Linda and our hostess Ayesha saying goodbye.

Breakfast at 6:30am to get an early start on the bikes before the heat and the traffic.  Bright sunshine and already 26c.  Cycled past young Hindu girls heading for the temple, dressed so smarty in bright yellow saffron sari’s.  Sad that we  ran out of time and didn’t get to explore more of the village, the dolomite quarry and the craft workers. We hope to come back, great place.

The team: Paul from Silicon Valley, Suranga our cycling guide, Linda, Paul, Janice and Bill from Glasgow.

Crazy driving, crazy road

Workers in rice fields

Paul experiencing some Ayurveda treatment at the spice and herb garden.

Great tree

Our group, plus Marcus, our main guide and Dinesh, Tata driver and Mr T lookalike.

Cycling on the roads is fun, exhilarating  and a challenge. You have to keep listening and watching, both in front and behind you. Blue private buses are crazy, fast and on a mission: to get to wherever they need to by… a few minutes ago. Roads mainly tarmac, but quite a lot of mud at times. Sadly a dog met his end by the side of a road today.

Cycling through busy villages, and workers in paddy fields. They don’t know it’s Sunday.

Actually rather relaxing. Saw loads of spices growing, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, cocoa, coffee and an interesting plant called cocaine.

Neck and shoulder massage – spot the cyclist.

Entrance to Golden Temple

Home of the highest Buddha in Sri Lanka.

And great caves with loads of Buddas, dating back over 500 years. Some of the caves are over 2,000 years old, each one filled with various Buddahs, created by kings to show their spirituality. Not so sure. Buddha isn’t a God, but seems to be treated like one by some.

The recumbent Buddha carved into the granite cave

The feet of Buddha

Buddha statues carved out of brick and clay.

Sundown over Matale plains – centre of Sri Lanka.

This recumbent Buddha is carved out of the rock itself. Still some of the gold leaf can be seen. Impressive.

Lovely end to the day.

Now to food.

John, our host

Breakfast: milk rice, tuna curry and fresh fruit – delicious

One of John and Ayesha precious babies

John and Ayesha our hosts bought 10 acres in Digana as a development project to help the local villagers whose lives are third world, and change all their lives. They developed Tamarind Gardens.  The area experiences drought for 7 months of the year and the government does not supply continuous water even though it charges for it.  John and Ayesha, in collaboration with Walker Tours, a Sri Lanka based company provide an authentic opportunity for visitors to the area to experience life in rural Sri Lanka.  Visitors are able to assist with projects, depending on their length of stay, eg, build a chicken coop, hook up a water tank, anything and everything.  They have established a small Jersey herd and John is proud of his neufchatel style cheese and clotted cream.  He is able to sell these to specialist organic shops in Colombo where there is high demand. We tasted the clotted cream, with home made scones. Oh Gosh! Almost as good as Cornish clotted cream. (In fact better, but we can’t say that). We were both really taken by the whole concept, our hosts and the magical spirit of the place.

Taking the Jersey milk to market

Handmade incense sticks

Paul under Ficus tree; the species under which Buddha meditated.

The cabins overlook Victoria reservoir which is fished by the local villagers.  We had a paddle out up to the dam in one of the fisherman’s canoes – cool breezes across the water and totally peaceful.  At certain times of the year the elephants do come across from the opposite hillside to graze.  They are “encouraged” by the use of firecrackers not to swim across to the village.

View from our cabin, early morning

Paddling across the Victoria reservoir

The hole left by Linda’s foot (cow poo).

John has seen a Russell’s viper by his cowshed which his manager was swift to dispatch.  The viper is responsible for the highest number of human deaths….. (not  a common  species in this area)

Cultural experience in Kandy

Cultural experience in Kandy, Ves dancers. Highly regarded and loads of symbolic dancing. Some of it came over more like a circus, until the symbolism was explained by Marcus, our guide and chauffeur.

Supper – freshwater lobster from the reservoir. £2 for them both.

Aga, eat your heart out

Making string hoppers.

Supper cooked on a wood fire range, helped, or rather not helped by Paul, making string hoppers. They are rice flour and water, squirted onto a reed dish and then steamed. Yummy.