Press Review: Maliga Kanda
Written by Adam Jacot de Boinod
Maliga Kanda is part of Hideaways Club Classic Collection portfolio with properties all around the world. It's perfect for someone who doesn't want to be restricted to one location or have the hassle of maintenance. Meaning Mountain Palace, Maliga Kanda is perched on a hill. It's a gem in the jungle, begun in 2010 and offering something for everyone with seven bedrooms including a separate cottage for teenagers. The staff, comprising of security, cooks, cleaners and gardeners are attentive and charming.
As I took the steep descent the size of the infinity pool dramatically greeted me. At ground level the house has a lovely shady terrace and, on the first floor, a veranda with planters' chairs and fans. Inside a large marble floor is sprinkled with dark wooden furniture, local artefacts and rattan chairs. The teak, jak and nadun wood offsets the white background. These woods will surely fade well in time with the sun and simple furnishing.
This large, purpose-built villa is surrounded by wildlife and it was here that I got the true sense of the Sri Lankan paradise many had told me about. There's music in the jungle. Especially with the dawn chorus. Colourful birds abound, peacocks strut upon their stage while fireflies shine out like mini stars and I was soon a twitcher, straining to spot the cormorants, eagles, kingfishers, blue pigeons and grosbeaks.
As for animals, the monkeys hang, swing and jump all around the trees that encircle the villa. The black ones are respectful and sedate in contrast to the brown ones who are forever cheeky so much so that the staff use claxons to dismiss them.
And it was here on this hilltop that I also discovered iguanas, mongoose, giant squirrels and the mighty, waddling monitor lizards. The natural habitat consisted of mango trees, rubber trees and the vibrant bourgainvillea and the kithul tree the locals use to make jiggery, a sweet honey like maple syrup but with an interestingly smoky taste.
I took the most wonderful of all walks down through the village where I felt all of the island's innocence and timeless charm. Dogs sit out by day to protect the houses and lie on the road at night to enjoy the tarmac's warmth. A row of houses awaits the sound of 'Fur Elise' that heralds the bread truck or was it for ice cream? A multi-coloured school bus goes by. Schoolgirls in their white uniforms have thick platted hair that descends beyond the top of their legs. A washerwoman by the stream thinks twice about agreeing to be photographed amongst her laundry. Elderly ladies parade in pairs beneath their vivid-coloured parasols. Old men stick their legs out at right angles on old colonial bicycles that cause them to adopt staunch, upright postures.
I reached my destination, the famous 2,300 year old Royal temple at Yatagala. It's here that there's a legendary ancient tree that came from a sapling of the Bodhi tree where Buddha once sat. It is surrounded by calm, cold caves and reached by a flight of 200 steps. Which is when I felt the real quality in the act of covering up, taking off my shoes and making a floral offering. Inside the temple I followed the age-old paintings and statues that depict the story of Buddha, naively but clearly told and confident in its message. For Sri Lanka is indeed a multi-religious and multi-cultural society, endowed with a legacy of colourful festivals relating to the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian religions. Every full moon day is a public holiday known as poya. I missed it very sadly by two days.
The lovely crescent beach at Unawatuna has beautiful yellow sand but is sadly swamped by tourism. I managed to regain a sense of peace at the nearby Japanese pagoda with its pure white paint offset on all four sides by gold statues. It has an impressive 360 degree view of the jungle, the bay and the Galle fort I was soon to visit. I got a great sense of innocence at the local railway station that is a wonderful throwback in time with old-fashioned timetables behind glass frames and I would love to have had time to be a passenger snaking through all that wonderful landscape.
