April 2026
Tekanda Foundation Girls Cricket Academy UK tour
Many of you will be aware that we have been working for the last year on the ambitious project to bring the Tekanda Girls Cricket Academy to the UK. From a pipe dream we seem to be a matter of weeks away from this becoming reality. Wonderful support from the MCC Foundation, Marlborough College and Gaigers Bros Ltd mean that barring UK Visa Office objections or a significant deterioration in flight disruptions, the squad of 16 girls aged between 13-19 and 4 staff will arrive on the 1st June in the UK for a two-week tour. You can follow updates on the Tekanda Foundation Instagram @thetekandafoundation or the website www.tekandafoundation.org
Resilience of Sri Lanka
The resilience, resourcefulness and patience of the Sri Lankan people never ceases to amaze us. Having been battered from every possible angle over the many decades - most recently the financial crisis of 2022- the country clawed its way to recovery and 2025-6 was promising to be a breakthrough year with low inflation and record tourist numbers. And then came Cyclone Ditwah and the middle east chaos causing huge flight disruptions for Sri Lankan bound tourists and the fear of yet another energy squeeze. But this time the country was on the front foot from day 1. Never shy to award a public holiday or two, the government went all in with every Wednesday being declared a public holiday to reduce power consumption and coupled with a repeat roll-out of QR code fuel supply system to combat hoarding and panic buying - petrol station queues swiftly disappeared. We are all now praying for some decent rain in the hill country to get the hydro power stations ticking again!
Tekanda Developments
The big development at Tekanda Lodge this season has been our beautiful new jungle dining deck. While guests often choose to eat together we were increasingly aware that this is not everybody's cup of tea and at breakfast, in particular, even the most sociable person likes to start the day with a coffee and the jungle chorus rather than chit chat. Our new dining deck now gives our guests complete flexibility so whether you are more Victor Meldrew than Zoe Ball - your needs can be met!
It's hot, proper hot
If you arrived in Sri Lanka from mid-March then you will be experiencing what we refer to as the 'gently steamed season' that runs until mid-May. The lack of rain and breeze accompanied by the build-up of Bay of Bengal electrical storm clouds that never seem to quite materialise, creates the hottest temperatures of the year. This is a phenomenon, I am told by the resident geography expert, potentially exacerbated this year by the El Nino effect. Hairstyles get funkier and funkier without having to visit a salon and clothes on the line seem wetter a day after they were first hung-out. Never has the cooling water of the emerald Tekanda jungle pool or the turquoise Indian Ocean at the bottom of the hill been so welcome!