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Published: November 10th 2008
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I’d made the decision to end my big Asian adventure with a month in Sri Lanka for a number of reasons. First and foremost was to soak up paradise and get some waves after a long absence from the surf life and it was also a chance for Lisa to have some time to acclimatise to home after over a year and a half away from Sweden. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. I had some fantastic surfs, met some
lovely people and saw some beautiful things.
I completed my first official pilgrimage, climbing the 2243m Adam’s Peak, a sacred site for Buddhists, Muslims and Christians alike. The climb takes around 4 and a half hours from the base camp and is a tough slog despite having steps the whole way. Just when you start feeling like you’re doing it tough and might not make it you’ll meander past a grandmother who confesses she is on her 35th pilgrimage to the top! I thought a pilgrimage only had to happen once, a test of endurance to say, “Hey Big Guy, check it out. Look what thou’st done for the Mighty One”. But no, apparently with the
Buddhists it’s the more the merrier where the purification of the soul is concerned. A rewarding moment on the climb is the ringing of the bell atop the peak. Needless to say many people had enough energy in the reserve tank to muster a solid giggle when I stepped up to ring a measly one chime! Still I was proud.
A photo of Adams Peak from the air can be found below:
The central-west of the island holds some of the greatest tea growing climate on the planet and they certainly take advantage of this. No other crop on the planet could be so scenic to look at and wander through. Not only do you have the stunning, rich green plants clinging to the sides of vast, steep mountains but as a bonus there are magnificently coloured women freckled throughout the landscaping picking the fresh tips for your tasting pleasure back home. It’s the photographic equivalent of ‘London High Tea’. Venturing to a tea plantation high atop the mountains I discovered an entire township of Tamil people (the ethnic minority) who had never before had white visitors to the plantation. The plantations establish entire communities high in these mountains preventing the need for workers to travel to and from the fields. Hence people never leave as they are provided with all the services they need, there was some funny looks from the little kids.
I spent over three weeks of my time there living with a family in a small village called Midigama. I’d met the family on our previous trip to Sri Lanka and was welcomed with open arms. For a mere $6.50 a day I lived across the road from one of the best reef breaks on the coast and was fed a huge breakfast and dinner and countless tasty treats. My routine of waking up, rolling out of bed and straight into the 28 degree water was something I had no difficulty in adapting to. I met some great people there and am pleased to account that the majority of people are doing surprisingly well in the aftermath of the tsunami. There are only a few children that surf in the village, persevering on hand-me-down equipment from surfers past. Being toward the end of the season I was generally the only surfer staying in the village so spent most surfs mixing it up
with the masses of sea turtles and brilliant parrot fish that call the place home. Pretty special.
‘Turtle-Man’ (aka Splinter) is the ingenious name I gave to one of the characters in Midigama who has taken on the role of turtle saviour for no reason than his pure love for the creatures. A huge problem in Sri Lanka is the poaching of sea-turtle eggs from the beach. The poachers are so bold as to often take them straight from the turtle as she lays, not unlike a supermarket checkout. Eggs are either eaten as part of the local cuisine or sold and smuggled out of the country. ‘Turtle-Man’ has commandeered the entire length of Plantation Beach in Midigama and keeps a constant vigil for laying females. It would be impossible for him to keep a permanent eye on the beach to protect the gestating eggs (they incubate for around a month) so instead he relocates the eggs to a beachfront property where he buries each collection in plots, noting the time, date and number of eggs. Like clockwork he can predict the night of the hatch and is there to collect them before releasing them into the sea. On
one night we were present to see 230 turtle babies take their first breath! He does this all on his own time and for no financial gain. He explained to me that if he were to apply for a permit to do what he is doing (it’s illegal to extract eggs from the beach) it would cost him thousands of dollars. He could be imprisoned for doing what he does but nothing could prevent him from this crusade. What can I say; ‘Turtle-Man’ loves turtles, “Turtle Power!”
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