Travels with Victor

On July 3, we drove to Mahargama to pick-up Victor Ratnayake on our way to Dambulla. We only stopped twice on the way, once to have some "kola kanda" (herbal drink) at Gampaha.

Victor proved to be a fine traveling companion. He kept us entertained with stories of the Sri Lankan diaspora that he has met on concert tours, with jokes, and biting criticisms of politicians and bad drivers. I expected him to nap on the way, but he talked all the way on the three hour trip.


At breakfast, Namala Holiday Resort

Namala Holiday Resort, of which I am a shareholder (more about that in another entry) is about 3 km. from Dambulla town, near the international cricket stadium. Dambulla is within the so called Cultural Triangle, which includes Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, two ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. It's steeped with Buddhism, history, and culture. In recent time, the main wholesale market for Sri Lankan agricultural products has been set-up at Dambulla, so it's also of commercial importance.


At Namala, after the morning walk

Victor gets up every morning at 5.00am and takes a walk, and, in the photo above, I caught him in a rare pose. He's very conscious of his health. No drinking, smoking, or eating meat. He told me that he used to smoke 50 cigarettes a day till 1991. I am surprised that his voice still sounds so mellow.



With Kanthi and the staff at Namala

The staff at Namala, all Sinhalese, were thrilled to have the famous musician in their midst. Victor deals in an appealing manner with people, calling them "son" or "daughter". He's charming and unassuming.


The lovely mango grove at Thilanka Spa

On the first evening, we drove to the nearby Thilanka Spa for a massage. Thilanka is built on a lovely mango grove, and, even in the midst of a drought, the surroundings were green and cool.

Because only one massage therapist was available, we urged Victor to have a go. He said it was the first time he'd had a massage and that he enjoyed it thoroughly.


On the safari jeep

The next morning, we wanted to visit the Kaudulla National Park to see elephants, but Victor was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake him up. I had called Ranjit Hulugalle, the man who writes the "Dream into Reality" blog, and he was waiting for us with a safari jeep. Finally, we set off after noon with a packed lunch.


On safari. A lone elephant in background


Some elephants can be seen in the background

Victor was fascinated by Ranjit's lifestyle, which I'll write about later. This was Victor's first elephant safari and he enjoyed it a great deal.

We had to return on Saturday because Victor had a concert in the evening. His daughter told me that this was the first time that Victor had traveled for a purely recreational purpose. Next time, we'll take him to Kandy for a few days, and also try to wean him off the mobile phone to which he seems addicted!