It was Sunday and a number of Sri Lankan families had had the same idea. There were not many boats available. But if I wouldn’t mind sharing with some other tourists…..
My fellow passengers were a young Saudi couple – perhaps honeymooners.
The boatman spoke largely in Arabic, throwing me a few words of English from time to time. Fortunately, not many words were needed. It was enough to sit and enjoy.
Our motor boat joined others and we headed through the mangroves
emerging into Maduganga Lake with its twenty-one islands. The larger ones were inhabited by some of the 20 000 people who live on or near the Lake; others only by numerous species of birds.
Some of the villagers were enjoying their Sunday break.
Others were working.
They earn their living fishing
and increasingly, by showing tourists the treasures of the home where they have lived for generations.
We met an unsmiling little boy -- unusual for Sri Lanka -- who hoped for a tip for showing us his monkey.
Then, we came to an area in the middle of the lake where men farmed fish to sell to aquariums.
A young man showed us a baby alligator which, hopefully, was kept well away from the fish.
Then we approached the Kothduwa temple in the river estuary.
Legend says the Buddha’s tooth, now at Kandy, was once hidden here. There are still monks at the temple and our boatman asked if we wanted to stop. The young couple said no and on we chugged.
We did stop at another island where a young man showed us how cinnamon was rolled
and how to plait palm fronds
Afterwards, our boatman took us to another part of the estuary and cut the motor so we could experience the silence that was increasingly absent from the lives of these river-dwellers.
Though the tourists bring another source of income to the villagers, they must sometimes long for the peace of their old way of life.
All too soon, we reached the spot where the river meets the sea
and then it was time to go back to the dock so others could enjoy the beauty of Madu Ganga.
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