© National Geographic Yourshot (Editors’ Favourite with Editors’ Note, May 2018). Story and assignment: “While on a Walk.”

The decisive moment. I looked up to the towering coconut palms swaying overhead during an afternoon stroll near Balapitiya, a small fishing village on the southern coast of Sri Lanka's Low Country. To my delight, I saw a Sinhalese toddy tapper walking quickly for balance on tight coir ropes that ran from treetop to treetop at 30 to 40 feet above ground - all part of an elaborate process for harvesting the sweet milky sap of cut coconut blossoms. A serendipitous moment in the renowned land of Serendip.

The sap is ultimately fermented into “toddy” or palm wine and distilled into arrack - a stronger, more refined, and highly popular alcoholic beverage. The ropes are made of strong coir or coconut fiber. Portable equipment carried on these aerial circuits includes two types of knives in a wooden case to slice the spadix, a small wooden mallet or piece of bone to tap the sides of the spathe, a coconut shell containing green leaf paste to control the oozing sap, and a clay pot or gourd to collect the sap.

Toddy tapping is done by men from several castes in the region. An individual tapper can harvest a hundred trees or more in a day as individual treetop circuits are routinely completed. As far as I can tell, this dangerous high-ropewalk harvesting method is solely unique to Sri Lanka. It faces extinction today.

Noritsu Koki QSS-31 digital film scan, shot with an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), circa 1984. expl#80

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Sundry sundown beach rituals at Hikkaduwa, a popular Indian Ocean beach destination on Sri Lanka’s beautiful southwestern coastal belt. Digital slide scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, circa 1984. expl#20

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Singhalese boys with their catch of the day at an agrarian reservoir dam in the Monaragala District of eastern Sri Lanka. Digital slide scan, shot with an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), circa 1984. expl#90

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A small fishing hamlet near Balapitiya, a hidden gem with soft golden sands and coconut palm groves - one of several picturesque Sinhalese communities scattered along Sri Lanka’s beautiful southwestern coastal belt. A serendipitious moment in the land of Serendip. Digital slide scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, circa 1984.

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Tags:   people Balapitiya Sri Lanka low Country Sinhalese landscape boats village picturesque fishing hamlet sand beach gold blue sea river palms DavidSchweitzer culture ethnic DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism film analog boat outdoors Nature

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Reclining Buddha entering the state of parinirvana (nirvana-after-death), Gal Vihara , Polonnaruwa, North Central Province, Sri Lanka, circa mid-12th Century. Digital slide scan, shot with an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), circa 1984.


The fine art of Singhalese stone sculpture and rock carving reached its pinnacle about 800 years ago in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) during the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, a time when ancient Singhalese kings ruled the island from the thriving commercial and religious city of Polonnaruwa. This was also an era in northwestern Cambodia when ancient Khmer kings ruled and Buddhism flourished with its magnificent sandstone sculptures and grand public works.

The reclining Buddha image is the largest (14m long) of four images hewn out of a huge granite wall, part of a larger Theravada Buddhist stone temple and ancient monastery (Gal Vihara) crafted during the reign of King Parakrabahu (1153-1186). It is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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