Jaffna Sri Lanka: My first Vacation in Jaffna & Things to Do in Jaffna
I have been longing to visit Jaffna Sri Lanka for a long time since my childhood. In the past Jaffna Sri Lanka is known in Tamil as Yalpanam.
My father used to tell me many stories about Jaffna Sri Lanka. Since I started traveling around Sri Lanka, I was eager to visit this place very badly after ethnic conflict being resolved.
My wife wanted to visit Jaffa with some of her close friends but did not come through due to many reasons so I told her that, first I visit Jaffna, then I take her to Jaffna later once we figure out the ways and things. Fair enough right !!!!
One day, 19th of March 2015, While I was chatting with one of my good friends at the office, Ari, I told him that I would like to visit Jaffna with him if he goes, as I wanted to go with somebody who knows about Jaffna.
Ari’s home town is Jaffna but his family left his home town due to ethnic issues many years ago.
I and Ari decided to visit Yalpanam by Yal Devi, Intercity express train on the 2nd of April 2015 for two nights stay in Jaffna. Just make the long story short, a few of Ari’s office colleagues also joined us.
Yal Devi Express Train to Jaffna Sri Lanka
We took Yal Devi Express train tickets after several attempts. We took our tickets 10 days before our journey to Jaffna Sri Lanka.
You should do the same if you ever plan to visit Yalpanam by Yal Devi.
I will write a post about how to buy the Yal Devi Express train ticket so that you will not have any issues when you try to book.
Anyway, We came to Pettah station (Main Railway Station in Colombo) at 5:00 AM to catch the train and I was surprised,
Yal Davi came sharp at 5:50 am. It seems that Sri Lankans are working on time now !!! 🙂
Tell you frankly, it is just a normal train at glance on appearance but once I reached inside the train,
I was stunned. I was confused, whether I have accidentally boarded into an airplane.
Yal Devi interior looks like an airplane and it was well maintained.
It was so nice and so comfortable and you never expect this type of comfort from a transport service managed by government institutions in Sri Lanka.
Anyway changing is happening everywhere !!!. Touch Wood!!! I am not sure what is the condition now 🙂
Yal Devi Express Train Inside. Very comfortable Seats
Yal Devi Express Train to Yalpanam. Inside the Train Interior
Yal Devi Express Train Canteen Area
New Railway Track after Omanthai Station
The journey of the train until Omanthai station was very wobbly.
It is like you traveling by an old train but this was due to the old railroad track. The new railway line was built after Omanthai Station. you can really feel the difference in the train experience after Omanthai station.
It feels like, you are in a bullet train. no wobbling, no noisy sound, It was a different experience. You have to experience it to feel what I say.
New Railway Tracks in Jaffna
One of the New Railway Stations In Yalpanam
One of the Modern New Railway Stations in Jaffna
After passing the Omanthai station, I got into the footboard of the train to video the Journey.
Tell you frankly, I was risking my life, the train speed was more than 100km per hour and I was videoing while holding the train by one hand. When I now think of it, it is a scary and very risky thing to do.
I was all alone too: could have happened anything since the train was moving at such speed. In my opinion, Do not try videoing without somebody around with you as there should be somebody to help you in case something goes wrong 🙁
Legendary and Historic Place of Elephant Pass in Jaffna Sri Lanka
As Elephant pass was passed it appears the very spectacular landscape of Jaffna Sri Lanka and this breathtaking view you should experience by yourself.
There are many stories, events, and incidents pertaining to this historic place but it is NOT my interest to note them in this post.
I took this photo while the train passing the Elephant Pass
The Train was going through a newly-built bridge
This was an amazing view. Railway track, the road, and the sea are in a parallel path
This Elephant pass beauty gives the real feeling of the atmosphere of the Jaffna peninsula for first-time visitors.
This narrow strip of land is in a sense the gateway to beautiful Jaffna. There was a Dutch fort at Elephant Pass If you want to know more about Dutch Fort at Elephant Pass.
Please visit this website: http://amazinglanka.com/wp/elephant-pass-fort/
Jaffna Sri Lanka Lifestyle and Its Culture
Since the train stopped a few stations after Omanthai station, I tried to smile and wave to some of the villagers.
Some of the small boys were joyful but most of the villagers were very conservative in their outlook, behavior, and culture which truly define the true beauty of young beautiful Jaffna, and also it is the main reason for the rich culture in Jaffna.
Do not misunderstand their socially reserved behavior and misinterpret it.
If they do not look straight at you or simile with you when you pass each other or meet each other, it does not mean they are rude or moody or angry but that is the very nature of Jaffna Sri Lankaculture.
Some village children
After Omanthai Station, every station is very modern and probably the best railway station in Sri Lanka.
The real feeling you get is when the train approaches the Jaffna station.
Being a Sri Lankan, it is proud to see the development vested in Jaffna.
We got down from Jaffna station with high hopes and there were a lot of native crowds.
Just look at me, sunglasses, track bottom with a white hat, and hanging a camera. I am pretty sure that Jaffna people would have welcomed me as an alien.
These are the type of stupid outfits that I wore during my entire trip to Jaffna. When I look back, I feel a bit odd now.
I was at the Jaffna Fort
These type of clothing does not suit to Jaffna.
This is like Amsterdam. Most lot of the people in Jaffna rides bicycles.
Jaffna People Life: A Lady rides a bicycle
Native Food and How to Order
We told Ari to take us for lunch and he wanted to take us to a high-end restaurant but none of them were opened at that time. In my opinion, I was lucky as I wanted to eat native food at a native restaurant.
We ordered the native food of Jaffna and I enjoyed a vegetarian lunch. My other friends, most of the guys ordered Mutton and Rice.
An Authentic Vegetarian Rice and Curry Food
An Authentic Mutton Rice and Curry Food
Typical Jaffna Tea. It was very tasty
These portions were really big. T
the entire trip, we had very delicious food but it is not very easy to find good restaurants.
I was expecting, eating shops and restaurants in every corner of Jaffna but it is not the case therefore do your research before you visit.
One of my friends who visited Jaffna before me told me that there are houses that cook and give food for a very cheap price for visitors so ask your friends before planning.
If you know these types of places, just add a comment below so that everybody can share the information.
You should ask for the food description before order otherwise they serve you with the native version of the food.
For example, If you order a Kottu, they add rice without asking you then you may not enjoy the Kottu therefore tell them what you want specifically.
If you are not used to the quality of Yalpanam water then it is advisable to use bottled water all the time. Generally, the cost of a good meal in a decent restaurant per person is about Rs 350/=.
Since this is the SUMMARY of the trip, let me quickly touch other points too.
Ice Cream and Jaffna
Hmm!!!, I do not know what is the reason, it seems like, Jaffna people loves Ice Cream. we did not cover many places in Jaffna but you find ice cream shops in every corner of Jaffna town.
Rio Ice Cream Shop in Yalpanam
Rio Ice Cream place is the best and I do not know how do they give an Ice Cream for Rs 100/= or 150/=(Less than US Dollar) with such quantity and variety.
The vanilla ice cream that I ordered at Rio Ice Cream
We tried Lingan Ice cream house too but I still prefer the Rio place and their Ice cream. If you visit Jaffna, Rio is the place you must visit.
Lingan Ice Cream House.
Sooryaa Ice Cream
Yalpanam People and Temples
Religion is an integral part of the Jaffna people and their culture.
Every site and every corner of Jaffna, you find temples. I guess You can not give landmark as a temple for anybody in Jaffna as you find more temples than shops.
You find a good number of churches in the town too. I was unable to spot a good Muslim mosque but I am pretty sure there are Muslim mosques in Jaffna town.
OML Church In Jaffna – This is a Roman Catholic Church
This is a Roman Catholic Church. This is the rear side of the Church
I am not trying to tell that Jaffna is a holy place or Jaffna people is holy but religion and religious influence has carved into the society from every angle of the culture.
Nallur Kandaswamy Temple In Jaffna. It is the main Temple in the Town
One of the god’s Structure in the Town
Keerimalai Temple in Jaffna Sri Lanka is a very famous attraction.
I noticed that every time, when the van passes a temple, our van driver touched his heart from the left hand.
People in Jaffna rise every early morning to visit the temple and the temple is the pinnacle of their life. It is very common to hear the chanting and sound of drums from temples most of the time.
Religion is the fortress of the Jaffna culture and it influences every life hood of the Jaffna peninsula.
Jaffna Ladies
The majority of Females in Yalpanam are very timid and innocent but they ride bicycles boldly and steadily.
Whatever the dress, it covers from neck to ankle but you find a few exceptions some times.
One of the Churches in the town
We went to Casuarina beach and Tamil ladies were in sarees and shalwars.
Casuarina Beach
More photos of Casuarina Beach
Casuarina beach is packed with outside Jaffna people. You can obviously observe the cultural difference between natives and others. I tried to smile with a couple of ladies but they do not look at my face(of course
I am a stranger why the hell they smile with me :-)). It is not because they are rude but that is the Jaffna culture. Males take a very prominent place in culture while ladies support the building of the family.
According to my friends, most of the Jaffna ladies are housewives. Even if you go to a shop, female do not look at your face straight or smiles with you. that is the culture they have been brought up.
Pink & Brown in Jaffna
Most of the places in Jaffna are colored in pink or pinkish brown, I asked from my friends, what is the reason for, they do not know if anybody knows, why Yalpanam building and houses are painted in pink, please add a comment to this post.
You do not see many modern cars like Colombo but most bicycles, motorcycles and small vehicles.
If you find a modern car, that can be from other cities in Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, You do not find much traffic in Jaffna but the horn is the main driving force on the road.
We visited many places like Yalpanam Fort, Yalpanam University, Jaffna Sri Lanka Library, Nallur Temple, Keerimalai/Naguleeswaram Temple, and Yalpanam general market, you can feel a very different experience altogether.
Nagadeepa Viharaya Temple In Jaffna Sri Lanka Town. This is not the Main Nagadeepa Viharaya Temple
Every house has many plants and much greener vegetation than a Colombo house.
I was expecting very dry and withered trees but every house in Jaffna Sri Lanka has much green vegetation than expected. Banana and Mango trees are very common in every household and I was that soil is very fertile.
I did not find many modern two-story houses but I am sure, the new generation will build a lot many modern houses in Jaffna very soon.
Social Side of the City
One thing that I clearly notice was, social status dominates each other’s life.
This can be due to the caste of a person or wealth of the person. I have observed these types of social status influences in India too.
I am an outsider to judge or rate these social attitudes but it is obvious if you watch with your naked eyes carefully. Another biggest issue is the language barrier.
They only speak Tamil and do not understand English or Sinhala. If your driver speaks only Tamil, you will find a lot of issues when trying to communicate with them.
Money has more value in Yalpanam and you can do a lot of things in Jaffna Sri lanka with a little money.
Health, Religion, and humanity are built into their daily lifestyle. People are slim as they prefer to walk than take a vehicle. They eat home-cooked food.
My friend told me that Pizza Hut was closed down as nobody eat from these places as Jaffna people prefer to eat home-cooked food as it is healthy and cheap.
They love movies, music, and dance and Kollywood is an integral part of the culture 🙂
Jaffna people’s lifestyle is very simple therefore they are the biggest saves in our communities.
This is itself, tell us that, Jaffna people have a very simple lifestyle which allows them to save more 🙂
The biggest war that Jaffna people will face and are facing is other culture’s influence.
End of our Jaffna Sri Lanka Tour
The three days that I spent, carried me to my childhood life experience, more than 35 years back living on the outskirts of Colombo.
We played cricket on the main road and ate home-cooked food that our mothers cooked. we did not eat chicken or sausages in every meal daily basis. Society was very simple and people were not busy like today.
So Yalpanam is still in that state and very homely culture.
The biggest challenge is that how Jaffna people face other culture’s influence on them and how do they adapt and embrace it.
I believe that change is the only constant thing therefore every society and culture should go through a change. It can be a right direction or wrong direction.
As in every society, you may find a few Demons and Villains are in these cultures too, nobody can deny that but the majority are humble innocent common people who love to live a decent peaceful life.
In my opinion, Jaffna Sri Lanka; she is still a virgin but how long that she can be a virgin with the other cultural influence is to be seen…
