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A popular Sri Lankan tourist attraction and wildlife sanctuary, the “Uda Walawe” National Park, has been recreated in an elephant exhibition in Twycross Zoo in the UK. The Sri Lankan themed habitat opened recently.

The new AED 5.6 million (£1 million) Asian elephant habitat and walkway “Uda Walawe” was opened by the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, His Excellency Justice Nihal Jayasinghe.

“The opening highlighted the importance of the wildlife conservation efforts Sri Lanka is undertaking and marked the launch of a unique zoological and cultural attraction in the United Kingdom,” said Heba Al Mansoori, Middle East Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) based in Dubai. “I laud the efforts of Twycross Zoo to create a piece of Sri Lanka in the UK and encourage people to visit the beautiful destination and see for themselves the conservation efforts in the country.”

“Most Zoo’s have themed elephant habitats which reflect Thailand, Burma, Vietnam or India. Twycross Zoo will be the first in the world to theme a Sri Lankan elephant habitat. Sri Lanka is a country which has produced the world’s first and the largest elephant orphanage at Pinnawela and made the conservation of the largest mammal on land and planet earth a priority, creating many protected areas for animals. We have drawn on the knowledge and skills of our zoological consultant Vasantha Nugegoda, from Design for Life to help design this exhibit.”

The entrance to Uda Walawe is a typical authentic farmer’s tree hut. Inside the hut are information panels on the distribution of elephants in Sri Lanka and Asia. Beyond this is a meandering forest trail which guides people to a Sri Lankan village school. The school has a range of religious, cultural and elephant artefacts. Colourful information boards are prominent that highlight Sri Lankan wildlife and tourism. Large screen film footage will be playing showing elephants on festival parade from Sri Lanka. This festival is called Esala Perehera and takes place in Kandy and is a Buddhist summer festival unique to Sri Lanka. In the corner sitting pretty is a life size ceremonial elephant dressed in full parade robes.

When you leave the village school the forest trail then continues to a wooden bridge over a water lily pool, which allows close quarter views of the five elephants. The inner habitat is identical to Uda Walawe National Park, with a large lake, trees, rocks and sandy areas. At this point you will feel immersed in the exhibit. Following the trail, visitors will reach a divide in the path. The lower trail has been designed for less able visitors, whereas the other route meanders past a higher viewing area leading up a high mountain.

Uda Walawe will promote the conservation of the Asian elephants and act as a shop window for crucial wildlife conservation programmes in Sri Lanka. Uda Walawe is the name of one of Sri Lanka’s national parks, in part set up to provide a sanctuary for many wild animals. Approximately three hundred elephants are believed to permanently reside there. The sanctuary is also home to water buffalo, water monitor lizards, sambar deer, monkeys and the occasional leopard. It is an important site for unique bird species. Sensitive and well managed eco-tourism is an important source of income for local people in Sri Lanka and provides an incentive to continue to protect the wildlife.

Suzanne Boardman, Director of Twycross Zoo said, “We are delighted that our visitors will be able to experience a taste of Sri Lanka, as well as learning about the cultural and historical aspects of this wonderful country, including the important role that the domesticated elephant has had on the country. Our aim is for this exhibit to forge strong links between the UK and Sri Lanka, particularly with regard to tourism.

The opening of this new exhibit promotes the need to conserve this important species globally and highlight the importance of elephants in Sri Lanka. It is our ambition to encourage visits to the wildlife areas of Sri Lanka and to share with our visitors the magical aura of Sri Lanka. It is our desire to create a little piece of Sri Lanka in the UK and an opportunity for visitors to learn about and also visit Sri Lanka to see how beautiful this country is.” Uda Walawe is open to all visitors from Thursday 29th July 2010.

READ REVIEWS AND BOOK HOTELS IN SRI LANKA – HERE!

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On the 40th death anniversary of the English novelist E. M. Forster, Russell Bowden recalls his Colombo production, four decades ago, of a dramatisation of the writer’s most famous novel. Stephen Prins reports

FORTY-EIGHT years ago, in the early Sixties, two Englishmen (actually, one was Welsh) crossed paths in India in the

Russell Bowden takes out a poster of his 1968 production at the Lionel Wendt Theatre of “A Passage To India”. Pic by Sanka Vidanagama

course of their separate lines of duty and became close friends. They worked for the same widespread and influential British organisation – one as a librarian, the other as an English teacher.

The librarian was based in Delhi, and the teacher had come out to India to get over a traumatic experience in Myanmar (then Burma) – the notorious July 7, 1962 incident, in which the military broke up a peaceful student protest on the campus of Rangoon University and killed more than 100 young people. Among the dead were students and friends of the teacher. India was a healing ground, and the teacher would later teach others, as he did his librarian friend, to appreciate the wonders of India.

They were not your typical Englishmen in India, which was perhaps the main binding factor between them. Both shared a mixture of pride and embarrassment about the story of Empire. Theirs was an apologetic, post-colonial awkwardness, an overall uncertainty about the ultimate benefits of the great imperial experience and the confusing sum of its contradictory parts. This was some two decades after India had gained Independence.

The other binding factor in the relationship was a profound love of books, and of literature. The Welshman had left behind a job as professor of English literature at Rangoon University, and the Englishman was overseeing the movement of thousands of books between some 18 libraries scattered across the subcontinent. Both were attached to the British Council. After some months of teaching English at an Army outpost on the edge of a jungle in Panchmahri, in Madhya Pradesh, the Welshman came down to Delhi to take up a teaching job at St. Stephen’s College, a constituent college of Delhi University.

The two Delhi-based friends could now spend more time together. They went out of their way to befriend Indians, and travelled widely in order to understand the country better. Three years later, in 1966, it was time for them to move on to their next British Council postings, and they parted ways ahead of taking up their subsequent overseas assignments. As it turned out, they did not have a lot of sea to cross. Serendipitously (how that radiant, Serendib-begotten word keeps coming back), they found themselves stationed right next door – in Ceylon, formerly known as Serendib.

An ornamental elephant in his home reminds Russell Bowden of his years in India.

One turned up in Colombo some months after the other. The teacher, not knowing what the British Council had in store for him, had gone back to England for a break, while the librarian flew directly from Mumbai (then Bombay) to Colombo. Coincidentally, the British Council had put Russell Bowden and Raymond Adlam together again, unaware that they had been confreres back in India.

Russell Bowden took up the job of British Council Librarian, at Stuart House, Kollupitiya, while Raymond Adlam was assigned to the Ministry of Education to advise on the teaching of English as a second language.

Needless to say, the friends were delighted to be on the same turf, once again, and immediately picked up their literary conversation from where they had left off. They had many shared interests – music, opera, literature and the theatre. Both had been amateur thespians back in England. Mr. Bowden had trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, while Mr. Adlam had been involved in drama societies in Cambridge, where he was a student; at one point he had worked in the same theatre company as fellow Welshman, the film and Shakespearean actor, Richard Burton.

Theatre and books consumed their conversation, but there was one book in particular that held a strongly personal resonance for them. It became a reference, something to repeatedly turn to for illumination of the Englishman’s predicament in India. The book mirrored the complexities and frustrations of the Anglo-Indian experience, of which they were a part.

E. M. Forster’s A Passage To India, the great 1924 novel of the British Raj, was a classic study of the social and psychological tensions between the assertive English and the proud but largely passive Indians, two ultimately irreconcilable entities.

The bare bones of the story concern four people – Dr. Aziz, a young Muslim Indian physician; Cyril Fielding, the middle-aged headmaster of a state school for Indians; Adela Quested, a young English school teacher who is visiting India, and Mrs. Moore, mother of the young man Adela Quested is to marry.

The plot is built around the incident of the Marabar Caves, which the two English women visit in the company of Dr. Aziz. Miss Quested has a mysterious, overwhelming psychological experience, alone, inside the caves, and blames Dr. Aziz for it, falsely accusing him of molestation. Scandal, a trial, and a series of personal tragedies in the form of ruined friendships follow, leaving the big open question of whether the British and the Indians – the rulers and the ruled – can ever be true friends.

Russell Bowden had seen a powerful dramatisation of the book done by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in Stratford-on-Avon, and that had started him dreaming of producing the play himself, somewhere, some day.

“It was marvellous, and after seeing it I sent for the play, by Santha Rama Rao, and read it, and it seemed to capture the essence of the novel,” said Russell Bowden, relaxing in his Kottawa, Piliyandala home, surrounded by his beloved books and mementoes of his travels, including an ornamental wood sculpture from India of an elephant carrying passengers on its back – a very cinematic British Raj image.

“That was the inspiration for my wanting to do the play – and also the fact that I am anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, in my politics,” Mr. Bowden said. “E. M. Forster was not overtly anti-colonialist, but it is there in the book and the play, and that attracted me to the work.

“And it seemed sensible to do the play here in Ceylon, where you didn’t have to have Alec Guinness blacked up to be an Indian. You could take Winston Serasinghe as he was. Also, I was very friendly with Ernest McIntyre, who had his own Sinhala theatre group, Stage & Set. Ernest had done the first Sinhala production of Bertolt Brecht, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, in 1966. And that set me thinking I ought to do the play of Forster’s novel.”

Mr. Bowden’s intellectual partner in his performing arts dreams, Raymond Adlam, played a crucial role throughout. “Raymond was a creative amanuensis. Before we even decided to do the play, we went up to some remote tea estate where a planter had said we could use his bungalow. And we took with us piles of books, and we read and read, and talked and talked. And we went for walks. The deep insights that were needed to do A Passage To India came from Raymond’s intellect and creativity.”

Resolved to do the play, Mr. Bowden now had to think about the casting. This should have been a natural process, with available expatriates easily slipping into the British roles and locals playing the Indian characters, but it was not to be as easy as that.

The roles of the English characters had their ready takers, with British teacher Raymond Adlam fitting into the part of English teacher Cyril Fielding like a hand in a tennis glove. But what about the other, complex Indian characters? Who could play them?

East is East, West is West: Dhamma Jagoda as Dr. Aziz and Sally James as Adela Quested.

“Who should play Aziz? I don’t remember who suggested the late Dhamma Jagoda, but when I approached him, he was extremely nervous,” Mr. Bowden said. “He had never acted in English. He had never been part of the English theatre group. He had never spent much time among English-speaking people. His milieu had always been Sinhala. It took a lot of gentle talking by Raymond and me to persuade him that he was capable of doing it. Raymond would help him with his English, and I told him that I, as director, would be very easy on him. But that wasn’t necessary.

“Dhamma was theatre through and through. His English may in some places have been inhibited by what he understood of the text, but his ability to understand what was required of the character, and to marry the personality of Dhamma with the personality of Aziz – which is, of course, what acting is about – was absolutely first rate. He was a true man of the theatre, a very sensitive actor.

“I had left Sri Lanka when Dhamma set up his drama classes for Sinhala actors. I don’t think many people know how

Act 3: The Magistrate’s court – Aziz on trial.

much Dhamma owed to English language theatre. The British Council had arranged drama workshops in which we had people like Rukmani Devi and Douglas Ranasinghe. We ran a workshop on acting and direction with the British director Peter Potter. Dhamma learnt a great deal, and that, I think, was transferred across when he taught in the theatre school he set up. Not many people know of that link.”

A Passage To India was jointly presented, at the close of 1968, by the Ceylon Amateur Drama Club (CADC) and Stage & Set, with actors from the English language and the Sinhala language theatre coming together for only the second time in a major production (the first was The Caucasian Chalk Circle). Raymond Adlam and Dhamma Jagoda were joined by Sally James (as Adela Quested), Marjorie Jayasuriya (as Mrs. Moore), Winston Serasinghe (as Professor Godbole), Ernest McIntyre (as the lawyer, Mr. Amritrao), and Helen McAlpine and Alastair Rosmale-Cocq, among others.

“We did little direction,” Mr. Bowden recalled. “Ernest McIntyre needed little direction, and Winston Serasinghe, as Godbole, gave a much better performance, in my opinion, than Alec Guinness in the same role in David Lean’s film. Guinness was out of his depth playing Godbole, while Winston was superb.”

Mr. Bowden said a lot of thought had gone into the stage design, but even so the sets were incomplete when the curtain went up on the first night, on November 24, 1968 .

The director closely supervised the making of the sets, which were designed by Douglas Jayasinghe, the costumes, designed by Kirti Sri Karunaratne, and the lighting, executed by Herft & Sons.

“Act One shows the living room in Fielding’s home. The set and the lighting had to suggest 4 o’clock on an April afternoon in the early Twenties. Fielding’s house was set up to look like a faded Muslim upper-class residence fallen on hard times, with grand Islamic arches and so on, while Fielding’s furniture was drab government issue, contrasting oddly in a middle-class British way with the former magnificence of the house.

“The Marabar Hills of Act Two, which were to be evoked in a hilly-looking cutout running round the foot of the stage, never materialised, not even on the last day. “To catch the feel of the period, we went on a hectic search in the Pettah for a two-bladed ceiling fan for the court scene in Act Three. The scene opens with the slow movement of Edward Elgar’s Second Symphony as a prelude to Aziz’s downfall, and Fielding’s downfall, and the downfall of almost everyone, except the Raj itself.”

E. M. Forster remembered: Photo study by Jane Bown

In a way, the sets were a version of the bigger, outdoors “stage sets” the British had created to sustain their idea of themselves playing out their roles in their idea of Imperial India – an illusion that was supported by the work of the distinguished British architect Edwin Lutyens, who created “New Delhi”.

The play ran from the last week of November into the first week of December 1968, a couple of weeks before E. M. Forster’s 90th birthday, which fell on January 1, 1969. The production was offered as a “humble tribute” to the writer. E. M. Forster died 18 months later, on June 7, 1970.

Russell Bowden was reminiscing about Forster’s most famous book on the 40th anniversary, almost to the day, of Forster’s death. He is wistful about the play, 41 years later.

“This is a lost production,” he lamented. “Nobody remembers it. The book ‘Applause at the Wendt’, which sets out to list the major shows at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, fails to make any references to A Passage To India. And yet it ran for 10 performances, the longest run of shows for a Sri Lankan production at the time.

“I remember going into the auditorium one evening during one of the performances, and feeling the warmth of the audience, their concentration, and I remember thinking, yes, we have achieved something. I was trying to be realistic about the amount of work we had put in, and the results of that work.” Mr. Bowden credits the now forgotten Lionel Wendt Arts Centre Club for providing much of the motivation he needed to put on the show.

“I cannot emphasise enough the role of the club in the conceptualisation, rehearsing and production of the play. The Arts Centre was not just a drinking place. We drank, but not to excess. We talked, obsessively, about theatre. A Passage To India was a major event. My imagination was enriched by what people said over an arakku, a beer, a gin and tonic.

“It was a meeting place for theatre-holics. Reggie Siriwardene, Doric de Souza from Peradeniya, knocking down the arakkus, the De Mels of Quickshaws – they were all there. It was a place where intellectuals in the theatre could get together. Dhamma was there. Raymond was there. They were all there.

“The Arts Centre Club played a great role. It was a tragedy that the management allowed it to go broke. A great loss, particularly now that the local theatre is so rich in English language theatre. The meeting ground has gone, and that is very sad. It should be re-sponsored and re-opened. It should be there.”

By Stephen Prins
Colombo 2010

A Passage To India: Santha Rama Rao wrote the stage play based on the Forster novel.

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Christopher Columbus is credited with “discovering” St. Thomas during his second voyage to the New World in 1493. His stay was short-lived, instead sailing on to Puerto Rico. The island was left unguarded by the Spanish and soon its sheltered bays were called on by ships from other nations, captained by men the Spanish would come to consider pirates. St. Thomas’ existence would continue as home to pirates and small settlements long before a European power decided to pursue a permanent settlement.

Today, the history, climate, white beaches, and natural beauty of St. Thomas attract visitors from all over the world. From world-class shopping, fine dining, to a wide variety of active outdoor adventures including kayaking, scuba diving, sailing, sport-fishing and more, the paradise of Saint Thomas offers tourists the finest holiday spot for families, lovers, and individuals alike.

Duty-Free Shopping

Saint Thomas is home to world-class shopping. Duty free shops line the Charlotte Amalie streets and alleyways. The best buys on St. Thomas include jewellery, perfumes, alcohol, china, crystal, art, watches and cameras. If you are in the market for something in particular, primarily jewellery and cameras, it is a good idea to know what the going price is in your home town; some items are better deals than others.

$1,600 Exemption (applies to US residents returning to the US mainland)

If you return directly or indirectly from a U.S. insular possession (which includes the U.S. Virgin Islands), you are allowed a $1,600 duty-free exemption. You may include 1,000 cigarettes as part of this exemption. You may also include five litres of alcoholic beverages in your duty-free exemption, but one of them must be a product of an insular possession.  Four may be products of other countries.  Duty free allowance on alcoholic beverages applies if you are 21 years old, it is for your own use or as a gift and it does not violate the laws of the state in which you arrive.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Climate

The weather in St. Thomas is extremely consistent. Sun and blue skies dominate the common weather forecast with temperatures ranging from 28 degrees Celsius during the day to 21 degrees Celsius at night. The trade winds almost always provide a pleasant breeze day and night.

Clothing

We respectfully request our guests to be neatly attired at all times in the public areas of the resort. Cotton or lightweight clothing is suitable for day and evening wear.

Passports

UK and European passport holders require a visa to travel to St. Thomas

US PASSPORTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TRAVEL BETWEEN US MAINLAND AND THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS

U.S. citizens are not required to have passports or proof of citizenship when ENTERING the U.S. Virgin Islands from a U.S. airport. All arrivals to the U.S. Virgin Islands from foreign airports are required to show proof of citizenship and pass through customs. All persons leaving the U.S. Virgin Islands, whether American citizens or not, must be prepared to show proof of citizenship upon leaving the islands to return to the mainland. Typically US drivers license is all you will need. However, official definitions are as follows:

Accepted documents for Proof of Citizenship for Americans:

1. A passport issued under competent authority,
2. An Alien Registration Card (this applies to U.S. permanent residents only)
3. A certified copy of a birth certificate and government issued photo identification
4. A Certificate of Naturalization, issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Citizens of any country other than the U.S. should follow U.S. travel regulations and requirements for entry into the United States.

Health Requirements

There are no health requirements for travel to the US Virgin Islands.

Language

The national language of St. Thomas is English

GETTING AROUND SAINT THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS

Airports

Cyril E. King Airport is located approximately 30 minutes from everywhere. Your planning should include that you check-in at the airport no later than 2 hours prior to your scheduled departure. Airport transfers can be booked in advance here.

Taxis

Taxis are readily available at the airport, cruise ship dock, and at popular attractions and beaches. Taxis charge per person and by destination. There are no metered taxis. Hotel staff at the front desk will usually be more than happy to provide you with information pertaining to taxi availability and costs.

Buses

VITRAN buses cover popular routes on Saint Thomas. Country buses run every hour from 5:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. between town and Red Hook. City buses travel between Schneider Regional Medical Center and town and run between 6:15 a.m. and 8 p.m. Country bus fare is $1 and City bus fare is $2.

LOCAL INFORMATION

Currency

* St. Thomas uses the U.S. Dollar
* A currency exchange service is available at most banks on the island
* You may also change your money or cash travellers checks at banks
* Remember to bring along your passport to help facilitate exchanges

Phone

* The area code in St. Thomas is 340

Electricity

* Electric outlets in the Virgin Islands take standard North American current, 120 volt / 60 cycles.

TOURIST INFORMATION

* U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (800) 372-USVI
* St. Thomas Tourist Information Office, Charlotte Amalie (340) 774-8784

St. Thomas Emergency Phone Numbers

* The local number for emergency services is 911.

St. Thomas Public Holidays

The U.S. Virgin Islands celebrate all major U.S. holidays. Banks and most stores are closed on these days.

Shopping Hours in St. Thomas

Most stores in downtown Charlotte Amalie are open both weekdays and weekends.

Tipping in St. Thomas

Service charges and gratuities are not typically included as part of your bill. It is customary to leave 15 to 20% gratuity on food and beverage services.

WEATHER INFORMATION

Seasonal Temperatures

Summer (June, July, August): High 89°F/31°C; Low 76°F/24°C
Fall (September, October, November): High 89°F/31°C; Low 76°F/24°C
Winter (December, January, February): High 85°F/29°C; Low 72°F/22°C
Spring (March, April, May): High 86°F/30°C; Low 71°F/21°C

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(Encounters ) Levi-Strauss, in his classic work, ‘Tristes Tropique’, laments the disappearance of adventurous travel, and with it invigorating travel writing, as a consequence of the impact of modernization, industrialization, globalization. Indeed, this sentiment is consonant with the theme of loss that activates the book.

However, despite Levi-Strauss’ pessimism, travel writing far from being marginalized, has emerged with a renewed vigour and intensity. A plurality of factors has contributed to this enthusiasm. First, globalization and its impact has become an attractive theme for travel writers. Second, the rise of post-colonial theory and post-colonial studies, along with the re-imagining of cultural encounters that it has promoted, have given a new impetus to the investigation of travel literature in relation to questions of power.

As a student of literature and literary theory, an important facet of travel writing that I find most challenging is the complex ways in which narrative and discursive authority is acquired by the writers. It seems to me that this aspect opens up an interesting window into the textual economies and rhetorical strategies fuelling travel literature.

The concept of narrative authority in travel literature occupies a contested theoretical space. It is many-sided and raises issues of great complexity related to textuality, representation, sign, desire, power, cultural intervention and modes of sense-making. For purposes of analysis, I wish to focus on ten important questions. First, how is the self of the narrator constructed and represented in the test? What are the processes of self-making, self-unmaking, self-remaking involved? Second, how does the notion of witnessing, a opposed to seeing, operate in the text and invest it with a sense of legitimacy? How do the powers of direct encounter and the capacity for reflection enhance this phenomenon of witnessing? Third, what are the textual strategies adopted by the narrator for the purchase of authority that in the ultimate analysis has to be understood as a linguistic and rhetorical effect.

Four, how is a privileged position of knowingness constructed for the narrator? And how does he or she interiorize what is external? Fifth, what are the defining features of the subject of articulation? How do they influence the complex relationship between the observing subject and the observed object? Sixth, how are readers produced by and in travel texts? How does the narrative authority forge a community of readers? Seven, how does the travel writer cope with cultural differences and issues of otherness? How do powers of cultural translation and intervention influence this effort? Eight, how do questions of identity, imagination, reflexivity, irony, self-mockery shape travel texts and their poetics? What are the sense-making modes and procedures pursued by the narrator? What models of understanding does he or she bring to the project of textual production/ tenth, is narrative authority and the privileged sense of coherence undercut at any point by the narrative itself? How do ambiguities and fissures in the text detract from the power of authority?

These are some of the questions that one has to keep in mind as one moves forward into the analysis of narrative authority in travel writing. Admittedly, some of them are highly abstract and exceedingly complex. My focus of interest is post-colonial travel writing. The very term post-colonial writing compels us to compare this body of writing with the corpus of colonial travel writing which preceded it, and against which it is presumed to react in different ways. Colonial travel literatures were inextricably linked with Orientalism as Edward Said defined it. Said remarked that, “everyone who writes about the orient must locate himself vis-a-vis the orient.” Clearly, colonial writers located themselves in a space suffused with superiority. It is evident that colonial travel writing operates firmly within the discursive matrix of Orientalism.

As commentators like Homi Bhabha have pointed out, the relationship between the Western narrator and his Other is characterized by a deep ambivalence “the Other is both an object of attraction and repulsion at the same time resulting in the simultaneous generation of narcissism and paranoia. What we find in colonial travel literature is a narrative authority acquired and established through the juxtaposition of a set of binaries” superior culture/ inferior culture, modernity/primitivism, enlightenment/darkness, scientific world view/ superstition. Post-colonial travel writings seek to unsettle these binaries.

We must, of curse, be on our guard against seeking to establish a simple contrast between colonial and post-colonial writing. Colonial travel is not monolithic any more than post-colonial travel writing is. There are obvious discrepancies within colonial travel writing as well. For example, Flaubert is generally regarded as a travel writer of distinction. However, critics have pointed out that that his texts have become a site of an ideological split. On the one hand, there is a desire to transcend the power relations of Orientalism through non-participation; on the other, the textual display of its impossibility.

Post-colonial travel writing extends, expands, subverts and repudiates colonial travel writing, and one arena in which this is clearly manifest is that of narrative authority. Let us consider the travel writings of Amitav Ghosh who enjoys a wide reputation as a novelist of the first importance. His books such as “In an Antique Land” and “Dancing in Cambodia,” At Large in Burma; testify to this fact. “In An Antique Land” published in 1992 is sub-titled, “history in the guise of a traveller’s tale.” This book represents the confluence of travel, archival investigation, anthropology and fictional recreation.

The author has a remarkable ability to lead the reader forward with an irresistible narrative flow. In this work, he discusses his field work in the Nile delta; in doing so, he comes across a historically significant connection between the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. This historical investigation combined with the author’s travels from India to Egypt” both Third World countries with a long history. In the Cairo archives, Ghosh uncovers a narrative of an Indian traveller to Aden; he is a business employee of a Jewish merchant living in Mangalore, India. As the author explores the developments of the twentieth century, he also succeeds in bringing out vividly the close contact that existed among Arabs, Jews, and Indians through instrumentalities of trade and travel. In this book, the way history and anthropology buttress the travel narrative constitutes its defining feature.

Our focus here is on the ways in which travel writers purchase a sense of narrative authority. There are three important ways, to my mind, through which the writer has acquired narrative authority. The first is through the encircling of cultural commonalities and shared social experiences of the observer and observed. Unlike in the colonial travel writing, where the observer defiantly occupies a privileged space, in this text no such asymmetrical relationship exists. For example, the narrator is described as a “student from India” a guest who had come to Egypt to do research. It was their duty to welcome me into their midst and make me feel at home because of the long traditions of friendship between Egypt and India.

“Our countries were poor, for they had been ransacked by imperialists, and now they were both trying in very similar ways to cope with poverty and all the other problems that had been bequeathed to them by their troubled histories.”

The second way in which Amitav Ghosh succeeds in securing narrative authority is through the purposive display of his sympathetic understanding of the language, the history, the culture and social structure of Egypt. Unlike colonial travel writers, and some post colonial writers as well, who possess little or no understanding of, and even less admiration for, the cultures they are writing about, Ghosh intimates to us his profound comprehension of the culture that he is dealing with.

Third, some of the rhetorical strategies and representational devices that Ghosh deploys enable him to invest his narrative voice with a greater sense of intimacy, cordiality, and authority. In the standard travel narratives as we have come to know them, there is a clear and unmistakable division between the observer and observed, the writer and the native informant. This is clearly not the case with Amitav Ghosh’s text; there is almost a role reversal and Ghosh becomes an informant and the observed, as for example when he ends up as the target of numerous queries regarding the Hindu culture by Egyptian interlocutors. At one point, he is forced to defend India against the charges of backwardness by pointing to its advances in military technology.

Amitav Ghosh’s, “In an Antique Land” presents us with some interesting textual strategies that enable him to retain a firm hold on his narrative authority. These devices and strategies are in sharp contrast to those deployed by colonial travel writers. His “Dancing Cambodia, At Large in Burma,” though a slighter work than the former, repays close reading. Once again Ghosh has succeeded in acquiring a sense of authority by reinforcing his sympathetic and intimate understanding of Cambodian history and culture.

Passages such as the following illustrate this point. “I heard one such from a Cambodian conservation worker called Kongsarith. One afternoon, he was telling me about some of the legends depicted in Angkor Wat’s magnificent bas-reliefs: the primal myth of churning the Sea of Milk: the legend of Vishnu in his tortoise-avatar: of the doomed Abhimanyu trapped in a battle formation that he had learned to enter but not escape: the death-god Yama ruling over his tormented shades. The stories were all familiar to me, of course, some in the misty way of tales told by a grandmother; others in the manner of texts learned under the threat of a tutor’s cane and quickly forgotten.”

As we sharpen our analytical interest in post-colonial writing, travel literature produced by post-colonial writers should stir our imaginations and promote close study. A number of Indian-born or Indian-linked writers such as V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth, Pico Iyer have authored travel narratives that are compellingly readable and offer useful points of contrast with colonial travel literatures.

Encounters – by Prof. Wimal Dissanayake

Emirates Tours UK is featuring Sri Lanka as one of 14 popular destinations in an exclusive luxury holidays brochure produced for Emirates airline’s customers in the UK.

Emirates tour operators’ catalogue titled Exceptional 2010 brochure has devoted eight pages to Sri Lanka, describing the island as ‘a land bursting with colour, energy and history.’

The section provides a description of Sri Lanka’s many attractions, historic sites, cultural heritage, wildlife, hill country and beaches, and features 10 hotel properties located in the Cultural Triangle, the hill country and the western and southern coasts.

It offers a wide choice of customized tour packages as well as an eight-day tour labeled ‘Essential Sri Lanka’ and a 15-day tour titled ‘Sri Lanka in Style.’

Emirates Area Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Chandana de Silva said, “The latest Emirates Tours UK catalogue is a perfect example of how Emirates promotes travel to Sri Lanka to high-end travellers, and is a representation of the continuing commitment of the airline to this destination.”

Other destinations in the UK catalogue are Dubai, Oman, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, India, China Australia, and New Zealand.

Besides the eight-page section in the Emirates Tours UK catalogue, Sri Lanka is also featured prominently in the Emirates Holidays World of Choice global catalogue for 2009-10, with another eight-page section.

These features in the Emirates Tours catalogue shows the eagerness of airlines such as Emirates to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, and in doing so reap the rewards of a long-term sustainable tourism market in southern Asia.

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Taking a family holiday on a budget isn’t out of reach for the savvy person who wants to do their research and find the best deals out there.

At the heart of every good holiday is knowing that you’re getting what you’ve paid for. Somehow sipping a piña colada on a lounge chair while your kids frolic in the pool feels that much more relaxing–and sweeter–knowing you’ve gotten a good deal.

Whether you want to admit it or not, money is a big part of your holiday experience. Feeling like you’re being nickel and dimed to death puts a dent in your wallet and your fun. There’s nothing worse than waking up in an expensive resort room feeling like you’d rather be home.

Simple planning and forethought are all that’s needed for a good experience. A great family holiday depends on the family and what their needs are. But most families will agree that a perfect holiday needs to be relaxing and fun with something for everyone.

There is a seemingly endless list of resorts worldwide that fit this description. But for many parents, there is one more essential aspect of the perfect family holiday. It needs to be affordable.

Again, the term affordable is a relative concept, but for many families, a resort that costs more than £300 per night takes the fun out of the holiday. Parents on a budget are too busy worrying about how they will fund the trip and are unable to relax and enjoy themselves.

Likewise, limited funds mean that a more expensive resort results in less money to spend on tours, attractions, and food. Many families end up staying in cheap hotels with no kid-friendly amenities rather than spend all their holiday money on accommodation.

By searching for discount resorts or obtaining the services of a knowledgeable travel consolidator, it is possible to find many affordable family resorts that will not blow your budget. The goal is simple – make everyone happy with an unforgettable trip to the perfect destination. Achieving that goal can be daunting, especially when all the travel planning falls on you. But it is obtainable, as long as you know what your family enjoys and what travel options you have at your disposal. In the end, seeing your children’s faces light up makes it all worth the money, time and effort.

In these uncertain economic times, being savvy about how you spend your holiday money is more important than ever. Though price is certainly important in planning your family trip, don’t forget the most important factor: fun!

You want to go somewhere that everyone will delight in. And if you’re dealing with young children, you need to be sure there’s enough “downtime” as well. Because, in the end, all the money in the world can’t make your kids happy. And if they aren’t enjoying themselves, you won’t either.

Family holidays can become more about tradition than where you go, so keep this in the forefront of your mind. If your kids know that every June you are going somewhere as a family, they are going to enjoy the experiences even more.

Don’t get overly caught up in worrying about money. Set your budget, stick to it, and have fun. Everyone can have a memorable family holiday no matter how much money you have to spend. It takes research, planning, and the desire to make more family memories than you already have!

HAPPY TRAVELS!

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No matter where you go on your family holiday, there are tons of other money saving tips that you must know. And we’re here to tell you about them!

Be sure to join travel clubs like the AA or search online travel clubs. They can be huge sources of savings not only when talking about your holidays, but also year-round. Make sure you’re using these memberships to their fullest potential. You’re paying for the privilege of being a member, take advantage of all they have to offer.

Stay alert to the little things that siphon off money. It really adds up. If you have to pay for parking, look for parking a few blocks away and get some extra exercise. If you are tempted to buy souvenirs, just stay out of the shops! If that seems too severe, give yourself a small budget and stick with it.

Take food into parks and attractions so you aren’t tempted to spend the exorbitant rates charged at concession stands. If you are a more mature person or taking the grandparents, always ask if senior discounts are available.

Keep a journal of expenses on each trip. This gives you an idea how much to budget for future holidays. Keep a record of the money you save as well. You’ll discover that it will inspire you to find more ways to save. Create a special fund to deposit the extra savings and use it toward something you’ve been wishing for – this will provide you with additional incentive.

Set your itinerary. Agreeing on an itinerary is important because adults and children have different ideas of “fun.” Adults may want to do things that they can’t do at home like drive through the mountains, visit historical sights, go horseback riding, etc.

Children basically want to do what they can do at home: watch TV, visit a man-made attraction like Six Flags, or swim in the hotel pool. You’ve got to compromise. If they agree to give you a day in the mountains, reciprocate with them by taking them to the run-of-the-mill theme park that seems like a waste of time to you, but heaven to them! After all, holidays are for the whole family.

As we’ve said time and time again, be flexible. Not every one of your days has to be planned. This can be risky, but sometimes the memories are worth it. You may happen upon a music festival that wasn’t in the brochures and be able to share your love of 80’s music with your children even if they are rolling their eyes the whole time!

If you are driving to your holiday destination, it’s a great idea to stay in one place for a majority of the time. Admittedly, this is from Dad’s perspective because he is the one who packs the trunk. For at least part of your holiday, pick a place (like a family camp or the beach) where you are not packing and unpacking the car every day. Having five kids and your spouse packing and pointing toward a scheduled departure time begins to take on aspects of a cattle drive. Staying in one place allows you to relax for awhile.

Since prices usually are 30 to 50 percent less in off-peak times, you may need to take school-age children out of school to realize your holiday dreams. This isn’t as big of a deal as it used to be, so save the guilt and focus on the rewards.

As soon as you have your trip tentatively scheduled, inform the teacher. Ask for the work ahead of time and suggestions of how your children can share the experience with their classmates. Perhaps they can give an oral report when they return or present a photo journal. This is a great way to keep your child interested in the trip and let them get the maximum value out of what you’ve planned so hard to make a reality.

Set aside “homework time” every day so they don’t fall behind, and bring some goodies back to share with the class from the region you’re visiting. The teacher will appreciate it and the kids will be excited to have one of their classmates share the experiences they got to have first-hand!

Because you want to save as much money as you can without sacrificing fun or memorable experiences, you need to do research and shop around. What’s the best way to do this? Online, of course!

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In Europe, France is a top pick for affordable holiday destinations, for these exact reasons. Not only do you have more budget flights to choose from, they are cheaper than if you flew to a more remote location. Driving to France can also have its advantages and is our favourite method of seeing the country.

On average, staying in France may be a bit more expensive than other European destinations, but the seemingly endless choices in hotels, restaurants, transportation, tours, and other travel essentials gives travellers opportunities to create their holiday to fit their budgets. And you can use Paris as your home base to set out on day trips to other more exotic locations or buy a Eurorail pass and see those more remote cities without the expense of flying there.

A note about Eurorail passes needs to be made here. You cannot buy a Euroail pass in Europe. These types of passes must be purchased outside of Europe. Also you must purchase it before your trip, and have it validated at a train station in Europe before boarding a train in your selected European destination. Check online for various offer which are usually family or period orientated.

You can purchase different types of Eurorail passes depending on how and where you’ll be using it. Prices vary according to the type of pass you buy. These can seem expensive at first glance, but they can be well worth the money when you consider the places you can go armed with this small card.

The greatest part about a European holiday is that the Sterling Pound has massive spending power abroad. With the exchange rate, you can expect to get more bang for your buck when spending overseas.

For lodging, you should look at staying in hostels which are abundant in Europe. It’s best to make reservations so you don’t have to worry where you’ll be sleeping for any given night.

In general, hostels are quite inexpensive – in many places, you can expect to stay for under £20 a night. In a hostel you will have a bed, shared bathroom, and sometimes breakfast. Remember that you are going to Europe for the sites and people, not the hotel rooms.

Travelling abroad is, of course, going to be more expensive than a trip to Cornwall, but the experience will be well worth the money spent. If you’ve budgeted enough money, you can have an amazing time with memories that will last forever! There’s also huge educational value in trips to Europe for the kids, so do your research and also find out what your kids have been learning about Europe at school.

In this series of articles we have given you only a few of the possible places that you can take your family on holiday for a budget. There are endless options for you if you think creatively and plan accordingly. What else should you know about taking a family holiday on a budget? Plenty!

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Many parents are familiar with the family-oriented mission of the YMCA programs. Located in urban areas internationally, this kid friendly organisation offers many educational, sports, and social opportunities. The YMCA of the Rockies, Colorado also operates two budget holiday resorts that help families get out and enjoy the legendary beauty of the Rocky Mountains.

Snow Mountain Ranch and Estes Park Center are nondenominational programs open to any guest. However, members receive a slight rate discount and have their reservations processed first.

In addition to opportunities to enjoy the mountains, summer children’s programs operate daily for ages three through 16. Age appropriate activities include hiking, hayrides, roller skating, arts and crafts, campfire cooking, orienteering and archery.

In winter, families can spend the day cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on 125 miles of groomed trails, and return to the resort to warm up in the indoor heated pool. Estes Park and other prominent winter activity destinations are nearby.

Accommodation options include cabins and lodge rooms. Cabins range from two to five bedrooms and include a fireplace and fully equipped kitchen. Rates begin at $138/night. Lodge rooms have two queen beds and a set of bunk beds. Rates begin at $64 during off-peak times. Accommodations are not luxurious but then you are on a budget, right?

The YMCA also offers many opportunities for family camps if you want to recreate the magic of scout camp with your loved ones. Many of these camps offer the traditional horseback riding and canoeing, but today, they’re adding modern activities as well. It’s not unusual to find rock walls for climbing and rappelling excursions.

You can stay in modest cabins or platform tents at a bargain rate – as low as $50 per night!

Now let’s look east and see what Europe has in way of budget holidays!

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All-inclusive resorts abound in Mexico and if your family is looking for a beautiful setting where to experience a new culture, Mexico could be for you!

All-inclusive resorts are always a hit because everyone can do what they want, when they want, and there are plenty of organised activities for the kids as well as other children at the resort for your kids to play with and befriend.

Usually you can get bargain rates throughout Mexico and the Caribbean until mid-December and then again from just after Easter all the way to Thanksgiving and beyond. A trip to Mexico can really be a bargain and will give the kids a chance to practice their Spanish!

There is just so much to do on a Mexican holiday. Not only can you tour the Mayan ruins in Cancun, you can take advantage of the beautiful beaches, go snorkelling or scuba diving, or just relax by the pool.

At many of these resorts, kids age 4-12 stay free with their parents. Your hotel may also offer free passes to some of the local attractions as a perk for staying at their resort. Several places have “kid’s clubs” with activities and entertainment geared to the younger visitors. These are great places for your kids to have fun while Mom and Dad relax.

These all-inclusive resorts vary in rate according to when you travel. They can often be found for as little as £400 per person a week including airfare. Just shop around and find the best deal you can!

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Many of the award winning family resorts are beyond the means of those on a budget, but Woodloch Pines Resort in Hawley, Pennsylvania offers the amenities of a luxury resort for under $350 per night.

Located on a private lake in the Northern Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, this family owned resort was voted Favourite Family Holiday Spot by the readers of Better Homes and Gardens. Open year-round, the resort offers an amazing feast of activities from waterskiing, sail boating, and bumper boats in summer to snow tubing, ice skating and snowmobiling in the winter.

Kids of all ages love the go carts, batting cages, pool water slide and hayrides. Parents enjoy the Jacuzzis, massages for themselves and the all-inclusive rates that are difficult to find at U.S. resorts. Prices vary depending on room selection, time of year and number of people, but a family of four can purchase a four-night package that includes room and 12 meals for under $350 per night.

The family-friendly, all-inclusive pricing draws hundreds of families to Tyler Place Family Resort on Lake Champlain in Vermont which also offers this pricing that includes meals, snacks, lodging, and most activities. Tyler Place’s eight different kid’s programs offer structured nature and outdoor programs for children of all ages. Family water activities include sailing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, paddleboats, bumper tube rides, banana boats, and lots more.

Other entertainment includes tennis, mountain biking, indoor and outdoor pools, and group sports. Newborn and infant care is provided for parents who want to take art, yoga and aerobics classes, or visit vineyards in Quebec.

Discount, off-peak rates for a family of four are just under $300 per night and include lodging with separate children’s rooms, all meals and access to services and activities.

Some of America’s original family resorts focused on simple accommodations that provided easy access to the great outdoors. Nitschke’s Northern Resort, in Minocqua, Wisconsin has carried on the fine example of the original resort, with its tidy accommodations, coupled with the pristine setting on the edge of a lake, surrounded by forest.

Activities include fishing, hiking, boating, jet skiing, or simply relaxing on the porch of your cabin. The beach and playground provide additional play opportunities for children. Ice fishing and snowmobiling trails provide winter entertainment options. Despite the secluded, natural setting of this family resort, the town is within boating, walking, and driving distance when you need groceries or a change of scenery.

Cabins accommodate up to eight people easily and rates start at an amazingly affordable $180 per night.

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Thousands of people know and embrace the amazing relaxation and fun you can have on a camping holiday. This is probably the most affordable type of family holiday – especially if you take advantage of America’s various state parks and campgrounds.

It costs around $12-$25 to spend a night at these campgrounds, which is much less than the cost of a motel room these days. The parks are typically run by park rangers, who also provide security at the campgrounds.

Each campsite will likely have a fire-pit, charcoal grill, and a picnic table. There will be an area to set up your tent and a place to pull your car off the road. These parks usually have buildings that enclose bathrooms and showers. You’ll also find drinking water available, places to do your dishes, and trash containers.

You can choose to camp the old-fashioned way with tents, or you can rent an RV for added convenience. A typical RV motor home will rent for $90-$200 per day.

Some people feel that camping with an RV isn’t truly camping, but we think the point of a holiday is to spend time together doing things as a family. Whether you sleep under the stars or in a bed inside an RV makes little difference, but renting an RV allows you and your family see more of the country. A camping holiday is all about what you make it!

Most public parks have hiking trails, and many parks have lakes for fishing, boating, and swimming. Imagine the sight of your kids seeing a deer cross the path or a raccoon snooping through the campsite at night. There may also be a playground with swings, basketball courts, and other amenities.

Also remember to bring along bats, balls and gloves, board games, Frisbees, or any other favourite game or toy. There will be plenty of opportunities for the family to play together.

Many state parks and other public parks offer nature programs for the kids, and some even show outside movies on weekends. Since most of these parks are located in remote areas away from city lights, they make great places to watch sunsets and to gaze at the stars at night.

If you don’t have any experience camping and are without camping gear, that’s alright! You can generally get everything you need for tent camping for under $600. What will you need?

• For a family of 4, you should have a tent that sleeps 6. You’ll appreciate the extra room that a 6-person tent provides.

• Next you’ll need sleeping bags. Since you’re probably not camping in cold weather, consider a 3-season bag. These are still rated for 30 to 40 degree weather, and if they get too warm at night just unzip the zipper. Mom and Dad might like the cosiness of sleeping bags that zip together.

• For added comfort and insulation from the cold ground, you might consider putting a pad/underlay under your sleeping bag.

• Your campsite will likely have a charcoal grill, which is great for some cooking, but dishes that require a pot or skillet won’t get all black if you have a propane camping stove. You can find a 2-burner propane stove for around $35-$80. The propane cylinders are $2-$3 dollars and will probably last a week.

• To keep drinks cold and food from perishing, you’ll need a cooler. Pick a cooler large enough to accommodate your needs

Other items to take camping can be found at home or bought at the grocery store: pots and pans, cups and glasses, silverware, pillows, flashlights, extra batteries, and food.
You may want to buy a cheap tarp for around $10 to place under your tent. This will help protect your tent floor against tears and to prevent water from seeping into the tent in case of rain.

Don’t bother with a lantern, because they get hot and attract bugs. Instead, buy a 9-volt battery lamp for around $10 and use it sparingly so that you can enjoy the night sky.
Here’s a little shopping tip: rather than shop online for your gear, save even more money by going to a Wal-Mart or Target store. They have everything you need at the lowest prices.

Figure $600 for a one-time cost to buy new gear, $200 or less for campground fees for a week, and $200 for food, gas, and ice, and you’ve got a great holiday for a family of four.
Once you’ve acquired your gear, each subsequent camping trip will be even cheaper. You’ll add to your gear from time to time, and some items need replenishing. For economical and adventurous holidays, take your family camping.

We’ve found a couple of places online that just keep popping up when talking about affordable family holidays. While we don’t necessarily endorse them ourselves, they seem to be top picks when it comes to enjoyable family travel.

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