This document summarizes a travel report about Sri Lanka. It describes the author's journey through various areas of Sri Lanka, including Colombo, Ella, Haputale, and Nuwara Eliya. The report highlights the natural beauty, cultural experiences, and wildlife encounters during the trip. It provides insights into local communities, such as visiting Tamil tea plantation workers. The writing aims to educate readers about Sri Lankan culture in an immersive style inspired by the travel magazine GEO.

1. Ainda além da Taprobana
Writing & photography: Juliana Pereira
COUNTRIES
Sri Lanka brings together all the features we were looking
for. Stunning wildlife watching. The world’s finest tea and
the happiest people in the world.

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Two farmers take some rest. Stunning
view through Ella village, on the way
up to Ella Rock (left). Right: Indian
Tamil tea picker woman working in a
tea plantation near Haputale. Up the
hill through the tea plantations,
Lipton’s Seat offers one of the best
viewing points of Sri Lanka.
A view to the word’s end

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View to Sigiriya Rock,
from Pidurangala Rock.
Once the ancient city of
gods, later forgotten and
consumed by the forests,
Sigiriya is today one of
the best preserved
examples of ancient urban
planning in the world.
A palace in the sky

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Sunrise in Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka’s
fifth-highest peak. Buddhist stories
claim that this is the footprint of the
Buddha himself, Muslims say that the
footprint to that of Adam, who is said to
have first set foot on earth, Hindu
tradition believes it was created by
Shiva and the colonial Portuguese claim
it belonged to St Thomas. Despite all
these rival claims, Adam’s Peak remains
a place of worship and legends.
The first set foot on earth

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Red monkey female with her baby,
Ella. Monkeys can be seen
widespread in Sri Lanka’s jungle
areas and sometimes even in
small villages.
Getting into the wild

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Mawanella, Kegalle district. Many
elephant orphanages have been
established in order to prevent the
habitat loss. Sometimes is possible
to see them in the wild as this one
in Mawanella.
Elephants watching paradise

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It’s time to take it slow
Weligama Beach, South Coast.
This is the land where hippies
dance across fire during the
night, where the time goes
back in colonial townscapes
and where palm trees contrast
with golden beaches.

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s a Portuguese native, I decided to pay tribute to the
great Portuguese poet Luis de Camões, so I named this
island of Taprobana, mentioned in the poet’s
masterpiece Os Lusíadas. The Taprobana, also known
as “the island in the Indian ocean”, played once an
important role, in a time of heroic voyages and glorious
discoveries, where brave men would sail through unknown seas to spread
their faith and explore the world. The Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka six
centuries ago, and today is still possible to find their traces.
Nearly a month ago, when I was wondering about where to go, searching
reviews and comparing the best price deals, I found Sri Lanka, and for
mysterious reasons I fell an immediate click. It was like if I always knew it.
A déjà vu.
The air outside was hot and humid. A noisy variety of vehicles from blue,
green, yellow, pink and red Tuk-Tuks to bicycles, old fashioned buses and
overloaded trucks would bring diesel smells, contrasting with spices and
curry. We were now in intense Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city. Our plan
was to go trekking in the mountains and then down heading south, avoiding
the chaotic metropolis. But after almost 10 hours flight the idea of having a
good shower and rest sounded great so we decided to give a change to a Tuk-
Tuk? proposal and went on our first adventure, through the breathtaking
traffic of Colombo.
A
A road near
by Haputale
leds up to the
north.
Following
this road and
many others
we started
our journey
which is
presented on
the map.
Our plan was to go trekking in
the mountains and then down
heading south, avoiding the
chaotic metropolis

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There is a place called Galle Face Green which is surprisingly peaceful, a half
kilometre promenade along the coast in the business district of Colombo.
When the colours in the sky turn orange and the sea shines, families and
lovers contemplate, serene, the last sun rays. Reaching this place after the
chaos is one of the best memories I have and since this day I am convinced
the Sinhalese are the happiest people in the world.
My travel companion takes a seat. Luckily the bus is not as crowded as the
bus station. All the time there are sellers coming with mango and watermelon
fruits cut in small pieces, I take some mango which has a very pleasant, sweet
taste. Festive, local music is playing. A skinny man arrives with a piece of
paper and a pen and starts asking for the money for the tickets. Istuti, thank
you. I don’t miss the machines.
We’re now heading towards paradise.
e start hiking at 2 a.m., after charging our batteries with a
consistent meal of kothu, a dish made from a flat bread called
roti with vegetables, eggs, meat and black tea with milk
carefully prepared by the local’s owner family house where we
are staying. The fact that we don’t have hiking equipment is not
an impediment at all. We have 7,359 ft more ahead. We must
arrive before the sunrise because it is said there is a holy mountain we can
only see during sunrise time. It is said that this is a sacred footprint, where
the Buddha himself, Hindus, Muslims and Christians would have passed,
visited by the world greatest travellers as Battuta and Marco Polo and where
Adam fell to earth. Some people believe his footprint can still be found. We
don’t have too much time. So we hurry up. But the path doesn’t show us
which way is, we don’t have any maps nor torch. But soon other adventurers
W
Galle Face
Green
promenade
(left). Right: a
Sinhalese girl
smiles on a
Tuk-Tuk, the
most popular
way transport
in Colombo.

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will join us, so we only need to follow each other’s. What makes it harder to
climb is not the path itself but the 1500 steps which are very high. Sometimes
it looks like there is no end. But we must keep going. We guess we will arrive
before the time. We’re doing quite well. Yes, we did. We hear applauses. Are
the other trekkers, sat on the top of the steps, waiting for us. We still have to
wait for half an hour more for the sun to rise. It is very windy up here. One
butterfly comes to land on my travel companion’s hand. She tells me, smiling:
“Also the butterflies come here to die. Some people say that if they come to
you, do not ignore them, because they can come from your ancestors”. And
the dark sky would slowly turn bright and blue. There is a moment of silence.
Hundreds of eyes look at the mystic mountain. And we see a triangular
shadow racing back towards the peak, and disappearing into its base.
ur next step would take us to the end of the world: 7 km up through
the Ceylon fields till arrive to Lipton’s Seat, the highest viewing point
in Uva province, the eastern part of Haputale. It is also the place where
Thomas Lipton used be, that’s why after his death people named it the
Lipton’s Seat. I never found out why is is said this place is the world’s
end, maybe due to its no ending green fields. Somewhere there are birds singing.
Ceylon aromas are intense. There are only a few travelers on the way so mostly of
the time we are alone, only acompanied by tamil tea pickers who shily
O
We have 7,359 ft more ahead. We must
arrive before the sunrise because it is
said there is a holy mountain we can
only see during sunrise time.
Buddha
image near
Dalhousie
(left). Right:
on the way
back after
the sunrise
in Adam’s
Peak.

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s
smile when we pass. Mostly of the tea pickers are Tamils, descendants of indian
ancestors who were sent from the South of India to Sri Lanka to work in tea
plantations in the 19th
century. On our way back, we are greeted and asked for some
food by a group of kids who are playing on the street. We give them some biscuits
which they accept promptly. A poorly dressed teenager invite us to her house to meet
her family. Her english is surprisingly good. We are offered some tea with milk and
asked to sit on the bed. There is no living room. The girl tells us that most of the
families in her neighborhood work in tea factories and plantations and in exchange
the companies that own the tea estates give them a house. She tells us that the girls
should follow their grandmothers, mothers and older sisters on the plantations. They
should also perform most of the domestic duties. Lunch is ready. We’re served rice
and curry that we eat with our hands. When we finish our meal, the family introduce
us to their gods. “Look. These are our goods”, the girl says. Small images of Hindu
gods and flowers are exposed on the wall in one of the rooms.
“Can we paint your faces?”, she asks us. One of the little kids apply a red powder
to our foreheads. This practice, known as bindi, is associated with the ancient
practice of offering blood sacrifices to appease the Gods. Today, is used for
decoration. It is said that it also symbolises love, and some people use it to captivate
the lover. After the ritual the girl introduce us to other families in the neighborhood.
Several attached barracks lie in the neighborhood. Some families ask to be
photographed. Sometimes the kids are shy and hide behind their mothers. We left
when the sun was already down.
Despite that the tea industry employs a large number of people, poverty is still a
major problem for most of femae Indian Tamil plantation workers. But despite this
reality, this people keep living with smiles in their faces.
After our walk
up to Lipton’s
Seat we were
welcomed by
some Indian
Tamil families
in their houses.
Mostly of the
tea pickers are
Tamil.

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uwara Eliya, Central Province. Known as the“city on the plain”,
“city of light” or “little England”, Nuwara Eliya is a wildlife
paradise. Here lies Pidrutalaga, the tallest mountain in Sri
Lanka, and the world’s finest Orange Pekoe tea.
Another target awaits us: Ella Rock, a four-hour hike through a
mix of rail track, tea plantations and stunning views. We are on
our way to Ella Rok now. Deep in the jungle, red monkey with pink faces and
curious eyes observe us while we pass. I stop to photograph them and I put a
plastic bag with bananas on the floor, which we had bought on a market
nearby. While I am distracted, a sneaky monkey gets close and steal our
bananas. We try to stop the thief but it’s too late. He would only leave the
plastic bag behind, before jumping through the jungle. We keep our walk
towards Ella Rock following a railway track.
We get into the wild. It appears there are no signs to Ella Rock, and we’re not
carrying any map. It wouldn’t take it long till we get lost. Fortunately, one of
the local farmers quickly realises that we are lost, and offers to help us find
the way to the rock. Seeming there is any other alternative, we accept the
offer. We later realise we took the right choice. The path is really tough and
there are no signs anywhere. Despite the fog that doesn’t allow us to see the
landscape, we feel glad to reach our goal.
N
It wouldn’t take it long till we get lost.
Fortunately, one of the local farmers
quickly realises that we are lost, and
offers to help us find the way to the rock

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For this reportage, I followed the GEO graphic design, a monthly travel magazine based in
France and Germany. GEO offers a wide range of topics from geography to science, history
and nature, in depth investigated reportages and award-winning photographs. GEO reports
are educational, written in the present time in fourth and first person, accompanied by
personal observations, and sometimes in second person, allowing the reader to interact with
the writer. Usually Geo reporters write about more remote destinations and stay in local
family houses, establishing interpersonal encounters.
The reason why I chose GEO: my goal when I travel is to learn as much as I can about the
culture, so usually I look for authentic experiences by staying with locals and trying to
interact to them as much as possible. Also, for me photography is essential, is the way how
I express myself, sharing with people what I see, and make them want to see, wonder, or
learn. I like GEO’s travel writing because each article is educational and always tells a story,
the photographs are beautiful and the most important, it makes me understand that there are
still unknown places to explore. As a future travel writer or photographer as I wish to be, I
hope to follow the same example.
All the photographs are of my own elaboration.