Visiting a Sri Lankan Coconut Grove

Today our monks in Sri Lanka are having a day of adjustment to their new timezone before the 2019 Innersearch program begins. A good time for some light activities with Rishi Thondunathan are the Negombo area. Today we visited a small coconut grove to learn how the juice is harvested from coconut flowers. This sap is commonly used to make jaggery sugar, and if left to ferment, can make alcoholic drink known as toddy. Harvesters of the sap are nicknamed "Toddy Tappers" because the flower must be tapped on for 2 to 4 weeks with a wooden mallet before the sap begins to flow. The trees are all connected by three ropes for the toddy tappers to walk on. They will scale one tree and then go around the whole grove tapping the flowers for the day and collecting the sap.

After tapping the flower on one palm this harvester travels to the next one

We begin our journey from our hotel in a \"tuk tuk,\" or three-wheeler

It\

s a nice open-air drive'

Our monks arrive at the coconut grove and have a look around

We\

re given a tour by one of the workers there'

Paramacharya finds the ladder that\

s used to scale the first tree'

It\

s just ropes and coconut husks'

Sometimes they\

ll just climb a bare tree with rope wrapping their feet'

When the flower is sticking a few feet from the top, they\

ll wrap it in rope to keep in from openeing. They\'ll then tap is several times a day to losen the fibers. '

after a few weeks it will start to release its sap, and they cut the tip and place a clay pot under it

These are the clay pots

If left in the pots too long, it will ferment and make toddy

Here\

s a good example of the process. The left is an older flower that has been cut, as is continually tapped on as it releases its sap. Right, is a younger flower recently wrapped in rope. It has a few weeks of tapping before it will be cut.'

After that, we visit a tea shop and try some of Sri Lanka\

s famous tea'

We note the amazing ceiling

A good idea... but how to keep it clean?

A wonderful start to our day. Later our monks will make a short visit to the ancient Munneswaran Temple just north of here. Aum Namah Sivaya

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