While a colossus of steel cuts its course through the sea, it offers the same relaxation for the soul. A cruise is a special kind of travel. When we were in Sri Lanka and visited Galle, our large cruise ships are noticed at the fort. of this entry »
Here we do not just fill your hungry stomach but also the hunger for travel and foreign countries, breast-feeding. We travel for you "before" and tell you what we have experienced.
On this website you will find many reports, suggestions and tips in different countries. Mainly reported here about the food. For example, in Thailand to order a meal on its own terms, it is important that you first - if you come from Cologne - some English classes in Cologne has taken. This language is understood by almost all Thais and we will gladly explain the variety of dishes. read more of this entry »
After a long eventful journey we chug along the lush tea plantations, back towards Habaraduwa.
We are hungry and Sunil say we want to invite him to dinner and he should stop at a restaurant where locals eat and fewer tourists.
He is helpless and has to think about something for a while, which is understandable, because he "goes" never actually eat. But finally we stopped at a small, shabby-looking shop called "beach view" even though they saw no sea but the dusty road. We were exhausted but happy at a dirty table, next to a fan down. The shop is located about 240 meters east of the station Habaraduwa on CGHW Highway.
Sunil is very humble and really want to order anything - just a Coca Cola. We simply order different things from the menu and dishes that are not on the map and three-Cola. Various curries, vegetables, meat and fish, and now also reaches to Sunil - mainly in the frit.
We are tired of eating only Sunil is turned completely on its cola, which shows him with powerful effect. We talk about caffeine, he knew nothing about it and he was very impressed. Obviously, the last declared for him stuff.
He tells us in return a lot about Sri Lanka - he has a broad knowledge in terms of his country and its people. Then he told his life story - how he had survived the tsunami, with luck, starting with a broken arm, which is no longer grown together properly, has come of it .. and the happiness of his family, since her house slightly increased in the region around the lake is Koggalla.
Because of his arm he can last activity: chauffeur in "real" cars, meet for "finer tourists / businessmen" and must not only take tuk-tuks. We realize whence comes his intelligence and why he seems so different than the tuk-tuk drivers.
We continue to chug through the jungle by the unspoiled nature, and occasionally one sees a couple of monkeys swinging over our heads back and forth. Noon is now slowly but we were aware that we are getting tired and need a break.
Sunil wants us to still show a tea plantation before and so we stopped by yet. On the way out of the jungle, the next major road, falls forward to even a small hut on the hidden side of the road, from where you take an old man waving. He has a sign in front of the hut and we ask Sunil, what it offers.
This is only a horoscope-man waving from Sunil and continue.
How expensive?
Sunil slows down and causes the direction hut and the old man calls back.
500 for both of us.
We decide to take this experience and why not?
A nearly toothless, old man greets us at the door. Two also toothless women with hair zerstruppten scurry giggling and interested observers in the background.
We sit in the little shack, and everywhere there are old, big books around.
Erdal begins with the meeting and the chart-man begins to read from his hands ... ..
Approx. 1.5 hours later we are both ready. The translation here and there, there were difficulties because the horoscope husband spoke English so poorly Sunil acted as a translator, but this did not always know how he can translate it exactly. But with much circumlocution, we have now become smarter. In conclusion, he builds a kind bracelet for Juliet and sings a protective mantra.
We will see ...
Finally we come to a small house with small garden past. This is the most interesting stop on the journey. I would even say the most impressive. Here lives a couple who have no children and yet they are not alone. For the next harvest, the garden gives them, they have many many birds around. But not in cages, but free birds.
The man we baptize the bird man.
The birds fly up to him and sit on his head or his shoulders when he whistles only. Everywhere in the garden he has set up small, wild, dense bushes, which provide protection to the birds and serve as a nesting site. With his hands he opens an office in one of these bushes and shows us a nest with a nesting bird. The bird moves not little and has no fear. The bird man picks up the bird and shows us that the eggs hatched already and newborn chicks chirping for food. Another bird is added, sits on the shoulder of the bird's Tapster, with prey in its beak and feeds down one of the chicks. Everything before our eyes open. We have never seen something so close. The bird jumps back onto the hand of the bird man and the first bird flies further and is again packed to breed in the nest.
But that's not enough. He continues and takes us to his house. He wants to show us something. When we arrive at the door, we marvel not bad: In the middle of the ceiling in the living room has a bird built a nest round ball! It hangs in space like a ceiling lamp. With the difference that this Ökolampe not lit, probes beeps. Totally impressed by this moment, we notice that the bird man wears a bullet around his neck. Sunil I ask what it is all about, with this ball.
Then the bird man, who wore the whole time, a broad smile on his face, suddenly very serious. He said that he had previously fired from pranksters. But now, he knows that what he did was wrong and not the last ball has been hanging around his neck, so he never forgets how painful it has killed animals. We are impressed. We did not expect to make in the jungle such acquaintances - have such thoughts. We note that the couple has grown many small chillies and buy some of the chili-bye and see us completely upset the tuk-tuk again.
It goes on. Where to?
We climb back into the tuk-tuk and drive on. On the way we meet two women, the vegetables and fruit in their baskets have. Sunil stops and talks to the women.
We have the impression that he did not know but after that they give to us over the fruit. There are fruits that we had not seen before. They are very fruity and refreshing taste. We give the women 20 rupees and continue to chug our way.
Next stop: The man pepper.
The Pfeffermann flückt of the trees the green pepper and sells it to the local market traders.
He is a funny guy and has very red teeth from chewing the betel-nut.
The betel-nut is the drug of the rural population in general. It is drunk as if they had drunk too much champagne and was extremely tipsy. I can not judge it, because we have not tried this, because it also has negative health impacts such as on the teeth.
These betel nut snacks are also offered at little stalls here and there on the streets for sale.
After we had with Sunil as an interpreter, a nice conversation with the pepper man, we go deeper into the jungle.
We stop here and there and taste the fruits of the trees: apples, rose, olive ..
We jump back on and it goes to the next stop on our route: a jetty for the fishermen. Here are small fishing boats in different colors, the networks are excited and are ready for your next fishing trip. The fishermen call these little boats "catamaran".
However, there are more one-man canoes with an outrigger to lose his balance while fishing and not to capsize. In the canoes can not sit true, as they are sometimes simply built absolutely narrow. One kneels or sits more on the side of the canoe: The fisherman works, he will make no boat tour, but earn a living ...
Our driver Sunil asks us if we do not want to take a little trip with a catamaran. And here it costs us nothing. Initially skeptical, Julia agrees and sets a canoe. But because they want to go alone, said Sunil, he would Beleites she says to me that I should have no fear, he bring me my wife back healthy and happy again. I just laugh and take Juliet off all items.
After Julia has taken possession of the canoe, Sunil pushes the part with the help of the other fishermen in the water. They all wear Saron and giggle to herself. Finally the boat in the water and Sunil is trying to squat itself into the boat. Sunil takes the first step into the boat and slowly approaches the upper edge of the water surface, he lifts the other foot just high and the boat capsizes relies on the flat ground up ... and any further movement of the boat.
Julia laughs, but I see the fear in their eyes and now I have the impression that my wife will not come back healthy and happy.
Titanic ick hear you waddle!
After the short journey to the lake Kogalla turned around and the trip continues.
On Koggalla lake, we drive to the fishing villages. Sunil, our driver, lives here since his birth. Everyone who meets us on the way to greet Sunil. All with bright eyes and wide smile, which brings some nice ivory-white teeth to the fore, but also shows ruins. The English have here, it seems, left their mark.
First we make a stop at the "Fisherman".
He has to land in his garden tubs carved in stone, in which waiting crabs, lobsters, shrimp and other sea animals out on the tables of hotels: hotels were the only buyers. The rural population is more nourishing from Dried Fish, dried fish that is. Shellfish from the lake it would be only for special occasions such as Sunil says.
We ask for the price of tiger prawns, king prawns, and get huge eyes as we listen to 1500 rupees, about 10 euros for a kilo. These are about 50 to 60 shrimp.
In the hotel cost 10 650 rupees prawns cooked ready to eat.
For comparison, a chef here has a daily rate of 100 rupees. The cook must be 2 weeks for a kilo of prawns work of the visitors Sri Lanka is pleased to still king prawns on the cheap ...
Here alone, the ratios and earnings inequality are very clear.
