GUEST BOOK &
PUBLISHED QUOTES
"Ulpotha
is one of the best examples of responsible tourism - one that
exceeds all expectations and impacts the world in an on-going,
sustainable and positive manner" Islands magazine - Hot
100 Blue List
"In a
world in which Gucci has diversified into yoga mats,...Ulpotha offers a
back-to-basics approach to yoga." The essential 25 - The Best Places,
Journeys & Adventures in the World, Observer Magazine, February
2006
"Ulpotha remains for me the most beautiful
spot in this whole complex world that I am lucky enough to travel
around. Inspiring, peaceful, euphoric, restorative, eye-opening,
caressing, sensuous, calming and blissed out!" - Catherine Fairweather,
Travel Editor - Harpers & Queen.
"Ulpotha is a place totally free from
western influences and unlike any other Retreat...the entire experience
is a spiritual high!" Best Spas and Retreats of the World - Vogue
Magazine
"The
thing I love about Ulpotha is that it brings the best out in people -
it brings out attributes they didn't know they had. You can sense this
in
the Visitor's Book as people strive to explain their feelings and share
their experiences. For me Ulpotha has been a pivot which has changed my
life irrevocably. Each time I come here I think that it can't keep
working
its magic on me - but it always does, and that makes me very happy!" -
Susannah Baker-Smith
"That afternoon I treated myself to a Sri
Lankan sauna. This involves lying on a raised mat with pots of boiling
water and herbal infusions underneath you. When I had sweated out
enough impurities, I was asked to sit on a wooden stool amid dappled
sunlight. An ancient villager, well versed in the therapeutic arts,
then rubbed me down with a bunch of leaves, before dousing me with
their combined infusion. There was more to come. Back in the manor
house I got the full treatment from the [masseuses]... One does Swedish
massage while the other specialises in a Japanese technique, which can
only be described as acupuncture without the needles. By the end of
this my limbs felt like jelly and I began to understand why my fellow
guests went to bed so early. After three hours of yoga every morning
and having your pressure points manipulated all afternoon, it is hardly
surprising that you sleep like a baby." - The Daily Telegraph
"Although there are glorious Buddhist
temples and ancient ruined cities to be seen in other parts of Sri
Lanka, it is Ulpotha itself I will remember, and the feeling that, for
a while, I was a part of a small world so distant in every way from my
own." - Country Life Magazine
"The living conditions had far exceeded my
expectations, both in terms of comfort and aesthetics. I was convinced
that the food would conform to a dull diet of macrobiotic mastication
on rice and lentils. Instead, I was totally overwhelmed by the variety
and sophistication of the meals, mixing bizarre salad leaves with
spiced vegetable dishes, coconut sauces, various types of rice, pulses,
juices, fruit bowls and herbal drinks." - The Financial Times
"Uncommon ruins and the lush remaining
edges of a once mighty forest canopy can be seen, together with forest
paths, secluded spots, exotic wild life, ancient reservoirs,
traditional village life, and a nearby mountainside monastery....The
climate is ideal, being refreshed by cool and near constant
breezes....the spiritual and ageless cultural customs are respected and
adhered to, ensuring that the sanctuary remains an oasis of harmonious
coexistence between nature and human beings." - Yoga & Health
Magazine
"Ulpotha is a discovery - it tells you
things you simply cannot hear from a distance......who needs
air-conditioning when you have the breeze coming fresh off the
just-harvested paddy fields. And who needs a bathtub when you have
Ulpotha's lake, and water lilies, and sheltering mountains. And who
needs electricity when you have coconut oil to illuminate the sumptuous
dinners, and the healthy glow of friends faces. And who needs a car
when you have your trusty bicycle to take you through the village lanes
and around the other lakes, where the people wave you on, and you can
savour the precious space.... Thank you for making Ulpotha a place
where we can come to remind ourselves of how good it is to be alive!" -
Damian Miller
"Floating on the lake, gazing at the stars
and walking at night among the fireflies and eating delicious feasts
among friends - Thank you for these inspiring days that have passed
effortlessly by. You have created a most perfect world in a most
perfect place." - Sheila Rock
"This is the Ulpotha sanctuary - an oasis
in the jungle, tended and cared for by many - some of whom are not even
seen or heard, but all sharing a vision for the future, derived from
the past. There is balance everywhere - working and playing, solitude
and partying, simplicity and indulgence." - Vicki Edgeson
"Ulpotha is an inspiration to behold. The
beauty which surrounds the area, the tranquillity, the sounds of nature
awakening with the sunrise, everything bursting into life in one
chorus, the brilliant stars wisely gazing down in a clear sky at night,
words don't adequately explain the feelings and experience of living
here. New resolves made about calmness, healthy living and communing
more with nature will be kept by me and reinforced by subsequent visits
here. Thank you all for restoring my faith in humanity - I shall
return." - Andrea Sprunt
"Ulpotha feels like an unreal floating
island of its own, but it is undeniably mud-in-toes real." - Joanna
Lorenz
"[After] spending this very short time here
I have been inspired to heights I cannot believe. The creators of
Ulpotha have excelled in the real essence of true simple life. I will
take with me 'to know the tradition, live the tradition' and will share
with others." - John Scott
"Such a brilliant vision - A privilege to
live here for two weeks. I really hope it lasts - This is the future,
it has to be. Teeming with life and vitality - refreshing and
inspiring." - Peter Tattersall
"Ulpotha - A hedonist's Shangri-La. A place
of peace, joy, laughter, play, time vacuums, warmth, safety, talking
and healing. A place to disappear and reappear renewed and revitalised
to the core of yourself - A gift I hope to keep hold of until I can
return. The gift you have created here cannot be put into words." -
Sophie Simpson
"How good it is to do nothing...and then
rest a little' [is an] old Andalucian saying... Well, in fact I did an
awful lot each day here: yoga and the surrounding hills made me buzz
with good energy and want to skip and play.... Just knowing this
sanctuary is here will be a source of strength; remembering that groups
can live well together based on trust and acceptance. Thank you for
this big gift." - Andy Kidd
"As near to paradise as I have ever been.
I've loved it all and I know I'll come back." - Nella Opperman
"What strikes you when you first arrive in
Ulpotha is the physical beauty of the place as well as its
extraordinary tranquillity..." Resurgence Magazine
