The Happy Talent
  • Blog
  • About
  • Popular
  • Education
  • Social Science
  • Travel
  • Products
  • Contact
"It is a happy talent to know how to play."

My Favorite Adventure in Sigiriya 2017 (Hint: I Got to Ride an Ox Cart!)

4/10/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Another day, another adventure -- this time, in Sigriya, Sri Lanka. After two weeks at Elsewhere Surf Camp (when I arrived, I'd only planned on staying for one -- go figure :P), I did an elephant safari before heading up north to the Cultural Triangle.

I was flying out the next night, so I didn’t have time to do what I normally do: show up without a plan, wander around, get a feel for the place, talk to everyone I see, etc.

So in order to get the most I could from the limited time I had, and after some extensive Googling (which I had plenty of time to do on the drive from Udawalawe to Kandy, since my driver -- who I hired through Sri Lanka Exclusive, or SLE, Tours -- got hopelessly lost and took me to the wrong destination), I decided that the number one place I wanted to see in Sigiriya was Hiriwadunna.

Hiriwadunna is a small village near Habanara, and just fifteen minutes from the famous Sigiriya fortress. A visit offered a rare and exclusive glance into the lives of rural people, and the opportunity to participate in food preparation, boat rides, and other traditions. 

After reading a few reviews, I booked a $30 half-day tour through Beyond Escape Sri Lanka. Booking was quick and easy. They WhatsApp'ed me to let me know what time to expect my pickup, and next thing I knew...
Picture
They didn't actually let me drive. But I liked their silly, playful approach. :P
The tour, operated by a small local company called Janaka, had begun! The tuk tuk drove me down a dirt road, past several ox carts, before dropping me off at a barn. To my surprise, I was the only person who booked that day, so it was a completely private tour.

​So into the ox cart I climbed! 
Picture
At first, I vaguely wished I had someone else to talk to -- but the "tour" quickly started feeling like more of a homestay. Bouncing down a narrow path between the rice fields, I realized that driving an ox cart was a much more nuanced skill that I’d thought. Although he didn’t speak much English, he definitely spoke bird. Whenever we saw the fluttering of wings or heard a song coming from the trees, he would point and tell me the name (and perhaps even a fact or two) about the bird.

Among other things, we saw chameleons (see it?!),
Picture
bee-eaters,
Picture
eagles,
Picture
See it? It's tricky. That's why, on my next trip, I'm bringing a zoom lens FOR SURE.
egrets, butterflies, and other wildlife as we drove further into the countryside. ​
Picture
See the egrets? Also -- SEE THE FORTRESS????
I have no idea how long the ox cart ride lasted. Could have been ten minutes, could have been sixty! I was totally immersed in everything that was happening, so I have no idea.

But after some amount of time, we arrived at a narrow bridge. Too narrow for the ox cart to cross. The driver indicated that we'd arrived, so I got out.
Picture
There, I met up with my second guide, and began my "trek" (which was really more like 15-minute stroll) through the grasslands. As we walked, we passed several lookouts in the trees -- which my guide told me were for elephant watching! I kept my eyes open, but didn't see any. (It's more of a sunset and sunrise kind of thing.)

Soon, we arrives at a small, open-air home with a wood oven inside. That's where I met --
Picture
Remember earlier, when I said this "tour" felt like a homestay? That quickly became even more the case as the kindest, sweetest, and toughest lady I'd met in a long time walked me through two traditional recipes: coconut roti
Picture
Picture
and sambol -- which included shredding the coconut on a special piece of furniture...
Picture
Picture
And then grinding the coconut with four other ingredients: lime, salt, chili pepper, and onion.
Picture
Picture
So simple, yet so delicious! I definitely did NOT need to eat breakfast before this trek. (This looks small -- but I ate three of them!)
Picture
After we finished, we had a cup of Sri Lankan spice tea:
Picture
Instead of adding sugar or honey, you take a small bite of one of those little brown things, which they make right there in Sri Lanka (I'm pretty sure she said they're made of coconuts, but it wasn't 100% clear to me).

And then! It was time for another "mini hike," this one to my boat!
Picture
The lake eventually opened up into a large body of water -- but for the first ten or fifteen minutes of the paddle, it was almost as though we weren't in a lake at all. It was that full of lotus and other lake plants.
Picture
I’m not sure if I have the words to describe how perfect this part of the tour was -- it didn’t even feel real. It felt like I’d stepped into an idyllic, vibrant painting, complete with several bird species, lotus and water lilies, and unique views of Lion Rock.

Because I was by myself, it was silent when I wanted it to be -- but, of course, my guides were there to answer any questions and point out wildlife I might have missed.

About halfway through the ride, one of the guides picked a lotus leaf and fashioned it into a hat for me -- complete with floral adornments.
Picture
Such a tourist! But I don't even care. I only have one day in Sigiriya, and I wanted to do it all! Besides, if you "travel shame", you're super lame (and probably not that good at traveling).
“I’m such a tourist,” I thought to myself as he placed the hat on my head. “But I actually totally love this.”

At the end of the boat ride (which, yet again, could have lasted any amount of time -- I was so immersed in it that I have no sense of duration), a tuk tuk was waiting to take me on a short but scenic drive to another local home -- where a huge lunch was waiting!
Picture
It was the traditional Sri Lanka Seven Curry lunch, with fish and chicken and vegetables. 

For the second time that morning, I regretted having breakfast. I was determined to try everything, even if that meant I would explode.

(Luckily, I didn’t -- but it was a pretty close call.)

The woman who made the meal was assisted by her mother and two young boys, who took a break from playing in front of the house to bring me water, napkins, and anything else they thought I might need -- and then asking for a high five!

It was a great adventure for a solo traveler -- but it would have been equally amazing for a couple, a group, or a family. 

All this stuff happened in under half a day -- and it was by far my favorite part of visiting Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle. Apart from surfing, it was my favorite adventure in Sri Lanka, and I can't recommend the Beyond Escapes Hiriwadunna Village Tour highly enough. Just... really. Don't eat breakfast first. 
1 Comment
Jadzia
4/25/2017 12:07:54 am

Glad you had such a good time.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About the Author
    Picture
    Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power.  Read more >


    Want to support The Happy Talent? CLICK HERE!
    Support the Happy Talent
    Or Find me on Patreon!
    Picture

    What's Popular on The Happy Talent:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

      Want more?

    Submit

    Trending in Dating and Relationships:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture



    ​What's Popular in Science:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture


    Playfulness and Leisure Skills:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Popular in Psychology and Social Skills:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    20s
    Adolescence
    Backpacking
    Boredom
    Boredom Avoidance
    Camping
    Career Advice
    Careers
    Communication
    Confidence
    Consent
    Creativity
    Curiosity
    Dating
    Economy
    Education
    Entrepreneurship
    Fearlessness
    Female Travel
    Feminism
    Free Speech
    Gap Year
    Great Products
    Growth Mindset
    Health
    Hiking
    Hitchhiking
    Life Advice
    Meeting New People
    Mental Health
    Mexico
    Mindfulness
    Most Popular
    National Parks
    Outdoors
    Parenting
    Parenting Advice
    Passive Entertainment
    Play
    Playfulness
    Psychology
    Relationships
    Resilience
    Science
    Scuba Diving
    Self Help
    Self-help
    Sex
    Sports
    Stanford University
    Startups
    Study Abroad
    Summer
    Technology
    Teenagers
    Therapy
    Travel
    Yosemite

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from paweesit, Steven Penton, torbakhopper, Theo Crazzolara, edenpictures, Kiwi Tom, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Homedust, wocintechchat.com, Ralphman, wbaiv, kg.abhi, Jamiecat *, UnitedWarVeterans, D()MENICK, True Portraits, Neville Wootton Photography, Salvation Army USA West, South African Tourism, phalinn, WilliamsProjects, j_bary, Japanexperterna.se, thephotographymuse, Elvert Barnes, ThoroughlyReviewed, hairy:jacques, joncutrer, wuestenigel, Franck_Michel, jimwerner25, Imahinasyon Photography, joanne clifford, m01229, Antonio Campoy Ederra, Our Dream Photography (Personal), shixart1985, davidstewartgets, couples in nature, Dage - Looking For Europe, jonseidman, andymw91, garryknight, wuestenigel, Rosmarie Voegtli, werner.philipps, Gage Skidmore, Novafly, dinuxm1, Eddie Yip, Prayitno / Thank you for (10 millions +) views, DMahendra, James_Seattle, jamkablam, vanitystudiosphotography, Luiz Gustavo Leme, oki_jappo, Daquella manera, CasparGirl, Mary Anne Morgan, inkknife_2000 (10.5 million + views), homethods, wocintechchat, Hypnotica Studios Infinite, dailyrectangle, Tobyotter, torbakhopper, Kevin Johnston, David Robb, eisenberg_emily, True Portraits, Douglas Pimentel, pmarkham, Noize Photography, rawdonfox, dollen, davidstewartgets, ed and eddie, Ryosuke Yagi, Anthony_Greene, Ruth and Dave, best couples, Jenn Durfey, Cost3l, Orin Zebest, anjanettew, dollen, Editor B, Alexander Day, LyndaSanchez, polosopuestosblog, UpSticksNGo, Agência Brasil, homethods, Find Rehab Centers, Novafly, Deornelas4, buzzern, seefit, C. VanHook (vanhookc), University of Delaware Alumni Relations, Franck_Michel, gordontarpley, Chris Photography(王權), usadifranci, virgohobbs, TheUglySweaterShop, popofatticus, Mitya Ku, Stefano Montagner - The life around me, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, xxxology, Valentina (GaiaPhotography), True Portraits, Lars Plougmann, Scioto Photos, Carlos ZGZ, quinn.anya, anokarina, amtecstaffing, mliu92, sfbaywalk, MakaiylaW, jerseytom55, Ray in Manila, BoldContent, stevenbates, Janitors, True Portraits, dwhartwig, Kuruman, sffoghorn
  • Blog
  • About
  • Popular
  • Education
  • Social Science
  • Travel
  • Products
  • Contact