Sri Lanka gets Thrashed in Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka Overview

Just in case you don't know Sri Lanka is a small tropical island that lies off the southern tip of India. It's surrounded by warm seas (getting ever hotter due to global warming), has stunning beaches and is home to the likes of elephants, leopards, crocodiles, monkeys and cricket fanatics.

The Cricket Club Colombo

Sri Lanka A Nation of Cricket Fanatics

Sri Lanka is an island obsessed by cricket, they play it everywhere and I do mean everywhere. If you take a backpacking tour of Sri Lanka keep an eye out for the cricket maniacs, check out the beaches, the jungle clearings and watch out for flying cricket balls amongst the traffic in the busy streets of Colombo. As a nation they are fiercely proud of their cricket team that's why everyone turned out to watch the T20  World cup match on Saturday. Giant screens were erected in some of the more populated cities like Colombo and popular beach resorts such as Negombo and people arrived in truck loads

Sri Lanka Defending Champions Get Thrashed!

On Saturday evening the defending champions Sri Lanka or under dogs as they had decided to call themselves played England. Sri Lanka had to win to stay in the competition and the atmosphere around the big screens (and small ones) was tense. England put on a really good show and batted first.

As Sri Lanka came out to bat the crowds went wild with excitement. There was singing and dancing, drum playing and much drinking of Arrack and extra strong beer.  Huge cheers went up for Dilshan as he came out to save them, everyone had been so upset when he was dismissed against the West Indies with claims it had been an unfair dismissal that cost them the match, now he was here to win for them.  2 runs later and everyone was crying in their Arrack as Dilshan left the field. England went on to thrash Sri Lanka and took one step closer to winning.

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Planning a Holiday or Tour of Sri Lanka? Or would like to know more about Sri Lanka?  Then check out my book  Backpacking Sri Lanka for useful and entertaining info on Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka Cries Over Cricket Defeat

Backpacking Sri Lanka  & The Cricket T20

Anybody backpacking Sri Lanka at the moment will be having a really interesting experience!  Power cuts, Scorching heat and the T20 Cricket world cup are gripping the nation.

 Exceptionally high temperatures continue to boil us, causing dehydration, headaches and extreme exhaustion and making any kind of travelling down right uncomfortable. Add to that power cuts across the country depriving people of much needed air conditioning, small guest houses/hotels without back up generators are to hot to sleep in and some restaurants are having to close. Those restaurants and bars that remain open are hyped up with cricket fever.

If you were BACKPACKING in Negombo last night would have seen the huge screens set up for the T20 match that was between West Indies and Sri Lanka. Although Sri Lanka are the defending champions, for some strange reason the Sri Lankan team are calling themselves the under dogs and not the defending champions. Why?

Sri Lanka Thrashed by Windies

Whatever, they choose to call themselves the fact is they got absolutely THRASHED by the west Indies who didn't even use their star player Chris Gayle in their batting side. His absence was really missed by the crowds who screamed and shouted for him to come on the pitch unaware he had an injury and wasn't going to play unless needed. Instead Fletcher came on and thumped a few for 6 and 4.

Sri Lankans Cry in their Extra Strong Beer

Sri Lanka were crappy fielding and didn't have luck on their side, as a result they were demolished and the Sri Lankans wept as their dreams of remaining the champions faded. Many Sri Lankans are still crying in their lion lager over the dismissal of Dilshan claiming it was definitely a bad call, sorry guys but I think it was fair, whats more if you are relying on just one man to put you through to the finals  and you can't catch the ball then you really aren't a championship team.

For more exciting information on Sri Lanka and insiders tips buy my travel guide book Backpacking Sri Lanka.

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Hottest January Ever in Sri Lanka!

No Power, No Booze, Scorching Heat. Welcome to Backpacking Sri Lanka! 

Sunday the 13th March 2016 another seriously hot day in Sri Lanka with temperatures in the 30's across the country. The high humidity and lack of any breeze gave it a much higher temperature feel leaving us all drained and exhausted. It was definitely not a day for backpacking across Sri Lanka using non air conditioned buses or 3rd class train carriages! (In my guide book to  Backpacking Sri Lanka, I give you information about the different buses and trains as well as tips for how to combat the heat exhaustion).

The only thing I wanted to do was find a nice hotel bar with air conditioning and a view of the ocean and have a nice cold beer. Unfortunately for me it was a national mourning day for a respected monk, this meant no alcohol or fresh meat could legally be sold anywhere in the country.

It looked like I would have to settle for a juice and air conditioned view, that's when they cut the power. The whole of Sri Lanka was without electricity. The few shops and hotels that had emergency generators were okay, everyone else was left to suffer in the heat. We waited and waited and waited for the power to come back on. As night fell and still there was no power, kids were crying, parents were upset and exhausted, those that could took refuge from the heat and headed for their cars to sleep in the air conditioning.

Global Warming Shuts Off Power in Lanka

For months now Sri Lanka has been seriously suffering from the effects of global warming, in particular the El Nino effect which increases the temperature of the oceans and raises global temperatures (I talk more about the weather in my guide to Backpacking Sri Lanka) this has turned Sri Lanka into a hot zone and is completely messing up the weather patterns.

Hottest Jauary Ever!

This year Sri Lanka experienced the hottest January ever recorded (source NASA), the unusually high temperatures have meant that the reservoirs and rivers are drying up and Sri Lanka is unable to generate sufficient hydro power to supply the island. The Governments solution is to cut the power supply to everyone. Seriously, I don't understand why no one has thought to switch to SOLAR POWER. Sri Lanka has 365days of sunshine am I missing something here?
You can read more on Global Warming in Sri Lanka at http://roar.lk/environment-wildlife/warming-indian-ocean-brewing-storm-sri-lanka/

Author of Backpacking Sri Lanka

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Get Lucky in Love with an Aquamarine

We have Always Loved Gems!

For centuries men have coveted and women have desired precious and semi precious gemstones. Steeped in myth magic and mysticism gems have enthralled and captivated us. Gemstones have been linked with healing and power since records began, each stone having a different healing power and associated with a particular month in the year when it’s power is at it’s peak.

The First Birthstone Chart

In 1912  the American National Association of Jewelers adopted the modern birthstone list detailing the stones  for each month.  The gemstone birth chart does vary across the world so not every month has an identical stone.

Sri Lanka is a gem producing country most famous for the beautiful dark blue sapphires like the one Prince Charles gave lady Dianna on their Engagement. PRINCESS DIANA’S famous oval cut 18 carat blue sapphire is surrounded by 16 small diamonds in a cluster setting. The ring is now worn by the beautiful Duchess Catherine, who is making the sapphire popular all over again.

Aquamarine For March Babes

According to the Gem association of Sri Lanka Aquamarine is the birthstone for March. Aquamarine named after the colour of the sea can be found in 2 colour tones, you can get light sea green aquamarine which was hugely popular in the 19^th century or sky blue aquamarine. The sky blue aquamarine is the more valuable today. 

Aquamarine Improves Your Love Life!

The very pretty Aquamarine stone has been linked to lovers in many ways, whether as a gift to be given by the groom to the bride or to be given by husbands to rekindle the flames of passion. Perhaps the funniest power attributed to the stone is that of  it’s power to make the owner invincible in battle! So the next  you need to spice up your love life or you have an argument to win, go buy an aquamarine!
If you would like to know more about Sri Lanka and gems then head over to Smashwords and check out my Backpacking guide to Sri Lanka here 

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A Brief history of Sri Lankan Cricket

Sri Lanka's Love of Cricket

The tropical island of Sri Lanka is famous for a number of things. On the one hand Sri Lanka has year round warm weather, sandy beaches, exotic birds, majestic elephants, fabulous good quality tea, and expensive gems. These are all on the good side, whilst on the dark side you have the bloody civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sinhalese that ended only in May 2009 amongst allegations of war crimes and killing fields. However, above all of these things stands Cricket. 

Ask any sporting fan and they will tell you Sri Lanka is 100% famous for it's cricket. Ask any Sri Lankan man and they will tell you in no uncertain terms that  cricket is Sri Lankas pride and joy. As you tour around Sri Lanka you will see it being played everywhere, on the roads in the villages and cities, in the jungle clearings or amidst the paddy fields, on school playing fields or at the beach, in fact you will see cricket being played by young and old where ever your Lanka travels take you. 

British Start Cricket Mania

It was the British who first introduced Cricket to Sri Lanka, back in the days when Sri Lanka was Ceylon and when Britain governed Sri Lanka. In 1882 Sri Lanka played it’s first big match against a British touring side, in those days teams from England and Australia would stop over in Sri Lanka  on their way to play international matches and indulge in a bit of pre-match practice. Teams from Sri Lanka were thrown together and inevitably lost!  

The road to Test match recognition would take another 100 years! Visiting teams continued to stop off and play, Sri Lanka became more organized and structured and yes got better and better. During this 100 years Sri Lanka played many “unofficial test matches” – 51 in total, but their applications to join the International Cricket Council (ICC) were always rejected. Finally in 1981 Mr Gamini Dissanayake persuaded the powers that be to let Sri Lanka join the ICC.  

Sri Lankan Cricketers Get A Break

In 1975 Sri Lanka made their debut in the One Day Internationals, World cup. They played the formidable West Indies they managed 81 runs but lost to the Windies. In 1979 they were back again this time better and stronger, they defeated India and took home the cup.

In 1983, Sri Lanka managed to beat New Zealand and retain the cup but by 1987 in the first World Cup to be played outside of  England, Sri Lanka were defeated  and lost the trophy. In 1992 they showed signs of returning to form and managed to win a couple of matches but there was still room for improvement!

The breakthrough came in 1996, this was the year that the world sat up and took notice of Sri Lankan Cricket. A bomb blast in Colombo caused the Australian and the West Indies teams to pull out, giving Sri Lanka automatic entry into the knock-outs. This time fortune was on their side and  they went on to triumph and take the cup.

At the end of 2015 Sri Lanka had played 66 matches in World Cups, out of which they have won 31 and lost 32.  Most of the losses were before 1996. Since 1996, Sri Lanka are the second most consistent team after Australia, winning 27 of their 41 games.

Planning a holiday or tour of Sri Lanka?  

If you would like to discover more about Sri Lanka or plan a tour of Sri Lanka then why not buy my book, it's a bargain and it's packed with great info on everything you need to know about Sri Lanka.

click HERE  to see more!

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Backpacking Sri Lanka

Missed Out On The Free Book?

If you were one of the lucky ones who managed to snap up a free copy of Backpacking Sri Lanka, then well done to you:)

I hope you are finding it helpful and checking out all that's good and bad in Sri Lanka. You will find the train and bus section really helpful when planning your tour of Sri Lanka.

If you didn't get your free copy and are worrying about planning your Lanka travels, where to go and when, how to get from the airport, which attractions to see and which ones to leave out,  don't worry!  The good news is for a limited time only you can grab a copy at 50% off using this special coupon code CB77R
Click on the link below and enter the coupon code CB77R to claim your 50% discount.
Enjoy!

Sunsets in Sri Lanka

Beautiful Sunsets In Sri Lanka

I have to say that I have been very lucky to enjoy some really spectacular sunsets in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a small tropical island just off the southern tip of India. It's hot all year round with day time temperatures ranging between 23-32degrees. There are no seasons like spring or winter, it's either hot and dry or hot and raining. The only real difference is the ferocity of the rain as the tropical storms are loud and crazy. Unstoppable lighting strikes often bring down power lines plunging cities into darkness and without electricity for days. The wild monsoon rains lead to flooding and landslides and cause havoc with transport, but it's not everyday and quite often the rains bring a welcome relief to the constant heat.

Get a Torch!

Unlike Europe sunrise and sunset takes place at much the same time everyday. By 6.30pm the sun has vanished behind the sea and by 7pm everything is black, if your out in the villages or more secluded beaches you really do need a torch!

Romantic Sunsets

Watching the sunset on the beach is a really beautiful experience, golden sands, warm sea and a cooling breeze. There's no need for a jumper or wrap as the air is still warm, it's glorious. To sit on a quiet beach with just the noise of nature around you watching the sun sink is really joyous. If you are lucky you might get to see the odd turtle popping it's head above the waves and no doubt there will be a stray dog loitering nearby begging for some friendly company. And if you are really really lucky you might even see the fabled green flash the shoots across the horizon just as the sun waves it's last goodbye.

Even if you are not a romantic and sunsets aren't a real big deal for you, that doesn't matter sunset is still a great time to enjoy the beach. Find a nice bar get yourself a beer and just relax.
To discover more about Sri Lanka click HERE

 
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Gail Leach Smashwords Author of Backpacking Sri Lanka
connect with me at
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https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Ceylon2day
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