Today was an excellent day. The whole team was upbeat about the success of Sarvodaya yesterday and optimism was high about our scheduled trip to visit the house of Rory Spowers in Samakanda. We were to set off at 9am and planed to arrive there at about 10am, so we gathered for breakfast at 8am to eat together and discuss the day ahead.
Breakfast was delicious. I have to say the food here in Sri Lanka is truly excellent and our host Jagath in incredibly hospitable. The option of fried eggs and bacon was sat aside a Sri Lankan alternative, which included some kind of delightful thin bread with herbs and spices mixed in. Very tasty. Mohan rang ahead to confirm the meeting was on and indeed David, a friend and colleague of Rory, would be there to meet us. Once this had been done we set off.

The drive inland was beautiful and made an interesting contrast to the coastal communities we have become accustomed to seeing. I have to say I was surprised at the quality of the roads and many of the buildings. Then again it was the coast that had been damaged by the Tsunami, further inland was much more protected. The sights were stunning, paddy fields green and lush stretching out into the distance, rivers and stunning rainforest all around. The land here is so fertile there is an abundance of different types of herbs, spices, vegetables and fruit trees everywhere you look. I am also becoming more comfortable with seeing how the road system works. At first it just looks like chaos with everyone honking their horns and taking over in what looks like a reckless manner. Its scary to start of with however, I have figured it out! And it works! The horn doesn’t have the same affect as it would in the UK, people just use it to create awareness, kind of like a bat uses noise to select were services are, the horn informs people you’re coming, taking over or simply that you just know them. No one gets stressed either, not that I have seen anyway.

We travelled up into the low mountains. It seemed quite an inappropriate name for a place that appeared quite high up. The road leading up to Rory’s house is to say the lest a touch precarious. It’s a thin dirt path slightly wider than our couch, with a steep drop on the right hand side. At first I thought it must have been a wrong turning however once we reached the top I was blown away at how amazing the place was. There was a giant agricultural bowl right in front of us and a beautiful house to the left. We pulled up and jumped out of the van. David was waiting for us. Lovely chap. About 6ft 3 with jet-black curly hair with a casual relaxed demeaour and a warm welcome. He offered to show us round the place and then we planed to sit down later and go though our research questions with him.

The grounds are a fascinating compilation of sustainable projects. Primarily, however, Rory’s work is focused on perma-culture. Most of the materials on site are organic, from the methods of farming to the materials used to construct the guest houses for tourists. Their will be more detail on this in our report however there were a couple of things I found particularly interesting during the tour. All the materials used to make the huts came from the site itself. The walls were made out of clay from the bowl, the pillars were made from coconut tree wood and even the thatching was grown onsite using sustainable farming methods. Very creative. What impressed me the most about these structures was the fact that each hut had….wait for it…..you guessed it….AN OUTDOOR PIZZA OVEN!!! Love it.

The land was originally used as a tea estate however it had been abandoned for 30 years meaning the soil was free from pesticides allowing for the immediate plantation of organic crops. The tea plants form at the top of what is called the bowl (a bowl shaped agricultural space). This allows for the nutrients’ to drain down though the soil towards the vegetable gardens and paddy fields at the base. The composting system follows the same process, allowing for nearly all the organic waste on the site to be recycled. Human waste goes into the earth also and not into a river or even the sewer.

After the tour we had the chance to interview David in more detail. This was very useful as he was honest and forthcoming with his information and the talk gave us a clearer understanding of the work Rory has been conducting in the area. By the end of the interview we were all very upbeat and happy about the contribution the visit will make to our project. We said our good byes and wished they well in their continued work.

As this was our last interview of the week we thought we would take some time to visit a few places on our return journey to the Jagay bay. Under David’s recommendation we made our way to the old Dutch fort town of Galle. It as situated by the cost and the structure was magnificent. We walked around the walls of the city ramparts and took time to take some excellent pictures. It was great seeing the people there, although I have to say, one of the great things about our jorney is the amount of time we spent away from the tourist sites. The people of Sri Lanka are truly excellent, warm and welcoming, however like any tourist spot, it was very different to what we had become accustomed to on our stay.

After this we drove back to the coast for a meal, and my word the food was awesome! Our driver took us to a place he knew personally. The setting was basic however the food was so tasty it silenced a chatty bunch. We have built a strong bond with our driver who is as much a part of the team as anyone, we took him for lunch to say thank you for all his help and he in turn offered to take us shopping. This was a great opportunity to get my wife something special and what is there more beautiful in Sri Lanka thank the traditional Sari. Before doing so we went to visit a Buddhist Monastery on the way back. They are like nothing I have seen before. The statues of Buddha are gargantuan! Some more than 30 feet in height, incredibly colourful and crafted to perfection. The smell of perfumed incense fills the air, coupled with the beautiful artwork and the melodic chants from Buddhist monks and children, there is a sense of natural mystic in the air. It was very humbling to see all segments of the community together in this space, converting, praying and chanting together. This is something I feel we just don’t have in the UK, and strangely enough it actually made me a bit sad. The younger members of the family here show great respect for the elder generation, it is very humbling and at the same time re-assuring to see that a place like this exists.

After dropping Sergio, Charles and Mohan off, Fangyun and I went shopping with the driver in the nearby town. He made sure we got good rates and I have to tell you the dresses looked fantastic. It was great being amongst the people, the street life here is incredible.

When we returned to the hotel, some of the other group members asked what we had been up to. Kyoko was so interested both her and Fangyun went right back out to the shops to buy a dress for Kyoko. It was great to see.

Tomorrow we plan to correlate our notes and plan for how we will construct the essay. Aside from that it’s a well earned day off for my team.