The Cobra Kingdom

Now in Kegalle, and back into the heat, we enter the heart of the city, the land upon which the late and great Phillip Ondaatje built the family house Rock Hill. After being given access to the house by the Sinhalese family who now occupied it, we go inside. I approach the property surreptitiously, wary of the large population of cobras that dominated the area.

A Small Serpent Story
The house was always surrounded by snakes, in particular Cobras. The chickens my father raised here further enhanced that problem and soon snakes would venture into the house causing much ruckus. The walls still showed the scars of bullet wounds even after being repaired, a visible tracker of the reptilian guests that appeared uninvited.

Nostalgia overload. Although much smaller now as compared to my childhood memories, the house is home to a host of small pieces of my youth. The mangosteen tree stands exactly where it did years ago, the Kitul remains its faithful companion. I half expect the polecat to come stumbling down the tree as it did when my father lived here, the two enjoying each others company in their drunken stupors. Mervyn and his polecat.

Snapshots From Kegalle
The empire the Ondaatje lawyer had fought to keep esteemed and private had now diminished into a small fading spot in the growing landscape.

Spinach planted by the new owners

A favourite hiding spot for various bottles

Sarongs #2-8