Colombo, Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya, Yala, Weligama | February 2023

Her hooves are heavy on the mountain road. Her pungent must intensifies with the effort of each step, mixing with the faint smell of leaves burning in the distance. Before me, cascading mountains of tea plants in every direction. Behind me, Hansaka’s infectious grin as his chestnut gelding catches up, and I can’t help but return his smile.

I don’t know why I dreamed of Sri Lanka for so long. But the pull was persistent for many years; the ache deep. In the mornings the peacocks call in the distance. Sometimes I wake with the surfers paddling through the sea. In the evenings I climb in bed with fingers stained in curry leaf and garlic, my belly full with Jaffna crab and coconut sambal.

Oh the day before the last we sit at the edge of the surf with our feet in the sand, my mouth sweet from king coconut meat that feels like silk on your tongue. We laugh. We exist in silence. We repeat. The joy of my new friend is already threatened by the sadness of leaving soon, but as the sun sets over Ahangama Beach, I know this trip to Sri Lanka will not be my last.