From the land of ‘String Hoppers’ and ‘Stilt Fishermen’ – Sri Lanka

If I had to describe my trip to Sri Lanka in a liner, it would be ‘A much needed family vacation and an introduction to a new culture’. I’d like to stress on the latter part of it because like most Indians, I conveniently assumed that it wouldn’t be too different from India. Well, I was wrong.

Clear waters and untapped sunny beaches

The pool of cultural surprises began as soon as we hopped on to the Lankan airline – “Mom, did you see that?” I sounded more amazed than I intended to. My mom glanced at the Air hostess decked up in a Saree with printed peacock feathers! It was quite differently draped than the Indian Saree with a frill around the waist.

Cultural insight: The national bird of Sri Lanka is (not the peacock) but the Junglefowl.

As it turns out, Sri Lanka is a land of warm-hearted people, yellow coconuts, beautiful beaches and a lot of tourists!

Two things that stood out for me among others during the trip were ~

• Hoppers and String Hoppers (and I only realized the difference on my last day there) were by default my favorite local foods. The Hoppers resemble the Indian Dosa in a bowl shape, though sweetish in taste and prepared in a special mold. The String Hoppers are a lot like long rice noodles. Both these foods can be consumed with Sambol (coconut and chilli chutney).

• Stilt Fishermen are local fishermen balancing on stilts further into the ocean from the shore for their day’s catch, quite different from the common method of fishing with boats and nets. The ‘stilt fishermen’ sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole and driven into the sand. Apparently, the practice started during World War II when food shortages and overcrowded fishing spots prompted some clever men to try fishing on the water.

Other highlights from the trip were spotting a Leopard chilling on the branch at Tissamaharama’s Yala National Park (we were told it is a rare sight since our driver had spotted it only thrice in his 25 trips to the park!), the hike to mini Adam’s peak (that included a friendly chat with a 25-something year old Chinese couple who had travelled together to over 40 countries), a stroll in the Galle Fort (and handmade Gelato at Pedlar’s Inn Cafe, a must do), the aura of ‘Temple of the Tooth’ (they apparently have Buddha’s canine preserved there, hence the unexpected name), being hosted meals by our Sri Lankan friend and accidentally crashing a Sri Lankan wedding at a Buddhist temple (and being warmly welcomed!).

The island sure had much to offer in terms of diversity in weather, places and people and towards the end of the trip, I wished I could stay longer…

My Chinese Family

I’ve been blessed with an adorable Chinese family during my three week long home-stay in Yuyuan village, Jinhua. I live in a wooden house that’s over two hundred years old and is owned by Nainai (grandma). Historical wooden carvings from the Qing dynasty and the quadrangular housing style are a highlight of this accommodation. The Li family has been residing in this house for over fifty years.

Nainai has one daughter and two sons. As my housemates (Ana, Einat and Amay) and I arrived to our new home in the late evening, we were welcomed with Chinese green tea and a round of quick introductions. Initially we mistook the son and the daughter to be a couple but as we later learned, they were only visiting Nainai to help her jumpstart the homestay business and that both of them have their respective families residing in other (modern) houses in Wuyi county.

Nainai is the most adorable member of the family. At eighty years, she has the energy of a teenager! She has the sweetest smile in the whole wide world and despite how little I understand her local Chinese dialect, we share a special connection. Nainai is a social butterfly and has her friends over for chats and green tea parties at home quite often. My day starts with a warm ‘Nainai hug’ and that’s probably what I’ll miss the most when I’m back in India.

Ayi is a lovely woman – she has a special place in my heart with her ever-smiling face and extremely caring nature. From the very initial days, she has considered our food preferences and made a variety of delicious vegetarian dishes along with some traditional Chinese meat delicacies to balance the menu. Ayi has a classy dressing style and I absolutely love her hairdo! I later learnt that she works in a garment-manufacturing factory. My housemates and I sorely miss having her around when she goes back to her home in Wuyi county for work and to be with her family.

Shushu is a hard working farmer and his sun burnt skin and muscular physique speaks for it. He cares for us girls in his own way. One morning, when I had to go for my first Taichi session, he came along with me just to make sure I reached the right venue! It’s nice to randomly bump into him in the village while he’s chilling with his pals or smoking a cigarette. The time we get to hangout with him is during the meals. He proudly offers us homemade (strong) kiwi and grape wine and it makes him visibly happy when we accept a glass of beer for company. “It’s a way of showing our hospitality”, he says, as we go “Kanpai!” I find him slyly grinning every time I try speaking in Mandarin (probably it’s the strong English accent!)

My housemates and I wouldn’t have asked for more. As they say ‘All good things come to an end’, the very thought of leaving this magical village and our beloved family is a constant reminder to make the most of our stay here. Needless to say, we’ll cherish this bond forever..