Lunuganga
Extraordinary Experiences #10
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”
- Francois Auguste De Chateaubriand
The most magical experiences are the ones where you enter the mind of a master, a master of living. Lunuganga is one such walled garden.
Much has been written about architect Geoffrey Bawa. In the 1950s Bawa bought an abandoned rubber estate on the south-west coast of the island between Colombo and Galle, Lunuganga, planning to create an Italian garden from a tropical wilderness. It later became his country home and after he died became a hotel and a trust (artists can stay there to work on creative pursuits for an incredibly subsidized rate). It's tough to walk the corridors of Sri Lanka without Geoffrey coming; he inspired a wave of architects, not only in Sri Lanka but also in Asia.
Lunuganga began as a garden; this identity will always remain. Legend has it that Geoffrey used to sit every morning at the frangipani tree in front of the house putting and moving weights on different branches. Over years the tree grew in a prescribed way to perfectly frame the view of the lake. There are tables throughout the forest on the property; each table has a distinct bell hung from a tree so that one could call for service without interfering in nature's marvelous ways. Geoffrey's true magic was to indistinguishably blend the indoors and the doors so you truly felt like you lived outdoors (or the world was indoors).
At Savor, we are curators whose mission is to help people savor life through extraordinary experiences. Welcome to the future of travel.
Every letter will showcase one extraordinary experience from somewhere in this beautiful world. We promise to be objective, independent, authentic and most of all, to never stop seeking. We hope you enjoy the journey with us as much as you do the destination.
Forever seeking,
Team Savor
Details:
Lunuganga | Geoffrey Bawa
Sonic Souvenir:
Didn’t I - Darondo