Tea plantations in Maskeliya, central Sri Lanka
**Kenya, Japan, New Zealand or Argentina** are some of the countries where David Otero (Madrid, 1980) has had a home. He grew up putting thumbtacks on the globe and it is the same legacy that he wants to leave to his family. “ I live to travel, I earn money to invest in traveling, that's how I like to live ”, explains the musician from Madrid.
All of his vacations have one point in common: surfing, yes or yes, always. Those who chase the great wave, like him, find in Sri Lanka one of his favorite destinations. Simplicity, friendliness and nature (the country has more than fifteen natural parks) are the perfect cocktail to toast to the moment and the exoticism without poses.
David Otero shot his video clip 'Aire' in Sri Lanka
We want to know the essentials of David Otero in the country with 200,000 hectares of tea fields. The first is the citadel of Sigiriya , with an imposing 180 meters high. “ We had the good idea of going up at six in the morning, so we were alone . There is something energetic about that place… it reminded me of the magical feeling of being in Machu Picchu”, he recalls.
Views from the top of Sigiriya
SURFING PARADISE
His surfing compass guides us to his second option. “If you travel in November, the best area to surf is the Southwest,” he explains. Which place do you stay with? "Definitely Weligama ”, a paradisiacal corner on the shores of the Indian Ocean that literally means 'city of sand'. To complete the romantic fantasy, in this area you can stay at Cape Weligama , one of the most talked about hotel openings of 2015. Thirty-nine suites and villas (with his butler, of course) in which you can receive exfoliating massages (with the spices that are grown in their own gardens), take a dip in one of the pools that defy the salty horizon or admire the whales on board a catamaran in Mirissa.
Cape Weligama (Sri Lanka)
ROMANTIC AND NATURAL: THE COLONIAL TRAIN TO THE TERRACES OF TEA
“You have to like to move, it is not a country to stay in one place and that's it. Local people take you by car. I would not recommend anyone to venture to drive around Sri Lanka ”, recalls Otero. Only once did he forget the car. “ We loved taking the train from Kandy to the tea fields ”, he explains. Leisurely trains, with English roots (the railway system dates from 1864). The most valued routes unite She either Nuwara Eliya with Kandy , the sacred city famous for preserving a tooth of Buddha and attracting Buddhist pilgrims from half the planet.
From Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
THE BEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD?
“Getting lost” in the middle of the jungle is also a good option for those who seek to wake up surrounded by tranquility (and surprises). “This is the most beautiful hotel I have ever been to. It was built by an artist Laki Senanayake which is a local artist equivalent Picasso or Dali to us. He lives there, his house is on the lake, surrounded by fireflies… Diyabubula is a place totally connected to the jungle, without barriers!”, He recalls excitedly.
Laki Senanayake
The name of this small luxury hotel near the city of Dambulla it's Diyabubula, Barberyn Art & Jungle Hideaway. Five villages from which they organize bird watching, excursions to Dambulla, Sigiriya or Polonnaruwa and walks through the Minneriya National Park, where up to 200 elephants gather during the dry season (July to October).
If Laki is in his little cabin he invites guests to meet him (David Otero was able to prove it and listen to anecdotes of his hippie experiences in the United States). The renowned Sri Lankan artist believes that we are all artists by nature e he tries to inspire those with whom he shares his time to draw, paint or express his vision of art. Do you already want to teleport?
Diyabubula, Barberyn Art & Jungle Hideaway
Sri Lanka is full of dining options for vegetarians like David Otero . The musician recommends the kottu roti . “It is a dough of wheat corn that they put on a griddle, as if it were a very thin crepe, it is turned over, then it is rolled up, cut very finely and accompanied by vegetables”, he explains enthusiastically. Some hotels offer cooking workshops where you can learn how to prepare this delicious street food. His secret address to try Sri Lanka at a table is Gami Gedara, "it's not easy to get there, we got lost, but it's totally worth it."
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Kottu roti, you cannot leave the country without trying it (and daring to cook it!)
THE APPETIZER
Air, by David Otero.
Upcoming concerts by David Otero: 04/07 Valladolid – Teatro Carrión; 04/8 Badajoz– Contemporary Leisure Center; 04/21 Alicante – Arniches Theatre; 04/27 A Coruña – Metropolitan Forum; 06/28 Mexico City - Lunario of the National Auditorium; 09/29 Madrid – The Riviera.
Imposing and majestic: Sigiriya