Mountain High.....Sri Lankan Style

Hello again,

Up until this point I have only explored a relatively short stretch of the Southern Sri Lankan coast. Last Friday after yoga, myself and two friends decided to go inland and see the mountains of this exotic island. A local friend of ours was the driver and as the midday heat settled on the coastal plain we cruised up into the hills along narrow bumpy roads littered with screaming buses, tuk-tuks, bicycles, and an occasional cow sauntering down the center of the road. Our destination was Ella, elevation 3500 feet.

The place we stayed was amazing. It had a commanding view of the valley. Looking out you could see through the Ella Gap and down to the hot humid coastal plain below. The next day we took a sweet hike up to Ella rock. When we were on the summit a swarm of thousands of bees passed overhead and we all had to lay on the ground and just let them pass over. Joining us on the summit for a while was a group of young accountants from Colombo. They were on a work outing for the weekend. On the hike we passed over a giant waterfall, walked through terraced rice fields, and cruised the train tracks for a while too.

The next day we took a train through the mountains for an hour and a half to the next town, Haputale. From there we visited a nearby tea factory that Sir Thomas Lipton opened in 1890. The hill country of Sri Lanka is pretty much a massive tea plantation. Like cotton in the south, the every available acre here was turned into tea plantations by the British. Also, since there was no work force in the hills, they imported Tamil people from Southern India to pick tea....i.e. slave labor basically. On the coast where I've been it is all Sinhalese Buddhist people. In the hills it is mostly Hindu Tamils who speak a completely different language and have totally different customs. The Tamils are also the most strikingly beautiful people I have seen here......without a doubt.

Riding the train through the mountains was exhilarating. Last month I read The Great Railway Bazaar, and I completely agree with the author's sentiment that upon hearing the whislte of a train my spirit always yearns to be on it with my body hanging out of a window watching the world roll by. On the train we passed waterfalls, terraced rice fields, mountain people, tunnels, and grand vistas.

After three nights in the hills it was time to head back to Rocky Point. We didn't rush out of Ella however. We spent pretty much the whole day there and didn't get home till late that evening. Before leaving the hills I bought some of the most delicious wild bee honey that I've ever tasted...hands down. Everyone else agreed. We also got a bottle of the local "maple syrup." It has the most sweet smokey delicous flavor. It was a wonderful trip to a completely different world within Sri Lanka and I look forward to returning soon.

Many blessings to all of you. Love, Jacob

Rice and Curry Feast

Greetings,

Last Friday myself and a couple friends went to a local family for dinner. We had 13 different dishes and each one was better than the next. Pineapple curry, Okra, sweet peppers, pumpkin, roti, two types of rice, and more. We put out a beautiful spread on the living room floor and all ate together.

I have met some wonderful people here and they are all very kind and generous. Attached are some more photos of that night. One picture is the entire family and then some of the food preperation. I went over to the house early and helped them chop veggies. All the food was cooked over an open flame in the house with cinnamon wood.....it gives a great flavor to the food. Three generations of women in the family prepared the meal. I arrived at 5:30 and they were already cooking. We didn't eat until like 9 PM. I have also taught the family how to play backgammon and dominos. It is so refreshing and educational to be connecting with people outside of the States.

People often refer to places like Sri Lanka as the "3rd World." I prefer to not use this term because I feel that it is a language convention that perpertuates a hierarchical structure. It is that mindset that has historically allowed people in the "1st world" to feel okay about how people and resources of the "3rd world" have been utilized and exploited. Instead I like to think about where I am living as the "real world." More than 2/3 of the global population lives in conditions similar to Sri Lanka or worse.

The days continue to pass here as do yoga and meditation. Some nights it is so easy to sit for an hour, while others drag on. The other night I woke up and had a tick sucking blood out of my neck....later that day I got a spider bite and my elbow swelled up for a day. Ah the tropics....such ecological diversity :)

The weather is definitely heating up here and getting more humid. I guess that it just cranks up for the next couple months and finally explodes into the monsoon season. Hope you are all well. Cheers, Jake

Sri Lanka Salon

Hi Folks,

I just left the local Muslim salon. A very kind older man gave me a great cut and a shave. It was a tiny hole in the wall, literally. He didn't speak a word of English, and he gave me the best cut and shave I've ever had. He was meticulous and all I heard for half an hour was the chop chop of the sissors around my head and ears. I swear that he examined each and every hair on my head. Then he shaved me with an old traditional straight razor. He was super smooth and got it baby soft. When you get a haircut here it includes a vigorous head massage. Very pleasant.

It's Friday afternoon and another week of yoga has come and gone. The time just keeps passing and things at Rocky Point are continually evolving. This is really only the second year that the yoga center has been in full operation and it is a work in progress. Everyone seems interested in helping out and yesterday we did a bunch of cleaning around the place and outfitted the kitchen with lots of new stuff. They loved it.

I am off now to go have diner with a local family I've gotten to know. Three of us from Rocky Point are going to have a meal with them. It's nice being in one place and getting to know people and the local pulse.

Photos:

First me at the barbur shop. Next a Peace Pagoda in a town nearby. The Japanese donated it after the tsunami. The view of the coast from the Pagoda. The wall along the old fort in Galle at sunset. Several of us went last weekend for a night to Unawatuna. It was nice to leave Rocky Point and check out some other spots. We cruised around the old walled city and watched the sunset that night.

Yogis go on a Fieldtrip

People arrive at Rocky Point and settle into life here very quickly. The yoga, meditation, spontaneous class or workshop, swims, fruit salad, etc. all lure people into a simple life. People intend to visit for a week or two and often stay for a month or two. I've been here about 7 weeks or so already and I've seen it happen multiple times.
Once they've become adjusted to life here people just dig in. So, during the past week I have broken out of the mold and actually left Rocky Point. First I went to a town about 2 hours away with a few folks. More snorkeling and a beautiful secluded beach that you hiked down to. Also had the best food yet.......amazing pineapple curry. Sri Lanka is currently empty of tourists. The violence is keeping people away for sure! I hardly see any other whites...especially where we are.
Also, last night was a big event because we actually go like 14 people to go turtle watching nearby. We saw some big Green Sea Turtles. It was beautiful to watch her crawl up the beach and then listen to her digging a hole for the 100-150 eggs. People were excited and the refuge where we went was on an incredible stretchof beach. They had about 2.5 km of wide sandy beach that had absolutely no development or residential light. It was the nicest stretch I've seen. Five different species of turtle nest here and we saw the most common.
Many blessings to all of you!

Rocky Point's Revenge

Who remembers the movie Airplane with Chevy Chase? Did you have the chicken or the fish? Then the shit hits the fan and people start getting really sick on the plane...pilot included. If you haven't seen it check it out sometime.

Here at Rocky Point the question is who ate the salad?......and the answer is everyone. Last Friday night we had a going away party for two people who have been part of our family here since the middle of December. We planned a special meal followed by an evening of dancing that included Sufi, Bhangra, Bollywood etc. Several guests volunteered to prepare dishes so the whole meal was cooked by foreigners. It was primarily Indian and we had chick peas, potatoes, some steamed beets with their greens, a yogurt cucumber dish and a grated salad that was made with mixed veggies. We set the table beautifully and several people shared some blessings. The food was served and we were all excited for the evening.

I am not kidding when I say that it took less than 30 minutes for all of us to start dropping out of sight and crawl back to our rooms. Everyone who ate got sick. It was amazing how virulent the bacteria was. Explosive Diarrhea for 24 hours. Saturday was like a time warp. By Sunday most people felt okay but my energy is still lagging today (Monday) . I think that I lost like 10 pounds of water weight in no time.

After some investigative work it has been determined that the salad was the problem. Apparently it was made in the afternoon and left out. Whatever was in the salad had time to multiply exponentially until it hit our stomachs. An honest novice mistake that we will all remember for a long time. Just follow the local example and you'll stay healthy....but let the foreigners in the kitchen and watch out.

I think by tomorrow all will be be back to normal. Life in Sri Lanka continues with the No Problem pace and outlook. Thanks for reading the blog and I'll send more soon.

Cheers, Jake

Photos:

The first two shots are of Rocky Point. The next shot is our nice table before the onslaught and finally a local temple.

Tea and Crackers....

Hello all,

Life here continues and I am actually finding myself settling into life in Sri Lanka more and more as the weeks pass. I especially feel that way when I find myself bumping into local people that I have meet. Today is a market day.....and what a spread. Veggies, clothes, every type of plastic item you can think of, colorful spices, mysterious fruits etc.

I have also become friends with a local Muslim family here. A week ago I got a ride back to Rocky Point in a tuk-tuk (three wheeled taxi) and the driver spoke great English. He had lived in Saudi Arabia for 13 years. He went there for 10 months each year to work so that he could support his family here. He would come home for 2 months and then return.

So, yesterday a friend and I can to town on poya day....aka full moon day. Everything is closed and it was cool to see the town center quiet. You could actually walk across the street and not have to dodge various moving objects following completely random trajectories. As we walked around we suddenly heard our names being yelled. It was Haafeel, the tuk-tuk driver. We started chatting and then a tremendous rain storm began. So we cruised with him in the tuk-tuk and did a few things and then went to his house. We spent several hours having tea and teaching them how to play dominos and backgammon....he had games that other visitors had given him as gifts.

The pictures....first a shot in a National Park....then my outdoor bedroom in the men's dorm, third a river shot with some people bathing, and lastly the jeef in the national park.

More stories soon......

Jacob

Civil War in Sri Lanka

Hi folks,

It is crazy to think that on this tropical island there is a civil war. The people I am with and the locals that I have gotten to know are all kind beautiful people but not too far away people are killing one another. The violence has sparked in the last month or so and we will definitely keep a watch on things. I am very happy that I am living at this yoga center and not just wondering around the country. Life here for the local people is difficult too. Inflation has gone up a lot because of the war......the price of goods has risen more than 30% in the past couple weeks. There is tremendous poverty and most families are living on less than $2 a day I was told. Very sobering. This is the exactly where I am supposed to be at this point in time. May you and all the Sri Lanka people have a peaceful day. Much Love, Jacob