3 Ginger Snaps

Sometimes I find the pace of our travel challenging. Along the way, we have met people from all over the world who we overlap with for a day or two in one location or another. They arrive, take in the local sites, sounds, and flavours, and then move on. Meanwhile, we move more slowly – often taking 3 or 4 days to cover the same territory that a more aggressive approach to travel might cover in one or two days. And when we do encounter these individuals or small groups I find myself grappling with a sense of envy at the pace of their adventure as compared to ours. 

Before we even left candad, Hil and I agreed that we would take a slower and less is more approach to our journey. And there can be no doubt that this mindset has been for the best. Traveling to a new place, sleeping in a new place, finding the bathroom in the dark in a new place would be terribly exhausting if we had to do it every day. We do much better as a family on days when we don’t have to move locations. 3 nights in one place is the minimum. 5 is the sweet spot. 7 and I am Beto S itchy feet while everyone else is bordering on fidgety. 

Our first stop in Sri Lanka was in Unawatuna. Our train ride there has already been chronicled. 

Unawatuna was loads of fun. Hil found us a great place to stay (because that’s just what she does) and we found ourselves with time on our hands to explore our local surroundings. And that is the upside of not moving every day. You get to walk the quiet roads past the rice fields and the stray dog clinics and learn a few things about where you are and what goes on there. So far – one of the best ways that we have discovered to get out and about and get a sense of the place we are actually in is by bicycle. And that is what we did for about 3 hours last Thursday morning. Here is how it looked. 

There are canals all through the countryside. First built by the Dutch for transport. Now used for agricultural irrigation. Home to massive monitor Lizards. There is on of them in this pic although she is awfully hard to spot. 

We rode alongside some lovely rice fields. Water buffalo were out mowing down the remnants of recently harvested paddys and “fertilizing” ahead of the next planting. They always had one or two birds at their sides, dutifully picking off the insects that these beasts attract. 

What’s a bike ride without a scrapped knee? The terrain was actually quite tough in spots and the kids did very well considering the scrapes, the 30C heat, and the hills. 

We stopped at the halfway point for one of the best cokes I have ever tasted. The older gentleman on the right hand side of this picture stopped at the same roadside stand as us – he was there for a cigarette. He only bought one. Didn’t know you could get them as singles. 50ruppess. 

We passed through a cinnamon farm. I knew that cinnamon came from the bark of a tree. I learned that the tree matures in about 3 years and that it shoots up a new stall from the base every time you cut one down. The leaves smelled strongly of cinnamon and can be used in cooking as well. 

We enjoyed passing by the elements of daily life. Like temples, dogs in the road, and people building their homes. 

And although we met a few scooters and buses and trucks along the way, for the most part we just enjoyed the open road. 

Were the cold towels at the end of the ride the best part of the trip? Depends on who you ask… They were a welcome surprise to say the least!