As Thirsty Thursdays go this ranks as one of the most obscure! I had spent a week or so in Sri Lanka, touring around. It was a special trip because my parents had joined me and my girlfriend – I only see my parents once at year at most these days. It got to the end of the week, and the last day we would spend together at Pinnawala and later Kurunegala. That day we had gone from Kandy to Pinnawala to see the elephants parade through the town and visit the elephant orphanage. We got a ride on the elephants and bathed with them. It was hot and after a walk through the town of Pinnawala, Dad and I decide we were having an ice cold beer!
But except for the main street in Pinnawala (which apparently you have to pay to access), there were no bars so we headed into a shop which sold all sorts of elephant souvenirs. It was just a shop! Instead of asking about elephants we just asked the guy if we could sit down and have a beer!
Low and behold he said yes and there we were sitting down on wooden carved seats with elephant and turtle shapes on them. The guy brought over the beers and I wrote my brother a postcard which I bought there! We cracked open two ice cold bottles of Lion Beer.
As I clinked bottles with my Dad it was a moment to savour and one of the most enjoyable beers I have ever had. If you ever make it to Pinnawala, check out the shop with all the wooden carvings of elephants and turn it into your bar for a beer like we did. Loved it…
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A Video from having a beer in an elephant souvenir shop in Pinnawala:
And one of my favourite quiet lazy tunes by Crowded House which features the epic line “elephants go down to the water hole at dusk, they feel the same as us about life”. I couldn’t have put it better myself. Inspiring:
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