Guide – Sri Lanka For 91 Days

The Story of Sigiriya

Prince Kassapa had always harbored a secret jealousy towards his half-brother Moggallana. Upon the demise of their father, King Dhatusena, the throne would surely pass to Moggallana, whose mother was the Royal Consort. Kassapa, on the other hand, had been born of a common concubine. But he was not the sort of youth to resign himself to his fate. "No", he told himself in the palace at Anuradhapura one dark evening in 473 AD. "No, the throne must be mine"!

Arrack – The Discerning Sri Lankan’s Beverage of Choice

In Sri Lanka, liquor and even beer aren't normally sold in supermarkets. You have to find a "Wine Store", as they're generally called, and join a long queue of thirsty locals. During my first experience in this line of shame, at a dingy shed behind the grocery store in Kandy, I watched in amazement as the twenty-odd guys in front of me all ordered the exact same thing. Arrack.