Introducing Karina Starnes and her tourism-based mission in Deniyaya

Karina, walking up to her natural  mystic sanctuary

By Surya Vishwa 

Investment. This is the golden goose that Sri Lanka wishes tomanifest more consistently. While there are many diverse sectors where investment is needed, one significant area is tourism. The Harmony Page, as a holistic, activist oriented integrated form of mass communication, tying up the spiritual with the material, and thereby focusing seamlessly through many areas of national and international humanistic interest, has dedicated much of its space to ideate on how tourism can be developed to protect mother earth and her children. Today we feature a German tourism investor, Karina Starnes who has invested in this country to set up a nature sanctuary in a remote village in Deniyaya, where there is a vacuum in employment opportunities, scarcity of public transport and lack of streetlights.  This interview will trace the soul of what investment should be, dispelling the myth that ‘investors’ are found only in plush locations of five-star hotels where investment boosting conferences are held at much cost to the nation.  Karina, who arrived in Sri Lanka 13 years ago as a backpacker, freeing herself from her profession as an employee at a leading advertising agency in Germany, shares how she answered the ‘call’ from a Banyan tree in a former tea growing land in Naindawa in Deniyaya. This location had been an ancient place of worship (carried out by tea plantation workers), dedicated to Hindu deities of Shiva and Kali. Karina will tell the reader how she staked her entire life thus far, to create an authentic space for humans to re-think their own earth journey. Her goal? To awaken human consciousness to the mystical soul of earth, where flowing rivers, zig zag of solid rocks, gnarled trees and open skies provide a paradox to the tarred and cemented world that we have created and labelled it ‘life.’  Yes, this is tourism, as Karina explains, but in another sense it is not. It is a mission. A personal odyssey that uprooted her from everything that was familiar; her home, job, family and friends to pursue what is idealistic, as opposed to the materialistic. She was a European woman in an unknown land and the only foreign investor in the area. However by now she is much loved and respected by the entire Deniyaya; known to carry several large bags and backpack to do her marketing in town and walk up the narrow 10 minute unmotorable (by four-wheel) route to her resort, with the heavy load, often sparing her staff the task.  En route to the Natural Mystic Sanctuary set up by her, and asking around for directions to the place, this writer discovered that Karina is somewhat of an icon. Her genuine simplicity is known by vegetable sellers, clay pottery shops and three-wheeler drivers, one of whom had pitched her photograph and the name of her nature sanctuary within his three-wheeler (tuk tuk).  Below are excerpts of the interview with Karina:

Viewing heaven on Earth

The meditation hall next to the Banyan tree

Q: Please introduce yourself.

A: I am Karina Starnes. I am 52 years of age and have been a professional in the advertising field in Europe. I worked for some of the biggest advertising agencies where the pay was good but reflecting a different reality of existence where wants are created over needs and industries which do harm more than good earn in billions. I was earning well but I felt trapped. I was not engaged in something I felt was honest. It was a rat race and I had to nibble at freedom, applying for leave when I wanted to travel. Although I knew what my true calling as a human in this life cycle was, I did not know how I was going to fulfil it. I felt I was a slave to something that was opposite to what I should be doing. 

I had been earning fairly lucratively. However much of it went to upholding a lifestyle which was ostentatious and more for public display than following my innermost values. The only reprieve was that I could afford to travel when I did manage to get permission from my office for vacations. I have travelled to countries that were outside Europe such as Indonesia, Thailand and India. Around 13 years ago I first travelled to Sri Lanka. Twelve years ago I quit my job in Germany, and formally set up the Natural Mystic Sanctuary on the 6 acres of a former tea estate in Naindava in Deniyaya. 

Q: Could you, in your own words, describe the Natural Mystic Sanctuary?

A: Yes. Let me try. Although I would leave it to you to review it. This place is not the average tourism spot. It is not meant to be. For one, it has no motorable road that comes right up to the premises and one has to walk about 10 minutes from the main road through a narrow route. The premises was designed using the many hilly pathways that existed from its tea plantation days. I added more routes. It is ideal for walking meditation and takes you right round the property. The rooms of the sanctuary are somewhat similar to a meditation centre. I had been to several around the world and was inspired by all those places. 

It was my original wish to create more sanctuaries like this, either in Sri Lanka or elsewhere. I am currently planning to work with others who have similar interests as myself to map out nature and healing based sanctuaries around the world and create a global network. To sum up, the natural mystic sanctuary was created to be a place of peace and inner renewal; for myself and others. 

Q: So no three-wheelers or jeeps and cars can come right up to the premises?

A: No. Bikes and lorries can. The walk from the road is by itself part of the experience as you well now know. I do all my marketing often by myself carrying about six bags along with the backpack on this route. 

Q: How many guests have you welcomed so far?

A: About 600.

Yoga

The river-shaped pool

Q: Despite this narrow, stone rigged 10 minute foot based journey, through slight waterways, you have had around 600 tourists within 11 years?

A: Yes. We have our website. Most who arrive here get to know of us through the several hotel booking agencies we are on such as Airbnb. However, many of the visitors also check the website prior to arrival. The travel routes and description of the journey as well as the destination and what to expect is given in detail. This is what draws those who actually end up here. The fact that we are not a hyped up tourist resort by the road where they can just step into! We have arrangements for the luggage to be transported through a specific vehicle we have obtained for the purpose. We also have our staff who go and manually assist in carrying the travel bags. Most of the time the guests bring it themselves as often they are seasoned travellers who are used to carrying their luggage by themselves. 

Q: What kind of tourists have you welcomed so far?

A: All sorts! There are disgruntled ‘rat race’ employees of the world like I was! They are seeking some brief solace in nature before returning to being machines! Then there are the others; the environmentalists, wildlife protectors, naturalists, healers, poets, authors, artistes, musicians and nature centric curious travellers. 

Q: Your charges seem extremely reasonable for a resort of this sort. How is it possible to be so low priced?

A: Well, let me explain. I have been a backpacker all my life. Although I had earned consistently in my previous job, I was an ardent traveller, adamant to see as many places, people and nature as my heart desired. Therefore, I wanted to create a place that backpackers could also afford, and not just the rich. I spent all my savings, right upto the last penny in setting this place up. Because we are low priced the earning is limited. The COVID lockdown time was traumatic. I had to resort to requesting money from my parents. We have by now picked up business and sometimes all our eight rooms are booked. But at times we hardly have guests. We see that our team – about seven in total, are well paid. In Deniyaya, I am aware that I am the only foreign investor (partnering with Sri Lankans and following all due regulations). I believe it was a special calling for me by the land and trees here to create a space that honoured the mother that is earth and lead people to understand that without nature we are nothing. 

Q: As an investor in Sri Lanka, what are your recommendations to the Sri Lankan Government? 

A: Make it easier for foreigners to invest here. Do not make life more arduous for someone from Europe who wishes to set up an enterprise here, especially those who seek to protect the biodiversity of this country and respect the spiritual culture of the nation. I have to apply for visa every year to be able to promote Sri Lankan tourism and run this place. For over a decade I have had to do this. In Europe the rules are different. Mechanisms are afoot to assist the investor and save their time. Applying for visa and this whole process of going back and forth to Colombo from this remote place is tiring and time consuming. 

Q: Could you elaborate more on what you think needs to be changed with regard to policies, that would enable more foreign investors to assist Sri Lanka in its path to economic rejuvenation through tourism?

A: The regulations should be made easier, especially for small scale investors. Less bureaucracy and more efficiency should be the norm. Assisting the investor more to avoid fraudulent interference/attempts would be helpful. Providing investors with permanent residency would save costs and time, I believe and benefit the country that is being invested in. 

Q: There is such an idyllic stream that borders your resort. How many guests actually choose it over the pool? 

A: Sometimes guests go down to the river which has direct access from the natural mystic sanctuary. Of course almost all of them enjoy the pool which is created to represent a natural lake with lake water constantly pouring in. 

Q: You also have a yoga and meditation space? 

A: Yes. As you can see it is a very simple structure right next to the Banyan tree. This is one of the first things we constructed. We initially wanted to use only clay. However, assessing many aspects we decided finally to use brick. 

Q: So the meditation hall is next to the Banyan tree that invited you here?

A: Yes! It’s been a calling from this special earth-being, a majestic tree of unknown age, which is worshiped by the locals here.

Q: Do you have meditation retreats here?

A: Not the conventional religious retreats but we have developed collaborations with sound healers, nature healers and others for therapeutic events that are specialised. We also work with a small network of local and global resorts of a similar kind as ours. This is what we are emphasising on for the future. We want to create change makers in a world that is torn apart by greed, wars and prejudice. We want to show the world that nature is more intelligent than us. We are also struggling to seek out ancient knowledge that handled weeds and insects naturally, without harming either. We are working on creating natural herb based weedicide and pesticide with help from likeminded people who promote and conserve indigenous knowledge. 

Q: If someone wants Ayurvedic or Sinhala Wedakam treatment do you have contacts to arrange it?

A: Yes. We have a Government registered Ayurvedic doctor affiliating with us as needed. Although we do not work directly with a traditional physician of the Sinhala heritage, there is a very well known local physician a distance away that our staff would contact if someone so wishes.

Q: Is there any other way the local community benefits from the Natural Mystic Sanctuary?

A: Yes. We are in the process of organising guided People’s Tours that will link the community expertise – especially to promote female entrepreneurship ranging from food, sewing and fashion design. We are also planning the organising of tours to different parts of Sri Lanka, including Jaffna.

Q: You seem to be a talented artist judging by the paintings hanging around the place. Were you a professional artist?

A: Yes and no. I do paint, mostly as a personal therapy than with commercial interest. We hope to organise art camps here in the future, collaborating with Sri Lankan artists including artists from Jaffna. Maybe later we will do a world artists camp here. We are discussing some global events.