Colombo, Sri Lanka, Day 2

Our excursion today took us to a 1,700 year old Buddhist temple, Pokonuvita Rajamaha Viharaya, where monks from the ages of 9 to 80 live and work. The setting looked and felt very old.

After hiking up to the on-site temple, we observed the giant sleeping Buddha serenely reposing in the company of many large and smaller Buddhas. Truly a magnificent and beautiful wonder to behold.

We then drove to a village Millaniya, where we took a tuk-tuk ride through the farmland/countryside. Our driver pointed out rubber trees, cinnamon trees and so many beautiful fruits.

We arrived at an award-winning farm, Agropark Millaniya, where we were met at the gate by the owner. He gave us a tour of the farm. They grow so many things on the farm: pineapples and 70 varieties of bananas, coconuts, tea plants, coffee trees, rubber trees, cinnamon trees, cannonball trees (with their beautiful flower that is used as an offering to Buddha).

We were shown demonstrations of how cinnamon sticks are made; demos on coconut/coconut milk/coconut oil, rubber/latex and tea, as well; women made rice-flour and other snacks, etc. We watched Ceylon tea being harvested by one of the women who work on the farm.

Our outside lunch was a treat with farm-fresh ingredients and very gracious 'servers'. The countryside was beautiful and lush; so many nice nearby hillside homes.

Cathy purchased two lovely saris; the vendor showed her how to put them on. Another wonderful day!
-----------------------------------
PS: There are over 1.2M tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka. These little motorized and often festively decorated carts provide cheap, available & speedy transportation for locals and tourists.

All street signs are in Ceylonese and English, and all the women government workers dress in saris; it’s mandatory.Læs mere