The Last Forbidden Buddhist Kingdom
MUSTANG
Nepal
Surrounded by Tibet on three sides and governed by a Tibetan royal family, Mustang—formerly a kingdom within a kingdom—survives as one of the last remnants of ancient Tibet. Although nominally integrated into what was once the kingdom of Nepal in the early 1950s, this district, slightly smaller in size than Rhode Island, remains largely autonomous, and much of its medieval culture flourishes still. In fact, Mustang is said to be more like Tibet before the Chinese occupation than Tibet itself, filled with walled fortress-villages and monasteries hewn from rock that ranges from muted grays to rusty reds.
The landscape here is rugged and austere, a dramatic high-desert terrain flanked by towering peaks, including the snowcapped Annapurnas to the south. Though Nepal opened to tourism in the 1950s, Mustang’s sensitive position along the Tibetan border kept it off-limits until 1992, when the Nepali government began admitting a trickle of foreign tourists. Even today, travel to Mustang is restricted and visitors must arrange treks through a licensed trekking company. Ironically, Mustang was well traveled in the past—its ancient trade routes date back more than 1,000 years. Surely the treeless vistas along the way appeared extraordinary to European traders returning from China with their precious cargo—as they do to today’s trekkers overwhelmed by the otherworldliness of it all.
Every spring, at the palace in the ancient, walled capital city of Lo Manthang, a colorful, 3-day Buddhist festival called Tiji is hosted by the crown prince. The highlight occurs when a thousand costumed men, women, and children participate in elaborate, age-old reenactments of the story of a deity named Dorje Jon, who battled his demon father to save the Mustang kingdom from destruction.
Buddhist monuments, called chortens or stupas, can be found throughout Lo Manthang.
WHERE: Lo Manthang is along the Tibetan border, 130 miles/209 km northwest of Kathmandu. Treks begin in Jomsom, 45 miles/72 km south of Lo Manthang. HOW: U.S.-based Myths & Mountains offers 14- and 19-day trips (the latter includes 3 days in Lo Manthang at Tiji). Tel 800-670-6984 or 775-832-5454; www.mythsandmountains.com. Originates in Kathmandu. Cost: 14-day trip from $3,795, all-inclusive. When: Apr–May and Oct. BEST TIMES: Oct for nicest weather; May for the Tiji festival.
Rooms—and Treks—with a View
POKHARA AND THE ANNAPURNA SANCTUARY
Nepal
Pokhara’s reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world is well deserved, particularly in early morning when the reflections of snowcapped mountains are mirrored in the calm waters of Phewa Tal. Nepal’s third largest city is also known as the trekker’s capital of the world. Most visitors here are gearing up for (or recovering from) treks on the Annapurna Circuit, which rival—and are less crowded than—those around Everest Base Camp (see p. 563). Like them, you’ll want to set out for the glorious Annapurna Sanctuary, a glacial basin that serves up a 360-degree panorama in the heart of the Himalayas as well as the best views of Annapurna I. At 26,545 feet it’s the world’s tenth highest mountain and one of the most treacherous. Trekkers in the sanctuary may only go as far as Annapurna Base Camp at 13,340 feet, but even this constitutes an unforgettable odyssey into traditional Nepali villages, over thrilling suspension bridges, through forests filled with bamboo and rhododendron, and above the tree line to a rocky wonderland in the clouds.
Off the beaten track, in Old Pokhara, is where you’ll find old Nepali charm and hospitality. The many Newari houses here, with their decorative brickwork and unique wood-carvings, make this quarter a joy to explore either on foot or bicycle. Avoid the main tourist scene on the eastern shores of Phewa Tal, along the strip known as Lakeside, and seek out the only hotel that sits on the calm southern shore: The Fish Tail Lodge is graced by heartstopping views of both the Annapurna massif and the 22,946-foot Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail Peak). The only way to reach the hotel is by rowboat or a manually operated rope ferry, as experienced by Prince Charles and the emperor of Japan.
A number of yoga retreats have opened in recent years, most of them basic operations. There is the occasional exception, however, such as the comfortable Begnas Lake Resort, set on the lush shores of a lake of the same name and just 10 minutes from Pokhara. For the nicest lodging in the area, drive a half hour from Pokhara to the Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, which perches 1,000 feet above the valley and offers panoramic views of the Himalayas. You’ll feel a world away at this 19-room boutique hotel, part of the conservation-minded Tiger Mountain Group, which includes Tiger Tops in Chitwan National Park (see p. 561). It is the perfect base for short strolls and day hikes to Begnas Lake or nearby villages; other activities include golf, bird-watching, and fishing. Or spend the day sightseeing and shopping in Pokhara and be back at the lodge for a home-style dinner.
The Annapurna mountain range is reflected in Lake Phewa Tal, Nepal’s second largest lake.
WHERE: 125 miles/201 km west of Kathmandu. HOW: U.S.-based REI Adventures offers a 15-day Annapurna Sanctuary trip (includes 11-day moderate/strenuous trek). Tel 800-622-2236 or 253-437-1100; www.rei.com/adventures. Cost: $2,930, all-inclusive. Originates in Kathmandu. When: Feb–Apr and Oct–Nov. FISH TAIL LODGE: Tel 977/61-460248; www.fishtail-lodge.com. Cost: from $180. BEGNAS LAKE RESORT: Tel 977/61-560030; www.begnaslakeresort.com. Cost: from $170. TIGER MOUNTAIN POKHARA LODGE: Tel 977/1-4361500; www.tigermountain.com/pokhara. Cost: from $620, inclusive. BEST TIMES: Oct–Apr for clear, dry weather; Dec 28–Jan 1 for the Street Festival, when Lakeside is lined with food stalls, games, and competitions.
For a Spot of Ceylon Tea at the Source
THE GALLE FACE HOTEL
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Connoisseurs of Raj-era hotels seek out the Galle Face, one of the few remaining colonial hotels still rich in period detail and with a lingering air of pampered 19th-century luxury. Barefoot waiters serve tea or sundowners at the open-air, sea-breeze-swept Veranda Restaurant, a famed watering hole during British rule, when Ceylon—as Sri Lanka was called then—was synonymous with tea. To get even closer to the sultry waters of the Indian Ocean, savor your chilled Lion lager and spicy bar snacks on the Checkerboard, the large, paved, open-air patio. Many prefer the vintage suites in the Classic wing of the hotel that are a charming throwback to colonial times, seeming large enough to host a cricket match, with polished, creaking teak floors, ceiling fans, and ocean views; the more recent rooms in the Regency Wing have contemporary décor and offer modern comforts including air-conditioning. A butler delivers breakfast with a smile and a graciousness that the British must have been loath to leave behind.
The hotel borders the Galle Face Green, a mile-long promenade between Galle Road and the ocean. Built in 1859 by the British governor, Sir Henry Ward, for the ladies and children of Colombo, then and now the country’s capital, the green is a popular local gathering place where lovers stroll, families gather, children fly kites, and everyone comes for the excellent array of street food. With a little imagination, it’s easy to picture it 100 years ago, when it was used as a golf course and even a race track.
Experience the city’s contemporary spirit at the Paradise Road shopping enclave, a pleasant walk from the hotel. Recharge at the Gallery Café, formerly the offices of the renowned 20th-century Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa (his old workbench is now a table in the popular bar). The café displays contemporary Sri Lankan art and opens onto a patio and garden. It draws a stylish crowd who come to enjoy cocktails and dishes like lemongrass and ginger chicken and prawn curry with coconut risotto.
The colonial hotel has always prided itself on its high standard of hospitality.
GALLE FACE HOTEL: Tel 94/11-254-1010; www.gallefacehotel.com. Cost: from $110. GALLERY CAFÉ: Tel 94/11-258-2162; www.paradiseroadsl.com/cafe. Cost: dinner $30. BEST TIMES: Dec–Mar is the driest season; Jan for the Duruthu Perahera procession: 3 days surrounding the full moon, celebrating Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka; Feb for full-moon festival, Navam Perahera, when 100 elephants
are paraded with music, dance, and celebration.
The Deep South
GALLE FORT
Galle, Sri Lanka
In the coastal city of Galle, in Sri Lanka’s deep south, the old fortified city of Galle Fort stands protected by thick, 17th-century Dutch stone-and-coral ramparts. Asia’s best preserved colonial sea fortress, Galle Fort was built by the Portuguese 400 years ago and expanded by 17th-century Dutch settlers, who used it as the Ceylonese headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. Walk around it to soak up the history embedded in its churches, mosques, temples, warehouses, and hundreds of Dutch houses, many with tiled roofs and shuttered Dutch-style doors and windows still intact. Diners sit at postage-stamp cafés, and the meandering streets are filled with auto rickshaws (three-wheeled cars), old bicycles, goats, cats, and street peddlers selling fish, lace, or even hand-cut gems.
Wander up Church Street to the intimate Galle Fort Hotel, a 17th-century Dutch merchant’s home, where spacious rooms filled with antiques surround a colonnaded courtyard pool. Its restaurant draws a chic mixed crowd of local residents and travelers. For views of Galle Fort and the Indian Ocean, the perfect vantage point is the seven-room Sun House hotel, an 18th-century Scottish spice merchant’s hilltop house a 5-minute walk from the center of town. The barman at the award-winning Dick’s will be happy to mix up a Sun House Sour. Next door is the Dutch House, or Doornberg, built in 1712 for an admiral of the Dutch East India Company and now an inn with four magnificently restored rooms.
Just a couple of miles east of Galle, rocky outcrops break up the waves at the beautiful crescent-shaped beach of Unawatuna, creating ideal swimming and snorkeling conditions December through March (June through September bring monsoons). Farther east are the quieter beaches of Dalawella and Thalpe. Farther still is Mirissa, once known as Sri Lanka’s most inviting deserted beach but now thoroughly discovered. Mirissa is also the place for whale-watching. Researchers have only recently begun monitoring the movements of the blue and sperm whales that pass 3 to 6 miles off Mirissa, mainly between November and April. Your whale-watching boat may be accompanied by curious groups of another sea creature: spinner dolphins.
WHERE: 66 miles/107 km south of Colombo. HOW: Sri Lanka In Style offers customized itineraries. Tel 94/11-239-6666; www.srilankainstyle.com. GALLE FORT HOTEL: Tel 94/91-223-2870; www.galleforthotel.com. Cost: from $160. SUN HOUSE: Tel 94/91-438-0275; www.thesunhouse.com. Cost: from $175 (off-peak), from $220 (peak). DUTCH HOUSE: Tel 94/91-438-0275; www.thedutchhouse.com. Cost: from $320. WHALE-WATCHING: Mirissa Water Sports leads 3–4-hour whale-watching trips. Tel 94/77-359-7731; www.mirissawatersports.com. Cost: from $90. When: Nov–Apr. BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for best weather and for whale-watching; Jan for the Galle Literary Festival.
A Treasure Trove at the Island’s Heart
THE CULTURAL TRIANGLE
Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Three ancient capitals delineate Sri Lanka’s Cultural (aka Golden) Triangle: Kandy, in the south (see next page); Anuradhapura, in the north; and Polonnaruwa, in the northeast. Anuradhapura, founded around 380 B.C., was ruled by 113 successive kings (and four queens) whose magnificent palaces stood alongside dozens of monasteries housing tens of thousands of Buddhist monks; the ancient monarchs presided over a culture of great creativity. Reclaimed by the jungle after falling to Tamil conquerors from India in the 11th century, Anuradhapura was gradually uncovered beginning in the 19th century, and preservation work continues today. The city that has reemerged was a place of temples, sculptures, beautiful gardens, and massive dagobas (bell-shaped stupas, or Buddhist shrines, built to house sacred relics). The Jetavanaramaya Dagoba, over 300 feet high and made up of 90 million bricks, is the second largest man-made structure from the ancient world, after the Egyptian pyramids.
Polonnaruwa, the capital of Sri Lanka after the fall of Anuradhapura, was a fabulous garden city; amid its many well-preserved ruins are monuments built by the Indian invaders.
At Dambulla, in the center of the triangle, a steep climb leads to Buddhist cave temples carved out of rock in the 1st century B.C. and embellished by the kings of Kandy during the 17th and 18th centuries. At the top, visitors find stunning views of the entire Cultural Triangle and the archaeological site of Sigiriya (Lion Rock), a 1,214-foot, flat-topped volcanic pillar that served as an impregnable citadel in the 6th century. An entrance between the lion’s paws leads to the monasteries where 20 frescoes depict 500 beautiful women with flowers in their hair; experts say there may once have been as many as 500 frescoes covering the entire western face of the rock.
An excellent refuge is the Heritance Kandalama, in Dambulla, designed in 1991 by famed Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Blending into the lush landscape overlooking the Sigiriya citadel, the hotel features luxury rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and restaurants that serve Sri Lankan cuisine.
Between the lion’s paws at Sigiriya Rock, a steep climb leads to fresco-filled monasteries and far-reaching views.
WHERE: Anuradhapura is 128 miles/205 km north of Colombo; Polonnaruwa is 162 miles/262 km northeast of Colombo; Kandy is 72 miles/116 km northeast of Colombo. HERITANCE KANDALAMA: Tel 94/665-55-5000; www.heritancehotels.com. Cost: from $185 (off-peak), from $245 (peak). HOW: U.S.-based Asia Transpacific Journeys offers a 16-day “Splendid Sri Lanka” tour that includes Cultural Triangle destinations. Tel 800-642-2742 or 303-443-6789; www.asiatranspacific.com. Cost: $7,995. Originates in Colombo. When: Aug. BEST TIME: Nov–Apr for cool weather.
A Sacred City and Its Glorious Festival
KANDY AND THE ESALA PERAHERA
Sri Lanka
Nestled in lush hill country, Kandy is Sri Lanka’s cultural and religious stronghold, forming the southern tip of the nation’s Cultural Triangle (see previous page). Although it is Sri Lanka’s second largest city, Kandy retains something of a small-town air. Temples and colonial-era houses blanket its hills, and everyone enjoys a stroll around its large artificial lake, created in 1807 by the last of the Sinhalese kings who made Kandy their capital.
Visitors who come in July or August during the centuries-old Esala Perahera festival will experience one of Asia’s greatest spectacles. Sri Lanka’s most revered relic is a sacred tooth of Buddha smuggled into the country in A.D. 310 and enshrined in the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth, in Kandy. In the elaborate perahera (pageant or procession) asking the gods for rain, a brilliantly costumed elephant carrying a replica of the tooth is preceded by a showstopping parade of dozens of other elephants and a frenzied cast of thousands of Kandyan dancers and drummers. The processions continue for several days, and the best display occurs on the final night.
From Kandy, it’s an easy 30-mile trip to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, home to dozens of elephants from adults to babies no more than a few weeks old. Visitors help bottle-feed the youngest ones and can watch the twice-a-day baths in the Ma Oya River, where the babies splash and wallow while mahouts, or elephant handlers, scrub the adults. Keep an eye out for a proud and patient elephant with only three feet, the victim of a land-mine accident in Sri Lanka’s formerly war-town north. The refuge, operated by the Millennium Elephant Foundation, cares for elephants rescued from abuse or retired from temple work.
It’s a 20-minute drive along a bumpy, winding road from Kandy to the village of Gunnepana and the Kandy House, a boutique hotel with eight elegant rooms, lush gardens, and an infinity pool surrounded by emerald-green rice paddies. Built in 1804 as the home for an aristocratic family, the hotel is the perfect base for exploring Kandy and the nearby Royal Botanical Gardens, which date back to the Kandyan kingdom. They cover close to 150 acres with a spectacular display of more than 400 species of indigenous tropical flora and exotic plants. A giant Javan fig tree, said to be the largest tree in the world, is a favorite point of rendezvous for local courting couples.
WHERE: 72 miles/115 km northeast of Colombo. PINNAWELA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE: www.mysrilanka.com/travel/elephants. MILLENNIUM ELEPHANT FOUNDATION: www.
millenniumelephantfoundation.com. THE KANDY HOUSE: Tel 94/81-492-1394; www.thekandyhouse.com. Cost: from $230. BEST TIMES: Climate is good year-round; Jul or Aug for Esala Perahera festival, which peaks at the full moon of Esala.
Tea Plantations and Adam’s Peak
THE HILL COUNTRY
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Although Sri Lanka is now known as the tea capital of the world, tea wasn’t planted here until 1867. In 1880, Scottish-born Thomas Lipton began buying tea directly from estates in the hill country, bypassing London’s wholesale markets to deliver, in his phrase, “direct from the tea garden to the teapot.” Once a beverage for the rich, Lipton made tea a mass-market one.
Today the cool central hill country is blanketed with lush green plantations of Camellia sinensis (the botanical name of the tea plant). Vestiges of the British era linger in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka’s highest town, which still boasts some fine old colonial hotels, an 18-hole golf course, and an 1875-vintage race course. A dinner at the Hill Club, a massive stone hotel that was once home to a British plantation owner, is a step back into other times with one difference: Ladies are now allowed in the bars. Celebrate with an arak sour, a local cocktail, before playing a round in the wood-lined billiard room.
For a wonderful immersion into the world of tea, stay at the Tea Factory just outside town, a 25-acre green-tea estate that dates back to the Raj era. Greater comfort is offered 30 miles from Nuwara Eliya, at Ceylon Tea Trails, four colonial tea planters’ bungalows perched at 4,000 feet above sea level near Castlereagh Lake. Each of the cottages, which are 2 to 9 miles apart along marked scenic trails, comes with its own small staff and contains four to six luxurious suites; you can book a room or the entire bungalow.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 90