Taekwondo Training /Local Aid/Culture and Beauty

Personal Taekwondo Training

Using the training facilities at our chosen hotel Livingwell,  has established a bond with the hotel, locals and tourists alike. Local clubs come to the hotel and training ground to share their skills and learn and join in the taekwondo delivered by Instructors from the UK.
Each Morning at 6am the programme begins with stretching in the warm rising sun and the sights and sounds of the sea rolling in. This is followed by preparation for challenging goals to be reached later in the tour and exhibitions or events that will be delivered to schools and major cities.

This year the focus was to perform in front of 2,000 people at an outdoor city event which celebrated a combination of martial arts with cultural dance and music. Taekwondo and Wushu kungfu (headed by national instructor Nirmala Priya and senior instructor Jeewan Maduranga) were to be the headline performances featuring master guest instructors from England.

Next was army training with one of Srilanka’s top regiments and national champions at the Panagoda Camp headed by National Champion (4th Dan) and 2nd Lieutenant Nalinda Rathnyaka.

Fifty army soldiers and Taekwondo players attended from the regiment and were delivered a 4 hour seminar conducted by Master Del finishing with a demonstration and presentation in front of the regiment commander. This was followed by dinner with the commander of the camp and his senior officers who graciously promised a complimentary tour of less well known beauty spots in SriLanka on Livingwell’s return team tour scheduled for their next visit.

Daily training continued and a DVD diary was produced by Nirmala Priya showing the practise taking place so that the challenges, goals and aspirations of the Players could be reached by the end of the tour.

Finally the TaeKwonDo Seminar at the Raddolugama club (near Negumbo), run by chief instructor 4th Dan Nalinda Rathnyaka. The training session was handed over to Master Del who lead a 3 hour Seminar assisted by 3rd Dan Susan Parkins who acted as assistant instructor throughout the tour 2011. This was followed by a short demonstration by Master Del and Susan Parkins and the players from the club.
Throughout the tour Master Del and Susan Parkins were over-whelmed by the hospitality and warmth wherever they went. Posters and welcome media were in every town that they officially visited. This hospitality has become common place on every tour over the last 10 years.

Friendships have been bonded and family has been extended.

Local Aid
Once again a team from Livingwell returned to give a little help and a few smiles to local families and children, including the girls orphanage, to show that they are in our hearts especially at Christmas time. Help came from UK instructors, Livingwell club members and friends alike who contributed some monetary donations for Master Del And Sue to Deliver.

Some gifts and essential foods including domestic items were distributed to a chosen orphanage and Locals. The highlight as always was the girls orphanage In Wadduwa, Thudawa Child Development Centre. Christmas day food parcels and essentials were delivered with a Christmas flavour. Pens, books, presents, cakes etc were all purchased locally giving a little business to the immediate community. Donated gifts from friends of Livingwell were limited by the baggage allowance of the airline even though additional payment was made to allow as much as possible to be taken out. Following the very grateful delivery of gifts the girls gave us a display of beautifully spoken English and a little traditional music, singing and dance .

One of the most gratifying moments while purchasing the goods, foods etc was to be in a position to be able to purchase a box of milk powder and a bag of rice for a local villager who was buying a tea bag size sachet of milk powder and a paper bag cup of rice for his family for holidays. The gratitude and facial expression was priceless.

We delivered pens, books and gifts to many local families which was not recorded and was often impromptu and once again took us well over the budget limit we had set for ourselves. There were also small cash handouts which were a common theme throughout our travels.

“To receive is a pleasure but to give is a blessing”

This part of the Livingwell tour is quite possibly the most emotional and rewarding.

Culture beauty and tourism.
This time the very first steps on Srilanka soil immediately highlighted that the country is in a better place than the same time last year. No war! Judging from the airport itself and the general condition of the roads and infrastructure it seems that Srilanka has vastly improved. A new Highway, the first of its kind in Srilanka immediately cuts off up to 2 hours travel time to certain destinations. The country is cleaner and many more people appear to have work which I have not seen since the first visit 10 years ago .

After leaving the airport and Colombo city palm trees stretched along the roadside and vast sandy beaches began to appear with fisherman dragging in their nets in. A magnetism to anyone that visits the pearl drop island.
We arrived at our quaint homely hotel, Lavila and the hotel owner and good friend LaLa is waiting with garlands for us! I believe, like myself, he genuinely feels his friends and family have come home. It’s been a whole year since my last visit, far too long. It is evident that the hotel has also improved with a new Ayuvedic Centre and a small jewellers selling local gems mined in SriLanka, rooms refurbished and best of all our training ground re-surfaced and upgraded.

His now busy little restaurant (Pectopah) really made us feel warm inside. He so deserves to compete with the 5 star Hotels adjacent to him. He has kept us safe and well for many years, nothing too much trouble and treated us like royalty (a link to the Hotel will soon appear on our website). The hotel is perfectly situated on the sandy beach looking out to LaLas Swimming pool (the Indian Ocean !!) probably the most photographed iconic sight in SriLanka with the leaning Palm tree that reaches out to the rolling ocean giving Lavila its unique beauty .

Our guides Indi, Shelton and other beach boys were to hand 24/7 again giving us value and keeping us safe throughout our tour.

This tour was kept predominantly to the west coast but on bigger tours the team will be taken by the beach boys to temples, gem mines, water rafting, water sports, snorkelling, safaris and local culture, all at a minimal cost.

When I asked the question “with the improved economy why are the costs of the hotel and tours not much more than they were ten years ago?” The reply was heart warming “Master Del we have had war, Tsunami, economic failure and poverty but you still came when we needed you and gave us business when there was no-one else. You came when times were bad and now they are better we can give to you in return for your dedication and love of Srilanka”.

Finally our local tailor and martial arts goods supplier, Walter and Dasani , (fondly known as Tahti and Ahmi - Father and Mother) hosted us every night in their quaint traditional home and shop. Tea flowed, this beautiful family sharing their home with us, educating us about culture and local life, their son and daughter Madushanka and Uma equally helping and working tirelessly during our tour.

As we sat in the corner of the shop drinking tea it was again heart warming to see trade improving for the first time in years. Tourists and visitors were buying the odd trinket and Batik and like always we put them to work for two weeks preparing our orders night and day. Materials as expected have had a price increase but the satisfaction of giving the business to a long standing local tradesman who ensures every order is personalised to our requirements and who himself oversees the orders beyond a price.

 Ahmi sitting in the corner night and day working at her ancient sewing machine and Tahti travelling for hours at a time by bus or train to collect materials and securing the best deals.

To this my second family, Indika, Shelton and Staff, LaLa and Staff, Priya, Jeewan and Students, to the SriLankan Army and our dear friend and brother Rath and students I am eternally grateful.

Thankyou for everything, always .

Master Del

If you would like to be part of the team touring at Easter2012 please book now, it truly would be a trip of a life time and a holiday like no other to a land like no other .



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