We three Coconuts today joined the Cinnamon’s on a trip to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Ruhuna.
On route we passed the town of Matara we saw busy life flow past us; throngs of school children in their white uniforms and bright white trainers, an oxen pulling a cart, and lots of umbrellas – protection from the down poor. The journey from Columbo had made crazy driving commonplace and we could enjoy the scenery!

We were welcomed here by the Dean and his team and enjoyed our first insights in to the local issues affecting coconuts.  After tea and chit chat we split up into our teams to begin our education with a short and very informative private lecture from Mr P.H. Miuru and our soon to be guide Mr MarSingha.

After a very spicy and enjoyable lunch we set of to visit a local factory with our guide. We travelled through some really attractive scenery: passing plantations of cinnamon and rubber trees, lush green rice fields, and coconut trees growing like weeds in every gap.  In a small hamlet we witnessed a colourful local wedding; were delayed by little herds of bison being herded across the road; and my highlight, saw a coconut monkey a top a palm!

The “factory” was a cottage industry: behind the Managers home and sat beneath palm trees was the machinery used to process the husk of the coconuts.  These were the waste product from the coconuts after the kernel had been removed for domestic consumption. The husks had been collected locally – an example of recycling Sri Lankan style. The process involved feeding these husks into a machine which separated the fibre from the husk. The fibre was then rotated in a mesh drum to “clean” it separating out the peat – a by product which was then sent to local town of Galle to be processed into compressed peat blocks (used in agriculture for propagating seedlings). Once the fibre was “cleaned” it was passed through a machine which aligned the fibres to allow it to then pass into a weaving machine which wound it into rope. The rope would then go to be used by local farmers.

I am sitting typing this on the upper Balcony watching the last of the sun set above the waves crashing in on to the beach, as I enjoy a pleasant breeze through the coconut trees.  I just caught sight of a flash of bright blue fly past me – a parrot perhaps?