Music

A New Year's resolution - to swim every day.

How to relax

How to relax.

How to relax.

Reading relaxation tips recommended by Mind Organisation.

I was not surprised to see many tips that relate to GlenMyu Estate.

We find that our guests really need some downtime on their holiday. It can be quite tiring rushing around the country visiting the tourist spots in the heat.

As they leave ready for their next adventure, we can see that they are relaxed and energised for the next part of their trip around this paradise island.

What were the tips on how to relax in Mind Organistaions' article?

The tips were as follows:

  • Take a break
  • Try active relaxation
  • Focus on your breathing
  • Get creative
  • Spend time in nature
  • Picture yourself somewhere serene
  • Listen to music
  • Do a tech check

What is Mind Organisation?

Mind Organisation say that “We’re Mind. We’re here to fight for mental health. For support, for respect, for you”.

They are an organisation that aims to get support and respect for people experiencing a mental health problem. 

What tips on how to relax relate to GlenMyu Estate?

As GlenMyu Estate has evolved over the last two years since opening, we have found that our guests naturally do several of the items on the list whilst they are on holiday here. 

Taking a Break

Clearly being on holiday, guests are taking a break from their normal everyday lives.

However, we also find that many of our guests take a break from their travel and exploration of the island when they are here.

Often, they decide to chill out at the five acre estate rather than packing too much in on their holiday.

As the Sri Lankan hill country has a temperature more akin to a UK summer, some find it a relief to get away from stifling heat.

Many of our guests say that that they get their best nights sleep at GlenMyu Estate on their holiday. We do not use air-conditioning at the property as it is not required as it does not get too hot.

Active relaxation - what's that?

Active relaxation is gentle exercise such as walling (at your own pace), classes such as Yoga, Pilates or gentle stretching.

At GlenMyu Estate for guest enjoy walking around the garden.

The property is on a slope and therefore you automatically do some gentle exercise by climbing up the pathways and stairs. I often find myself creating a little heavier due to the slope.

Getting creative

GlenMyu Estate is an environment which inspires creativity. We have had several guests bring their sketchbooks or paints with them to spend time on their art.

Picking up the camera to take some photos and videos.

Getting creative
A writers retreat in Sri Lanka

Some authors have stayed at the estate and worked on their books without the detraction of home.

It delights us that we have created an environment that guests can relax and get creative.

Spending time in nature

At GlenMyu Estate we have tried to work with nature and plant species that enhance and repair the biodiversity that was wiped from the land.

Historically the estate was part of a larger tea plantation and subsequently used to grow sugar cane. After being abandoned for many year it was full of Guinea Grass, fast growing cattle fodder. This took all the light and nutrients in the soil from other plants.

After years of replacing the Guinea Grass with endemic species and planting to develop a food forest for animals and humans GlenMyu Estate was open to guests. 

Ducklings at GlenMyu Estate.
Showing our guests around GlenMyu Estate on the garden tour.

Our guest love the garden tour and seeing what we fruits, vegetables,and spices are grown. 

For some, it is a revelation on where their food comes from and the work entailed to get to onto their plate.

There is also plenty of wildlife to see, whether it is the animals and birds that are regular visitors or the residents on the land.

Picture yourself somewhere serene

There is no need to picture yourself, because you are there in the moment.

GlenMyu Estate is a beautiful environment reflecting the nature that surrounds us. 

Listen to music

We find natures music to be the soundtrack that we listen to at GlenMyu Estate.

Whether it its the streams full of water blocking out unwanted noises.

Or the birds that let you know that it’s time to get up in the morning or that they are off to bed.

Natuure’s soundtrack helps you to relax.

Do a tech check

Although we do have free Wifi at GlenMyu Estate, we are always delighted on how little our guests spend on their devices.

We also do not have televisions at the estate. Who needs to watch poor quality programming anyway. Netflix will be waiting for you when you get home!

This allows you to live in the moment, reduce stress and really enjoy your holiday.

Relax on Holiday at GlenMyu Estate

We love it when our guests are truly relaxed after their stay at GlenMyu Estate.

It is really important for you to make sure you allocate some downtime during your vacation.  Hopefully you will visit GlenMyu Estate and switch off in this environment delivered by nature.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate and immerse yourself in the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

How to relax Read More »

What I am looking forward to in 2024

Things I am Looking Forward to in 2024.

Things I am looking forward to in 2024

Things I am looking forward to in 2024.

A year of exploration, meeting new people, learning and getting more balance in my life.

What I am looking forward to in 2024

Time to reset and look to the future.

Did you set a New Year’s resolution?

I set my early so that I didn’t have to wait until January the 1st.

However, the beginning of the year is a good time to spend some time thinking and planning what I want from 2024.

Sri Lanka in 2024 - it's going to be a busy year at GlenMyu Estate.

Our to the number of tourists expected to visit Sri Lanka in 2024, we are expecting a busy year. The government’s plans are to substantially increase tourism

We only have three bedrooms at GlenMyu Estate so there is limited capacity.

We can already see that we have a lack of availability in early 2024. This is the main tourist season in Sri Lanka and the number of enquiries reflect this.

Tourist numbers reached 200,000 in December 2023. The curve in visitor arrivals is going upwards.

It’s important for a country that needs foreign income after some difficult years.

A New Year 2024

It's not about money.

As we expect to be busy it’s important to take some time to reflect on what we achieved in 2023. And what we can improve on in 2024.

But, it’s as important that we look at what we want to achieve personally for ourselves in 2024. It’s not about the money, it’s about our health, wellbeing and achieving a balance in our lives.

We love meeting new people and having visitors, but we will need to take some time our for ourselves. This will mean some time away from the estate.

Our visitors have been to places that we have not been.

Since arriving in Sri Lanka in 2016 and being busy with the construction and development of GlenMyu Estate, we have had little time to enjoy this paradise island ourselves.

So many of our guests arrive in the Sri Lankan Hill country and are able to tell us about places that we haven’t visited ourselves. 

Originally, when my then Sri Lankan girlfriend and I started dating we did travel around Sri Lanka on annual trips to visit her family. We started coming during the civil war and there were parts of the country that we were unable to visit. 

Since the end of the civil war in May 2009, visiting the North and East of the country has opened up.

Friends from the UK who were visiting Sri Lanka for a wedding that travelled to Jaffna. They loved it there and said that we must explore the region before it gets spoilt.

Exploring Sri Lanka.

One of the things we aim to do in 2024 is to explore Sri Lanka.

We will need some time out for ourselves and will travel during the quieter times of the year.
By visiting more if the island we will be able to pass over our experiences and recommendations to our guests at GlenMyu Estate.

Learning to relax and meditate from our guests.

It’s amazing what each new guests brings to our lives at GlenMyu Estate.

Neither my wife or I were in the hospitality business and we were a little nervous when we started. However, it did not take us long to love hosting new people and learning more about their lives. We love it!

Each new visitor brings a new story and experience to GlenMyu Estate and they add colour to our lives. 

I like to do some research on where our guest live, but I learn so much more from our conversations with them. There are places that I have not been, however, I feel that I have a good insight when I meet our guests. 

Appreciating the environment and being closer to nature.

One of the main things that we see in our guests demeanour at GlenMyu Estate is how quickly they manage to relax.

The stresses of work and everyday life appear to be lifted in the hill country.

Guests are able to rest and get a good nights sleep.
The temperature at GlenMyu Estate is typically between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius during the day and the humidity levels are not that at the coast.

We often see the sense of relief and relaxation as guests emerge from the vehicle that has brought them here.
The shades of green from the trees and the plants that greet you appear to provide a sense of calm and belonging.

Meditating at the waterfall - or watching the ducks!

One of our first guests at GlenMyu Estate asked me whether I meditated. He was a little surprised that I didn’t.
Living in Sri Lanka and with Buddhism being the dominant philosophy, one may expect that I would meditate.

Our German guest and his wife climbed down to the waterfall here. His wife stayed for a while.

However, he stayed for around three hours meditating, surrounded by nature and with the sound of water in the background.

I am often inspired by guests, and although I have not learnt to meditate, I have found my own substitute.

We have around twenty ducks at the estate. I enjoy passing some times watching them go about their business.
Whether foraging in the undergrowth or bathing in the streams, this is my version of meditation. 

Working on me, working on us.

My early New Year’s resolution was to swim every day and improve my level of fitness.  It’s going well and it is starting to become a daily habit.

Before we moved to Sri Lanka, my wife and I didn’t spend much time together due to long working days and the amount of foreign travel my wife had to do. 

At GlenMyu Estate we are together twenty four hours of the day. We both have our own designated work to do so we do spend a fair time apart, albeit only a distance of fifty to one hundred metres. 

Being busy with the bed and breakfast, we do know that we need to spend more time together.

There will be some downtime during the year, despite the expected tourist numbers, and we will be able to spend some time alone.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

As mentioned, we love meeting new people and seeing their experience of GlenMyu Estate. 

Hopefully we will meet you soon.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Things I am Looking Forward to in 2024. Read More »

Over 50 million – yes 50 million views on YouTube!

Over 50 million - yes 50 million views on YouTube!

“Manike Mage Hithe” - this could be the tune that you can’t get out of your head this Autumn.

It has already had over fifty million views on Youtube by the 25th August 2021.

Maybe this is the hit song that we will associate as the easing of the restrictions of the global pandemic?

Rap in Sinhala

The Sinhala song features Sri Lankan female singer Yohani De Silva and rapper Chamath Satheesan and was originally produced in July 2020 by Chamath Sangeeth.

It became vastly popular in India, Bangladesh, The Middle East and the Maldives because of its’ melodious tune and rap in Sinhala.

It has become so popular that it has been released in both Malayalam and Tamil and the tunes’ popularity is spreading to other continents.

Rap has a good following in Sri Lanka.

UK based Sri Lankan comedian Romesh Ranganathan is well known for his love of Rap and Hip Hop. 

He hosts a Podcast “Hip Hop Saved My Life” and he also had a “Rap Battle” when he visited Colombo during his successful television series “Asian Provocateur”.

Sri Lanka has three official languages, Sinhala, Tamil and English

The first popular Hip Hop artists in Sri Lanka to be recognised were Brown Boogie Nation (You Get Around, Lions and Tigers) and Rude Boy Republic in the late 1990’s. Urban Sound released “Gangsta Raps” and “Smooth Flow” in 1998. Their “Stop the Virus” won an award for Best TV Campaign on HIV awareness from a local broadcasting institute.

Tamil Rap started in 2004 by the successful “J Town Story” by Krishan Maheson and the first Sinhala Rap track by Iraj. 

Sri Lankan American DeLon debuted at no. 36 in the Billboard Charts with Nasty Girl.

The youngest Sri Lankan Artists to be signed to an international record label (Sony India) were Ranidu Lankage and Ashanthi. 

“Kelle” was successful in being featured on the BBC Asian Chart. 

Popular local artists Bathiya and Santhush and Randhir worked together on a hip hop remix song “Siri Sangabodhi”

Sri Lankan Rap has become a stalwart of the music culture in the country over the last twenty years or so.    

What does “Manike Mage Hithe” mean?

A straight translation of the words are
Mage – My

Hithe – Heart

Manike – Derived from Manika which is a diamond. Manike later became a pet name between men and women for a partner like “honey”, “love”, “dear” or in this instance “gem”.

Manike Mage Hithe therefore translates to “Gem in my Heart”, however I have also seen translations of the song lyric as “Baby in my Heart”

The song is a beautiful enrapturing melodic serenade of forbidden love referencing passion and desire.

Other popular music in Sri Lanka to explore.

The earliest form of music came via the theatre when traditional open-air dramas, known as Kolam, Sokari and Nagadam in Sinhala.

The first music album was released by Radio Ceylon in 1903 and was called Nurthi.
During the 1960’s Indian Films (now Bollywood) has a significant influence on Sri Lankan music and subsequently artists such as Sunil Shantha found popularity and success in India.

Songwriters that gained widespread success include Ananda Smarakoon and Mahatma Sekara.

Other notable artists to dive into would include Milton Mallawarachchi, MS Fernando, Clarence Wijewardene, WD Amaradeva, Annesley Malewana and HR Jothipala.

It is worth researching the following types of music to understand what has influenced the development of music in the Country.

Traditional Folk Music

Ragadiri Music – Hindustani Classical Music
Karnataka Music – South Indian Classical Music

Tamil and Hindustani Film Music 

Baila and Saralagee

After Independence of the Country in 1948 there was rise in popularity of both Baila and Saralagee music

Saralagee music was attractive to the middle class and elite whereas Baila was popular amongst the lower class.

It is almost unheard of to go to a wedding or dance without hearing Baila.

Baila derived from the Portuguese song style called Baile or Bailo which translates to dance in both Portuguese and Spanish. 

Make your own music at Glenmyu Estate, Haputale

If you are searching for inspiration a stay in the Sri Lankan Hill Country may be the thing for you.

Glenmyu Estate is located in five acres in the beautiful hills of Sri Lanka, surrounded by natures views and sounds.

Over 50 million – yes 50 million views on YouTube! Read More »

GlenMyu Estate Luxury Bed and Breakfast
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