Finding the Land (2022)
The moment we knew
This is it. We all knew it the moment we stepped onto the land.
We had been searching for two years — travelling with our extended Sri Lankan family, bouncing around in the back of a coconut truck on a mattress they had kindly pulled from their own bedroom. We saw so many places, and we had so much fun doing it.
Some of the lands we visited had everything we thought we needed: coconut trees, access to water and electricity, close to a proper road… all the practical boxes were ticked.
But none of them felt right. None of them had that feeling.
Then, in 2022, we arrived here. Near a small village called Wannathavillua.
The moment our feet touched the earth, everything became quiet and certain.
No doubts. No hesitation.
The next day, we became guardians of 16 acres of wild, untouched jungle.
On paper, it made no sense. Four kilometres down a dirt track.
Completely off-grid. Totally impractical.
And somehow — absolutely perfect.
The first thing I noticed was the banyan tree. A giant — maybe 300 years old — holding a vast, cool, sacred shade. I felt my heart expand, like the land itself had been waiting for us.
Then, as we walked round the corner, a natural lake revealed itself. Surrounded by palm trees, old mahogany and teak trees behind, and birds of paradise dancing at the water’s edge.
Andy, my husband, had shared his vision of having “a lake” on the land the year before. And there it was, opening up in front of us.
Our friend sat down on a fallen tree, watching eagles circling overhead. He didn’t speak for a while. Then he just said, “Yes. This is the one. This land is special.”
And it was.
And it is.
The land had found us.