Today, we were supposed to visit 2 temples and maybe go to
Kandy. That didn’t quite happen. Instead
we had a very interesting cultural experience….
Upali is the father in law of Desmond, the very kind
caretaker here at the Octagon. Our
beautiful accommodation in Wegiriya. Upali
has been working on the Octagon property, picking black pepper corns for the
last few days. He visited/had tea with Toby
a few times.
Today, he needed to go to his home, in Embekka, a
neighbouring village where there’s a famous temple. Since we wanted to visit the temple, we agreed
to share a tuktuk. In the morning. But this simple plan, got kinda strange….
We did share a ride.
But at about noon. After Upali had
tea with us, picked more pepper, and then had a shower. OK….
When we finally got to Embekka, it felt to me like we should buy
something from his friends’ shop near the temple. OK….
Then we visited his house. That was cool, but kinda strange….
We walked through pretty rice paddies, and a narrow rocky trail
to get to his house. Which
is definitely a bachelor pad. Then we had tea.
And waited while he raked his yard, had a bath at the well in the rice
paddy, washed his clothes, and chatted with
his buddies who were also having their bath.
To be clear, everyone wears their sarong while they bathe at the well.
Then we had tea again and waited while he chatted with another buddy. A guy straight from a comic book. All the while, a few neighbours walked past us on their way to the well. I must be the first white person to visit Upali. The neighbours all stared. Happily, in a friendly way.
Upali asked if I wanted to bathe too. He offered
to lend me a sarong. Can you imagine if
I’d accepted? How much staring the neighbours would have done then?!!! No thank you.
Pictures
1- Toby and Upali having tea at the Octagon.
2- While we waited for Upali to shower, we met Amanda and Adam, Desmond's kids. Amanda had great English. She asked, sweet as pie...Would you like to swing with me ?
3- Toby, Darky, and me. Amanda took the picture like a pro. Said she has a camera just like mine.
4- Toby and Upali walking to Upali's house. It was a really pretty walk.
5-Upali's modest house. In a beautiful space with trees that provide banana, soursop, coconuts, jackfruit and likely more!
6- Toby and Sudda (Whitey). Do you know what Sudda's job is? To scare away the wild pigs at night! The pigs are very destructive. They can dig up big sections of the rice paddies in no time!
7- Toby, Upali, and a neighbour. The neighbour looked just like a comic book character! With hair coming out of his ears so far I could see it from about 15 feet away!
8- The men bathing at the well in the rice paddy. It did look like a great place to bathe!
9- A rice plant up close. They can harvest twice per year. This crop isn't ready yet. They need more rain.
Then we visited his house. That was cool, but kinda strange….
We walked through pretty rice paddies, and a narrow rocky trail
to get to his house. Which
is definitely a bachelor pad. Then we had tea.
And waited while he raked his yard, had a bath at the well in the rice
paddy, washed his clothes, and chatted with
his buddies who were also having their bath.
To be clear, everyone wears their sarong while they bathe at the well.Then we had tea again and waited while he chatted with another buddy. A guy straight from a comic book. All the while, a few neighbours walked past us on their way to the well. I must be the first white person to visit Upali. The neighbours all stared. Happily, in a friendly way.
Upali asked if I wanted to bathe too. He offered
to lend me a sarong. Can you imagine if
I’d accepted? How much staring the neighbours would have done then?!!! No thank you. Pictures
1- Toby and Upali having tea at the Octagon.
2- While we waited for Upali to shower, we met Amanda and Adam, Desmond's kids. Amanda had great English. She asked, sweet as pie...Would you like to swing with me ?
3- Toby, Darky, and me. Amanda took the picture like a pro. Said she has a camera just like mine.
4- Toby and Upali walking to Upali's house. It was a really pretty walk.
5-Upali's modest house. In a beautiful space with trees that provide banana, soursop, coconuts, jackfruit and likely more!6- Toby and Sudda (Whitey). Do you know what Sudda's job is? To scare away the wild pigs at night! The pigs are very destructive. They can dig up big sections of the rice paddies in no time!
7- Toby, Upali, and a neighbour. The neighbour looked just like a comic book character! With hair coming out of his ears so far I could see it from about 15 feet away!
8- The men bathing at the well in the rice paddy. It did look like a great place to bathe!
9- A rice plant up close. They can harvest twice per year. This crop isn't ready yet. They need more rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment