White Water Rafting on River Kelani

 The river Kelani runs through the village of Kithulgala.
We have been white water rafting twice now, its awesome! The journey to the starting point is funny too, 6 people in a tuktuk with the raft on top!

The first time we went, the water level was high and the white water pretty strong, the second time we went we were told they have closed off the dam upstream and the water level was much lower.

The journey lasts between an hour and an hour and a half, paddling downstream, charging through the rapids, and trying your best not to get thrown out of the boat! The scenery is unbelievable, traveling down the river through thick jungle, surrounded by misty mountains, with animals all around, over hanging trees. It really was beautiful.
You had to be careful when looking around and taking in the wonderful scenery though because as soon as someone realised you weren’t paying attention you got pushed off the boat!

 

The instructors enjoyed winding us up to, telling us things like there were crocodiles in the river, and that the cable that went across the river at boat level was an electricity cable and that we weren’t allowed to touch it! Which was hilarious, as we neared it he shouted get down, everyone dived into the raft as he casually lifted it with his oar and laughed to himself!

The first time rafting, when the water level was higher, the rapids were a lot more fierce and John and Niclas fell out of the raft! The second time however, when the level was a lot lower, there were quite a few section where the water was lower than some of the rocks and the raft got stuck. The instructor had to get out on numerous occasions to free the raft to carry on, which was entertaining in itself!

 

The other boat actually got caught under one of the heavy rapids, filled up with water, and everyone had to abandon ship while their instructor tried to free the raft. We came along shortly after, wedged ourselves against some rocks so that our instructor could go and lend him a hand. Eventually after pretty much getting right underneath the raft they finally managed to get it free.

 

Both times, on the last stretch of river we all jumped out and floated down the river. The first time was amazing, how often do you get to float down a river in the middle of the jungle whilst chatting to your friends after you’ve been white water rafting?! And as if that wasn’t good enough, it then began to rain, everyone was in agreement, that it was one of the most amazing experiences they had ever had.

Next time we are going to try night rafting, can’t wait!

One year til I’m 30

For my birthday we headed to Weligama in the south of the island, for a relaxing weekend away. The journey was the same as normal, we asked several people the train times and got several different answers, we asked ‘is this the train to Matara?’ some said yes, some said no. It’s like a puzzle figuring out whether or not you’ve got on the correct train. It’s quite funny really, people always want to please you and in saying ‘no’ they feel they may be letting you down, so they say ‘yes’ instead. Leaving you happy… but on the wrong train.

On the train, I was chatting to a young guy from India for about an hour, who when he saw Halina, said ‘you have very beautiful hair’. I then found out he was actually a hair stylist, and I couldn’t help but think, surely that’s your idea of a nightmare?!

We arrived in Weligama after dark, and without a place to stay. We decided to look for a few places once we arrived, as we know you can find cheaper places that aren’t on the Internet. We found a nice place on the beach, but it was a bit pricey, especially for two people not getting paid for one year! And as it was the first night we only needed a bed to sleep in, so we found a place much cheaper just down the road.

In the morning we headed back to the other place, Bay View, and settled there for the next two days. It was on the beach, with a restaurant attached and surfboards for hire… perfect! We spent the weekend in the sea, on the beach and eating lots of food.

On the evening of my birthday, we sat in the restaurant enjoying a few drinks and had some lovely food. Over the other side was a young Sri Lankan girl who’s birthday it was too. She had her family there, they sung happy birthday and gave her a cake… All I had was Halina! Greeeaaat!?
What was really sweet though, and a coincidence, was during our meal the girl came over and gave Halina and myself a piece of her cake. Coffee cake! Urrrrgh!

The only big oops of the weekend was that I forgot the sun cream and we both burnt our faces! Apart from that it was perfect; sun, sea, surf, puzzles, food, drink and of course, my beautiful Halina.

The following week, we were about to head over to the MEF restaurant for dinner, when Halina asked where I was going and instead walked back through the house. She had planned a surprise birthday BBQ at the house, decorated with banners and balloons, and more impressive than anything else… managed to keep it a secret!!!

The food was awesome, as it is every BBQ we have, and I ‘thought’ everyone was having a great time. Everyone was eating plenty, drinking lots and we had a big game of poker too. I became suspicious of the photos being taken as I was never allowed to see them after they were taken and when everyone else looked, they laughed!

I guess I was the only person having a good time? Bellends!!

Carrom

Many of our friends that have visited Sri Lanka have told us that a ‘must do’ is to play carrom. Carrom is a traditional Sri Lankan game played by all the locals. So, we bought a carrom board, having no idea how to play.

As soon as we got the board out here at MEF, Chandana (one of our mahouts), came running over to teach us how to play. It is so much fun!!!

We play it now almost every night! However, when on a team with a Sri Lankan you have to learn to laugh at the disappointing looks they give you every time you miss! Ha!

 

No better way to spend an afternoon, than sitting in the sunshine overlooking the elephants beating the mahouts at their own game!

Ankle straps have arrived for Pooja, Lakshmi and Bandara

We had a volunteer so kindly buy an ankle strap for Rani and Raja, a while back. Having found that the elephants and mahouts like and get on with them, critical, we started fundraising for more. We now, thanks to many of our kind hearted volunteers, have enough funds for one for each elephants front and back leg. Awesome!

We are introducing these ankle straps for many reasons. When males go into musth, a period of increased testosterone, in which they become very aggressive, they currently (due to us having no musth pens here yet, something we are working towards) are kept up in their beds for this time. These males often pull against their chains, causing scarring of their hind legs. These ankle straps are designed to prevent this. Made of a strong canvas, they do not rub or damage the elephants skin when pulled against. Another benefit of these straps is the protection from lightening. If lightening is to strike a tree, it can pass through the chain to the elephant. Since we have been here (4 months), we have heard of 2 elephants that this has happened to in Sri Lanka. Many people, including myself, do not like to see the elephants on chains. We, associate chains with shackles, imprisonment. Unfortunately, without an enclosure here, there is no choice. In an ideal world, these elephants would be wild and free, but for these captive elephants, this is not the case, and with chains being one of the only materials strong enough to restrain an elephant, they are part of their lives, they are used to them, and they do not cause them any harm. The elephants even help the mahouts put them on in the morning! So, as well as the ankle straps benefiting the elephants, they also benefit us, as it helps us understand that they are more of a restraint and safety measure, than a shackle. Soon, each of the elephants here will have one on their back leg and one on their front leg.

In time, with the enclosure, the lives of these captive elephants will be completely different. But until then, this is a small something that we can do to make a difference.

 

It was Wayne and myself (Halina), that paid for Bandara’s ankle strap. Without having favourites, we both have a soft spot for our old man looking Bandara. He looks very happy with his new gift.

The mahouts are very happy with their elephants new anklets. Above is Nuan showing off his matching anklet that I bought him!

Habarana Week 3

A slightly shorter week to be had in Habarana this week, as on Monday we had a small celebration for Pooja’s birthday. All the volunteers gathered as Pooja smashed apart her giant birthday cake to get to the tasty fruit hidden inside, it was a great afternoon.

We headed off to Habarana late in the afternoon. After driving for about an hour along the windy and very bumpy road from Randeniya, we reached a sign in the middle of the road, which translated as ‘road closed’! We thought this was going to add extra hours onto the journey, but thankfully, it was only an extra ten minutes.

Upon arrival we were greeted with friendly smiles, a few high fives and a cup of Deepika’s amazing sugary tea. We then showed the new volunteers around and explained a bit about what we were doing in the area, and shortly after, tucked into a delicious traditional meal of rice, fresh fish from the lake, sambol, dahl, poppadoms and chopped passionfruit leaf.

Day 1

Early on Tuesday morning, right on schedule, Peeder turned up on his bicycle with fresh vegetables for sale. We asked if he would mind us asking a few questions. Peeder is eighty years old and was a carpenter most of his life, but is now unable to do such heavy work, so supports his family through farming. He sells his crops in two villages and earns around 300-400 rupees per day, and always sells out.
We asked Podi about Peeder working at eighty, and whether this was a common occurrence, he said that in Sri Lanka, a lot of men enjoy working and like to work until they are no longer able to do so.

You get to see a lot of things in Sri Lanka that you don’t see in the Western world, like on the back of Peeder’s bicycle, an old style set of scales to weigh the vegetables. Everything is electronic for us these days, but something about seeing an eighty year old man, on a bicycle, with a small amount of fresh vegetables and these old scales, leading such a simple but happy life, really made me smile.

Later in the morning, Podi had arranged for the volunteers to lend a helping hand at the local temple. We arrived to find a group of friendly Sri Lankans rebuilding the steps leading up to this beautiful sacred site. We asked how we could help and formed a line from top to bottom and helped them move a pile of bricks to where they needed them, and remove all the unwanted stones. It felt good to work along side these locals and with all of us lending a helpful hand, the place was a lot tidier in no time.

They were very grateful for our help and wished us a long life. It is moments like this, simply helping people, that remind us all what this project is all about!

At lunch time we sat and taught Sanduni and Sandeli how to play the new game we had bought for them, snakes and ladders! They really enjoyed the game and it was great to see their reactions to going down the snakes and the sheer excitement of going up a ladder.

We also encouraged them to count in English and taught them the words ‘up, down, snake and ladder’ too.

The game was obviously a hit as we saw them playing it most of the day and also teaching their friends how to play.

After lunch a few of the local children came round for an English lesson, always great fun, the children here have so much energy and enthusiasm, as well as beaming smiles! It seems they enjoy learning from us, as much as we enjoy teaching them.

Today, we started teaching times, a lot easier said than done. It is not as simple as we first thought, but we gave it a shot. You forget it’s not simply a case of one, two, three, four… you have to learn past and to; quarter past, half past and quarter to; five past, twenty past, ten to, etc. Tricky!
We had some posters with different objects on and asked the children to name them, sat in a circle and played the memory game and then finished with lots of games, and of course, hide and seek.

That evening, whilst Halina and I were writing up a few notes from the day, we overheard Sanduni and Sandeli playing snakes and ladders in the next room, and they were not only counting in English, but every time they went down a snake, we heard them say ‘down, down, down’, very sweet, and great that they are learning.

Day 2

The second day started with a very cultural experience. We spent the morning with Mahinda, on his land, where he was giving thanks to the God Ganesh, for protecting him and his land through the season.

We were told that farmers, at the start of the season, before they plants their crops, they pray to God and ask that he help and protect their land, from many things, including elephants. They hang a coconut at the start of the season and promise to give it to the Gods after the harvest.

So today, we were giving thanks to God Ganesh, as Mahinda had a successful year. Millawana, an elder member of the village was there to front the ceremony. They had laid out a white sheet, which had five sets of leaves, fruit and burning incense. We all sat around and watched everything being set up. Mahinda asked me if I wanted to help him by grating some coconut, of course I complied and took my seat on, what can only be described as, a wooden stool with a big scary spiky arm sticking out the front. I used this to grate a couple coconuts, then Grant took over and did a few too.

In a huge pot on the fire, he then mixed rice and the coconut with banana and sugar, which they then served onto banana leaves and placed in front of the Gods as an offering. Millawana then took a piece of wood from the fire and sprinkled a powder over the smouldering end of the stick and then wafted it above everything on the white sheet. The smell was incredible!

After giving thanks to the Gods and offering them all that was on the sheet, Millawana picked up half a coconut shell with a yellow liquid in, and blessed everyone in turn. Then Mahinda took the coconut that he had left on his land at the start of the season, removed the outer husk and took the center, he closed his eyes and spoke a few soft words. He then took the coconut high in the air and threw down hard, smashing the coconut to pieces over a rock on the ground, giving to God Ganesh as he had promised at the start of the season.

We were then served some of the coconut rice ourselves on a banana leaf, which was sweet and delicious. We all just about managed to eat the huge portions we were given, only to have our leaves refilled with an equally huge portion! Needless to say, none of us needed lunch today!

As volunteers working closely with this community, we are privileged and very lucky to experience these beautiful cultural events, that many people will never get the chance to see.

On the way back from Mahinda’s land, we stopped outside Nimal’s house to observe three elder ladies of the village weaving Tala tree leaves into baskets. As we showed a lot of interest they began to bring out other items they had made from the same leaves, such as, plates, handbags, storage tubs, in all shapes and sizes. They also told us that they normally last for around 3-4 years, not bad for something made only from leaves!

We asked if they enjoyed making them, to which they all replied yes, they all weave in their spare time. This must be the case because they were looking at us, not their hands, most of the time we were talking. We asked if we could come back and buy a few of each item and sell them in the MEF shop, and when they sold come back and buy some more? Of course, only if they wanted to, to which they all smiled and said yes, they would love to.

In the afternoon, the volunteers went off to Minneriya national park to see the wild elephants and took three of the local children along, we would love to go every time, but as we are volunteers ourselves we can’t really afford to go every two weeks! As much as we want to!
Instead, Halina and I spent the afternoon with a few children, playing games and making friendship bracelets. I’m pretty sure by the end of the day, every child in the village and every volunteer had a new pink and black bracelet.

Around 5 o’clock, Sumana, one of the ladies weaving the baskets earlier, came around to show us how to weave. Firstly, she took the leaves and passed them through a block of wood with a gap and sharp piece of metal, to cut the leaves into equal strips. Then, in a matter of seconds, placed a few leaves alternately on the ground, lifted some ends, bent some leaves and had the base of what was to become a bag. It would have taken me a week to figure out how to do it!

Today was also Sandeli’s birthday, 9 years old. We bought her a cake and all sang happy birthday. Sandeli then started to cut the cake, only problem was, the first slice was pretty much a quarter of the entire cake, so mum had to take over and we all enjoyed a nice bit of cake. One of the volunteers also bought three small water pistols for the children, which proved rather interesting on day 3!

That night Podi had arranged for the volunteers to stay in treehouses on the farmlands, in the jungle. We all jumped on board the trailer, driven by what looked like half a tractor, lit only by torchlight, and headed out into the jungle. We jumped off the trailer and navigated our way through many paddy fields until we found the first treehouse. After they had settled in for the night, we headed over to the second treehouse, where Grant and Caitlin would be staying.

Podi told us, when climbing the ladders to the treehouse, to go slowly and hold the sides of the ladder, rather than the rungs. Being over 6 feet tall, carrying a big backpack and rushing to the top of the ladder with excitement, it was no wonder that a couple of the rungs slid down as Grant ascended! Luckily there was no damage, just a bit of movement, and Grant was fine. Little bit scary but quite funny!

We headed back to the trailer and back to the house. The sky was filled with stars, a perfect night for sleeping in a treehouse.

Day 3

The volunteers all said they really enjoyed their stay in the treehouse, a great experience. That night when they were in the treehouses, Halina and I heard many bats making quite a racket in the tree across the road, apparently there were hundreds having a feast right above Jodi and Kerri, making just as much noise!

That morning we headed out to the farmland to help build a new treehouse, but when we got to the land, there was no farmer in sight. So instead, we took the volunteers on a bit of a tour around the farmland and the edge of the jungle to explain our ideas an show where the elephant corridors were.

We saw elephant dung only a few days old, broken branches possibly from the night before and some huge elephant foot prints on the farmland, proving once again how very real the human-elephant conflict is, in this village.

On our way back, in the distance, we saw Sandu, Sanduni and Sandeli running through the fields and into the water, they were collecting lotus leaves for our evening meal.

Maybe the water pistols we bought wasn’t the best idea, as when we got back to the house we were ambushed by Sanduni and Sandeli, on several occasions!

They bought over a strange green thing, which they broke apart and squeezed out a few seeds, which tasted lovely. They told us it was also from the lotus flower.

Finally the volunteers had had just about enough of being attacked by water pistols and started to fight back. More children started to turn up and join in, and within minutes there was a full blown water fight going on. The children were filling up bowls and bottles, Sandu was even using the hosepipe! Ten minutes and lots of soaking people later, it dawned on us that it hadn’t rained here in Habarana for 6 months, as soon as we realised this we all stopped and went to apologise to Deepika for the waste of water, to which she replied not to worry, it was fine, and she was so happy the kids were all having so much fun. Just in case we weren’t sure if she was being honest, she started spraying us with the hose too! A very entertaining afternoon!

Lunch today, was served on a lotus leaf. Not only did it look amazing, but it is said that it adds a sweet flavour to your food. It was delicious!

After lunch I sat down with Sanduni for half an hour and we switched roles, I got out my notebook and we translated lots of words. For being only twelve years old, her English is outstanding, much better than my Sinhala! I learnt some larger numbers, colours, emotions, family members and some words to do with the weather. Hopefully, both my Sinhala and Sanduni’s English will improve if we do this each time we visit. She would make a good teacher!

Later in the afternoon we went down the road to interview Siripala, however, he was not home. Across the way, was Millawana, the man who led the ceremony on Mahinda’s land, he was also another person we wanted to have a chat to, so Podi asked if he would mind us asking a few questions. We headed down a track next to one of the shops for a bit of shelter from the wind, and set up the camera and a lovely location looking out towards the jungle. Millawana was great to chat to, he had lots to say and had a big smile on his face the whole time.

The driver had come from MEF to pick us up, but just before we left Deepika had put out a delicious spread of tea and homemade cakes, which were amazing! A great send off after another great week.