navam Perahera 2013

This spectacular pageant takes place annually in Colombo at the Gangarama Temple. Overlooking the picturesque Beira Lake, the parade includes a procession of hundreds of monks, followed by the Scared Tooth of the Lord Buddha. Carried on the back of an elaborately adorned elephant, the tooth relic is the main attraction of this parade. Flocks of devout Buddhists and spectators alike take to the streets of Colombo to witness this extravagant spiritual parade. Colourful traditional dancers display various genres of dance prevalent in different areas of the island. The streets are set ablaze with fire dancers and the reverberating throb of  drums fills the air with an energetic cacophony of sound. This year the two day parade takes place on the 24^th and 25^th of February and is bound to be a feast for the senses.

Mattu Pongal celebrations at Tamarind Gardens

The Mattu Pongal celebration took place the day after the Pongal festival which was celebrated across Sri Lanka on 14^th January. Whilst the Pongal festival is a celebration of the first harvest, Mattu Pongal is the festival dedicated to cattle, specifically cows and bulls that play an integral role when sowing paddy seeds.

Legend has it that the Lord Shiva sent his bull ‘Nandi’ to earth with a message to his people, telling them that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. However Nandi mistook his instructions. Instead, he told the people that they should eat everyday and have an oil bath once a month. Upon hearing this news, the angered Lord Shiva banished Nandi to earth and commanded that he would have to serve all farmers in order to produce extra crops, ensuring that his people may eat daily.

We celebrated Mattu Pongal at Tamarind Gardens, our ‘Home away from Home’ with the ceremonious garlanding of our five cows. The celebration was especially touching due to the two new additions to the family ‘Rani’ and ‘Ravan’ who were born only a few days ago. The cattle were adorned with garlands of fresh flowers and painted with ornate designs while a traditional ceremony took place, which included a feast prepared specially for the cows!

Below are a few pictures of the festivities! 

To find out more about Tamarind Gardens please click the link below;
http://www.walkerstours.blogspot.com/2012/08/live-like-local-at-tamarind-gardens.html

A poem from Michael Ondaatje

Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Canada in 1962.  He is the author of The English Patient (for which he received the Booker Prize), In the Skin of a Lion, Coming Through Slaughter, and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.  Currently living in Toronto, Ondaatje's poems explore Sri Lanka's history, mythology, landscape, and personal memories, which weave a rich tapestry of imagery that will have you coming back for more. Below is a poem from his book 'Handwriting'.


To Anuradhapura

In the dry lands

every few miles, moving north,
another roadside Ganesh

Straw figures
on bamboo scaffolds
to advertise a family
of stilt-walkers

Men twenty feet high
walking over fields
crossing the thin road
with their minimal arms
and 'lying legs'

A dance of tall men
with the movement of prehistoric birds
in practice before they alight

So men become gods
in the small village
of Ilukwewa

Ganesh in pink,
                        in yellow,
in elephant darkness

His simplest shrine
a drawing of him

lime chalk
on a grey slate

All this glory
preparing us for Anuradhapura

its night faith

A city with the lap
and spell of a river

Families below trees
around the heart of a fire

tributaries
from the small villages
of the dry zone

Circling the dagoba
in a clockwise hum and chant,
bowls of lit coal
above their heads

whispering bare feet

Our flutter and drift
in the tow of this river

Tuk-tuk wisdom

When traveling on the roads of Sri Lanka, it’s pretty hard to miss the swarms of tuk-tuks (3 wheel taxis) swerving through the streets. Whilst most might find their antics on the road quite alarming, they’re often used as a medium of spreading wisdom (or entertainment) to the masses. Every tuk-tuk driver realises that his tuk-tuk is his source of income. As such, they resort to using various methods of ensuring their tuk stands out from the rest. A tuk-tuk is a blank canvas! Some are decorated with colourful tassels and ornaments, some hang pictures of chubby naked babies on the insides, whilst others slap on a catchy quote.

The next time you are driving through the capital city of Colombo, watch out for these tuk tuks, especially the taxis with ingenious quotes on them! Some are thought-provoking, some salacious, others calculatedly witty, but a number are quite unintentionally funny, with the message being lost in translation.



“Why can’t we love another?”



Here are a few quotes I have collected over the years;

“If you’re cute you can call me baby”

“Don’t break my heart, king of my place”

“I am not driving fast but flying slowly”

“Why attempt to shun your own shadow?”

“Nothing to change my life for you”

“If you can read this, you are losing”

“No god no peace, know god, know peace”

“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship”

“Anytime, anybody, anyway”

“You’re the gift got for me”

“Che Guevara want you to rebel”

“Last warning my friend”

“Any job is better than no job”

Love them or hate them, tuk-tuks are undoubtedly a part of Colombo’s fabric! Our island would be rather dull without these colourful taxis whizzing around, don’t you agree?

Walkers Tours wishes you all a prosperous New Year!

Sour the Ocean!

It’s that time of year when the ocean’s gentle giants can be spotted with ease around the south coast of Sri Lanka. Mirissa is renowned for being a major hotspot of whale watching between the months of November and April. Dondra Point, just off the coast of Mirissa, lies within the migration path of these whales and therefore is an ideal location for whale watching. You are almost guaranteed a sighting of either the mammoth Blue Whale or the unusually shaped Sperm Whale.

Last year our team from Nature Odyssey, the nature and adventure arm of Walkers Tours, visited Mirissa along with the BBC film crew- including the likes of Doug Allan and Didier Noirot to shoot their documentary ‘Ocean Giants’ that aired on BBC1.

The BBC crew whilst on tour

For more information on these phenomenal mammals check out the link attached below. Featured in this video is naturalist Chitral Jayatilake of John Keells Hotels & Resorts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5MPbZZ4xJA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Introducing Walkers Green !

For the first time in Asia, a Carbon Neutral Fleet was launched by Walkers Tours. The Company takes pride in being the undisputed leader in the Leisure Industry and this initiative is testament to this fact. The ‘Walkers Green’ initiative aims to promote sustainable tourism in line with the John Keells Leisure Group Pledge, “I Will Be Green”.

In its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Company will ensure that carbon emissions of its entire fleet, comprising of over 600 vehicles, are offset utilising carbon credits from the CarbonNeutral Company in the United Kingdom. This includes the fleets of 70 cars from Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Hotels as well.

Additionally, Walkers Tours announced the launch of their ‘Green Tours’.  These tours will be operated using a specialised hybrid fleet of vehicles. Clients will exclusively visit green properties which operate using similar green best practices and participate in a number of community-based volunteer programmes.



The Walkers Green Fleet

 

The need for sustainable practices in the tourism industry is vital. Helping local communities by enhancing their quality of life has become an integral part of business today. As the industry moves forward, Walkers Tours strives to train and employ people from the community as well as buy local produce. It is equally important to conserve the eco-system by minimising pollution and reducing waste, energy and water consumption.

Through this initiative, Walkers Tours aims to improve sustainable practises within the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.



Mr. Vasantha Leelananda - EVP, JKH, Head of Destination Management Sector recieveing the certification 



The Rainforest Ecolodge, Deniyaya

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be hosted at The Rainforest Ecolodge, a project that has been undertaken by a number of private sector companies in the leisure industry, including Walkers Tours. The sprawling property sits atop a tall mountain, 1000 metres above sea level.

The ascent to the Ecolodge is quite steep and winding, but is well worth the slight dizzy sensation you might feel once you reach the top! My first impression was that the view was absolutely breathtaking. The air is crisp and fresh, with pleasant gusts of cool wind greeting you. It can get quite chilly, especially at night. Upon entering the main building, you are heralded with the most magnificent view of the property and the tea plantation sprawling before us. If you look beyond the tea bushes you will be able to see thickets of the Sinharajah rainforest encircling the property.

View of the property and the surrounding rainforest

We were taken on an invigorating trek through the rainforest, where we saw many colourful endemic flowers and trees. The trek lead us across tiny streams to a large area of flat plain that gave way to the most spectacular views of the valley that surrounded us. For a first time trekker like myself, I was astounded by the lush greenery that enveloped me. The naturalists were ever ready to assist us with any questions and geared up to scare away leeches with spray cans full of Dettol!

On our trek

Mist covered mountains

Getting doused with Dettol

Attractive leech socks!

The property houses 16 chalets that line the sides of the tea plantation. What is truly unique about the chalets is that they are built on an incline, which enables one to be at eye-level with the canopy of the surrounding rainforest, each one presenting a different perspective from the ground up.

The Rainforest Ecolodge stands true to its mantra of being environmentally friendly as well as practicing sustainable tourism. Every single detail has been carefully constructed to mirror the property’s pledge. For example, each chalet is an old shipping container that has been re-designed to create a surprisingly plush deluxe room. None of the chalets are air-conditioned neither do they have any fans, but gusts of heady wind are bound to keep you cool all day long and therefore such amenities become dispensable. We were all impressed when we caught sight of the head chef walking around the property collecting fresh produce grown in the garden for our lunch. What’s even more impressive is the work that The Rainforest Ecolodge has done for the surrounding community. An outreach programme was initiated to enrich and develop the quality of lives of the surrounding community who lived in squalor, prior to the help provided. The communities have now been equipped with new homes, a crèche, health clinic and school.

Glass bottles and No Smoking sinage

Inside the shipping container!

Local children at the Child Development Centre

It struck me that the entire tourism industry, competitive though it may be, had come together to create such a unique project. With sustainable tourism at its core, I was convinced that everyone who worked at the property was genuinely committed to enhancing the lives of the local community whilst also providing clients with a luxurious, eco-friendly stay.

All in all we had a pleasant stay at The Rainforest Ecolodge. The food was delicious (especially the Sri Lankan meals), the staff were hospitable and I cannot forget the best part about the property – the spectacular verdant scenery.

Photo credit - Ms. Annelie Wambeek

Congratulations to our team at Walkers Tours!

Walkers Tours won an astounding six awards at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards held on the 30^th of August 2012. The Company managed to clinch the hotly contested award for the ‘Best Inbound Tour Operator (large category)’. Displaying our strength at multiple channel promotion, Walkers Tours also won the award for the ‘Best Destination Promotion Website’.

The secret to our success lies in the fact that we have a team of innovative and dynamic professionals across all levels of the Company. The fact that four of our national guide and chauffeur guide lecturers won awards for excellence in service is testament to this fact. Below are a couple of pictures of the event.



Mr. Vasantha Leelananda (EVP & Sector Head of Leisure Inbound) recieving the trophy for Best Inbound Tour Operator




Mr. Umeshi De Fonseka, Head of Leisure Inbound IT recieving the award for Best Destination Promotion Website 




Mr. Aloy Diaz - Most Outsanding National Guide Lecturer



Mr. Nalaka Pallipana - Most Oustanding National Guide Lecturer - Nature

Mr. Ajith Wijesinghe - Best Chauffeur Guide Lecturer - Culture & Heritage



Mr. Ranjith Sudasinghe - Best Chauffeur Guide Lecturer



The entire John Keells Leisure Group (City Hotels, Resort Hotels and Destination Management Companies) won 12 key awards at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards, the largest haul of awards won by a single company.

Live Like a Local at Tamarind Gardens, Digana

Walkers Tours has established a ‘Live Like a Local’ experience with sustainability at its core. Its essence is to give back to the community whilst giving visitors an insight to rural Sri Lanka. The home of our project is the village of Digana, located 20 kilometers outside the Hill Capital of Kandy. Overlooking the Victoria Reservoir, the construction of this quaint and unique property is nearing completion. Most of the building and even the fittings are made by village craftsmen. Designed to reflect typical Sri Lankan village houses, the eight rooms at Tamarind Gardens will consist of an en suite bathroom, mosquito net and a pedestal fan.

The property is home to a working farm which includes cattle, goats and poultry. Vegetable and fruit gardens on the property contribute to the fact that all meals are prepared with home grown produce, whilst meat is sourced from the local village. Other services like laundry, maintenance and housekeeping are outsourced to villagers in the vicinity to ensure that the community directly benefits through tourism. Guests are given an unforgettable opportunity to immerse themselves in typical village life. They are encouraged to volunteer in several activities like assisting in the preparation of meals, growing fruits and vegetables and caring for livestock.





Digana is situated at the border of the dry-zone, with harsh conditions for cultivation for crops – often the only means of making a living for these villagers. The difficult environment contributes to local community needing to struggle for survival and Walkers Tours firmly believes that supporting them in any way is critical.

As a result, many projects have been introduced to help create some form of financial stability to villagers. These include helping to build chicken coops or goat pens and donating water storage tanks to ensure that families have access to clean, safe water.

This exciting new project will give visitors an enriching experience. Here, they can take a break from fast paced metropolitan life and strike a balance between having a great time and being considerate to the planet and its people.

Go Fly a Kite!

Kite flying in Sri Lanka is considered a relaxing past time. It is an activity that is mostly enjoyed by young children, especially during this time of year, as it falls in the midst of school holidays.

This year the Sri Lanka Kites Community is organising an international kite festival. The festival hopes to draw in kite flyers, regardless of age. Internationally kite flying is often considered a professional sport, with countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and India holding similar festivals each year. The Sri Lanka Kites Community aims at creating a platform for kite flyers to promote the sport professionally with participants hailing from over 30 countries across the globe.

Galle Face Green is most definitely one of the best spots in Colombo for this event, as it has ample space for all participants and is blessed with a steady flow of wind. The skies will be dotted with many colourful and imaginative shapes. Why not try making your own kite? All you will need is coconut eakles or bamboo skewers, gum, yarn and tissue paper. Try out a variety of shapes, from the most aero-diametrically favourable structures to the more complex forms.

Come fly your kite along with the rest of us on the 13^th and 14^th of October at the Galle Face Green!

Office Olympics 2012

In true Leisure Inbound spirit, our colleagues at Walkers Tours and Whittall Boustead Travel Limited (our sister company) won the overall silver medal in the Office Olympics, held on the 28^th of July 2012.

The Office Olympics was organised by a popular local radio station, with an impressive thirty two teams participating in the event. Our six member team who named themselves ‘The Y-NOTS’ included the likes of Andre Power and Asitha Jayawardana of the Nature Odyssey department, Shanendra Fernando from our Data Entry team, Sidath Jayaweera from the Chinese Market, Gayanga Botejue from Whittall Boustead Travel and Nanduni Rajapakshe of Web Sales.  The Olympics comprised of six exciting events, four of which required team effort. Out of the six grueling events held at the Olympics, our crafty colleagues managed to secure positions in an astounding four events! This meant that the Y-NOTS were the overall silver medalists for the Office Olympics 2012 walking away with Rs. 120,000 as prize money!



Rubberband Archery



Wastepaper  shootout



Concentration at its peak during an intense game of rubberband archery




Our Olympians



The Y-NOTS managed to bag medals for the following events:

Gold medal - Office chair hand ball (team event)

Bronze medal - Obstacle course race (team event)

Silver medal - Waste paper shootout

Bronze Medal - Pin your boss (darts)

Congratulations to the well deserved winners!

Fruit salad

Sweet, sour, juicy, round and even the downright strange - we have them all. As Sri Lanka is located in the tropics, it comes as no surprise that the island is blessed with a variety of exotic fruit.

A drive around the island, mostly on the outskirts of towns and cities will take you past a number of roadside stalls selling colourful fruit. If you are a fruit enthusiast, then this is going to be a gastronomical ride of a lifetime! Although I cannot describe every single fruit found in Sri Lanka (this would require me writing an entire book), I will touch on a few favourites enjoyed by locals.

At any given time of the year, you are bound to run into bunches of bananas sold by the gazillions at any fruit stall. Choose from the larger savoury bananas like Kolikuttu or the smaller sweet/sour kinds like Ambul Kesel. You are bound to go bananas over the numerous varieties and flavours waiting to be chomped on!

Mangos are my personal favourite fruit. When eating mangos, one generally looks for big flavour and little fiber. If you’re lucky enough, you will be able to get your hands on mangos from Jaffna, undoubtedly the best in the island. These deliciously sweet mangos are juicy, full of flavour and are just the right consistency when ripe.



Jaffna Mangos

The wood apple is a strange looking fruit. This peculiar bulbous fruit is brown in colour and has a hard outer layering. Once cracked, the fruit reveals a sticky brown pulp within that has a jam like consistency. The wood apple is used to make a popular drink called divul kiri, which is a definite must try on your list of Sri Lankan specialties to taste whilst on holiday.

I cannot forget to mention a few seasonal favourites. Jambu is one such fruit. These small bell-shaped, blushing fruits have a very subtle flavour comparable to a snow pear. They are often enjoyed raw or eaten with a pinch of salt and chilli for an added Sri Lankan kick!

Next let me introduce you to my dear old friend, the rambutan. Rambutan is found in South East Asia and is yet another strange looking fruit. Its red skin is covered with hairy protuberances and cannot be eaten. However once the skin is peeled away, the succulent opaque fruit is revealed. Its flavour is slightly sweet with an acidic after taste that will leave you begging for more! Rambutans are not found all year round, however when they are, you will find them piled up in glorious red bunches by the roadside and at any fruit stall. Other popular fruits include the pineapple, papaw, watermelon and of course the coconut.



A delicious mound of rambutan

Yes, our tiny island is jam-packed with a vast array of delicious fruit. Be astounded by the variety of colours, smells and tastes that greet your senses when visiting a local fruit market. It’s amazing that such a large variety of produce is grown locally in various parts of the island. I think that Sri Lanka’s fruit platter can be paralleled to its society. There are so many ethnicities found in the island, resembling one colossal fruit salad.