It’s back to Sri Lanka, and almost immediately into safari mode. I am fortunate that the Udawalawa reserve is just a 2 hour drive from where I live, and I have been several times to this impressive location, just south of the hills and mountains of Sri Lanka’s finest tea country. Adams Peak can be seen rising in the distance. I’ve written about going on safari at Udawalawa before  and it is always a great pleasure to be able bounce around amongst wild untamed lands. Udawalawa has Sri Lanka’s highest population of wild elephant, and my guest specifically wanted to see these. We were going to be in for a treat.
Shoshtakovich’s Lost Opera Orango – Performed at the Mariinsky
This piece comes from an abandoned 1932 project involving Alexsey Tolstoy and Alexander Starchakov as librettists. Long thought wholly lost, the intended opera suffered from poor timing that lead to its demise. Intended as a satire, it was being worked on just as Shoshtakovich fell victim to intense criticism over his opera “Lady MacBeth of Mtensk”. Tolstoy and Starchakov were also late with the delivery of their libretto, and Shoshtakovich first delayed, then abandoned the project, discarding the score.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night at the Mariinsky
It is spring in St.Petersburg, with the Lilac out in the Parks, that beautiful blue colour and the sweet aroma so evocative of Russia. The evenings are already starting to get longer as well, there is light still in the sky at 10:30pm. Its such a beautiful city in the spring, and the Russians also have operas for all seasons. Rimsky-Korsakov was in fact a military man, but still found the time to write 15 operas, although he is best remembered for his “Scheherazade”. However, although his operas are not so well known in the West, all of them remain in the Russian repertoire, which is a good thing as amongst all of the Russian composers, Rimsky-Korsakov was the greatest Orientalist.  He collected folk songs from the near and far east, and wove lyrical motifs into a great deal of his music. He also borrowed a lot of his stories from old Russian and Asian folk stories – and especially the Middle East.
My Restored 1949 Peugeot 203
Sri Lanka has a treasure trove of antique cars, a legacy of both the British colonial era and a wise decision to categorize them as “National Treasures” meaning they cannot be exported. With import duties on all cars running at 100%, the country is also one of the few places worldwide where the value of second hand cars goes up. While seriously old vehicles such as this Peugeot may not be suitable for everyone, they can still be had relatively cheaply.  I paid USD7000 for this, and have spent about that again on a two year restoration. That’s not bad when one considers a second hand standard modern car is rather more.
A Guide To China’s Blog Trolls
As many of my readers and those who know me from my business credentials, I have been high profile in China for the best part of two decades. That’s fine, I came to live and work in China when it wasn’t a popular thing to do, and have subsequently built a business from next to nothing. Along with that has gone an extraordinary amount of content – I began China Briefing as a complimentary business magazine, then online blog back in 1999, and have written many many books about business in China.
The problem with that is the jealousy this can create. Not everyone is happy to see success, and come the mid 2000’s, competition amongst expatriate consultants in China started to become rather vicious. That attitude, coupled with lax internet laws and an ability to hide behind proxy servers and fake names, resulted in a number of unsavory characters emerging. Some were paid to write unpleasant articles and content by various competitors, others just wanted to make a fast name for themselves by attacking well known personalities in China. Most used false names. None of them personally knew me, and none of them contacted me to verify details of their unpleasant content (presumably because when you tell lies and promote half-truths and innuendo, you can’t).
The Rose Garden at Hakgala Botanical Gardens, Nuwara Eliya
The Hakgala Botanical Gardens were created in 1861 as a scientific site to examine the properties and potential for producing a variety of tropical plants for use throughout the British Empire. Its first, successful experiments began with the cultivation of the Cinchona plant, whose Quinine extract was a useful malarial suppressant (see previous article).
Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Birthplace Of The Gin & Tonic
In the mid 1850’s, British plans to continue to both build and develop the Empire were facing a serious problem – malaria. Although many of Britain’s best and brightest were being sent overseas, far too many were succumbing to and even dying from this deadly disease. Those lucky to survive an attack would also find themselves prone to recurrences, debilitating attacks of chills and fever that drained the body of energy for weeks at a time.
Travelling Sri Lanka’s Tea Country By Train
My Winter months are spent on the south coast of Sri Lanka, which is very beautiful and has amazing sea food, however as the year progresses can be prone to occasional hot, intensely humid spells. I have a swimming pool I can dip into, and the beach is just five minutes away, but its also good to have a complete change of scenery as well.  What I like to do at such times, much as generations of expatriate Dutch and British did before me (the colonial and seafaring Portuguese tended to stay coastal and didn’t venture much into Ceylon’s interior) is to get to higher ground, where the temperatures drop, the air is fresher, and the climate more appealing. In fact, Sri Lankas’ Tea Country can be almost European in atmosphere – not for nothing is the highest Hill Station, Nuwara Eliya, also known as “Little Scotland”, while roses are grown at these altitudes.
February Safari At Wilpattu, Sri Lanka
It’s back to Sri Lanka after my Russian winter, and what better way to reintroduce myself to my second adopted home than immediately going on safari? Wilpattu National Park is in the North-West of the island, an area I haven’t been before. The Park is renowned for its diverse landscape, which includes over 60 lakes, also making it ideal for birdwatching, and especially during the migratory season. Its also famous for Leopard, having the highest concentration of Leopard in the world.
How To Make A Vodka Martini
Actually the title of this piece is somewhat misleading. In my opinion, only Gin should be used in a martini, with options for olives or lemon additions depending upon the characteristics of the Gin being used. For Purists, it should ideally be Plymouth, mixed 3-1 and with a dash of orange bitters, which is how the very first original Martini was made. But I digress. This is about Vodka, not Gin.