Kumbuk Pokuna Lodge

A night at the Lodge after a long while, and it was eventful

2011-11-16T04:44:00.000-08:00

I spent Saturday night at the ‘Lodge’ with Sirisena who has been the caretaker for nearly 2 years in attendance. When we drove in from Colombo with a car full of expectant weekenders we had to first assess what was required to spend the night and prepare a good filling meal. The new pond on the other side nr the kitchen looks nice and so I have to make sure we plant some kumbuk plants on the bank’s so that it will both provide an anchor for the bank and later a nice shade over the pond. Sirisena gave me a list of stuff he wanted including a mammoty he wanted me to get from town and went into town to do the shopping.

While shopping I met Karunasena who introduced me to the Hingurakgoda property, and he invited us for lunch all 7 of us. We then picked up one of the Youth Front boys and went for lunch and only after getting some coconuts from the Hingurakgoda property we went back to Ratmale for the night.

Of course I had to have a swim in the tank, something I had not done at all this year, a highlight even though I had to be helped in. Sirisena was in the tank collecting the fish that Jayatilleke had caught for our dinner and bites. We had brought all the other essentials from oils to kerosene and even a Hurricane lamp as the one in the property was on the blink.

The guys pooled in their expertise in cooking to provide a super meal for the night, but before that the Youth Front chap brought three of his friends and Priyantha brought a singer with his tabla, making a crowd of 12 seated on ‘tunhiriya’ mats which we brought earlier in the day singing and enjoying the refreshments and bites. We also prepared a raging fire, which we had trouble keeping alight due to the fact that the wood was not totally dry. The smoke of the fire would be used to reduce the incidence of mosquito bites as we did not have any mosquito nets.

I went to sleep earlier than the rest, but I understand that they decided to call it a night after midnight. I found them all fast asleep when I woke up at 6.30 so no doubt they were exhausted from a night of partying. I have had many such sessions with different crowds and was used to the ambience my various eclectic spots provide, but for them it was a unique experience.

We only saw one elephant that had dropped into the tank for a dip, and was told that only two days previously there were over 100 on the other side, while the local villagers were bathing on this side. I also saw the branches that had been broken by an elephant a few days previously just by the electric fence near the property.

An unexpected dividend for the soul

2011-08-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have been struggling for years to finish my little jungle hideout due to many obstacles I have encountered at this marvelous place in the forest adjoining the Kaudulla National Park. The lack of funds has been one, but not the only reason.

I however have to keep a watcher in the property, to ensure my rights and my property is protected and I keep my contact with the many people I know very well there. I am currently recovering from an accident and find it very hard to go there.

I called the other day, and was asking the Sirisena how and what was happening in the village and he said something that really made my eye well with tears of joy.

He said that owing to the hot and dry weather, many wells had run dry and the people of the Ratmale Village and the adjoining Rotawewa village stock up on their drinking water from my well as it does not have the salinity taste and is fresh to drink.

The thought that two villages and one does not know how many people that is in total are thankful for the well for their basic drinking water, gives me the feeling that at least there is some benefit to the local people from the well I had cut some years ago at considerable cost, using 30 loads of rock to preserver and ensure purity and taste.

The people were passing the hat around to buy a thick rope to raise the water buckets as the rope had worn out!

At least today as I lie in pain on the bed unable to walk after major surgery, I can only imagine that there is some benefit to others from some thing I have done in the past without been actively aware of its future benefit.

A few more shots just for effect of the Lodge

2010-11-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

A finished roof at the main lodge

2010-11-23T23:39:00.001-08:00

Some recent photos of repair and sorroundings

2010-11-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

As time goes by the mango and orange plants grow, the area is cleared of debris and my ideas on how to landscape this place take shape. In a practical sense I can only do so much at my pace, so I have decided that I will only do what I can when I can and hope my circumstances improve so that I can eventually finish this sooner rather than later.

The need for a complete overhaul of the roof

2010-11-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

It became apparent that the roof did not have the incline required of a tile roof, especially to prevent leaking during heavy rainfall. I had to therefore completely rebuild the roof by making the incline steeper.

The work took about 2 weeks as there was some masonry work involved to put some concrete beams across as well as raise the roof at the middle by about 3 feet. The contractor lives in the next village and seemed to know what he was about, which on reflection was more than I can say for the person who initially did it. Either way the photos are a pictorial of what went on and now it is finally finished, I have only to put the finishing touches and get the place furnished before it becomes habitable, a not easy task these days.

Despite the rain in the South and Western part of the country, there has been little rain in the past few weeks here in this village. It is the time of the North-east monsoon here, but it has not and the tank here in the village is not sufficiently full for the farmers to prepare the fields for ploughing. They are awaiting the rains before they are able to work the fields. This is the best season for them as it is the rainy season here, and if they do not get adequate rain it will be a catastrophic period for the locals many of whom are still dependant on working their fields at least once a year to enable them to survive.

The electric fence seems to be working with the people taking turns to man the entry to the village to ensure that the elephants do not come along the road marking the only brakes of the fence that are often opened by those entering the village and not closed due to stupidity of laziness. There have been occasions when the elephants have come into the village, and as the exit is the same as the entry, caused much havoc and destruction before they have been chased back this way. It is therefore very important that the gates are guarded at nights, the usual times when elephants try to make their entry stealthily and unannounced.

The temple again has a priest, and in the six years I have been directly associated with the village, 5 priests have passed through. The village temple adjoins my property, so it is in of concern to me that the spiritual well being of the village is also husbanded and the Sunday school is held for the benefit of the local children. I try to be mindful of this presence in my actions.

a few of the latest photos of the chillies and pond

2010-04-21T05:03:00.001-07:00

the chillies have been planted in between the orange and mango cultivations

chillie cultivation obscuring the toilets and bath room building

the pond with rathu olu that blooms in the night and fades by 10am

the chillie cultivation in progress

2010-03-05T01:54:00.000-08:00

Until I finish building this place, this place is where Sirisena the caretaker lives

dusk over the fields and hills of Ratmale this week

2010-03-05T01:50:00.000-08:00

sun set over the main paddy field of the village served by the village tank

New angles

2009-10-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

another look at the mud hut

2009-08-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

Kiri Uthuranawa in the new kitchen

2009-08-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Ratmale Tank in July

2009-07-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Coffee table and chairs to sit out on

2009-07-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Mud Hut in the back

2009-07-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Mud Hut Finished

2009-07-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Front

2009-07-07T01:25:00.001-07:00

The completed wattle and daub hut

2009-07-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

More recently

2009-07-07T01:22:00.000-07:00

its a long and winding road but its nearing the end

2009-06-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

The latest addition should be completed in a few weeks

2009-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

still not complete? hopefully soon!!

2009-03-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

an angle of kitchen dining and breakfast bar!!

2009-03-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

A tree on the property

2009-03-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

another week goes by and progress is at a snails pace

2008-09-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

the dining table to be set outdoors under a thatched roof

ala bath in Ratmale

2008-08-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

the friends out for a communal bathe and washing their clothes

proximity to the east

2008-07-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

Please don't forget that the Polonnaruwa district borders both the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts. While the lodge is within minutes of four wild life sanctuaries namely, Minneriya, Kaudulla, Horoluwewa and Somawathie and a little further is the Wasgomuwa and Maduru Oya sanctuaries, the proximity to the beach is even more exciting.

Once the widening of the main road from Maradankadawala to Batticaloa is complete, Passekudah Bay is just about 70 minutes away, and I can rekindle my memories of the 60's in Kalkudah and Passekudah where we used to go often. Nilaveli Beach will also be about the same time once the checkpoints have been removed as the road widening from Trinco to Nilaveli is well in progress.

With the proximity to Dambulla, Anuradhapura and places in between is also appreciated, one can hardly dispute why a resurgence of the Polonnaruwa era is well overdue as it is central to the northern and eastern parts of the country that is ripe for development in a non threatening way.

While unpatriotic forces are at work in trying to develop an airport that is dead in the water before it even gets off the ground, an international airport in Hingurakgoda make more sense as it is at the center of the future development of Sri Lanka with new road constructions making it easily accessible from all the places mentioned above.

What are we waiting for? lets get a move on!!

another Ratmale sunset

2008-07-25T01:57:00.000-07:00

ratmale tank

2008-07-25T01:55:00.001-07:00

latest photos of kitchen construction

2008-07-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

entrance door made from kumbuk

2008-07-11T04:55:00.001-07:00

2008-07-11T03:51:00.001-07:00

The Kitchen construction phase

In the usual fashion in Sri Lanka, everything has to take its own course, and however hard I try to rush it all work on the kitchen construction is at the pace of the Baas who this week had to collect his wife who returned from the Middle East and then the normal procedure of taking her to his village, as they live in her village and all the customs attached thereto to be followed before he gets down to work on this project,

My schedule is limited and trying to coordinate with a schedule which always says he will come tomorrow and does not come is how things happen as the word I cannot come is not in their vocabulary!!!!

I have earmarked two rather unattractive trees by the kitchen to be cut for the wood for the main beams in the room, so that I can grow some more old growth trees instead in this space in the future, hopefully with little damage to the environment. Such is the uniqueness of the site where the bricks were made around the corner, the rocks quarried about a km away and the wood from the property, with the cement and roofing sheets coming from afar, as I have decided once and for all to put sheets instead of the coconut thatching which is short term. I would have like to use tiles, but the monkey menace where they are on the roof all the time needs to be taken into to consideration in making these choices.

Living rough on my own on Ratmale has been an experience, as villages don’t want to leave you alone even spending the night in the verandah on the floor because it is far more pleasant than in bed in their homes, all closed up and hot, while here is open and breezy with the windy season in full swing.

scenes from the past few days in Ratmale to June 15th

2008-06-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

the building of my kitchen

the pond in front of the lodge from where we caught our fish

2008-05-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

our cooking arrangements a glimpse of photos

2008-05-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Spot the fire with three dishes on the go at the same time!!!

a new glimpse of Ratmale

2008-05-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

It has been just over a year since I last stayed here, as I have been busy with my planting in Hingurakgoda, and therefore while always visiting this place never stayed the night. I still have a kitchen to build and sort out the water tank and a few other areas before this becomes the livable lodge lovable lodge it is planned to be. I spent the 10 days over Vesak holidays in Polonnaruwa, first to oversee the sowing of my paddy fields before the Vesak Poya (see http://www.villagerinsrilanka.blogspot.com/) I then moved over to Ratmale 15 km from the agricultural site to Kumbuk Pokuna to ascertain what is required and plan to finish the rest of the work as soon as possible.

Needless to say the man I am relying on to get the work started does not see the urgency, and have to subtlely get him moving to get the work done, and my presence at the place would I hope get him to be a little more serious.

I had Gamini and Sagara join me. We really lived off the land. We first had to clear the place, cut the underbrush, sweep the area, clean the pond, bring some order and clean and mop the place that had gathered dust.

Most of the fish we ate as well as the 4 large lullas were caught in the pond in front of the lodge as the photos will attest to the size of the fish and we ate some fried and dried some in the sun to eat later in the week as waw karavala. The kitchen is yet to be built and accordingly we cooked by the side of the pond as seen in the photos, and in front of the house to minimize the area we have to take care of from predators while the food is cooking.

The people in the village descend here in the evenings to have their bath, but at nightfall it is deserted as everyone heads home before dark to avoid confronting an elephant. We are therefore really left with the feeling we are in the middle of the jungle and the elephants, who have better sight at night than humans are watching us from their vantage, while we scurry around to catch bait in the canal for fishing the big fish in the main pond.

We even invited some friends in the village one night for dinner cooked in the outside fires, as we promised them safe passage in the cab to their homes due to the fear of elephants in the dark.

I even slept in the 7ft bed for the first time in the verandah to experience what it would be like with mosquitoes, stars and wind and slept soundly!

i am forced to write in the dark

2008-04-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

I can’t read under the light of the kerosene lamp, and the petromax lamp does not work, so I sit by the kohomba dum muttiya (the margosa smoke pot to keep the mosquitoes away) typing into the computer, which thanks to my touch-typing skills, I don’t require light to enter. So I now type in pitch dark except for the light on the screen being reflected on to the keyboard.

You the reader can therefore deduce from my writings, that I have time to think and therefore dissect a point of interest and write a short essay for the blog, without being distracted by television. Sometimes a neighbor drops in for a chat, but most of the time I am alone in the verandah. My staff have their own agendas, with Ranga watching TV at a neighbor, Sagara off on a stroll and Sudath spending time with his new wife in the kitchen. Everyone is asleep by 9.30pm for the morning 5am start.

It is interesting to note that most of the households around me (they all have electricity except me) spend the evening behind locked doors watching TV, sometimes well into the night. Some of the men gather near where the moonshine is sold and drink, and then go home and sleep. One thing I noticed in the village is how the homes are locked in for the evening. The doors and windows are all closed. I don’t know if they are afraid of intruders, but that seems the practice.

It therefore must seem very strange to the people around that my home cannot be locked, with all my furniture outside, in the verandah, which acts as my bedroom, living room and study and the separate kitchen, which includes the dining room, is also open. I have never broached this issue, with anyone, but I hope I give the people around me the impression that I am not afraid of anyone and my place is open to all comers and I have nothing to hide. In an emergency neighbors prefer to stay here than their own homes, so we can leave it and go without having to lock it with a willing caretaker.

I plan one day to build an open bedroom for myself in a separate place down river, so that I can see the water flow from my bed, the plan is to build it with 4 open pillars, covered by the roof of thatched coconut. Mosquito netting will encircle the room instead of walls, so there will be a free flow of air throughout. It is this multi building open space concept that I prefer to adopt in the dry zone where it rains only for a few days a year, instead of one house with all the rooms. Keeping mosquitoes out is the only necessity.

community based tourism that is not intrusive

2008-04-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

I was having a discussion with a friend in the tourism industry about how best I can introduce the best of Sri Lanka to a tourist without adversely affecting the social fabric and balance. This, especially in a place, where tourism has not made an impact, which is just the type of tourist I would like to attract, wants to go to. Actually I will also include the Sri Lankan expatriate who wants to be introduced to a segment of Sri Lanka he or she has hitherto not being exposed to.

This is of particular interest, not just academically, but also practically as I am in the process of allowing the use of my home in the jungle, almost at the borders of a National Park for tourists who really want to experience both remote village life as well as being introduced to the wild.

It is a delicate balance and I am sure I am going to offend someone, who may not like what I want to do. I cannot get into social engineering and I cannot predict how the villagers will react or tolerate intrusion into their lives and accordingly I will have to test the waters as I go into this.

The first thing one must be made aware of is that despite my living there for a while and photographing a lot of activity there, I am very sensitive to what I photograph and how I do it. The tourist may not have those qualms, as they may not even appreciate the sensitivity with which that is viewed. By way of example, the village tank where everyone goes to bathe adjoins my property. So if a tourist attempts to photograph the females in bathing attire, which is quite an unusual sight, it has to be done either with permission or in a way that is acceptable and non-threatening.

The other aspect is, if by the behavior of the tourist the village or people there get spoilt, offered money for obtaining illegal things like moonshine, weed, wild boar meat, then what is my responsibility and duty both to the tourist and also to the locality, to which I now belong.

I am very much part of the community, living there, buying produce, and trying to balance some commercial activity in order to survive, as it is not really a money making proposition, just one of loss reduction, as I have sunk so much money I don’t have. I require some return just to live. How can I perform this with minimal intrusion, while exposing the outsider to a unique if dying way of life, due to natural if timely exposure to development?

What is acceptable?

2008-04-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

What is acceptable? Who determines? Will it change the environment?

Today, Ratmale is just a village the tourist passes on the way back to the hotel or tour bus from Kaudulla Park at about 6pm on days, between June and November, when elephants inhabit the lake shores in herds sometimes exceeding 300. The villagers are used to seeing both foreign and local tourists whiz by in jeeps, but that is all. Some of the village boys, who work in the park, act as trackers, so have more exposure.

Eighty percent of the village is related to one another by blood or marriage and is one of the few places that are like this due to its status as one of the original villages in the district prior to being discovered and colonized.

It is a matter of time before someone puts up a hotel as it is only 4 km from the park entrance. A restaurant is more likely to built sooner.

If I am honest about it, I like the village the way it is, but it is for the villagers to decide what is going to be their fate, and I am sure they will permit progress and development. I also want to market my lodge, the way it is, unspoilt, but then that is short-term, if the mere intrusion spoils it.

I know the mere sight of a woman in a bikini or bathing suit could freak out people in the village, and I may have to explain if not prevent such attire. So it is to that degree, that the tourist must also have some sensitivity and behave accordingly. There is the village temple almost next door, but hidden by the forest and undergrowth. However noise travels especially at night, and loud music and shouting drinking etc. can upset the monks and set of a firestorm of protests.

I don’t know the answer to the questions I have raised above, and will have to tread carefully knowing this is an untested aspect. Local tourists are sometimes more insensitive than overseas tourists in respecting village customs so it is all about how the outsider behaves inside.

As the numbers expected are small and the concept is to preserve the environment as much as is possible, I don’t expect a major change in the short term arising from this enterprise, but I will just have to be extra careful that any sensitive instances are dealt with promptly and to be fair, resolved in the villages favor in order to get the maximum cooperation from the locals. After all it is their territory I am intruding for my benefit.

scams give a bad name and leave a bad taste

2008-04-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

In my international travels I have been scammed in many countries and the unwitting tourist can get scammed anywhere. I was mugged three times in two days in Rome and that must be a record, and also when in the Czech Republic, we found out first hand to our great cost, how preying the Czech police can be on an unsuspecting tourist, targeting them for a minor offence, and fining for a parking offence, even before stopping the engine for the first time in the country.

It is therefore not unusual that it happens in Sri Lanka too. I believe, leaving a very good impression of the country is the best we can do if we are to attract tourists by word of mouth, to this beautiful country and be able to genuinely show our very real and unmatched hospitality. In a time when the press is so full of the violence in Sri Lanka, let us not forget tourists have never been targeted and their experiences have rarely included the face of terrorism, however, they have faced scams that have left an indelible mark.

In the interests of future tourism, encouraging more repeat and recommendation tourists, it is essential we take positive steps to minimize these experiences. The instances are many, and would not bore you on every type of scam, but they fall into two main categories, telling lies, and taking more money than is necessary for a product or service.

Many tourist service providers, like guides, drivers, and concierges who are the face of the person that a tourist comes in direct contact with, often by lying and charging excessively compromises a wonderful vacation, and clouds one’s experience. Often inadequate pay, which they hope to supplement by fleecing a tourist, whether he goes to a shop from which a guide receives an excessive commission, or charge a rate for a journey that is outrageous is not a good enough reason to permit it. The tour operators are either complicit or turn a blind eye, because they are the cause sometimes of inadequate compensation. In a period where the tour operator or hotel is struggling, low pay results and good staff with professional ethics leave to go overseas, leaving unscrupulous operators to fill the void.

The industry must first understand there is a problem, and then tackle it by means such as awareness, by publishing rates for distances traveled, or shops that offer reasonable pricing. I have been given prices in tourist resorts that are considerably higher than even Odel in Colombo for the same item.

we appreciate your patience the wait is worth it

2007-12-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

We expect to be ready by April 2008 to entertain you

2007-12-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

New photos

2007-12-31T09:01:00.001-08:00

The white cemented floor being cleaned

The entrance from the back now shielded by Jam trees

The pond in front of the veranda has fish weighing over a kilo

The bathroom unit with the water tank on the tree at the back

The Lodge

2007-07-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

The 28 foot well

2007-07-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

The view from the back

2007-07-27T08:02:00.001-07:00

The entrance to the cabin is from the back as can be seen

The construction

2007-06-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have owned the acre on which this Lodge is built since about 2002. It took me a while after I returned to Sri Lanka to decide how and what I should build. I had already purchased Kumbuk Thuduwa in Raja Ela near Hingurakgoda, which is 14 kilometers away. This was at the end of July 2006, and during this hot dry period of the year in this area, Rupe a local farmer's son Vasantha asked me when I was going to build. I told him that I was waiting for him to be ready and have the time to oversee the construction.

So within weeks of having sealed the purchase of that remarkable agricultural property a short distance away and having commenced the construction of a small cabin thereon, we began the formal ground breaking ceremony, taking into account the auspicious time of 7am on August 4th 2006. The ground had been cleared by burning out the dry brush, so that an area was opened up, from which we could get a better idea of the land, which we were not able to with thick under growth.

The lamps were lit facing the right direction. The incense sticks put and the prayers said before the work commenced. One goal was to build this house without having recourse to cutting any trees, either in this district or on my property in Godagama. I wanted to use as much recycled material as I was able to lay my hands on. Fallen trees were fair game.

We had to make some compromises on the ecological front however. The main one being the use of rock from a quarry to build a foundation 5 ft high so the house could be built on a platform. The goal was two fold, one being the height from ground level, which if heavy rains persist will not result in flooding. The other being a point from which the whole area can be surveyed at a height which will make the view from the verandah pleasing and the blowing wind, less dusty.

The amount of tractor trailer loads of the rock required to build the foundation was staggering as it required the wall around the perimeter and another splitting the perimetere for the inside wall to sit on.It took 30 loads of rock for the foundation and 20 loads for the well.

Once the foundation was built an excavator and back-hoe was used to dig the swimming pool size pond in front and the soil then used to fill the foundation. Once the soil was filled it had to be watered to let the earth subside and settle. In the settling process it drops a further foot when it is compacted.

The well, which is more than 20 foot deep, also required a tremendous amount of work which in the end produced a fine deep well that has good clear water. The quality of water is better than any water in any well in the immediate vicinity. The well hit a vein in the rock sub-surface resulting in spring water which is not the same as the lake water nearby.

The idea was to build the lodge with brick that was not going to be plastered. So I designed the size of the brick I wanted. It was manufactured in a kiln not too far from the property and the man who made them said it was not at all simple as each brick weighed over 2 kilos and was many times larger than the regular brick they make. However the square brick definitely adds charm to the place. It is unique in shape and can be mistaken for an ancient style.

I had not used a drawing or any set of plans. I had to therefore advise the builders all the way through as to what I wanted them to do, where the doors and windows should be placed etc. In keeping with village customs the front and rear doors had to be placed contrary to my preferred position, but that as it should, I did not want an element of doubt on the part of the masons and carpenters in case something happened.

Along the way a concrete skirt was made to raise the platform further and the brick therefore would be on this concrete strip rather than directly on the rock. Then when the lintel level was reached another concrete skirt had to be put around the house to ensure strength of the walls.

Four pillars and concrete cross beams with extra strength steel rods were also built on site. These beams had to extend out as the large verandah only has 4 pillars for the whole roof to rest on with support of the beams. It was a feat of engineering without the engineers for the local artisans. Local labour was used throughout.

Once the structure was complete the plaster was put into the inside room only so that the inside can be painted, the floor had to be concreted too. A white cement floor was laid on the concrete floor. This has to be carefully sanded with water sandpaper and using mechanical means smoothening the floor before waxing with colorless wax.

The doors and windows were inspired from a book of Gaudi's designs in Spain. It was not how I envisioned them to be, but the end product has the ancient style look, that goes hand in glove, with the brickwork of the period.The doors and windows in solid wood are extremely heavy and are held by heavy extra strength hinges to hold the weight. All doors and windows ar style e in the two pane style with no middle support. All doors and windows can be opened and fully extended so both the inside and outside look can be seen and appreciated.

Part of the floor inside the closed room is covered in Kumbuk hard wood, which as a bedroom will be unique as the only wood pannelled floor of any room in the area. No mechanical tools were used to plane the wood floor, so it definitely has a old look, which adds to the claim of the building that would be more like one in the 11th century.

No ducting was put for future electricity supply, as the intention is to lay the wiring on piping that will make it easy to maintain in preference to wires buried by cutting into the walls.

The toilet block is seperate with a unique design allowing two sets of toilets to be used at one time but which has a unifying look with the two wash basins at the front of the block at either end. The allows one to look at the sky as it is open on the top.

The roof tiling used was primarily from my father's house in Colombo, and many of these tiles were manufactured in India over 80 years previously. My father's house has now been laid with asbestos sheets instead and I retrieved the tiles which otherwise would have been thrown.

The elephant human conflict

2007-06-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

In order to appreciate the surroundings in which this retreat is located, one has to understand some of the issues facing the village today and the historical events that have led to this.

This village is one of only six that existed in this whole district 150 years ago when there were more elephants in the area than humans. One must therefore assume that the community was able to live in harmony with these majestic beasts and the weapons available to them made the killing of elephants or harming them impossible.

Over the last hundred and fifty years, lands in the district were cleared for agriculture, elephants were either captured or killed, and the space available for them to forage for food and roam, drastically reduced.

In order to preserve what little wildlife that remained, the Minneriya National Park was created. This allowed herds of elephants to move into this reservation which was off limits to poachers and farmers. When the water level of the Minneriya tank falls in the months of July through September, the reulting increase in the playground of a couple of thousand acres allows them to gather in the plains to feed on the fresh grass. These are awesome sights, when over 300 elephants gather in one place. This is now being publicized the world over as the gathering of elephants, something unique that one must experience at least once in life.

It was also a well known fact that if the elephants were not in Minneriya they were most likely in the Kaudulla tank, which at that time was not designated as a National Park. There appeared to be elephant corridors where they could move from one to another tank without encroaching on human settlements, namely that of Ratmale and its neighboring village of Rotawewa, which were sandwiched between these two large tanks. Both villages have irrigation tanks which supply water to their rice fields and they appeared to manage the elephant threat by keeping watch over them at night during the growing season and chasing away herds that appeared to encroach. The elephants had sufficient sources of food and at the sound of shouts and the light from fires, kept their distance.

Within the past 5 years after the establishment of the Kaudulla National Park, the incidents of elephants brazenly coming to cultivations of the local farmers has increased by leaps and bounds. They are not herds that do the damage, as herds move along tradional corridors that they are used to. They are instead mainly lone elephants or some who come in twos or threes. It appears from talking to the villagers that these elephants may have been moved from other parts of the country where they may have caused damage to agricultural settlements. This would explain their behaviour. They are following what they have done in the past. If they had got used to raiding crops, and breaking houses where paddy is stored, then they have resorted to the same behaviour. In the past year over 6 homes have been badly damaged in this village when the elephants, with an excellent scent for rice paddy, would break the walls of the side of the house where the bags of paddy are stored.

Many people in the village are now able to grow only enough rice paddy to feed their families. They feel as farmers they must grow their staple food and not been seen to be buying it. They therefore store the paddy in their homes. The farmer's wife parboils and mills to get the rice for the next few weeks of consumption. These farmers eat rice for all three meals of the day and invariably par boil the paddy in large urns prior to milling as a traditional way of eating rice. They believe this essential staple adds more taste and fills their stomachs.

My weekly interaction with the neighbors has resulted in a constant litany of woe of what the elephants did last night. It just never ends. A papaya tree that grows very healthily due to the rich soil in the area, can yield 3,000 rupees ($30) worth of fruit a year to the farmer. When elephants seems needlessly to just knock 10 trees down in a matter of minutes, months of effort in watering and fertilizing these prescious trees comes to naught. The frustration and anger directed at this seemingly mindless act of an elephant drives them to despair.

In many instances the people have resorted to making crude guns where gunpowder is stuffed into the barrel and intruding elephants are fired on. In most instances this does not kill but hurts the elephant skin sufficiently to make them retreat. There are instances however, where they result in wounds that do not heal ending with their painful death over a period of time. These gunshots can also lead to angry, infuriated and hungry elephants bent on further destroying cultivations and property.

This conflict has not been adequately resolved, locally or nationally, except for newspaper articles reporting incidents and sometimes promoting some provocative thought. The locals have had meetings with National Park officials who are responsible for protecting all wild animals, whether they are inside the park boundaries or outside. There are proposals to build an electric fence surrounding the village so elephants do not get in. However despite talk that funds have been passed for construction and maintenance, the people are convinced the funds have been purloined for private use by these same officials. So a general level of despondancy results, and no further action is taken.

In light of the above issues, my desire to see elephants dropping in for a drink of water and some grub on my propertly and my neighbors need to chase them away, are in direct conflict. The local populace must feel that both the establishment of the National Park next door and the resulting visitors are a benefit to them which can in some way compensate them for the harm that is being done to them from the presence of these animals. It is a delicate path that we have to tread and one should not make rash statements in favour of the elephant in the presence of local people, without due consideration given to their feelings.

This place is a great place to get a bird's eye view of this issue and anyone serious enough about proposing a solution can get some invaluable insights into how best to resolve it.

The alternative resort

2007-06-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

In order to give a better understanding about this curious place, I will attempt to show what one could expect from a stay here. There are no rules except to respect the sanctity of a fast disappearing patch of the wild and that is my primary objective. Getting the local people to appreciate that this goal is in their best interest too is a challenge, but worth trying.

The preferred music is that of the forest, always new and different, with never a repeat of the same sequence.No power generation or electricty is required to hear the sound. There is human activity, as this is an integral part of the village. The tank and the nearby temple also being an essential prerequisite for completeness, of a traditional village. There is even a monk who is at an isolated spot or cave in a patch of forest within earshot in the temple grounds living a life of complete isolation and meditation. The nights especially are full of sounds of the wild with the chatter of natures bounty going about their business unhindered by man.

The objective is to get inspiration to occasionally take a road less travelled in life and the courage to take that journey. This place is for those who want something different to what is usual. City types who live in air-conditioned apartments, used to sounds of gadgetry, music from elaborate sound systems, may prefer none of that in a retreat or vacation. Don't crowd your day; even better have no agenda and go with the flow. The flow will be unexpected. That is its beauty, especially in new events. For instance one can feel helpless if one is always dependant, not necessarily on others, but on say a switch to turn a fan on. When there are none, what do you do?. Just turn to your inner self to find a solution and if that does not help just a ring of the bell and a makeshift compromise.

For those who seek pleasure from observation don't bring noisy children or teenagers. However infants will find future inspiration hard wired into their brains from the unique sounds of the forest, much like having Mozart's music being played, when they are in their mother's womb. Its a place to sleep at anytime in the largest beds in the country. Its a place you can wander in all directions with no gates and fences to keep you in or out. Its everyones property so we don't prevent people from coming in or going out. You can go anywhere, but just be sensitive enough to announce your arrival if you intend to walk in to someone's house as they are invariably unlocked. Front doors are usually left open. Please know what is cultivated and what is a useless weed as both seem alike to one not used to these surroundings. So don't destroy plants that have been carefully tendered for food or medicine.

All the people you encounter are more frightened of elephants than their own kind. So you know who you should worry about at all times. This has been and still is the land of the elephant. They have roamed this land earlier than man, so their right to exist has to be respected. I would not be here, this place would not have been built and you would not have come if not for them. Don't forget they are the largest living species on land in this fragile earth of ours and are endangered.

The creative mind finds inspiration in all places, but this place will provide that spontaneity of thought that is not easily replicated elsewhere, to photograph, paint, write or just think. If you cannot stop talking you will certainly shut up here. Just being able to hear you talk making statements that sound so silly will surely shame you into silence. That is what this place does to you.

You maybe inspired to write or draw, so bring a paper and pencil and create something from nothing!

There are places one goes where one looks forward to curling up with a good book for relaxation. Books are not advisable here as it takes ones eyes away from a constantly changing scene seated on the verandah. Not a moment will pass by without you observing some change. A change that makes you curious to continue looking and do nothing else. When you get tired of looking you will just close your eyes and fall asleep, perhaps dreaming of what paradise might look and sound like. You are in paradise.

11th Century Royal Hunting Lodge

2007-06-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

Deep in the forests of North Eastern Sri Lanka. surrounded by jungle, in an elephant corridor between two National Wildlife Parks one comes across this little retreat at the foot of a bund of a large man made irrigation tank akin to a lake.

It is very simply, but elegantly constructed in a minimalist style in what would be natural to believe a Hunting Lodge of the ancient kingdom of the Polonnaruwa period a thousand years ago was like. It is also appropriate to surmise that Kings of Polonnaruwa would have come to a place like this on the banks of a water source to set-up camp and possibly construct a more permanant structure for their habitual retreats into the forest, to hunt, fish and meditate or generally relax and unwind from tedious official duties.

In the recent history of the area, the village where the Lodge is located was one of the few, in fact one of only six villages in 1900 that existed in this district which was then covered in virgin forest. The land on which this Lodge lies was the heart of the village back then as it was by the village Tank, or lake and was the most appropriate place for the villagers to live. This area would have had many houses and home gardens with coconut trees and other fruit trees and also would have had home kitchen gardens. Being at the foot of the tank, all wells would have had sufficient water year round giving the locals all the basics for a comfortable life. They would have had an organized society with obstacles to protect the village from encroachment by wild animals.

The village temple is the closest neighbor to the property. It is out of sight but within earshot when the priest chants pirith to coax the heathen into his fold reminding the village of their obligations.

It must be remembered that Ratmale which is the name of the village was very isolated in the not too distant past. This is further evident as the people have a dialect of the Sinhala that is quite unique to them. However with the advent of the building of roads through the forest to cut timber and open up lands for agriculture, followed by the advent over the recent past of electricity, the village has moved to where the road was as electricity was only provided along the road. This area near the lake therefore was abandoned and became shrub jungle with the elephants uprooting all planted fruit trees. The general passage of time has led to the forest taking over to what we see today.

During the dry period of the year when wells run dry and other canals have no water going through them, the village folk trek a few kilometers to walk past this property to go to the tank for their daily bath and to wash their clothes. This quaint pilgrimage is made daily and the ladies cover themselves from the sun and wind on their journey. Do not mistake this covering for a burkha, it is just a practical way of shielding their skin from the hot dry sun.It is interesting to note that everyone tries to get home before it gets dark, in case they are confronted by a wild elephants who roam the area after dusk.

Talking of elephants, this property is a frequentl path through which elephants come, after a dip in the water or after a refreshing drink, and make their way to the paddy fields of the village to see if they can pick a delicious thatch of paddy evading the farmers who guard them.

The pond right in front of the main verandah has seen the occasional elephant take a dip and more often eat the grass around it. If one looks around one finds elephant dung, (droppings) showing what the elephant has been eating at that time. Some items do not digest and are simply passed out.

It is always advisable to be completely aware of your sorroundings. If you decide to take a walk after dusk, you are advised to go with a companion and have a fairly powerful flashlight with which to ward of an elephant. Elephants in the wild are usually harmless, if they are surprised at a close distance it is possible they could attack out of fright on their part, so please be careful and do not take unnecessary risks. A flash of a light however is usually enough for an elephant to change direction and avoid the light source.

Every effort has been taken to minimize the damage to the surrounding area. We have taken many steps to enhance the ecological balance of the area by assisting the growth of flora that has established itself on the land. We have also by keeping an eye on the water level helped the indigenous rush and reeds to grow, which in the past was extensive but which have now become extinct. These rush and reeds were used by the village to make all their mats that they slept on as well as for making their baskets and other items used in their daily lives.

This art of weaving has almost disappeared. We are attempting first to save and grow these plants now extinct from the area, and once established, to rebuild this skill and industry, by ensuring that those, who follow undergo training and make these mats, are paid a fair price for their effort. Do try and understand why these mats are far superior to the cheap ones currently available in the mass market. This project is analagous to the woven baskets and mats done by the Native American tribes of North America, which now command very high prices at the souvenir stores at their tribal homelands or at the National Parks in the US, which are close to those tribal homelands. This is an effort to preserve the past and encourage unique skills in people so that they are adequately remunerated. They will be encouraged to make relevant products that are useful to the buyer to decorate their homes, or proudly show off to their friends as momentos from their visit.

This Lodge is my home and I intend keeping it that way. It is the only property I have designed and built and it gives me incredible pleasure to live in it. It is by no means perfect, I intend to make improvements in time. I want to share this pleasure with those who can appreciate my philosophy and gain an insight into the area, its people and surroundings and not just be another place to stay when visiting the area. I would encourage people to stay a minium of three nights to get a feel for the area.

A great benefit of staying at Kumbuk Pokuna Lodge is that it is close to 3 major National Parks. It is 4 km from the entrance to the Kaudulla National Park, and the property borders the park. It is 16km from the entrance to the Minneriya National Park and is 20km from the entrance to the newly established Horoluwewa National Park. All these parks offer the possibility of seeing elephants in the wild and during the months of July, August and September, one can see as many as 300 at any one time at these parks, making it unique worldwide. A resident jeep can be arranged to take one to any of these parks at a moments notice to suit the whims of the visitor. It is best to see bird life at dawn and elephants in the early evening. It is important to note that one must leave the National Parks by 6pm and therefore it is important to leave early to maximize the chance of seeing elephants.

If one is an ornithologist, there is no limit the number of birds that one will see at these parks but they are certainly not restricted to the parks. Sitting on the verandah or lying in bed on the verandah there is a good chance of seeing numerous species both of migratory and resident birds at the lodge. With the water sources all around, it is not unusual to see 30 species of birds within a space of an hour in the mornings or later in the evenings. Look out for the birds who perch on the logs in front, a natural place for them, especially the kingfishers who follow the fish in the pond and swoop for their meal.

It must be mentioned that the tap water is pure and from the well on the property that is fed from a spring. This well has the best water in the village. The property currently has no electricity, though the experience of living in such a place will make one forget the need for electric power. Additionally as the whole area does not have artificial light, the stars at night are quite spectacular.