Two Happy Years in Ceylon

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. Two Happy Years in Ceylon opens with a chorus of contemporary praise for C. F. Gordon Cumming's vivid, authoritative travel writing, then invites readers into a richly illustrated journey through an island of palm-fringed coasts, ruined cities, shrines, mountains, and bustling ports. Drawing on her own sketches and a life shaped by travel and colonial family ties, Gordon Cumming recalls a joyful but comparatively brief stay in Ceylon, one that gave her ample opportunity to observe its landscapes, people, wildlife, and daily life with unusual charm and precision. The book blends personal recollection, practical guidance for travelers, and reflections on Ceylon's rapid transformation under empire. Tea plantations replace coffee, Colombo rises as a modern commercial hub, and revived irrigation, pearl fisheries, railways, and infrastructure promise prosperity, even as older centers decline. Alongside these observations, the narrative turns to the island's wild side: tense leopard hunts, buffalo carcasses, moonlit vigils, and letters from sportsmen stalking deer, elephants, and other dangerous game. The result is both an affectionate portrait of Ceylon and a frank account of colonial life, where beauty, enterprise, and peril coexist.