An evening of Sri Lankan Curry at Tacugama

On Saturday night three friends and I headed up to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary to enjoy an evening of Sri Lankan Curry. This may seem an odd combination in Sierra Leone but it does all make sense when you know the history of Tacugama.

In 1988 Bala Amarasekaran, a Sri Lankan, found a tiny scared chimpanzee for sale on the side of the road outside Freetown.  They bought this wee chap for $30 and named him Bruno.  In the course of the next year they discovered a further 55 pet chimps in Freetown who were kept cruelly or ignorantly.   It is illegal to possess, capture kill or keep chimps as pets but these rules are all too often ignored.

News soon spread that he and his wife were helping chimps and by 1993 they had seven in cages in their compound.  At this point they started planning something more permanent and Tacugama was born.  Today 98 chimpanzees have found safe haven where they are well looked after and can recuperate from any maltreatment they have suffered.

For lots more info about Tacugama and pictures of the sanctuary click here.  Look out for The Lodge section where it describes the cabins you can rent to stay the night listening to the noises of the rainforest and the chimps.

Back to Saturday, once in a while, to raise funds, Bala cooks wonderful Sri Lankan curries for guests to sample.  The four of us booked into Christo – four bed two storey cabin with cooking facilities- to have a wonderful rainforest experience.  Though only 40 minutes from central Freetown, it truly feels like you have moved many many miles away.  The climate changes and the sounds of the city disappear.

Here we are enjoying the fine dining.  I had decided on a strappy number while the others covered up more for the cooler climate.

Heather, Michelle, me and Charlotte

There are two guided tours of the sanctuary per day which were included in the price.  As you can see Michelle and I had different ideas about how to dress for this experience.

Shorts or gators?

A wonderful night of delicious food with wonderful friends.