Life in the Slow Lane

Day 013 of Our Winter:  Okay, I admit to spending more than a little amount of time sitting in this chair today. When I'm well fed and warm, I'm happy.  In this space, I'm definitely always feeling full at the Minuwangoda house and the temperatures in this part of Sri Lanka are always warm.  Even when a thunderstorm shows up, the rain feels as warm as bath water to me.

We spent a little time this morning checking in for December's cruise from Dubai.  One must wait until 30 days before boarding to complete some of the personal details such as up-to-date passport numbers and contact info.  As we board one month from today, we competed doing so for Jay's sisters and for Jay and me.  Getting the website to accept a live security photo from our devices took a bit of coaxing.  But, in fact, we were able to add Kanthi's image from a phone photograph as she returned to her home in Nugegoda earlier this week.

I didn't make it to town today to buy a few bottles of coconut arrack.  It's okay as it can become the main thing I do tomorrow.  Over the years, I've added a lot of information about the local distilled liquor from the sap of coconut flowers.  I'll just provide the link to one of the main producers, the Distillery Corporation of Sri Lanka if you wish to read up on what it is.   You are invited to enter as long as you verify you are over 21.  

A Lot of Time Spent Out Front

 

Day 012 of Our Winter:  We are spending a lot of time on the veranda-type area at the front to the house. Jay had this house built when working in Saudi Arabia. The family moved from an older house on the same property. They moved in during 1985. In 1986, I first visited here after meeting Jay when working at the same Saudi Army compound in the city of Taif.  Most houses built during that era were single-storey structures with the kitchen / bathroom at the far end of the building. The area in front could be used to park a car. Jay's dad used to have his tuk-tuk parked in the area but that still left a lot of room for relaxing there. Now it is exclusively used for chairs and a covered outside area to sit.  The front door opens into the living room.

Both photographs were taken in this area today. The one above was during a torrential rain shower that lasted for about twenty minutes.  The photo below was earlier in the morning.  I had several cups of tea in the space today.

 

On another note, we bought some more air tickets this afternoon.  We have a week coming up in Dubai and on a one-week cruise from there mid-December.  Today, we bought tickets to Bangkok for another couple of weeks.  Thailand has eliminated the need for Sri Lankans to get visas.  This makes the short 3.5 hour flight an easy destination.  The four of us will head there on January 20 and explore some of the country.  We will come back to Colombo in early February.  At the end of that month, Jay and I start to head home via Hong Kong, another cruse, and flights from Tokyo in mid-March.  What a lovely winter in the Middle East and Asia!  We're so lucky.

Coconuts Continued

 

Day 011 of Our Winter:  Yesterday, I showed some local coconuts after the tree pickers had come to cut a harvest from the trees in the yard. People might not understand just how important coconuts are in Sri Lankan cuisine. There is an important reason why two thirds of the three billion annual coconut harvest is used domestically. Sri Lankan food is absolutely based on them. Each of Jay's sisters live alone. I asked how many coconuts were required in a week and they agreed that around three are needed for their cooking needs per week. So a between them they require a couple of dozen per month. You can imagine how many are used by large families over the course of a year.

As sort of a case study, today's images were of Kanthi husking some to bring back to her home in a Colombo suburb. She came here because this house is near the airport and she got to visit with us for a week. Today, she went back and, of course, to save space needed just the coconuts. Husking them is a real job on a hot day. 

She got a PickMe ride share to Nugegoda, about 35 kms from the house. We will use her house as a base later this winter as it makes the big city of Colombo more accessible. In fact, the sisters often go back and forth for short stays.

 

The Coconut Tree Climbers

 

Day 010 of Our Winter:  Today, two coconut pluckers came on bicycles. They'd called ahead and mentioned they'd be here this week although the exact timing of their arrival was a bit of a mystery until they showed up. This guy and a helper are always the ones that shimmy up the trees and cut only the ready coconuts. The house in on their schedule, so they know to come every two to three months for a harvest. 

Since our last visit though, Jay's sister has had around five coconut trees cut. They were old and might have toppled down on the house during a storm. They were not the newer, shorter hybrids, but old trees from the 1970s. So, the house is more protected from damage from a sudden toppled tree. However, that has cut into the number of coconuts that can be harvested. Still, the Minuwangoda house is lucky to produce enough coconuts for both sisters. Now, new plots of land are tiny and people are seldom self sufficient. There were only enough this time to keep and none remaining for sale to a vendor. It is a small source of income but helpful.

The trees are all over the property and we had to run to collect the coconuts and put them into piles.  While up at the top of the trees the pickets also cut off long, dead branches that come crashing to the ground and must be taken care of.  It is a lot of work to clean up after the coconuts are harvested.  

You will note two different types of coconuts in he pictures.  The top ones, called king coconuts are used for their very healthy drinkable water.  They were originally only found on this island and are prized and often exported.  The ones below are the standard coconut found globally.  They are smaller, rounder, and often the husks are greenish in tint.  They are better for their 'meat' and used extensively in Sri Lankan cuisine.  Around 2 billion, yes billion, of the island's 3 billion annual coconut harvest is used for domestic consumption.  Of course, husks are an important source of natural fiber and used in manufacturing of rope and other products.

 

Bits of Sunday

Day 009 of Our Winter: We've been in Sri Lanka for week already! 

Jay and I stayed at the house but Jay's sisters went into town to have some photos for their Dubai visas taken today.  We'll all be taking a trip in a little more than a month.  Sundays are market days in Minuwangoda and they're always especially busy and crowded. 

The ladies returned with a lot of food too. Oh, and with a new product I saw advertised since arriving. One of the oldest food establishments in Sri Lanka is called, Elephant House. Recently they have been advertising several new flavours of ice cream made with local specialties . We've been eating a lot of actual passion fruit as Jay gathered about twelve when we got here. We've been having them with breakfast. I desperately wanted to try the new passion fruit product. Now there's some in the freezer!

 

In the morning I snapped the picture of this land monitor which is called thalagoya in Singhalese. It was a baby at about 15 cm (6 inches). I marvel at how well camouflaged they are. This was on the wall near the garden peeking up and looking around.

   

Later in the afternoon, I saw what must've been its mother in the lower yard. It was around a meter and a half (five feet). They're not dangerous. It quickly ran away into the vegetation at the edge of the yard in order avoid any contact.

We Thought We'd Be Here Last Saturday

Day 008 of Our Winter:  Originally, we were supposed to get here a week ago.  Because of a delay in deplaning, we missed last Friday night's departure from Istanbul to Columbo.  The free hotel and meals provided extra rest and everything worked out well.  We arrived a day late and so tomorrow morning will mark our first week in Minuwangoda.

This morning Jay and I decided to go to town and pick up a few grocery items.  I wanted to visit the Co-op Super in Minuwangoda first.  Then. we walked the short distance to the Keel's Supermarket.  We stopped by Nazir's new phone shop and said hello along the short walk.

It has only been two years since we were last here, so I didn't notice a whole lot of changes.  There were some new buildings and businesses, I guess.

As we added a credit card to the PickMe app, we can take rideshares without the need for cash.  Both the going and return in a tuk-tuk each cost 221 rupees  and I added a 50 rupee tip for both drivers. The ride is about 6 or 7 minutes depending on traffic.  The equivalent spent for transportation today for the two of us was a total of around US $1.79.

A Couple of Things I Saw Today that You Probably Didn't

Day 007 of Our Winter:  It was a bit overcast for much of the day. That meant the temperature was probably a degree cooler than normal. There were only a few drops of rain in the morning. The temperature is always around 30C during the day and 24C during the night. I tried to imagine what some readers wore today. I had on pajama bottoms and a tank top. I didn't wear sandals. There are flip-flops by the door when we walk around the yard. 

I took only a few photos today and they are probably unlike things you saw.

   

A peacock walked through the yard today and jumped up on some buildings and disappeared from view. Peacocks are very common in Sri Lanka but in recent decades they've extended their range into this area. Before they could be found in the drier zone but now we often see them in populated areas. Scientists say they are flexible in what they eat and their natural predators are diminishing. They may be beautiful but they don't sound very pretty. We heard that some were in the area early today but didn't see this fellow until about 2:oo pm.

   

Earlier in the day, the 'malu man' (a fish seller) came by on his old bicycle. He knows this neighbourhood and brings the morning's catch from fishing boats in nearby Negombo. He just calls, "Fish .. fish." We heard him as he was passing by and ran to open the gate to see what he had.  A neighbour's cat came a'runnin too. This man has been traversing this route for years and years.  In fact, I'm sure his picture is in old journal entries here. 

We bought a fish locally called a 'Lena Paraw' in Sinhalese.  I asked my AI, and he said in English, it's called a Rainbow Runner.  The man is reaching for it in the photo below.  It weighed about a kilo before he cut and cleaned it.  It cost 900 Rupees or less than $US 3.

 

Copying Cat Traits

 

Day 006 of Our Winter:  The day sort of started when the bread guy stopped to sell us a bit of roast paan for breakfast. It's a special type of bread that is purely Sri Lankan. It looks a bit like large slices of toast. It's made by making the dough into balls in a regular loaf pan. The pieces are easy separated and the sides are roasted so it is a little crusty all over but soft in the middle.  It's generally bought directly from the bakery tuk-tuks that ply the neighbourhood streets with tunes that are similar to an ice cream truck so that people run to their gate to stop him.

Roast pann can be eaten at any meal.  In the mornings it's traditionally with coconut sambal which is shredded coconut but has a mixed sour, sweet, salty, and chili flavour. It's in the bowl and was part of our breakfast today.

   

Later, after nap time, the late afternoon bread guy came past the house again. This time it was just in time for afternoon tea. Jay and I ate our kimbula (crocodile) buns. They're named because of the shape but taste somewhat like a doughnut and are covered with sugar. It's another food that is very specific to Sri Lanka.

   

Most all of the time between breakfast and afternoon tea, Jay and I were sort of copying the house cat. It is also spoilt. Jay's sister buys a special type of fish from the vendor. The cat prefers, no DEMANDS, one particular type of fish. When we were last here, her brother was too. He was my favourite but he got sick and died.

Our day time was predominately spent eating and lolling around.