Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qQ7r3xkwjPtGesLq8

Polwaththa Lodge is a hippie place. At breakfast a French couple asked for coffee with coconut milk, and parsley water (!!), clutching a Lonely Planet Sri Lanka book, after their Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga class. Why do this to yourself? And they were French! Sacre bleu! Culinary traitors to their nation. I will save my suffering for hell. I want to enjoy what I eat and drink until then.

I would have fitted in decades ago (except for the yoga), but I haven’t had enough drugs in my life to be an old hippie, as Chateauneuf, Volnay and Champagne don’t count as hippie drugs. I never even dabbled in vegetarianism, let alone vegan - definitely never yoga.

Today a village and waterfalls walk is planned.

I set out with guide Charles, who is half Belgian, half Sri Lankan, and a Catholic - the only one in his village. His wife is Buddhist. They don’t fight.

I saw the hot water tank. They apparently burn waste cinnamon wood from their spice making activities to heat the tank. Incense powered hot water!

I learned some Ayurvedic treatments. Coffee, lime & ginger syrup for stomach. Tamarind & palm sugar for UTI’s.

We saw a beautiful plant called a Fire Lily. Charles said it was good for murder or suicide - he said you have to boil the roots with sugar (which is helpful for the poison to develop). It apparently takes a few painful hours to work. It’s the Tamil Nadu state flower, and used for some medicinal purposes, as well as arrow poison in Nigeria.

I wondered why he harped on a lot about it - did I look glum?

We walked about 4k mostly downhill, mostly very steep, through the jungle. He showed many different spices, trees & fruits as well as suicide drugs (it wouldn’t be my number one choice).

We then got on a very uncomfortable truck (of course no seatbelts) - an old Indian Mahindra, with a driver whose primary skill was not smoothness (I avoided concussion, despite no fat person in the back with me as a buffer). Another missing primary skill also was flossing, based on his smile.

The roads were very steep, and I hoped the brakes were up to it. Being deaf to high frequencies I was not aware if they squealed or not. We stopped at a point where we went on another jungle walk to a beautiful waterfall, where I nearly stepped on a viper. I was advised it was very poisonous. There are no anti-venoms for these in Sri Lanka.

On the way back, my eyes were firmly fixed on the ground, not the jungle. I see why a previous accommodation had sticks to walk with and beat the ground. Some aspects of this holiday seem better designed for someone younger than me.

I went to Charles house and met his family. He made me mango from his bountiful garden prepared with salt and chilli - delicious. Twenty five people from his original village in the hills were lost in landslides a few weeks ago. He praised the government for giving 50 lakh rupees to every victim to rebuild a house (about $25,000 AUD, I think).

Another great day, finished with more curry. I’ve had many chicken curries, and every one has been delicious and very different to the others.