Trincomalee
This famous harbour, one of the largest and best sheltered in the world, has at various times been the envy of the Danes, Dutch Portuguese, British, French and japanese. During world war II it became a naval base to protect the fleet of the combined Allied Powers.

The british explorer samuel Baker described it thus: "Few things surpass the tropical beauty of this harbour, lying completely land-locked, it forms a glassy lake surrounded by hills covered with the waving foliage of cocoa-nut trees and plams of great variety. The white bungalows with their red-tiled roofs, are dotted about along the shore, and two or three men of war are usually resting at their ease in this calm retreat..."

The men of war in the water these days are of the fishy variety. In July in particular large numbers of Portuguese man -of-war drift towards the shore, many becoming stranded on the beaches. Touch them at your peril for they are known to paralyse their victims with their sting.

The mention of Trincomalee to any Sri lankan is likely to induce wistful sighs and clear, the skies as pink as paradise, and jungles where wild elephants roam. Sadly, it is these impenetrable jungles that have enabled the Tamil Tigers to infiltrate the area.