They come in droves, returning again and again, enchanted by the gentle pace, the exquisitely simple life of swimming and lounging, sun salutations and no communication - there is no signal, no phone and no electricity. It's a place that is making its own legend, reviving almost lost traditions of farming for the villagers and introducing harassed urbanites to another, more beautiful way of life.
They return to their own worlds dazed, delighted - and hungry for more of the Sri Lankan food they are served at Ulpotha. It's not easy to come by, which is why the British food writer and chef Carina Cooper was moved to publish Ulpotha: A Kitchen in Paradise, a book that conjures up the experience of staying there - with the help of luscious photography by Ingrid Rasmussen - and offers a selection of recipes from the village, adapted for a western kitchen.
"I was cooking at the Galle Literary Festival about six years ago with Rose Gray and I met Giles and Veren, the owners of Ulpotha," she explains. "I'd always heard about Ulpotha and it was already on my list, so I ended up going there. I think lots of people had said they wanted to do a book but nobody had got it together, so I did."
As she describes it, Ulpotha was quite an experience. "It's a little village in the middle of the jungle surrounded by these rather strange boulder mountains. You're tucked into this semicircle of mountains with jungle on the side and you're swimming in this big freshwater lake and it's gorgeous - it's very gentle and beautiful.
"When you're in a very comforting place in nature, it just nurtures you, so you're sort of held, really, you don't even think where am I? Where's the nearest place or the nearest town? You're just present with what's going on there."
For a well-travelled cook like Cooper to be so impressed with what was, essentially, simple, rustic food that she wanted to bring the recipes back with her and share them in a book, is an indication of the almost mystical pleasure that visitors to Ulpotha find in their meals - and it's not just to do with good cooking.
"One, it's grown there," she says. "Two, it's organic. Three, it's cooked in clay pots on open fires, so you get all the minerals from the pots and you get slightly smoky aromas. And it's done not in a hurry - it's slow food and easy food, even though it doesn't take long to cook. And it's cooked in a really lovely ambience and I think that is really hugely important. You know, if you're cooking in a kitchen where people are screaming or shouting or angry or unpleasant, the food really does reflect that."
The food at Ulpotha may be simple and natural - one-pot curries, cakes wrapped in banana leaves and steamed in pots - but is it really possible to recreate the magic of one of the village's meals without dragging out the clay pots and lighting a fire in the back yard? And what of those extraordinary home-grown fruit and vegetables, untouched by artificial chemicals or preservatives? Well, says Cooper, there are ways around it: you can buy spices as fresh as possible and roast and grind them yourself; buy organic ingredients where you can; and substitute organic coconut milk and oil for the fresh coconut that is used throughout Sri Lankan food. (Of course, it's far easier to find proper coconut in the UAE than in Cooper's London stomping grounds.)
For the rare rice that is grown in the village, red rice will work; and terracotta or clay casserole dishes will help to achieve the ambience, if not the actual smokiness.
She is also careful to point out that these are adapted recipes - the Ulpotha cooks make the food to suit a more westernised palate, cutting down on the searing chilli used so liberally in the country's curries, and she herself has made them suitable for cooking domestically.
"You could say it's two steps from authentic Sri Lankan food," she says. "I've said in the book that these are not Ulpotha recipes; they're interpretations and expressions of Ulpotha food, so if I've done a beetroot curry, it would be based on the way they would have done one, but I'll have done it here, so it might have a few slightly different ingredients. It's an interpretation of Ulpotha; it'll give you a flavour of Ulpotha."
Warm aubergine salad (Serves four) as an accompaniment
1 large aubergine sliced into rough chunks
2 cloves garlic finely sliced1 tomato, thinly sliced into quarters
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of natural sugar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of turmeric
Vegetable oil
Coconut oil
Sea salt flakes
In a frying pan, warm a swirl of vegetable oil, fry the aubergine until cooked. Remove and dry on kitchen paper. Place the chunks in a bowl, add salt, sugar, mustard and turmeric and mix well.Scantily cover the bottom of a heavy-based frying pan in a thin coating of coconut oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion, tomato and garlic. When the ingredients are almost cooked, add the aubergine mixture, season well and serve warm.
Beetroot curry
Serves four to six
2 dessert spoons of coconut oil
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large beetroot, cut into strips1/4 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, crushed
A handful of curry leaves
400ml coconut milk
2 tablespoons of fragrant curry powder
1 handful of desiccated coconut, keep a little for decorationSea salt flakes
A handful of fresh basil
1 lime
Put the coconut oil in a large earthenware pot or casserole dish over a low heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté. When the onions start to soften, add the cinnamon stick, curry leaves, curry powder, chilli and desiccated coconut. Stir together well. Add the beetroot, stir well and sauté for a few more minutes. Pour over the coconut milk and add the crushed cardamom. Cover and simmer gently until the beetroot is tender but still crunchy, stirring occasionally. Season well with salt.Decorate with the fresh basil and sprinkle with a little bit of desiccated coconut and a squeeze of lime.
Ulpotha: A Kitchen in Paradise will soon be available for pre-order on Amazon
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The years Ramadan fell in May
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
General%20Classification
%3Cp%3E1.%20Elisa%20Longo%20Borghini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%3Cbr%3E2.%20Gaia%20Realini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%207%20secs%3Cbr%3E3.%20Silvia%20Persico%20(ITA)%20UAE%20Team%20ADQ%201%20min%2018%20secs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
