November 2012

We thought it would be good to update all of you who are interested in Jungle Tide with news on how the place is developing – probably three or four times a year. For a start, here’s how the house and top garden look now – this may come as a surprise to those who have seen earlier photos when the ‘lawn’ was a sea of mud or dust (depending on the season) with grass plants dotted across it bravely trying to thrive. The flowers are down to Rani’s green fingers.

Get cool in the pool Jungle Tide now has a swimming pool. Quite a big one, too – 12m x 6m. No fancy shapes, infinity vistas or water features, just a classic rectangular pool with a deep end and a shallow end. But the setting, in the lower gardens among the trees, is very special.

The surrounding area is paved and grassed and there’s a cold shower but we plan much more for this area in the next year or two as we’re going to build a split-level cabana with family and backpacker accommodation on the upper floor and changing facilities, a shady sitting area and facilities for cold drinks, ice creams and snacks on the lower level by the pool.

Our plans
Our intention is to move out to Jungle Tide in early October 2013. In order to achieve that we need first to get the business registered with the Tourism Board. We have been on with this, via people in Sri Lanka, since last May but it’s still not finalised. Then we have to get the Tourism Board to write to the Immigration Department requesting that we be granted residency visas and we’ve no idea how long that will take. Then we can go out for a final visit on an entry visa, convert that to a residency visa and (probably) stay there. So who knows if we’ll make it in 2013 but that’s still the plan.

The Road
No, not the movie of the Cormack McCarthy novel but the not quite so nightmarish final 3km of the approach to Jungle Tide. We’ve been hearing frequent rumours that it’s going to be fixed, as far as the bus terminus in Uduwela village, but we have nothing definite to report as yet so the champagne remains on ice.
The background is that when we bought the land in 2004 most of the road from Kandy was equally poor but work had started on a contract to improve the road right up to Uduwela. This is less than 1km from Jungle Tide and that last bit isn’t too bad anyway. But the contractor walked out with the work only half completed. Since then the only work has been to concrete a short downhill stretch which was in danger of becoming impassable to anything less than a tank.

The opening of the Mount Royal hotel next door in January this year involved the President’s brother (Tourism Minister) who pledged to get the road fixed. Even in Sri Lanka we thought that would do the trick, but unfortunately not as yet.
The state of the road is by far the biggest obstacle to our business but we will continue to work with our neighbours and others to try to get the work finished, and we’ll update you in future newsletters.
STOP PRESS: We’ve just heard that surveyors have been marking up the road so it looks as if work is about to start. Fingers crossed!

Jungle Tide Wedding
Although we have hosted honeymooners, we now have our first booking for a wedding at Jungle Tide, next August. This is very exciting for us – as we assume it is for the happy couple concerned. It meant us doing some internet research about the legalities and our Project Manager, Nissanka, going to see the Registrar in Kandy to dot the i’s and cross the t’s but it’s now all going ahead; it is all going to be a very simple affair at their behest – with no other friends or relations attending and just Martin and Rani as witnesses. As I am sure you can imagine, Martin and Rani will be thrilled with this role!
So, if any of you know people who might want follow suit, then Jungle Tide is available – and it is fairly easy to arrange simple but individually designed weddings. Just get them to drop us an enquiry and we will be happy to arrange a bespoke wedding of their choice!

Low season discount
Are you or anyone you know thinking of visiting Sri Lanka in May or June? This is our quiet season so we are offering a 10% discount or, if you would like to stay a little longer, 5 nights for the price of 4.
This applies both to rooms or bookings of the whole bungalow .
So to finish off, a picture of our wonderful Martin and Rani and the delicious food they serve, to get your mouths watering and perhaps persuade you to make a visit to Jungle Tide.