MEETING
ACTIVITIES
PREPARATION OF LUNCH
Join Suzy and her team in her traditional kitchen built by her husband Bhathiya’s great Grandfather, and assist in the preparation of lunch! Learn to prepare a complete meal using ancient tools such as the coconut scraper, the traditional mortar & pestle, the grinding stone and seasoned clay pots. Suzy or her colleague will demonstrate and explain in detail from scraping the coconut, extracting the milk, to pounding sambol, to cooking with firewood in a typical local way.
Witness the starting of the firewood and controlling of the temperature whilst the curries are cooking. Finally your lunch will be served on a heated banana leaf accompanied with papadam and home prepared chutneys. Explore the intricacies of Sri Lankan cuisine and treasure the memories of the unforgettable experience with Suzy.
THE VILLAGE WALK
Embark on a journey of discovery in our little village called “ Yatiwawala” to observe the reawakening of a village and natural life alike. Stroll down enticing jungle byways and through the green paddy field to see the buffalo ploughing and threshing the fields during the harvest, as the season demands. Along the way, see many different spices thriving in their natural element - goraka, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, coffee, cocoa and black pepper, many valuable fruit and timber trees native to the shrub jungle.
A few minute walk away from the Manor, visit the Ambalama, a place of shelter built by ancient kings for travelers to break journey, take rest and spend the night. People also exchanged goods from different localities and after befriending them.
The Hunasgiriya mountain range will watch over you from a distance, adding an element of grandeur to the picturesque village scenery. An ideal walk for the artist, a photographer, an expert naturalist or a passionate bird-watcher, or you may simply be enamored with the wonders of everyday life.
VISITING THE GENERAL MARKET
Take a ride to the “Menikkumbura” market with Bhathiya in a tuk tuk, and see the variety of seasonal vegetables harvested during the season. Learn the Sinhala names and the different types of vegetables that are locally grown for village folks. Meet our village Auyurvedic doctor, ask for your herbal medicine for common cold, flu, cough and minor ailments that you may require. Walk around by yourself and speak with the vendors, try out the different types of tropical seasonal fruit like, soursup, amberalla, nelli, passion fruit, ripe jack and a variety of bananas grown in Sri Lanka,