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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
sembuwatta
Sinharaja rainforest
The sinharaja rainforest is the only undisturbed rainforest left in sri lanka. it is about 9000 hectares in extent. many of the plants are very rare. over 60% of the tree species are found only in the lowland wet zone of sri lanka. if these species of trees were allowed to get destroyed, the world would lose them altogether. so it is important that much effort is made to conserve this rich, valuable and fragile habitat.
the sinharaja rainforest is the largest rainforest reserve in sri lanka. in 1840 sinharaja became a crown property. in1988 the sinharaja was made a national wilderness area. in1989 UNESCO included the sinharaja forest in the world heritage list, as the first national heritage of sri lanka.
the sinharaja forest is home to many reare animals, birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles and trees. ferns and mosses grow well as the climate is humid because of heavy rainfall.
the sinharaja rainforest is the largest rainforest reserve in sri lanka. in 1840 sinharaja became a crown property. in1988 the sinharaja was made a national wilderness area. in1989 UNESCO included the sinharaja forest in the world heritage list, as the first national heritage of sri lanka.
the sinharaja forest is home to many reare animals, birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles and trees. ferns and mosses grow well as the climate is humid because of heavy rainfall.
sri lanka Sinharaja Rainforest & bodinagla - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MzbMg9POSMShareJan 6, 2009 - Uploaded by nilnthaLocated in south-west Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest ...- More videos for sinharaja rain forest »
Monday, November 26, 2012
pancavasa
pancavasa (biso maligawa)
biso maligawa
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pics of biso maligawa
This Pancavasa located in the Abayagiri Monastery inAnuradhapura, now commonly known as Biso Maligaya or the queen’s palace for no apparent reason is most famous for the moonstone found in the main flight of stairs on the centre building. This moonstone is considered one of the the best and most well preserved moonstone in this era. This moonstone is believed to be belonging to the 7-8 th Centauries.HELLO
A second moonstone with equal artistic quality can be found on a entrance to a building behind theRatnaprasada.The outer edge is designed with a ring of flames and below that is a ring filled with 4 types of animals – The elephant, the horse, the lion, and the bull. The next is a circle of a floral pattern (“liyawela”). Next is a line of swans with a twig of flower and a leaf on their mouth. Next is again a floral pattern and at the centre is lotus with petals all around the semi circle on the moonstone .
The meanings of this combination of patterns are debated widely. One interpretation is that the out ring of fire represents the never ending life and the pains associated with it. The four animals represent the four noble truths (“Chathurarya Sathya”) of Buddha. It is said that the swan can separate out milk from a mixture of water and milk. Therefore once a person realizes the four noble truths they can have true understanding of good and bad. They are capable of filtering out the good just like the swan filters out milk. Once you do that you are capable of attaining the “Nibbana” represented by the lotus.
Another interesting fact is that the bull in the moonstones was apparently dropped in thePollonnaruwa era (see Vatadage in Pollonnaruwa) . Moonstones in this era lack this symbol and sometimes the bull can be found on a higher pedestal on the sides of an entrance. This is thought to be the influence of Hindus. The bull is a sacred animal to the Hindus and trampling of this symbol was probably disrespectful.
Driving Directions to Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttlam (Puttalama) and though Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttlam you will pass scenic Wilpattu area. the From Kurunegala there are two main routes to Anuradhapura. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is though Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the commonly used is the Kurunegala - Dambulla route (Route 2)..Route 01 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route 02 from Colombo to Anuradhapura |
| Though : Negambo - Chillaw - Puthlam distance from colombo :213 km Travel time : 3 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Through : Ambepussa - Kurunegala - Dambulla distance from Colombo : 221 km Travel time : 3.15 hours Driving Directions : see on google maps |
Route 03 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route from Kandy to Anuradhapura |
| Though : Ambepussa - Kurunegala - Padeniya - Thambuthegama distance from colombo :213 km Travel time : 3 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Though : Katugastota - Matale - Dambulla distance from colombo :139 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google map |
Aluwihare cave temple
aluvihare cave temple
Aluvihare cave temple
Visitors to Sri Lanka who do not grasp the opportunity to visit one or more of the island’s Buddhist rock temples are committing a serious sin of omission. Rock temples usually have delightful settings. Often they form part of the rock, especially those that nestle beneath overhanging boulders. Sometimes they are of significance to Buddhism, such as Aluvihare, located en route to Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Mihintale.
Aluvihare is a rock monastery located in a picturesque valley 3km north of Matale on the Kandy-Dambulla section of the A9 route, so it is conveniently located for those traversing the Cultural Triangle. It is easily recognised from the road as it has a boundary wall with a frieze of elephant heads. This sacred place is remarkable for the huge rocks that are an integral part of it, which is why it is classified as a rock temple.
One of the first Europeans to describe the extraordinary topography here was James Emerson Tennent, writing in Ceylon (1859): “The scene is a very extraordinary one – huge masses of granitic rock have been precipitated from the crest of a mountain, and on these other masses have been hurled, which in their descent have splintered those beneath into gigantic fragments.”
Indeed, the craggy landscape at Aluvihare is much more dominating and dramatic than at most rock temples, as Roland Raven-Hart, writing in Ceylon: History in Stone (1964), was aware: “Ceylon specialises in rock temples: none, I think, surpass this one in extravagant beauty – not placid elegance but a Durer landscape. And this because most of the rock temples nest confidingly like swallows under the overhang of rounded boulders: here huge sharp-edged gneiss rocks were thrown one on another when a baby giant tired of his toys, and the buildings cower below them.”
There have been many descriptions of Aluvihare down the years, no doubt because the awesome rocks have proved so fascinating to so many visitors. Reginald Farrer, for instance, writes In Old Ceylon (1909): “Beneath the golden gloom of the boughs the little track winds upwards towards more open ground; and then, amid the verdure, the boulders leap into sight – enormous cliffs and peaks, into which huddle and cling the buildings of the monastery that was once a vast abbey of scholars. Between two vast blocks of stone is an alley-way, and on either side are carved into the living rock the monastic dwellings of Aluvihare. At the farther end a flight of rock-cut steps goes winding upwards among the boulders to where, on the topmost pinnacle, a small snow-white dagoba is perched. From its narrow platform one looks down over all the undercliff of blocks about its base.”
Aluvihare is one of the most important cultural sites in Sri Lanka, for it was here in the 1st century BC that the Buddhist doctrines -comprising the Tripitikaya or “three baskets of the law,” along with the commentaries - were first transcribed after having been handed down orally for several centuries. This transcription was carried out for fear that the doctrine would be lost during the upheaval caused by repeated South Indian invasions. It is said that 500 scholarly monks congregated at Aluvihare to perform the onerous task of first reciting the doctrines and agreeing on an acceptable version before writing them down. Where they assembled for the work is a puzzle, as the only flat area available does not accommodate so many. No doubt most perched on rock ledges and in rock crevices.
Once agreement had been reached the process of transcribing began. The doctrines were written in the Pali language on long, thick strips created from the leaves of either the palmyra or talipot-palm. These strips, called olas, were prepared for use by drying, boiling and drying again. Then they were flattened and finally glazed. A metal stylus was used to inscribe the elaborate characters on the olas. Remarkably, it was held stationary while the ola was moved in order to produce the lettering. The inscribed characters were then rubbed with a black substance so that they became highly visible. The leaves were then strung together and bound between decorative wooden covers.
Probably one senior monk renowned for his knowledge of the doctrines would have slowly recited them, while monk-scribes wielded their styli and positioned the olas. The others monks would almost certainly have been involved in discussion when occasional questions of interpretation arose. The process of transcription must have taken many years, for the doctrines alone are said to be 11 times the length of the Bible, and that’s not counting the commentaries.
The library at Aluvihare, which had safely housed the volumes of this precious manuscript for so many centuries, was totally destroyed by the British during the Matale Rebellion of 1848. Along with it went much of the rest of the temple complex. This came about when the British pursued a notorious rebel leader to a hiding place in the rock caves nearby, and then set about punishing the neighbourhood. The consequences of this sacrilege are still evident today, for since that time generations of monks have been painstakingly rewriting the Tripitika. As there are only a few monks involved it is taking an extraordinarily long time – the first of the three “baskets of the law” was only completed in 1982.
The tranquility of Aluvihare is in contrast to the better-known and more frequented rock temple at nearby Dambulla with its numerous caves shrines. Aluvihare has many caves, too, with ancient inscriptions, comparatively modern wall and ceiling paintings of interest, and impressive images of the Buddha. The main cave, for instance, has a large reclining statue of the Buddha 10m long, together with standing and seated images. In the vestibule of another cave with a reclining statue of the Buddha there are terrifying depictions of the hellish afterlife that awaits sinners. Some of these unfortunate beings are shown having their eyes pecked out by crows, being disembowelled, dismembered and impaled on spikes.
One cave is dedicated to the revered Indian monk-scholar Buddhagosa, who resided at Anuradhapura but is supposed to have spent several years here during the 4th/5th centuries AD. Buddhagosa, whose name means The Voice of Buddha, was regarded as the greatest exponent and interpreter of the Pali canonical scriptures. Born in North India, he was ordained as a monk and travelled to the island, settling at the Mahavihare at Anuradhapura, where he spent most of life studying the scriptures and writing. His greatest achievements were the new status he gave to Pali scholarship and the development of a coherent and systematic Theravada Buddhist school of thought.
Don’t forget to climb up to the dagoba on top of the rock just beyond the cave temples. From this vantage point there are excellent views of the dramatic topography of the North Central Province, with its expansive plain and scattered, blue-hued rock escarpments.
Visitors to Sri Lanka who take the opportunity of witnessing some of the island’s varied Buddhist temples will come away with many positive impressions. The pervasive spiritual atmosphere is one such impression, which Aluvihare has in quantity. Another abiding impression is of the neatness and cleanliness of temples, epitomised by the monk who sweeps the ubiquitous sand with geometric precision yet intricate design. Raven-Hart believed that Aluvihare was “exceptionally tidy, so much so that my footprints seemed intrusions, and I felt like asking for a palm-leaf branch to sweep them away.”
Aluvihare Rock Temple
Aluvihare is a rock monastery located in a picturesque valley 3km north of Matale on the Kandy-Dambulla section of the A9 route, so it is conveniently located for those traversing the Cultural Triangle. It is easily recognised from the road as it has a boundary wall with a frieze of elephant heads. This sacred place is remarkable for the huge rocks that are an integral part of it, which is why it is classified as a rock temple.
Indeed, the craggy landscape at Aluvihare is much more dominating and dramatic than at most rock temples, as Roland Raven-Hart, writing in Ceylon: History in Stone (1964), was aware: “Ceylon specialises in rock temples: none, I think, surpass this one in extravagant beauty – not placid elegance but a Durer landscape. And this because most of the rock temples nest confidingly like swallows under the overhang of rounded boulders: here huge sharp-edged gneiss rocks were thrown one on another when a baby giant tired of his toys, and the buildings cower below them.”
Aluvihare is one of the most important cultural sites in Sri Lanka, for it was here in the 1st century BC that the Buddhist doctrines -comprising the Tripitikaya or “three baskets of the law,” along with the commentaries - were first transcribed after having been handed down orally for several centuries. This transcription was carried out for fear that the doctrine would be lost during the upheaval caused by repeated South Indian invasions. It is said that 500 scholarly monks congregated at Aluvihare to perform the onerous task of first reciting the doctrines and agreeing on an acceptable version before writing them down. Where they assembled for the work is a puzzle, as the only flat area available does not accommodate so many. No doubt most perched on rock ledges and in rock crevices.
Probably one senior monk renowned for his knowledge of the doctrines would have slowly recited them, while monk-scribes wielded their styli and positioned the olas. The others monks would almost certainly have been involved in discussion when occasional questions of interpretation arose. The process of transcription must have taken many years, for the doctrines alone are said to be 11 times the length of the Bible, and that’s not counting the commentaries.
The tranquility of Aluvihare is in contrast to the better-known and more frequented rock temple at nearby Dambulla with its numerous caves shrines. Aluvihare has many caves, too, with ancient inscriptions, comparatively modern wall and ceiling paintings of interest, and impressive images of the Buddha. The main cave, for instance, has a large reclining statue of the Buddha 10m long, together with standing and seated images. In the vestibule of another cave with a reclining statue of the Buddha there are terrifying depictions of the hellish afterlife that awaits sinners. Some of these unfortunate beings are shown having their eyes pecked out by crows, being disembowelled, dismembered and impaled on spikes.
One cave is dedicated to the revered Indian monk-scholar Buddhagosa, who resided at Anuradhapura but is supposed to have spent several years here during the 4th/5th centuries AD. Buddhagosa, whose name means The Voice of Buddha, was regarded as the greatest exponent and interpreter of the Pali canonical scriptures. Born in North India, he was ordained as a monk and travelled to the island, settling at the Mahavihare at Anuradhapura, where he spent most of life studying the scriptures and writing. His greatest achievements were the new status he gave to Pali scholarship and the development of a coherent and systematic Theravada Buddhist school of thought.
Don’t forget to climb up to the dagoba on top of the rock just beyond the cave temples. From this vantage point there are excellent views of the dramatic topography of the North Central Province, with its expansive plain and scattered, blue-hued rock escarpments.
Visitors to Sri Lanka who take the opportunity of witnessing some of the island’s varied Buddhist temples will come away with many positive impressions. The pervasive spiritual atmosphere is one such impression, which Aluvihare has in quantity. Another abiding impression is of the neatness and cleanliness of temples, epitomised by the monk who sweeps the ubiquitous sand with geometric precision yet intricate design. Raven-Hart believed that Aluvihare was “exceptionally tidy, so much so that my footprints seemed intrusions, and I felt like asking for a palm-leaf branch to sweep them away.”
Sunday, November 25, 2012
kandy lake
Kandy Lake (Nuwara Weva)
 Kandy Lake with the Walakulu wall around it |
 Island at the centre of the lake |
 Queens Bathing house on the edge of the Kandy lake |
He also added the "Valakulu Bamma" (the clouds wall) around the lake but before he could complete, British forces invaded the city of Kandy and prisoned the last Kandyan King in 1815. The Walakulu Wall still remains in the same unfinished state with a length of 2060 feet. The triangular holes in the wall has been used to light oil lamps in the night. This same design has been used for the outer wall of Sri Dalada Maligawa. He also built a dam across the lake to travel to the other side of the lake but then he destroyed it from both ends leaving only a portion in the centre creating an island. On the Dalada Maligawa side of the lake is theQueens Bathing House. Which is partially in the lake itself. The perimeter of the lake is about 3.4 km and the walakulu wall runs to about 2060 feet around the lake.
temple of tooth- kendy
Located in Kandy, long a center of the Buddhist faith, the stunning 17th-centuryTemple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day.
History
According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was smuggled to Sri Lanka in 313 AD, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu armies besieging her father's kingdom in India.It immediately became an object of great reverence and was enshrined in a series of nested jeweled reliquaries. The tooth was brought out for special occasions and paraded on the backs of elephants, which are sacred to the Buddha. where it survived numerous attempts to capture and destroy it.
When the capital was moved to Kandy, the tooth was taken to the new city and placed in temples built to honor it. The temple was originally built under Kandyan kings between 1687 and 1707, but later severely damaged during the 18th-century colonial wars against the Portugese and Dutch. After the wars, the original wooden structures were restored in stone.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Nilaweli beach
Nilaweli beach
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Nilaveli Beach in Sri Lanka
Nilaveli beach is considered one of the purest white sand beaches in Asia. It has remained protected from tourists and visitors for a long time because of the war and after the war thousands of people are visiting Trincomalee and the Nilaveli beach. With the reconstruction of the roads and the newly built hotels the visitor count is ever growing and the beach is loosing some of its serenity.Nilaveli beach is relatively less crowded than most beaches in Sri Lanka and you want find many small shops or various other traders. Although this makes it ideal to relax sometimes it is an inconvenience because you cant find a place to have a quick bite.
Nilaveli beach hotel is the oldest and the most prominent hotel near the area. Although there is a new luxury hotel in Chaya Blue.Most people who cant afford a stay in a luxury hotel prefer to stay in small houses and small hotels in the nearby area. There are plenty of these around so you want have trouble finding one.Visiting pigeon island, going snorkeling in the nearby corals and dolphin watching are some of the activities available to you to do in your leisure time.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Yala National Park
Yala national park
A Loepard Hunting A Wild Boar - Yala National Park, Sri Lanka - A ... | |
www.youtube.com/watch?v...Share
5 Jun 2011 - 2 min - Uploaded by WalkWithJithJane Dixon and Dudley Adam toured Sri Lanka with Walk With Jith Tours (www. walkwithjih.com) in May 2011 ... | |
Yala National Park: Location, Access, and Facilities
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Map of Yala National Park. Click on the map to view at full size.
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| The Kataragama Pada Yatra pilgrims typically take five or six days to cross Yala National Park from Panama to Kataragama. The Park is a refuge for wild game like elephants, leopards and langurs (below). |
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Yala National Park is geographically located in Sri Lanka at latitude 06°16' - 06°42' North and longitude 81°15' - 81°42' East. The Park can be visited via the town of Tissamaharama in the Hambantota District of the Southern Province.
While Block I has good access roads, access to Blocks II and III is limited mainly to dry weather. There are eight Park bungalows all of which are within Yala Block I. Another has been constructed at Katagamuwa Sanctuary, and one more is now ready for occupation in Yala Block IV. Accommodation is available for 8-10 people in each bungalow on the basis of prior reservations with the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Apart from resident visitors occupying the bungalows, a large number of day visitors enter the Park.
The Block I boundaries of the Park, take in 19 kilometers of sea coast in the southeast from Amaduwa to Yala, 19 kilometers from Yala up the Menik Ganga to Pahalahentota, 19 kilometers from Pahalahentota to Bambawa, and 3 kilometers from Bambawa to Palatupana.
Early History
"The earliest epigraphic "Brahmi" inscriptions discovered in Sri Lanka and in this region date back to the 2nd century B.C. Prior to this the Indo-Aryan settlers from Northern India as represented,in the legend of Vijaya, were well established and in full control of the area. Edifices of the earliest Buddhist cave monastery type began to be constructed wherever there was human habitation and in suitable rock outcrops, of which there are many in the area. There are to this day innumerable and very interesting remains of cave dwellings from the pre-Christian era."
This region was part of the Rohana (Ruhuna) Kingdom, having an advanced civilization as evinced by remains of dagabas and ancient artificial reservoirs (tanks), built by clever hydrological engineers, to irrigate large extents of cultivable land.
After the 10th century, historical evidence draws attention to the absence of inscriptions later than the 10th century A.D. "Architectural and sculptural remains of the medieval period are absent. It would appear to be a justifiable inference that some sudden de-population of the region occurred. The ancient chronicles supply no information whatsoever and the jungle tide spread covering the past with a mantle of secondary forest. These have matured to the climax stands seen in Yala today.
The Modern Era
At the turn of the century Yala Block I was declared a Game Sanctuary. A small area west of the Sanctuary was set aside in which resident sportsman might shoot. The main force behind this decision was the Game Protection Society (now the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society) founded in 1894 by the plantation owners, executives of firms, sportsmen and amateur naturalists favouring the conservation of wildlife. Records denote that the first Game Ranger of the Sanctuary was H.H. Engelbrecht, an Afrikaaner and a Boer prisoner of war who was not returned to South Africa on account of his refusal to swear allegiance to the British monarchy. After his release Engelbrecht came to the nearby coastal town of Hambantota. Being on his own on foreign soil, he found life hard. The Government Agent of the district however, took pity on Engelbrecht and made him the custodian of the Game Sanctuary around 1908. With his experience of wildlife on the veldt, the post suited him admirably. He administered the region fearlessly and with courage, using his whip to punish any miscreants. Many are the tales of his daring and prowess with the gun. However, his German ancestry proved to be his undoing. He was falsely accused during the First World War (1914-1918), of supplying meat to a German warship, the "Emden", and was taken into custody. After the war, he was released and once again returned to Hambantota where he died in poverty. Long after his death, it was proved that he was innocent of the accusation.
Climate
Being located in one of the arid regions of Sri Lanka, the climate of Ruhuna National Park is usually hot and dry. The area receives its annual rainfall during the north east monsoon from November to January, and unpredictable inter-monsoonal rains in March/April and September. February is a dry month, with the dry season proper commencing in June and lasting until September and sometimes until mid October.
The mean annual temperature near sea level is 270C, although in the dry season a daily maximum of 370C is not uncommon.
Physical features
"Most of the area is underlain by Vijayan rocks formed over 600 million years ago. Rock outcrops or inselbergs stand out of a relatively flat plain, looming to heights of up to 800ft. They are made up of migmatites, hornblende, and granite gneisses. Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial and aeolian deposits cover the Vijayan series near the Menik ganga and along most of the coast line."
The Menik Ganga is now a seasonal river, since its damming for irrigation purposes higher up, as far back as 1878. There are four other seasonal "aras" or streamlets carrying water during the rainy season.
The breached and denuded earth bunds of several irrigation tanks are still visible, together with natural water holes and tanks (wewa), improved to hold water. These sources of water are a link in the survival of the wildlife found within the area.
Amongst the rock ridges and monoliths are several natural rock pools that have a charm of their own. Some contain water throughout the year, and have their own development of water plants and fauna.
In the southeast, the Park is bounded by the sea. The many bays carve out an intricate mosaic. Unspoilt natural beaches and sand dunes provide a beautiful environment of undulating and shifting sands. This is surely one of the most spectacular seascapes of Sri Lanka. Far out at sea are two lighthouses, Great and Little Basses, which stand on two submerged ridges by those names and beam a red and white light respectively at night.
Lagoons fringe this part of the coastline, each lined with mangroves and filled with brackish water. The extensive parklands that surround these lagoons offer visitors superb locations for viewing animals and bird life.
Unawatuna beach
Unawatuna Beach
Unawatuna beach
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“Unawatuna the sea bathers paradise beach with everything one wants to do with the sea.”- Unawatuna Beach.Net
Unawatuna beach, a crescent shaped shallow beach situated further south to the famous town of galle and its famous harbour and towering roomassala mountain. It is protected by a natural reef from the open sea and due to the semicircle shape of it forms a perfect natural swimming pool with aquamarine colour gentle waves crashing on the golden sandy beach.
With almost every kind and type of hotel, motel and guest houses to cater to the gourmet food a sea bather crave for, it is the perfect holiday spot for all your sea bathing and water based activities such as surfing in search of miriads of coral fish,angel fish & puffer fish diving for beautiful and out of this world coral reefs, scuba diving and underwater photography, sailing, yatching and the latest attraction of setting out in search of the blue whales which linger very close to the unawatuna beach a few kilometers to south of this bay.
The uniqueness of this beautiful beach cove is that given any time of the day one can get in to the shallow waters without fear of opening out to the open sea and also the level of water which keeps a natural gradient forming a shallow and a deep end on this natural swimming pool. The coconut palms fringing the beach brings out the shade one require after a few hours under the bright and shinning sun which gives you the perfect sun tan that you craved for without burnning your skin. After a perfect bath the ayurveda masseeurs await your arrival for the perfect bliss and mind boggling spa treatments using local herbal oinments and medical creams. The mouth watering local curries done with creamy coconut milk and spices to arouse your pallete along with seafood such as crab, prawn, lobster, muscssells tuna and cuttlefish make one feel that this paradise beach was meant to be the kingdom of “tritan” the god of sea. The guest houses cater to every need a holiday maker want with friendly and smilling staff to please your requirements without being asked.
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