Explore Sri Lanka - January 2016

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Dainty palm leaf baskets filled with sweet jaggery are a tasty snack, but they’re more than just that. Emblems of the culture from which they come, these treats tell a fascinating story of palmyra production in Sri Lanka.
Thambalagamuwa Bay is a haven for animal and bird life. It is close to the east coast beaches of Uppuveli and Nilaveli.
The carrots are scrubbed, the tomatoes are shiny, and the aubergines look like they’ve been varnished. The market at Wellawatte displays the freshest, finest produce in Sri Lanka.
Kimbula is a fun bun loved by the young. The no frills, no fills, sugar-sprinkled roll relished by the retired. The ageless, classless, European-inspired creation that has turned Sri Lanka into a nation of bread addicts incapable of going without their daily pastry kick.
The ‘devil bird’, known by natives as the Ulama, is as feared as it is famous in Sri Lanka, its cry said to be an omen of death. No one has ever fully proved the real identity of this folkloric creature, but the prime candidate, a formidable avian predatory, is no less intriguing than the cryptid it inspires.
Wolvendaal Church was described by a former British governor as “the Westminster Abbey of Ceylon”. One of the oldest Protestant churches in the country, and an example of glorious architecture, it is one of the few Dutch buildings in Sri Lanka that retains its original use.