A bold brushstroke in the Indian Ocean. A colour-drenched, tropical island. A land of legends and ancient kingdoms. Sri Lanka is all this and more. A place to soul-search, to sip tea, to reconnect with nature.

Respectful reverence is a palpable presence in the island’s thousands of Buddhist temples. Ordinary people, cocooned in whispered prayers, let the chaos of daily life slip silently away. Statues of Lord Buddha dominate – imposing or modest, carved in wood, sculpted from stone, strewn with flowers.

Beyond the serene, the enduring symphony of everyday life. In the towns – traffic, fast and furious, carts pushed and pulled, crates shoved and scraped. In the markets, the high-pitched chatter of hard bargaining; the satisfying thud of fresh produce bought and bagged. Between the undulating tea terraces, the rapid rhythm of leaves skilfully plucked. And on southern shores, the gasp and sigh of the rolling waves; the flick and snap of stilt-seated fishermen, casting the last lines of the day.