The light at the end of the road

It was like stepping into a warm embrace of a loved one after a long and tiring journey… that’s how I would describe what it felt like when I stepped into Lux e toile – our digs for the night – after our arduous journey of nearly twelve hours. The title of this post seems even more fitting because the name of this place means Star in French. The last time we were in Jaffna this place was full and we only came in for meals. But this time around we were lucky enough to get rooms and what a marked change it was from the hell hole I was staying in during my previous visit.

Firstly the rooms were large and the beds were comfortable had clean sheets and there were decent towels laid out. The air conditioner worked properly. The toilet was clean it had hot water and ohhh god a pressure pump which assaulted you with a heavenly gush of water when in the shower. And all this for just 6500/- per double. Now in terms of design this was not the four seasons but for me it sure felt like it.

What really surprised me was the enthusiastic welcome we got even though it was 11.30 in the night when we stepped in. If it was any other hotel everyone would have been surly and would have wanted us to get to our rooms and sleep instead of even offering us a decent meal. Instead these people were willing to wait up till we had a drink. Made us bite and then made sure our dinner was warmed and served at 1.30 in the morning. Now that is what I call service from the heart.

And of course the highlight of the journey can be summarized in two words. Foood and drink!!!

Firstly I had the opportunity to drink Palmyra arrack which was awesome. I found the liquor absolutely smooth and delightful to the palette. I drank it with Coke but I was told the ideal way to drink it is with a little bit of Soda in it. That way you can enjoy the natural sweetness of the liquor itself.

They made us these bites past 12 mid night and it was delicious...

Breakfast with vege Maturai curry

Once again we had the Maturai curries in green and red. But piece de resistance was the crab curry we had for lunch the next day. Out of this world! Heavenly experience! These are some of the phrases we could use to describe what a good traditional spicey Jaffna Tasted like. After eating and eating till we could not breathe we begged Vetri the jovial owner of the place if he would be kind enough to pack the left over gravy for us because we wanted to take it with us and eat it with bread in Puttlam looking at the Lagoon. I think he was delighted by our request and packed everything for us which we ended up eating the next day at office with bread. And I heard it was awesome. Sadly my colleagues did not think it was fitting to call me to share in the leftovers. Urgh when I think of that I can wring a neck or two. So they say every dark cloud has a silver lining and it was the same in this case. No I would not do this kind of journey again but I must say in the long run it was worth it just for the crab curry.

P.s. For those of you who want a decent place to stay in Jaffna Lux etoiles can be contacted on 02102223966

Green pol sambol another Jaffna speciality