Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
15 Apr 2024
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100.0 %
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Details
Description
My husband (82) and I (77) are a British couple living in a remote spot in Sri Lanka’s beautiful mountains near Ella. We have a small band of locals like an extended family, helping us to run a guest house specifically for nature lovers - a total of 8 rooms in 4 different buildings - in our 102 acre private nature reserve, much of which is rock and jungle. Our Guest House will be closed for the next couple of months, during repairs/renovations. We are gradually trying to grow as many as possible organic vegetables and herbs for ourselves and guests, most of which has to be done under cover to keep out wild animals - particularly monkeys!
We are trying to preserve one of the most beautiful spots on earth from becoming spoiled by over development, while at the same time encouraging responsible tourists to visit in small numbers at a time and enjoy the beauty of wild nature.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
As a tourist, you are ferried from one famous site to another and often learn little about the local way of life. Our small number of workers are local village people, mostly not highly educated. although often better at living in the jungle than so called sophisticated people. Our Workaways could gain insight into the completely different ways of life here and how events like birth, coming of age, marriage and death have a greater significance than they do for many Western families. It is also fascinating to find out how the young people are embracing the IT world and how it is changing some traditional practices. Those interested in alternative medicine can also learn from our workers - as we do - how to treat minor ailments with herbal remedies.
Help
Our Guest House is temporarily closed and our current emphasis has changed to repairs and renovation, as well as concentrating more on vegetable growing and keeping some chickens.
Our ideal Workawayers would be people with qualifications and/or considerable experience (more than a couple of weeks!) of carpentry, building, plumbing, electrical works etc., together with more basic maintenance skills like painting. Experience of organic vegetable and chicken farming would also be helpful, as would general organic gardening, pest control and keeping tough weeds away from our paths. We do not use any chemicals inside or on the land.
The jungle continually tries to take us over, so we could really benefit from one or two enthusiastic extra pairs of hands to help keep things under control! Our Workawayers should be strong and healthy (fully vaccinated against Covid) and not averse to hard work! Their benefits would be staying in an incredibly beautiful landscape and learning about local culture and customs - and also, we have excellent cooks who prepare a variety of local and international dishes under my personal supervision as an enthusiastic cook!
Obviously we would not expect female Workawayers to do really “hard labour” as some Sri Lankan women do, but there are many regular tasks needed, such as removing and preventing persistent small ant trails in and around buildings (a hazard of country life!) and checking that all amenities in our 4 guest buildings are functioning well, including helping with cleaning and repairs if necessary.
We are not a place for Workawayers who depend on socialising in large groups or who love parties with loud music - the only “night life” here is deer, wild boar and porcupines! However, we are definitely a place for those who love to be immersed in wild nature and see stunning birds and butterflies regularly! There are plenty of wild animals around and if you’re extremely lucky, you may even see a leopard in the distance - no promises!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Beginner
Accommodation
Workaways would be housed in one of our standard guest rooms with en suite toilet and shower - depending on guests, it might not always be the same room. We are happy to take on either single Workaways or couples. If 2 unrelated Workaways were with us at the same time, they would have to share a room with single beds. Meals would be provided, usually in our bungalow (where the standard rooms are) and occasionally in our rooftop dining room with spectacular views. The venue would depend on how busy our cooks were and how many guests were in residence.
We are a strictly non smoking establishment and all drugs are prohibited. We don’t have a licence to serve alcohol, so if Workaways want beer and wine, they would have to buy it themselves and keep the receipts available in case there was a spot check by the Customs and Excise Department. No alcohol is permitted during working times, as this would set a bad example for our local workers.
What else ...
In return for your hard work, we will do our best to make you feel part of our small community. There are a limited number local buses per day to take you to the nearest shopping centre about 40 minutes by road. There are also tuk tuks: 3 wheel taxis. We usually go to town once a week and might sometimes be able to give you a lift in our van if times were suitable. We can give advice on nearby tourist sites or any other aspect of local life that might interest you for your free time. If you are interested in hiking/trekking, there are good opportunities on our land and nearby. There is also a pool in the river below our place where you can swim. We are in process of constructing our own private semi-natural pool where you may have an opportunity to swim - we are currently checking for leaks!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (6)
Had a great room and food, it was a shame i couldn't stay longer.
Would also like to say thanks to Kanna, Jasmin and the rest of the staff for a lovely stay.
Feedback
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Had a great room and food, it was a shame i couldn't stay longer.
Would also like to say thanks to Kanna, Jasmin and the rest of the staff for a lovely stay.
Their estate is spectacular. It's very isolated, and internet is by cell phone data only--be sure to have a generous data plan, and expect it not to work everywhere on their estate! Their staff is endlessly gracious and… read more
