On our travels we meet lots of friendly dogs, learn about cinnamon production and watch fishermen hauling in their nets.
Everywhere we go we meet dogs. Most of them are not strays but have owners. The dogs are footloose and free and live a very laid-back life. They seem to enjoy hanging out with each other and in the company of humans.
The dogs are sweet, friendly and approachable, but veritable fleabags. Much as I would like to pet the dogs, I keep my fingers away because I know from experience that fleas love me.
Our travels also include a visit to a cinnamon farm where we learn how this popular, fragrant spice is produced. Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree, which is native to Sri Lanka. Ceylon cinnamon is an important source of income to Sri Lanka, which produces 80-90 percent of the world’s supply of C. verum.
Another important source of income is fishery. Being an island, Sri Lanka has a lot of coastline. We stop to watch fishermen dragging in an enormously long net that, unfortunately, does not seem to contain many fish.
Some of the boats they use are traditional outrigger canoes.
Someone must be catching fish somewhere, as we can see in the markets we visit. Common catches in this area are mackerel, tuna and sailfish.
The markets also offer a wide array of fruits and vegetables, most of which are mysterious to me. I can attest to fact that the food is delicious, even though I don’t always know what I am eating.
