Last Updated on June 29, 2015 by Fiona Maclean
Of Crocodiles and more on Cinnamon Island:
Scarcely a metre long, the silvery green baby crocodile looks for all the world as if it could be a child’s toy made of rubber. Fierce beady eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp white teeth are just a warning for the future. For now, a miniature dog’s lead around his plump belly keeps this money-spinner from scurrying off into the wetlands. The growing line of visitors on the quay waits to be photographed with the reptile. A quick snap perhaps?
From the banks of the Madu Ganga, we have travelled downstream to the estuary in search of wildlife but spotted little other than a few birds and a water snake gliding through the murky mangrove swamps. Here, on Cinnamon Island, we have a chance to learn a little more about the spice that made Sri Lanka rich. And, to meet the crocodile. Perhaps he doesn’t catch much in his jaws yet, but he certainly traps the tourists.
Cinnamon is the stuff legends are made of. The Cynnamolgus was a large phoenix-like bird that collected cinnamon sticks to build nests. Herodotus claimed the bird lived in Arabia building its nest on sheer cliff fronts. Harvesting the spice involved tempting the bird to carry heavy chunks of meat back to the nest, weighing it down so that the nest fell to the ground. Aristotle preferred the idea that natives sent weighted arrows up into the tree tops where the nests were built, once again bringing the valuable spice down to earth. While the myths and legends were intended to protect the secrets of the spice traders, the result was a fiercely disputed territory until the 1830s, when cinnamon started to be grown elsewhere.
Now the smart money is in tourism. This tiny estuary island, one of sixty-four in the estuary, is devoted to cinnamon farming. Set foot on land and the unmistakable heady scent of cinnamon oil is all-pervasive. Every inch of the island is covered with dark green cinnamon shrubs.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, a small knife in one hand and a long green stick in the other, the cinnamon farmer shaves away the outer bark. Next, he rolls the stick between his hands a few times before slicing down the stick and deftly unpeeling it. He rolls this papery layer tightly between his hands, piling it to the side ready to add to the coir hanging nets under the banana-leaf roof of the building. The cinnamon sticks dry out naturally in the shade and after a week are cut to size and ready to be sold.
There is plenty to buy. I’m tempted; a tiny packet of cinnamon tea scents my bag like spilt perfume. Travelling back to the mainland I peer into the riverside shacks. Washing hanging out on lines, children waving from the riverbank and even the occasional TV and fridge. Despite the calm, much of this part of the world was washed away ten years ago by the Tsunami and there’s plenty still to rebuild. Cinnamon is just one part of the rehabilitation programme.
great post ,thanks for writing about our island
Wow – this has made me think about cinnamon in a whole, new light! I’d love to go to this place 🙂
That is nothing at all like what I imagined the source of cinnamon to be.
I had never heard of the Cynnamolgus and the legend of Cinnamon. So interesting. I wish I had a cup of cinnamon tea about now.
I don’t blame you on passing up on holding the crocodile–even small, they can leave a nasty bite! (Can you tell that I’m SO not an animal person?!) I didn’t know much about cinnamon before reading this post, but it sounds like it would be really interesting to see it in person. Gorgeous pictures!
Undeniable craving for cinnamon now! Great post!
Sounds like a fantastic day out – Kind of craving cinnamon now!! Love the croc photos – we had a similar experience in Florida and the baby crocs were soooo adorable!! Lol though “adorable” I guess isn’t a word the majority of people tend to use so I think I’m on my own there 😀
Fantastic post! I can almost smell the cinnamon!
Very nice post I haven’t heard of this place before. It looks amazing!
Very interesting bit on the history and industry surrounding cinnamon. Never knew! The only thing you didn’t give me was the actual smell! Lotsathanks for this nice post!
Sri Lanka has never really been on my radar but after seeing some travel bloggers post on it from the conference, it looks amazing. I would love to see how they grow and produce the cinnamon!
I love cinnamon. Great post on producing cinnamon. I bet it was amazing being on an island that smells of cinnamon.
Also, did you get to hold the croc?
lol I didn’t want to hold the croc! I am, at heart, a travelling wimp!
I love this post. You get to go to some fabulous places but few are like this. Wow……. and cinnamon from the source would so amazing