After a long eventful journey, we chug along the lush tea plantations, back towards Habaraduwa.
We are hungry and we want to invite him, Sunil say to eat and he will stop at a restaurant where locals eat and fewer tourists.
He is helpless and has to consider something for a while, which is understandable, because he "goes" never actually eat. But finally we stopped at a small, shabby acting shop called "beach view" even though they saw no sea but the dusty road. We were exhausted but happy at a dirty table, next to a fan down. The shop is located about 240 meters east of the station Habaraduwa on CGHW Highway.
Sunil is very humble and really would like to purchase anything - just a Coca Cola. We simply order different things from the menu and dishes that are not on the map and three-Cola. Various curries, vegetables, meat and fish, and now also arrived to Sunil - mainly in the frits.
We are tired of eating only Sunil is turned completely on its cola, which shows him with powerful effect. We talk about caffeine, he knew nothing about it and he was very impressed. Obviously, the last declared for him stuff.
He tells us a lot in return to Sri Lanka - he has a broad knowledge in terms of his country and its people. Then he told his life story - how he had survived the tsunami, with luck, he said with a broken arm, which has grown together is no longer true, has come of it .. and the happiness of his family, because her house slightly increased in the region around the lake is Koggalla.
Because of his arm he can last activity: chauffeur in "real" cars, meet for "finer tourists / businessmen" and must not only take tuk-tuks. We realize where does his intelligence and why he looks so different than the tuk-tuk drivers.
We continue to chug through the jungle by the unspoiled nature, and occasionally you see a couple of monkeys swinging over our heads back and forth. The lunch period is now over but slowly we realize that we are getting tired and need a break.
Sunil wants us to still show a tea plantation before and so we stopped by yet. On the way out of the jungle, the next larger road, falls forward to even a small hut hidden by the roadside, where an old man beckons us. He has a sign in front of the hut and we ask Sunil, what it offers.
This is only a horoscope-man waving from Sunil and continue.
How much?
Sunil slows down and causes the direction hut and the old man shouts back.
500 for both of us.
We decide to take this experience and why not?
A nearly toothless, old man greets us at the door. Two also toothless women with hair zerstruppten scurry giggling and interested watching in the background.
We sit in the little shack, and everywhere there are old, big books around.
Erdal begins with the meeting and the chart-man begins to read from his hands .....
About. 1.5 hours later we are both ready. The translation here and there, there were difficulties because the horoscope husband spoke English so poorly Sunil acted as translator, but also did not always know how to translate it exactly. But with much circumlocution, we have now become smarter. Finally, he builds a kind bracelet for Juliet and sings a protective mantra.
We shall see ...
Finally we come to a small house with small garden past. This is the most interesting stop on the journey. I would even say the most impressive. Here lives a couple who have no children and yet they are not alone. For the next harvest, the garden gives them, they have many many birds around. But not in cages, but free birds.
The man we baptize the bird man.
The birds fly up to him and sit on his head and his shoulders when he whistles only. Everywhere in the garden he has set up small, wild, dense shrubs, which provide protection to the birds and serve as a nesting site. With his hands he opens an office in one of these bushes, and shows us a nest with a nesting bird. The bird moves not little and has no fear. The bird man picks up the bird, and shows us that the eggs hatched and newborn chicks already beeping for food. Another bird is added, puts on the shoulder of the bird's tapst with prey in its beak and feeds down one of the chicks. Everything before our eyes open. We have never seen something so close. The bird hops back to the hand of the bird man and continues to fly and the first bird is again packed to breed in the nest.
But that's not all. He continues and takes us to his house. He wants to show us something. When we arrive at the door, we marvel not bad: the middle of the living room ceiling has a bird's nest built round a ball! It hangs in space like a ceiling lamp. With the difference that this Ökolampe is off, beeps probes. Totally impressed from the moment we notice that the bird man wears a bullet around his neck. I Sunil ask what it is all about, with this ball.
Then the bird man, who wore the whole time, a broad smile on his face, suddenly very serious. He said that he had previously fired from pranksters. But now, he knows that what he was doing was right and not the last ball has been hanging around his neck so he never forgets how painful it has killed animals. We are impressed. We did not expect to make in the jungle such acquaintances - have such thoughts. We note that the couple has planted many small chillies and buy some of the chili-bye and see us completely upset the tuk-tuk again.
It goes on. Where to?
We climb back into the tuk-tuk and drive on. On the way we meet two women, the vegetables and fruit in their baskets have. Sunil stops and talks to the women.
We have the impression that he did not know but after that they give to us over the fruit. There are fruits that we had not seen before. They are very fruity and refreshing taste. We give the women 20 rupees and continue to chug our way.
Next stop: The man pepper.
The Pfeffermann flückt of the trees the green pepper and sells it to the local market traders.
He is a funny guy and has very red teeth from chewing the betel-nut.
The betel-nut is the drug of the rural population in general. It is drunk as if they had drunk too much champagne and was extremely tipsy. I can tell, because we have not tried this, because it also has negative health impacts such as on the teeth.
The betel nut snacks are also offered at little stalls here and there on the streets for sale.
After we had with Sunil as an interpreter, a nice conversation with the pepper man, we go deeper into the jungle.
We stop here and there and taste the fruits of the trees: apples, rose, olive ..
We jump back on and it goes to the next stop on our itinerary: a jetty for the fishermen. Here are small fishing boats in different colors, the networks are excited and are ready for your next fishing trip. The fishermen call these little boats "catamaran".
However, there are more one-man canoes with an outrigger to lose his balance and the fish not to capsize. In the canoes can not sit true, as they are sometimes simply built absolutely narrow. One kneels or sits more on the side of the canoe: The fisherman works, he will not cruise, but to earn a living ...
Our driver Sunil asks us if we do not want to take a short trip on a catamaran. And here it costs us nothing. Initially skeptical, Julia agrees and puts in his canoe. But because they do not drive alone would, according to Sunil, he would beleiten and she says to me that I should have no fear, he told me bring my wife back healthy and happy. I just laugh and take Juliet off all items.
After Julia has taken possession of the canoe, Sunil pushes the part with the help of the other fishermen in the water. They all wear Saron and giggling to himself. Finally, the boat in the water and Sunil is trying to be to sit the boat. Sunil takes the first step into the boat and slowly approaches the upper edge of the water surface, it lifts the other foot just high and the boat capsizes relies on the flat ground up ... and any further movement of the boat.
Julia laughs, but I see the fear in their eyes and now I have the impression that my wife will not come back healthy and happy.
Titanic ick hear you toddle!
After the short ride on the lake Kogalla turned around and the trip continues.
On Koggalla lake, we drive to the fishing villages. Sunil, our driver, lives here since birth. Everyone who meets us on the way to greet Sunil. All with bright eyes and wide smile, which brings some nice ivory-colored teeth to emerge, but also shows ruins. The English have here, it seems, left their mark.
First we make a stop at the "Fisherman".
He has to land in his garden carved in stone troughs, where waiting crabs, lobsters, shrimp and other sea animals out on the tables of the hotels: Only hotels were the buyers. Rural people are more nourishing of Dried Fish, dried fish that is. Shellfish from the sea, it would be only for special occasions such as Sunil says.
We ask for the price of tiger prawns, king prawns, and have huge eyes as we listen to 1,500 rupees, about 10 euros for a kilo. These are about 50 to 60 shrimp.
In the hotel cost 10 650 rupees prawns cooked ready to eat.
For comparison, a chef here has a daily rate of 100 rupees. The cook must be 2 weeks for a kilo of prawns work of the visitors Sri Lanka looks forward anyway on the cheap ... King Prawns
Here alone, the ratios and earnings inequality is very clear.
We have agreed with our tuk tuk driver at the lecture a day trip, so we can see more of the area off the beaten path and experience. What we have seen on the tour and who has met us all can read it here.
All beginnings are difficult:
At 10 clock after breakfast, we are well equipped with cameras and water entered into the tuk tuk. It was in the middle of the jungle and go directly to Koggalla lake. The wound is so nice that we can imagine a boat ride, but to arrange a non-typical-tourist cruise .. mmh .. difficult. At the first contact point where our driver Sunil stops were waiting the typical tow: big grin on his nose, dollar signs in their eyes and the rustle of the rupee in the ears. To make matters worse was the landing on a Spiece Herbals and Garden - because it should immediately be suspicious.
When the pompadour then still called the price of the trip is clear: he thinks we are dumb like white bread, and he is a worthy successor to Einstein. 4500 rupees is expected to cost the fun: about 30 €. Although we recognize change and without a word to each other, as that will make the trip never to play the game: we act. We just say it's too expensive and even the price is 4000 rupees. We say that an hour is way too short. Suddenly the whole thing and extended the price drops to a 3500 rupees!
After that, yet clear: It's too expensive. When we stop the senseless trade, we get to hear that we were friends of the house and you want to provide us with the ride for 2500 Rupees. This seems to be the real price. Really? Probably not. Absolutely not!
We decline with thanks, and go back to the tuk tuk. As we say to our tuk tuk driver, we are not interested in such tourist attractions. He understands and smiles a little mischievously. He understood now and can go right off the tour.
Ayurveda comes from Sri Lanka?
It originally comes from India and Sri Lanka will, in addition there were also predominantly used but also in Nepal.
Caution on vacation before the so-called "Spice and Herbal Garden" many have smelled the business with the tourists and this will be demanded exorbitant prices. (At the end of the article, two serious shopping tips from us.) Because most of the tourists in Sri Lanka Ayurveda tourists. That was before our trip we do not really realize it, but the spot will be constantly confronted. So we now wanted to see what this is all about them and began to inform us.
Ayurveda what is it anyway?
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian healing art translates the "science of life" or "life wisdom" means.
It comes from the Sanskrit: ayu = life, veda = knowledge. In Ayurveda, it is assumed that health, as well as disease is composed of a combination of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects.
Three major life energy "doshas" affect us:
- Vatta
- Pittha
- Kappha
The importance of each dosha I'll go one other time.
Everyone has these three vital energies are in his body and it is healthy, all three in balance. Often it is certainly the case that one or two of the doshas dominate. So when it comes to an Ayurvedic treatment, it is to recognize any factors that are responsible for this imbalance, and avoid them. This diet plays a very important role, as in Ayurveda, the human body is seen as a product of food.
We were in Sri Lanka in various so-called spice or herbal gardens and thought again and again, who want the piss?
Finally, we have found a reputable shop Ayurveda. Addiction you better shop also has a normal Ayurveda. There is a much wider range of goods and enshrined by the government printed rates that are VERY cheap!
We were in Galle:
B. Ponnamperuma
Centre for indigeneous (Ayurvedic)
MEDICINES & DRUGS
- No.34, Kithulampitiya Road, Kalegana, bile
or
No.25-Olcott Mawatha, Galle
