The Road to the Ocean

Sri Lanka’s swanky expressways offer the best way to see the country’s stunning green landscape and heritage sites. Ruchira Bose goes on a drive on one of Asia’s finest ocean roads.

- Ruchira Bose

Sri Lanka’s dark, coppery soil is its ultimate treasure. Locals will tell you that the soil is so fertile that anything can take strong root here. As I drove along the E01, I was tempted to move and take root there myself. The country’s roads were an amazing contrast to the ones I drive on in India. Well-lit, beautifully laid, even internal roads off the highway are uncluttered and smooth. For a nature lover, the types of trees, spice plantations, and the highway’s famous peacock crossings are a delight to view.

In the morning, the mist of dawn hovered over the Southern Expressway, dissolving with the warmth of the day. The windows were a blur of emerald as we sped through the sleek tarmac. With sleepy eyes, we focused on the road ahead to take in the view.

A thick grove of rubber trees leaning towards the road from various elevations was the first cultivation that I identified. White pigmented trunks make it easy to spot these lithe greens, bowing off the travellers on their way. It’s past the Dodangoda Exit that I enjoyed spectacular views of these sloping beauties growing in strict rows. And throughout the highway these plantations of rubber can be seen, boasting its contribution in putting Sri Lanka amongst the world’s top 10 producers of natural rubber.

Coconut trees beckon your attention with fringed leaves cha-chaing with the wind. Nothing paints a prettier picture of the paradise island than coconut palms glinting in the sun.