I FELL IN LOVE with Sri Lanka, where my mother was born, on my first visit. Perhaps it was because it was in my genes, or maybe it was just that the unique mix of culture, history, beaches, jungle, music and food awoke my senses. On that first visit, as an eight-year-old, I played with kabaragoya, giant water monitors that I was told could eat small children, and was dive-bombed by coconut beetles as I ran through groves to visit ancient temples overrun by monkeys. Tales of this tropical land I’d heard growing up in the city became real, and I made up some of my own.
It was a magical experience to take my family back recently. I got to witness the reactions of my children, Jack, nine, and…
