Ever since I read the article on “Kohonawala Village” on Mawbima paper, I was dreaming day and night to pay a visit. As you all know, Ashan beat me to it and it paved the way for a more comprehensive journey for us. My initial plan was to collect some money from the friends and give out exercise books and other stationery for the village kids but it had to be abandoned due to various issues. As a result, after a lot of deliberation, I decided to donate as many books as possible for the yet-to-be-open library at the Kohonawala Temple.

Having spoken to the Dhammananda Thero, who was the chief incumbent of the newly established Kohonawala Temple about one and half years ago, I got a list of the books that were required. Sheham was always willing to go and the two old fellas Uncle Tony and Grand Father Athula too joined in. As this was mainly a reconnaissance mission, I didn’t divulge the details to others. We four contributed and bought some books worth a few thousand rupees.

NG too wanted to join having heard from Ashan but there was no room for her unfortunately in the car. Despite that she too bought a lot of books and handed to us for the donation. Our plan was to leave on the 08th March and that’s exactly what we did.

The Story of Kohonawala:

—This is an isolated village completely surrounded by numerous mountains making it located in the bottom of a deep ravine. Badulla-Passara road seems to be running around this and a few other isolated villages. Namunukula-borne Loggal Oya flows between the border of Urumeethenna, the last village with main-line-supplied electricity, and Kohonawala before joining the mighty Mahaweli at Mahiyanganaya, making it further isolated.

The story behind the start of this village has many different variations. According to the folklore, they origins run far deep thousands of years backwards where the indigenous people of SL, the Veddhas, roamed this island at will. According to one old farmer, the leader of that Veddhas in the village was an elite archer. Once he won a contest of shooting an arrow through a golden ring thus getting the name “Ranpath Mudiyanselage” bestowed upon his clan. Surprisingly all the people in Kohonawala has that as their surname to-date. Everybody is called R.M. and their given name.

The second story is during the 1818 revolution, two people (sister and brother) ran away from the English hiding in this village. After some time there were kids born to them and the population grew larger since then. This too is a very possible one coz nearly everyone looks the same. They all have similar features and identical in many ways.

There are two routes to this stunningly beautiful village. One is from Kahataruppa about 15.5km away from Badulla Town and the other is from Madolsima about 41km from the Badulla town. The first one, Kahataruppa route is the sensible one as the travelling is relatively easier, especially when the Loggal Oya is in a calm and quiet mood.

The road from Kahataruppa is motorable up to Urumeethenna in a high ground clearance vehicle. From Urumeethenna it’s extremely difficult terrain but we saw a tuk tuk crawling right up to the river. The other one is from Madolsima close to the police station. There’s a sign board saying the Kohonawala Vidyala, 9.6km. This means a treacherous walk downhill to the base of the ravine (Loggal Oya Valley) where the Kohonawala village is located. (Note: According to Ashan who did this stretch some time ago, it’s about 4.5-5km in total. This 9.6km board apparently a wrong measurement)

The main income comes from the farming of paddy, pepper, vegetables and fruits. They are self-sufficient in many areas save for electricity and a proper road. Things like coconuts are hard to come by. Kohonawala School has classes up to grade 5 and above that means an 18+km up and down hike to Madolsima. Many kids don’t want to continue to do it for the next 6-8 years and leave their school life after grade 5.

There have been dramatic changes in the lifestyles of the villagers ever since Olaboduwe Dhammananda Thero arrived from Horana having seen the plight of these people. He had got ordained at the age of 16 and been a practical monk for the last 17 years. The people of the village had no idea what Dhamma means until he arrived. There were no religious rituals conducted let alone learning Dhamma.

We saw the undivided loyalty from many of the villagers to the temple and him. They treat him like their savior. Kohonawala doesn’t have a temple, and it’s temporary located at the Praja Shalawa and the monk had started building an image house and a temple from scratch with the help of various donors and villagers. Unfortunately, the going is at a snail’s speed but that hasn’t stopped the willpower of this courageous human being in a saffron robe.

He’s ordained 4 little boys and sent them for further studies to a Kalubowila Pirivena claiming that they need everything possible to improve the living conditions of the village after him. We found him to be very caring, helpful, courageous and cheerful person who has devoted his life for the well-being of these neglected people.

Anyhow, these were not without the typical obstacles that bar one’s path. He’d been repeatedly harassed by a very few people and even today, he’s living among threats and hardships. Among the many requests of the villagers, the main one is a bridge across the Loggal Oya and a better paved road to their village from Urumeethenna. Very long time ago, then divisional secretary had made a road but since his transfer from Lunugala (where Kohonawala belonged) to Passara things have taken a wrong path.

One of the interesting things about Kohonawala is that not only the people have names, but houses too bear some very thoughtfully given names such as: Bo Sevana, Thenne Gedara, Chamika Niwasa, etc.

If the powers-that-be can improve the road and build a bridge at least wide enough for a tuk-tuk and a Dimo Batta Lorry, it will help them sell their produce to the outside world easily making their lives more comfortable. We heard the farmers who grow paddy so far away from their homes (as far as 9-10km) and take them a whole day to bring a single sack of paddy to their homes. It means if they harvest 10 sackfuls of paddy, it will take them 10 days to bring them back to their homes unless they get laborers to do it paying Rs. 400/- a day.

So I bring these to you my friends who are willing to help others, and can get folks who have means to do so to get together and do something for these people in need.—

The Tour Highlights:

1. 10km of hike to Kohonawala Temple from Urumeethenna (up and down).

2. The village life of Kohonawala.

3. Treacherous 2km hike towards Madolsima with an elevation of about 450m.

4. Tasty yet unheard typical village foods.

Day 01

Our plan to leave Colombo at 1am got shattered when neither Tony nor I heard from Sheham. Both of our calls went unanswered and naturally we were worried coz he’d never before been late. Tony had even undressed and gone back to sleep when Sheham called around 2am.

I got a call from a relieved Tony and we finally left for Athula’s who was sound asleep amid all these jitters. Picking him we made good time and reached Beragala when the sun was creeping up above the eastern mountain tops. Buying a few egg rolls and snapping a few more pics of this wonderful dawn, we pushed towards Haputale. The whole valley to our right was being illuminated by the vivid rays of the morning sun and it really was breath taking.

Sheham had a headache so Atha took over the driving while he had a nap. Towards B’wela we were enveloped by the mist. Driving through the misty mountains we reached Badulla around 7.30am. We quickly bought loaves of bread for breakfast and hurriedly drove along Passara road till we came to Hanwella road, 2km away from Badulla. We called the monk who had been traveling overnight and reached Urumeethenna waiting for our arrival.

The Kahataruppa road is newly carpeted and in very good condition. Finally we reached the Pela Bodhiya at Kahataruppa where the Saturday fair was in full swing. It was a wonderful experience to go back in time and see a typical village fair. What is most extraordinary thing was there were mainly elderly people and kids. Grandparents still are coming to the fair with their grandchildren, that is the norm in our good old villages.

We bought some juicy looking nearly foot long bananas 12/- each. The shop owner had a change of heart when he figured we weren’t local, otherwise it’d have been only 10/-. However, in Colombo, it’d have easily cost double that price. Driving towards the hospital we reached a junction where there was a road branching out to the right. It looked nothing like the one we were on, just a normal gravel road with plenty of rocks and pit holes scattered throughout. When we asked if it was the road to Kohonawala, people started looking at us with “Are you crazy in your head?” written all over their faces. They all as in one declared that we can’t go to Kohonawala by car. “We’re not planning to go right up to the village in the car” I tried to pacify them, “only up to Urumeethenna” I further added.

They still looked aghast. “You can’t even go that far coz the road is terrible” they insisted. “Ok, we’ll do our best and go as far as possible” Sheham chimed in. We went downhill and the road was terrible but not terrible enough to turn us around. If it was anyone other than Sheham, he would have had a stroke then and there. After a bit the road was concrete paved and we began to relax but it lasted mere seconds than minutes as it was only a short length.

This is always the case in rural areas where they concrete very short lengths of the whole road but put up the politicians’ faces on boards claiming the credit. Those boards alone must be costing quite a lot of money and they could have put it to repair the road more. Typical stinking Sri Lankan politics at work. About a km down there was a Canter lorry parked and filling a huge water tank from a nearby source. The driver like all the others warned that we can’t go any further than a few hundred meters. He then asked if we knew the road. “We don’t and never been here before either” was all we could add. But Sheham and Atha pushed on and we were most of the time walking besides the car to reduce as much weight as possible and filling the mighty holes with rocks so that the car can go.

We met a kid who said the monk was waiting and we continued our agony. People were looking at us a group of clowns had come for the annual festival. I bet they’d never seen a car on that road. Finally after so much of maneuvering around we were at the Urumeethenna. Dhammananda thero was there with a few people to greet us and we were allowed to park in the shop. The shop owners served us with tea and allowed us to have breakfast before walking another 5km to the temple. While we were finishing the meal, there were 3 guys from Kohonawala, one of them a 10-year old kid named R. M. Samantha (remember they all have the same surname), to help us carry the stuff.

We had about 30+ books and some coconuts (very scarce in Kohonawala) along with some rations for the temple. Suddha and Asela took the stuff on to their shoulders while little Samantha carried the banana bag refusing all the way to have one. The walk was a sheer climb downhill and we were in no time soaked with sweat. The monk kept telling us about the village revealing plenty of secrets. Viyan Gala, the monumental rocky mountain was towering to the North East very much similar to the Lakegala in Meemure but not so majestic. The yet-to-be-built Kohonawala temple is technically located at the base of the Viyan Gala and the monk has plans to build a Stupa on the top as many people are trying to blast it in the hope of digging some treasures.

The reason the rock got its name Viyan Gala is the kings used to place those special huts on top. Destroying the mother nature and very important archeological sites for hunting treasures is the biggest epidemic in our country nowadays. We arrived at a Bo tree named Anpitiya Bo tree due to the famous religious ceremony of “An Adeema” done to pay homage for Lord Paththini. According to the monk and villagers, nobody is allowed to drink and drive through here. The vehicle will stop and won’t start until the driver is sober again. Passing that the road runs through sugar cane fields and the treacherous hike towards Madolsima was clearly visible. We could see the mango tree under which lies one of the mostly used Ambalama in the modern era.

For a typical villager, it takes about 2hrs to hike the 9km distance (bear in mind it’s 4.5-5km according to Ashan) with an elevation gain of about 600m. However the downhill journey takes only about an hour, half the time. Madolsima is the key town for these people, especially for kids who are studying above grade 5. They have to do this 5 days a week. Just imagine walking 18+km climbing up to 2000ft every day. My legs shudder just thinking about it. We finally got down to the base of the valley where Loggal Oya flows. She was very calm and not so deep owing to less rain this time. We saw signs of sand digging but they had put up a notice giving the permit holder’s name and number. Whether they stick to the rules, only the people know.

This is where they ask for a bridge to be built. The river is about 30ft wide but when in full flow will easily double that. If the authorities can build a bridge at least wide enough for a tuk tuk, it’ll be a turning point. Having crossed the river, we started ascending and reached the first house and stopped for some water. The house bore the typically designed front area with short mud walls around and mats laid out on top for people to sit. All the houses have got a solar panel each giving them a taste of what electricity really is. I’m not sure if they know how to maintain the panel and the battery. One of the donors had given a generator to the temple housed in the community hall temporarily. Most of the media and other visitors misunderstand when the monk ask for roofing sheets, cement and metal to build a temple as they think the community hall is the temple. Well, let me tell you it’s not and the officials have asked the monk to evacuate ASAP.

He can’t start a Sunday school or do Poya rituals as there are meetings held in the hall. So it’s a dire need and if he can get the temple finished, at least partially by Vesak, it’d be a great thing. This is a good opportunity for people celebrating Vesak in Colombo very lavishly to do something more worthwhile. All the people and organizations who are screaming for the well-being of Buddhism can start by helping these extremely remote temples. People in places like these really need a place to worship their religion and when they don’t get it it’s so much easy for those extremist groups to get in and manipulate them. There’s no point shouting religious conversions if they really do something for these people in the first place without waiting for those rogue cults to take advantage of their ignorance and helplessness. We were so impressed by the will power of Dhammananda thero as he was well off in his village temple at Horana but decided to defy the obstacles and go help those who in need.

Numerous times we asked Samantha to have a banana from the sack but he adamantly refused. The monk explained saying that people don’t eat outside their houses as there’s a female devil (Yakinni) that come to haunt them if they did. Not trusting their beliefs, the monk had gone out and had a pack of rice on a rock when he heard this blood curling howl of a woman. He said the pitch of the voice is so strong it can numb you can send you nuts. So he asked us no to eat anything till we got to the temple. Also we were asked not to drink water from the Oya as tendency is so great for us to get sick. There is another devil called Great Grandpa (Muththa). What he does is excrete on the floors of the houses. When there is human excretion on the floor, they say the Muththa has come. However ever since the temple started and they started playing Pirith over the loudspeakers, these ghost problems had reduced considerably.

We met a very old person who was introduced to us as the Secretary of Defense of Dhammananda thero as he stays in the temple protecting him. Coincidentally, he is the father of Suddha. Having sweat it out like never before we finally reached the community hall cum temple around 11am. Gosh what relief to be able to put down our baggage and rest our feet and backs properly. Asela immediately put a pot on the hearth boiling water for us to have a cuppa tea. The monk had arranged for a nearby house to boil some freshly dug 100% organic manioc with a unique Lunu Miris. The elderly man brought them immediately and set about serving us. You drink plain tea with sugar before meals and after a while have the meal, usually yams, and drink plain tea again without any sugar. It tastes grand, I can tell you folks.

The special Lunu Miris is made of 12 different varieties of chilies (Miris and Kochchi). You gotta see it with your own eyes guys. The dark mud green very thick broth like Lunu Miris is the hottest thing I’ve had to date and might well be for my whole life. It tastes so delicious and manioc disappeared in seconds. Unlike normal chilly flavor your tongue doesn’t get hot by this but the inner walls of your mouth. You just need a pinch of that to demolish a plate of any kind of yam. We devoured on the meal and the sugar-free plain tea which followed afterwards was heavenly. After the hearty meal my legs complained of lack of exercises. Now would you believe that? I’d been walking well over 6km laden with the baggage but the legs saying not enough. What crazy legs I’ve got.

There was this Mama who talked very passionately about Kohonawala, especially the hardships they have to undergo. He willingly offered to take us on a village tour and we jumped in. There were a lot of kids hanging around the temple coz the monk is so kind. He has started farming and boasts all kinds of green leaves, vegetables, yams and fruits. To be honest, he’s self-sufficient save for rice and coconuts. The villagers bring him the alms for both morning and lunch but he doesn’t need to depend on them. What he says is that there might be a time the villagers not able to provide him with food, so he should be able to find his own. He’s been to a Aranya Senasana (temple in the jungle) and claims that the Buddhist monks are taught everything from cooking to construction to sewing. That is taught so that they can survive with minimal facilities and improvise on what little is available. For us, he’s done just that, living on the bare minimum and improving what is available.

We went to the half-finished image house and foundation laid temple waiting for someone to do the needful. Samantha’s brother R. M. Vajira joined us too. The small shop that is the only one in the village belongs to Samantha’s and his father had given the land for the temple. He’s also a very capable native doctor. We went to see him but wasn’t at home so went further downhill. We came to another well-built house with a beautifully designed garden and went to say hello. This is where high ranking officials or females stay should they have to spend the night in the village. The aunty had just come from Kahataruppa fair and we saw her mute daughter. There are two mute people and a disabled kid for the whole village and Sheham said it could be due to marriages from the same family. However monk disagreed saying there were only 3 people like that and all the others are in very good health conditions. Nevertheless we noticed the identical facial features of the people. They all look more or less the same.

We didn’t see any youths, say age between 20-30 and when asked our guide Mama said they had all gone out of the village and not likely to return. Mama asked if we wanted to visit the disable 9-year old boy and we went to see him. What a tragedy it is. He’s been lying on his back ever since he was born and suffering from born deformation. The mother and sister were there and according to Mama, she has to stay 24/7 by him to attend to his needs. If anyone can donate a slanting wheel chair, that would be a great thing. However we heard that the government is giving the family Rs. 3000/- a month and even built a small house. His father had been admitted to Badulla hospital with fever making life even more difficult for them. That boy can’t speak, he keeps making a noise that none can figure out. Doctors have written him off claiming that can’t be cured. We gave some money for them and left towards a world’s end like place.

We had to walk along a rocky surface and when raining it’d be impossible. The whole area would turn into a giant waterfall during rains. At the end of was a sheer drop of about 400-500 feet. Mama said Suddha’s brother had fallen off while chasing a chameleon and died long ago. The place looked very dangerous and we did short video clips Mama telling us about the village and its history.

Video 1

Video 2

Then on the return journey we spotted a crystal clear rocky pool and Tony and I wanted to go for a dip. Samantha and Vajira looked excitedly while we jumped in and splashed like kids. Sheham and Atha couldn’t resist further and they jumped in too. The crystal clear cool water washed away our fatigue in seconds. Funnily the tiny fish residing in the pool started feeding on our skin softly gnawing at our feet. Tony was struggling as for him it was very tickling. He kept shouting amid laughter from all of us, even from kids. You can see the fish therapy video below.

Video of Fish Therapy

After a mind and soul lifting bath, we got back to the temple to see the monk cutting pumpkin leaves (Wattakka Dalu) for the dinner. There was a Kesel Muwa and it too was plucked while the first ever harvest of Thibbatu from his farm was readied with others. He sent Suddha to buy some Kerosene for the generator claiming he can’t keep us in the dark amid our heavy protests. It was so good to see how closely he associated with the villagers as they kept coming to see him after the day’s choirs. We saw one person carrying a 8-foot roofing sheet on his back from the river, about 2km all on his own. That’s their commitment for the temple.

The dinner was coming nicely. Sliced Kesel Muwa mixed with Thibbatu and tempered dried fish made my mouth water. Pumpkin leave mallung added those punchy flavors. To cool everything down was a sweet smelling Kiri Hodi. The rice was red and organic. We didn’t see any sign of chemicals. It tasted super tendering every morsel of food nursing our tasty buds. That was one the best meals I’d ever had. We saw the people coming down to the village from thousands of feet above from Madolsima. We tested our long range torches around the mountains and were ready to hit the sack by 9. It was a rollercoaster day and we had plans to climb up to the Ambalama on the following morning. The sleep came ever so slowly from the toes through the veins right up to the head and we were dead to the whole world. Not even Yakinni or Ghost of Muththa could wake us up from our reverie.

The sun peering above

Patches of mist covering the view

A couple on the hunt

Looking out for some food

Going was pretty fast

Just reached Urumeethenna

Above the trees is Viyangala

Look at those colors

Asela to the extreme left and Suddha with the sack on his shoulders. Dhammananda Thero and next to him is little Samantha with the rest of my team

Suddha leading the way and you can see Pinky the dog in front

One of the things that I can’t leave alone

The mountains above Kohonawala

The downhill journey was tiring than we thought

Taking some paddy to the mill at Urumeethenna. Just imagine their plight

Anpitiya Bodhiya

Finally at Loggal Oya, see the sand digging point as well.

The team taking a break before crossing the river

Just think how it would be when the river is in full flow

Nice and calm for the moment

Asela carrying the sack now

Famous Madu with a flower

Breathtaking view of Viyangala, the proposed Kohonawala temple lies of the base of her

Not ripe yet.

Taking a much needed break. You can see the concrete patches and the wide road, they just need this done with a bridge across the river

Beyond Kahataruppa

The first house we stopped for a glass of water.

Now very close to the temple.

The defense secretary of Dhammananda Thero and Suddha’s father. He goes all the way to Madolsima just to buy a leaf of Tobacco

Community hall cum temple. We’re finally here

Asela getting ready to boil some water

From left: Samantha, his bro Vajira and Shanika. All with R.M. as their family name

Very thirsty

Improvisation

The list of houses for alms for the whole month. Note the names of their houses (Click image to enlarge)

Super macro with stunning colors

Another beauty

Manioc with that unique Lunu Miris at the side

He’s showing us the path to Madolsima

Unfinished Image house cum Library

The Bo tree

The temple at the base of Viyangala. Urgently need roofing sheets, metal and cement

Vajira and Janthu the dog

Majestic Viyangala

We saw hundreds of mangoes under most of the trees being rotten as they have no means to take them either to Kahataruppa or Madolsima for selling. What a waste?

This is where the high ranking officials are staying if they have to stay overnight

The lady of the house with me and the kids Samantha and Vajira, our guide Mama is behind

The family

This house has only one old uncle and the rest of the household is not there. The boys have left the village

Going downhill

This well is giving water right throughout regardless of the weather

Just sitting next to the well

Akkapana flowers

Being dried to make Kithul Piti

Here’s the kid I referred to. Doesn’t even a have a mattress. A wheel chair would be very welcome

Helmalu System

Going nice and strong

Water falling like steps

Not a lot of water

It’d turn out to be a giant waterfall when it’s raining

The Kohonawala World’s End, where one boy fell to his death

The team

Crystal clear pond before we jumped in

Tony’s being tickled by the fish

Wisps of clouds kissing the summit of Viyangala

Ordered to perfection

Janthu who can’t stay away from the monk

Lakmali

Freshly plucked Wattakka Dalu

Cut to tiny pieces

Just like a painting, ain’t it?

Special kind of tomatoes

Everything you need

One of the many varieties

Fresh Thibbatu being cooked with dried fish

A squirrel feeding on the juicy flowers

What are they talking about?

Kesel Muwa added

I can’t wait any more

Wish I can bring the smell with the pic as well

Perfect ending for a perfect day.

Day 2

As usual we beat the 5am alarm and were up and aimed our torches out hoping to get a glimpse of the misty mountain tops. The previous day the monk predicted that we might not get up till about 10am and would feel the tiredness. Little did he know we were hard core types, may not be as tough as the villagers but we could take a beating. Having folded the mats and sheets, we washed our faces while the morning came fast. Just so you know, the story about the sun rises at 9am and sets around 3-4pm is not correct. What really happens is the sun rays hit the village about 9am and leaves around 3-4pm. Most think it’s dark till late morning and then gets dark late afternoon but it’s not true. This happens as the whole village is located in a deep ravine completely surrounded by over 1000ft high mountains. So they block the sun rays reaching the village itself till about 9am and 3-4pm. Because of this there’s a gloominess hovering around the village. But it is not like many speculate. That was the main reason I wanted to spend overnight.

Samantha who was supposed to guide us up the hill early morning was fast asleep even at 6.30am and Suddha was mumbling in his sleep. So we decided to make it on our own and left at 6.35am. It’s not rocket science as the path was pretty much clear and we started ascending, we met few others heading uphill overtaking us with no problem. Previous evening Suddha claimed he takes about 45mins to reach the Ambalama so we figured it would take us about 2hrs. Walking continuously uphill took its toll on our knees and joints but we weren’t gonna give up that easy. Taking frequent breaks and drinking water we reached the place called Galpoththa in about an hour and I decided to call the temple and woke them up. We could clearly see the temple and when called the monk was surprised to see us getting there that quick. He said manioc curry was in order and to take care.

Then we heard the good news of Sri Lanka winning the Asia cup finally breaking their habit of making it to the final and losing it. I was sick of our team always being the bridesmaid. We all cheered for our boys about 850m above with a magnificent view of the mountains. We could clearly see the path we took from Urumeethenna and the Kahataruppa mountains. There was another temple about 9km away from the Kohonawala temple on top of a rock and accessible easily by road from Kahataruppa. We came across a serpent that was looking for a breakfast. Sheham, who had studied extensively about them, recognized it to be not poisonous. Viyan Gala rose majestically and morning sun rays lighted the tip of it beautifully. Sun was rising directly from Madolsima end. We finally reached the Ambalama by 8am, just under 1.5hrs. Our spirits rose 10ft at our achievement and we took a long break savoring this unprecedented beauty all around.

It was also very heart breaking to see what the villagers have written on the roof and walls claiming nobody cares about them or their well-being. Gosh, why can’t those politicians who go begging for their votes can’t do something for them. Just give them the road and the bridge across Loggal Oya, that’s all they ask for. Other things will follow automatically. Ironically, these people have to climb this 9km stretch to go and cast their votes too. Why on earth should they bother, I kept wondering. Previous evening we saw hundreds and thousands of mangoes that had fallen under the trees without being used. According to our guide Mama, they don’t have the means to take them either to Kahataruppa or Madolsima to sell as there is no proper road or a bridge. What a waste? We’re spending millions importing chemicals induced Apples, Oranges and Grapes while our own organic Mangoes rot under the trees in thousands. If those villagers can sell a mango for just 1 rupee, they could make a lot money and we’d get to buy those for a reasonable price.

Having taken a long break we decided to push a bit further towards the patch of turpentine trees. All in all, we hiked for 2km and climbed to a height of over 1000m from around 600m mark from the village. Madolsima was another 7km away with at least another 300-400m elevation. But we had no time to do the full stretch. In the meantime I decided to shoot a short video of the old musketeers going down.

Video of Old Musketeers

We retraced our steps back to the Ambalama where I shot another short documentary while Sheham and Atha went ahead of us.

Documentary from Kohonawala Ambalama

We witnessed the sun rays hitting the village around 9am from Ambalama. Climbing down wasn’t that easy due to the steepness of the path yet we made good time. On the way downhill we met more people going to Madolsima. We came across some pineapple plants with pineapples. Most of them were still green but one of them had that deep red which I adore. Unfortunately none of them was yet edible and we were ravenous after the laborious task. We reached the temple by 10am sharp, taking 3.5hrs to finish the whole journey. The manioc curry was in the works with a deep yellow and a hunger inviting smell. The monk was cutting a special kind of leaves called, if I’m not mistaken, Thamberiya that you don’t get in many other places. We were looking forward to this feast while Asela served us tea.

There was a meeting taking place at the community hall and we thought it would be best if we left before that. After the Buddha Poojah and monk had his lunch, we were invited for yet another sumptuous meal of Rice, Manioc Curry, Thibbatu Salad and Thamberiya Mallung. Wow, what a meal it was. There were a lot of people who had come to visit the monk and they were delighted to see us. They were very curious about our state of the art torches and cameras and kept patting them at every opportunity.

Finally it was time to bid farewell for this wonderful village and its people, especially the kindly monk who is trying really hard to make this a better place for the next generation. We didn’t forget to make a small donation to the construction of the temple. I know what’s going on many people’s minds now. Coz the same thing was in my mind before coming to this place and see it with my own eyes. Thanks to the things happening in the world nowadays we live in, we tend to look at things and people suspiciously. It’s natural you know coz this world is full of crooks, liars, cheaters, etc. We’ve been deceived and taken for granted countless times and now we just don’t trust anyone or anything. However we felt this monk is different and for real. He said so far he had received donations worth around 275,000/- both money and equipment. He’s keeping records should anyone wanna see. He’s the unofficial records keeper of the village as he has details of all the villagers. He’s even helped most of them to obtain NICs.

But from what we’ve seen I can tell you that they don’t need subsidies such as Samurdhi. All they need are a bridge, properly paved road and a temple with a Sunday school and a library. The monk had sent the 4 small monks for further studies at a Pirivena in Kalubowila coz they will be the future leaders for the village. I’ve given the bank account number of the temple should you wanna contribute. However if you are not comfortable giving money, you could always donate materials such as cement, 8-feet roofing sheets and metal. Further books for the library will be very welcome, they don’t have to be brand new, if you have books on you that are no more in use, please give them away to a place like this without offering them to the termites.

We walked back to the river while Samantha tagging along with us all the way coz he felt sad about our leaving. He kept asking when we’d be back. By the way Sheham has plans to help with solar lighting to the temple if possible. We recrossed the Loggal Oya having folded our shorts shorter. Samantha bid farewell to us and ran back to the lost world. Walking the rest of the journey to Urumeethenna left us gasping for air all the way. About half way through, there was a rustling on the side of the road. When inspected closely it turned out to be one the most poisonous snakes in the world, Russell’s Viper. It was so big about 3ft in length and as thick as an arm. We practically ran at the sight of it. Eventually we made in one piece to Urumeethenna and our faithful Toyota was waiting for us. Viyan Gala looked forlornly at our departure just like Lady Lakegala. Just thinking of her make me wanna see her again, soon. Who knows if she wants to see me too it’d happen sooner rather than later.

Old Folks Crossing the Loggal Oya

Well guys, there ends yet another fairy tale of mine and I guess this turned out longer than I first thought. I do hope I could do justice to the report and add that extra bit of flavor to Ashan’s first ever report. I’m glad I could bring their pressing issues to the awareness of the rest of the world. If they get those dreams fulfilled just like Meemure folks (Thanks to Ana and Wije) did, it would be a great relief for me too.

Thanks for reading and this is Sri signing off for now. Take care!

6.35am and they’re bringing the morning alms for the monk

Mother and son watching us go

She simply vanished

Joining the two mountains

Going uphill took its toll on the oldies

Reminds me of beloved Meemure

Towards Kahataruppa

Giant mango tree

Heen Bovitiya, very useful medicine in native treatments

The up we go, the clearer the view became

Building a new home

This 500m is very steep at places nearly 70-degrees

Morning creativity

“Come on Tony”

I can’t take my eyes off

Madu, we missed having a curry out of these

Can you see the zig-zag shape path? It’s used by the people coming from the upper tea estates. Just can’t describe how steep it is

No obstacles now

No wind

Looking for some sunlight

Hurrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!

Over the Ambalama

The two houses close to each other are Samantha’s and the one partially hidden is the community hall cum temple

Here’s the temple about 9km away from Kohonawala on top of a rock. Must be having a grand view

Inside the Ambalama

One of the best snaps

Decided to go a bit more

Where we came down from Urumeethenna

Clouds making patterns all around

We entered the turpentine patch

Mountains kept us company all the way

Wow

Well let’s turn around was the unanimous decision

Rising to the sky

With the aid of sticks

Huge fella

“Anybody home?”

For them it’s just another short journey

Tony and the Calf

Look at the pattern

Irresistible

Wish it was ripe enough

They were accompanying her barking at us

Every house has a solar panel

Macro

One of the tastiest manioc curries ever

Thamberiya Mallung

It’s all ready

The top of incomplete image house is seen on our way back

Looks can be pretty deceptive

Who would’ve thought that we climbed nearly to the top of what’s behind us?

“Ayyo, not anymore” Tony kept crying

Not very far now

Please enjoy the Panos too:

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Pano 6

Pano 7

Pano of the frustration of the villagers

More signs of frustration

Viyangala to the right

Kumana was on the list for too long. So we thought of giving it a shot this time. Though the dry season is not at its peak yet, Kumana was extremely hot when we visited. The sightings were not the greatest, but we had enough sightings and more importantly had a great time especially at the awesome Gal Amuna Campsite.

Since there are some good trip reports on Kumana to be found on the forum, I thought of just adding short picture report.

Enjoy..!

Misty Lahugala lake in the morning

Good morning fellas

How to pass this place without clicking around…

OK, we were going to see birds in Kumana

Lahiru leading the convoy on one of the most beautiful road stretches in SL

just as we turned off from Panama village

The rear view

How beautiful I am…

two in one

the second one

Hey little one, how are you…

Finally we’re here

Some of the many we saw

Could not get the third rock into the frame

Caught red handed

landscape

Ancient steps at Bowaththegala

One of the many inscriptions found there

The rock pond

A cave

Remains

Interesting signs from an inscription

Inscription under the drip ledge

The view

Veddah paintings

Towards the camp site

Track was dry, not too tough but not too easy as well..

Never underestimate from the looks of it. the tough little guy managed all without a hint of a strugle…

The Oasis…

Crystal clear waters of Kumbukkan Oya

Remains of teh ancient Gal Amuna. Had an awesome bath there

What a lovely place it was…

The evening session started

Mr. Lonely

Bird infested…

Ones who deliver the babies (in cartoons)

Looking for a prey

The Kumana Villu

The guy was busy cleaning the feathers

Gathering…

Kumana Lake at sunset

It set a lovely orangish tone to the whole atmosphere

The perfect resting place after an almost 24 hour run…

Lovely way to end the day

Oh no, the day is not end yet… found on the way back to the camp site

The campfire

Good morning…

Over the broken amuna

Lovely, just lovely…

Time to say good bye to pur lovely campsite

they were everywhere

Hunting

Oh I cannot even have a sunbath peacefully with these guys…

cannot recall the name …

Watchfull..

hungry fellas

He was alone

Portrait

Off he goes

Disturbed…

Another lone guy

Landing…

Plenty

Yeppeee, found a prey…

Just go away, please…

Traffic police…

Crossing the road

Found a shade to hide from the scortching sun

He didn’t like being seen by us

Finally

Open lands in Panama village

Here’s a short videos of our tour as well.

We started late morning (as usual) from Ragama to Kalupahana. This trip was originally planned as a 2 day trip. After having lunch we came around 1.00 pm to BHR. Road condition from Kalupahana double bridge (A4) to Bambarakanda Fall was on good shape.

Bambarakanda fall from BHR

Wangedigala from BHR

Gonmollikanda & Balathuduwa from BHR

Bambarakanda fall

At BHR

At BHR

Since we have enough time, we decided to go to Devil’s Staircase around 2.00 pm. Road beyond BHR was very good (Concreted / paved). Even though we expect bad road, less than 2 kms from BHR road condition was horrible. After climbing about ½ km we decided to revise the vehicle for ½ km and came back to BHR.

Mrs. Sera (Owner of BHR) advised us, we have already climbed close to the V-cut which is the worst part up to Udaweriya estate and after V-cut road condition is bad but not worst.

After the disappointment, we went to base of the Bambarakanda fall and had a bath.

Next day we started again towards Devil’s Staircase around 9.00 am. As mention by Mrs. Sera, worst terrain was up to V-cut. There after road condition was bad. We came to Ohiya road around 11.00 am.

Rough concrete road near BHR

Then nice paving towards up hill

Again concrete road and End with nice view

Kuragala Zoomed

Start of the rough terrain

Different terrain

Famous V-cut

Our team @ V-cut

Feeder stream of Bambarakanda fall

Feeder stream of Bambarakanda fall

Towards Devil’s Staircase

U-Turn to Heaven

Devil’s Staircase

Abandoned Udaveriya tea factory

Then we decided to visit Horton plains national park. We visited Baker’s fall and returned via Haputhale road. We stayed additional night at BHR.

Chimney Pool

Leg of Mutton Pool

Baker’s fall

Baker’s fall

Third day the Bonus date, we decided to climb the border of Horton Plaines national park – Nagrak division which lies in the top most part of the Non Pariel estate. Unfortunately estate management not allowed us to drive beyond Tea factory. We got permission to walk to Upper division which is just below the Great world’s End drop.

Road to Non Pareil state

On the way to Tea factory

On the way to Tea factory – View

Jet passes above World’s End

I managed to see visitors at Great World’s End drop!

Small World’s End from Upper division

Great World’s End from Upper division

Great World’s End – 10x Zoom

See the visitors

Gonmollikanda & Balathuduwa from upper division

View from upper division

Life at upper division

Life at upper division

We hired estate 3 wheel during the walk. Three wheel drivers used to climb down in Neutral gear even ignition off in deadly dangerous horrible bends.

Balaiya, the man helped to find over 25 dead bodies those have jumped from World’s End over the last 50 years.

High risk

After the exiting journey, we came home around 4.00 pm.

After going through the maps we realized that we have loitered around the merging area of Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Central provinces.

රුහුණු කතරගම දෙවියන්ගේ පිහිට ප්රාaර්ථනා කරගැනීමට කතරගම දේවාලයට එන බැතිමතුන් කතරගම දෙවියන් පිදීම සඳහා යන තවත් අනුහස් ඇති ස්ථානයක් යාල වනෝද්යාgනයේ පිහිටා තිබේ. ඒ සියඹලාව හෙවත් කැබිලිත්ත දේවාලයයි.දෙවියන්ගේ කැලය ලෙස අතීතයේ ජනයා හැදින්වු මෙම ඓතිහාසික භූමිය පිහිට ඇත්තේ යාල වනෝද්යාිනයේ කළාප අංක 3 කොටසේය.

කැබිලිත්තට යෑමට මාර්ග හතරක් පවතී. ඒවානම්, යාල ජාතික වනෝද්යාැනයෙන් පැමිණ කලාප අංක 2 ඔස්සේ මැණික් ගඟ හා කුඹුක්කන් ඔය තරණය කිරීමෙන්ද, කුමන ජාතික වනෝද්යාවනය හරහාද, යාල කළාප අංක තුනට අයත් ගල්ගේ මාර්ගයෙන්ද, මොනරාගල හරහා කොටියාගල ඔස්සේ ඇති මාර්ගයද යන ඒවා වේ.

‘‘මුහුණු සයකි අත් දොළහකි මයුරාපිට වාහනේ” කී සැණින් සංකේතවත් වන්නේ කතරගම දෙවියන්ය. කාර්තිකේය දෙවියන් ලෙස දෙවිවරු අතරින් අතිශය පුද පූජා ලබන දෙවියකු ලෙස කතරගම දෙවියන් සැලකේ. ස්කන්ධ කුමාර,වේලූපිල්ලේ, මුරුගන්, වේලන්, සුබ්රූමනියම්, කන්දසාමි, කදිරදේව, කදිරවේල්, කාර්තික, තාරකාජින්, යන නම් වලින් හින්දූ භක්තියන්ගේ වන්දනාමානයට පාත්රම වන්නේද කතරගම දෙවියන්ය. අදවනවිට හින්දු පමණක් නොව බෞද්ධයන් අතරද සුවිශේෂ ඇදහීම්වලට මෙන්ම ගෞරවාදරයට පාත්ර වූ දෙවියකු ලෙස කතරගම දෙවියන් ප්රයකටය. බොහෝ අනුහස් ඇති දෙවියකු ලෙස කතරගම දෙවියන් විශ්වාස කරන අතර ජන ශූන්යෙ පරරය දේශ වලදී කතරගම දෙවියන්ගේ පිහිටාරක්ෂා්ව ලැබීම ගැන විවිධ ජනපරයන්වාද ද සමාජයේ පවතී. මේ කැබිලිත්ත දේවලය කතරගම දෙවියන් භාවනා යෝගීව වැඩ සිටින ස්ථානයක් ලෙස අදටත් පිළිගනු ලැබේ.

අතීතයේදී අප රට ආක්ර මණය කළ විදේශිකයන් කතරගම දේවලායේ වස්තුව පැහැර ගන්නට මාන බැලූ අතර අපේ මුතුන් මිත්තන් විදේශීය අකරාරමමණයෙන් දේවාලයේ වස්තුව බේරා කැබිලිත්තේ රාළ නමැති කපු මහත්තයාට දෙවියන්ගේ වස්තුව භාර කරණ ලදී. පසුව අද දක්නට ලැබෙන සියඹලා ගසේ ඒ වස්තුව හංගා පූජාව කළ අතර පසුව එම වස්තුව නැවත දේවාලයට රැගෙන එන ලදී. කැබිලිත්තේ රාළ ඕලන්දකරයන් සමග තනියම ලොකු සටනක් කර මිය ගිය අතර එම කැබිලිත්තේ රාළ පසුව කතරගම දෙවියන්ගේ අණින් සියඹලා දේවාලය රැක ගනු ලබන බව ජනප්රනවාදයේ එයි…

මෙම කැබිලිත්ත හෙවත් සියඹලා දේවාලය වැඳ පුදාගැනීම ලෙහෙසි පහසු කාරියක් නොවේ. එම ගමනට යන අය මස් මාංශයෙන් තොරව මාසයක් පමණ පේවීම අනිවාර්ය වේ. මෙම ගමනේදී ඉතා දුෂ්කර මාර්ග රැසක් පසුකර යායුතුය. තලාකොළආර, කටුපිලආර වැනි ජල මාර්ග කිඹුලන්ගෙන් ගහනය. ගල්ගේ මාර්ගයෙන් හැර අනෙක් මාර්ග 3න් යන සෑම අයකුම කැලේ දේවාලය අඩවියට පිවිසීමෙන් පසු කුඹුක්කන් ඔයට බැස එගොඩ වී යායුතුය. රැගෙන යන පලතුරු ඇතුළු පුද පූජා ගංවැල්ලේ ළිං හරා එම ජලයෙන් සෝදා, පූජාවට තැබිය යුතුවේ. එසේම මෙම ප්රෙදේශයට ආවේනික වූ දේව නීති රැසක් පවතින අතර යන බෙහෝ පිරිසක් එම නීති කඩමින් පුද පූජා තැබීම මත විවිධ උපද්රටවවලට ලක් වන බවද විශ්වාසයේ පවතී.

භක්තියෙන් යන බැතිමතුන්ට සෙතක් ද භක්තියෙන් තොරව යන අයට හිරිහැර දුක් කරදර ඇතිවන බව එහි ගිය බොහෝ දෙනෙක් පවසති. කෙසේ හෝ සියළු දුෂ්කරතා විද දරා ගනිමින් දෙවියන්ගේ පිහිට හා රැකවරණය පතා බොහෝ බැතිමතුන් මෙහි ගමන් කරයි…

I try to worship “Kebiliththa” one time before in “Kotiyagala” way in but I can’t fulfill it and I had go back spent two nights in the jungle unacceptably. Any way I can get the chance to sweet dreaming about worship Kebiliththa after one year. It was a novel experience for us to fulfill ritual as vegetarians after fixing dates for journey before one month. Very arduous thing is it falls in the New Year period.

We were looking to be an edge for 13th but we feel it spent long time to rise 13th. However that day risen with new intention. We ready to go with packing all consecration items orderly and we left from “Baththaramulla” at about 10.00 pm by hired van. The way had fallen Rathnapura, Udawalawa across Thanamalwila. Three of them who get on to the van soon are lucky to get a long sleep but unfortunately I have to go to front seat an be sleepy to Katharagama .

We came to Katharagama at about 3.30 am in the morning and there after we get a little wash and ready to worship “Kiriwehera”. After got the bless of Kiriwehera and then entered Katharagama dewalaya and our driver joined with us here. Then we got bless for our journey by keeping a special dedication and vow to god Katharagama.

At kiriwehera pagoda at dawn

Worshiping usual “Katharagama dewola”

Along the green canopy

The way of Buththala Katharagama

The way through “Yala National Park”

End of its life harshly

If the appearance is very old but it has lots of strength

We started the journey at about 7.30 am after packing all baggage to our jeep. The way had fallen across Katharagama Buththala road. Then we entered to “Galge” entrance to get the tickets an entered to forest across zone 3. We prayed for god to take permission go forward by hanging branch of leaves on a tree after 1 km. At the started the way was dry and less of mud because there was a sunny weather throughout the week.

They waiting to open the gate until we come

At the entrance

Get the blessing of god

The way is very clear at the start

ඇතුල් වන්නට අවසරයි දෙවිදුනී ඔබේ පුද බිමට !!!

He decided yet which the way selected

The way is tough further

Naturally…

He looks wondering who are the visitors…

We all felt long hungry, so jeep stops at a large stone rock. Then we got our breakfast and took small rest. Again we continued the journey after few min. Then few km a head the way was muddy. Our jeep also sank in the mud but that’s not a problem, our driver had techniques to escape from it skillfully. Even he had to use cable for some places.

Actually this is the real off-road driving

Getting the support of cable

It’s better because of the dry weather

Go forward like this again met a huge muddy area and when we went along that we bog in the mud further. We haven’t to do anything the only alternative is got down to the mud & push the jeep. Because of that is an open area there is no any tree put the cable. We all were resource less for a moment. The time spent like this about 15 min.

But as a wonder we heard a voice of tractor some distance from us. Oh… It was an army tractor, there were 8 army soldiers and they transported wood their camp. They got down and ran out to us. They gave their cooperation to our driver. Then we could forward by the assist of them. The next challenge was cross over the mud safely by loaded tractor. We all were looking with stumble at that. Unfortunately they couldn’t cross over an instantly it had fallen in to the mud. We don’t hesitate and join with them to stand the tractor. After that we left them at go forward.

The moment which resource less

Friends which received by god…

Go forward through muddy way

Do you see how tough?

We do it our best

Ready to go ahead again

Sacred Boo tree

Taking permission to enter the sacred area

Blessing of god Katharagama…

Passing open area

Inheritors of the kingdom

After about 6 hour long tired journey we could reach the destination with the bless of god. While the journey we had to cross over many streams but it’s not so difficult because of dry weather. We spent 30km by now and it was about 1.30 pm in the “Kumbukkan oya” bank.

Climb down to stream

Cross over the stream. (It was easy because of drought period)

Along the bower

It was a risky moment

If we can enter to “Dewala” premises by the “Galge” root only and other 3 ways are fallen to other side of the bank. There was tiny army camp in the other bank and pilgrims are lodging at this bank. We also cross over the “Kumbukkan oya” with our camping items. It’s not hard because of the low water level. Soldiers of the camp warmly welcomed us. It was a very happy and good fitness for us.

The “Kumbukkan oya”

It’s helps to cross over the river rainy season

As the chief of the camp lieutenant Mr. Walisundara welcome us in a friendly manner. He search our ever needs and get the chance to camping there site. After we all got a long bath in “Kumbukkan oya” as our wish. When we back to the camp, army friends were kind to present us the lunch also. It was ambrosia for us at that time.

Cross over the “Kumbukkan oya”

Steady…

He had to cross over the stream many times

Our tiny lodge

Classical

It was challenge for them (Because of its waving)

Now we enter to the most important part of the journey. That is preparing the “මුරුතැන් පූජා”. It should participate only male. So Sithum, I & Wimal uncle were participated it. There was special custom for that. Nimal uncle have a great knowledge about that. We had done that fides.

Ready to Pooja

Preparing “මුරුතැන් පූජා”.

Devotion…

Prosperity

Ready to offer

He is looks what we are going to do

After that Bodhi pooja were held for scared “Bo tree” & special pooja for “Kebiliththa” & “Maha Siyambala” dewala. There are many special custom with this and Nimal uncle done that all of them very trusty. When we start at about 6.00 pm and it finish 10.00 pm. We were lucky to spend to this sacred place like that wesak full moon poya day night. After that we came back to camp across over “Kumbukkan oya” on the suspension bridge in the dark with the help of touch light.

Offering robe to scared Boo tree

Pilgrims

Dispassionate

Spreading Redolence

Worshiping

On the way to Siyambalawa

We are lucky to worship scared “Kebiliththa”

It’ like a “Heaven”

God’s palace

While Pooja…

It’s my fortune

At the god’s feet…

Sacred “සියඹලාව”

Thousand of aspiration!!!

Go back to camp site

It’s so special

That day dinner was very special to us because of we were lucky to get a dinner with army soldiers. Then we enter to loyal chat with them and went back our tent with the intension of comfortable sleep.

Thousand of chirps were awakening us. By then also army friends were starting their daily routing very quickly. We also ready to go back because we had gone a long journey. After the breakfast we bid adieu our lovely friends and went back. Then 2 of army soldiers were join with us to “Galge”. That’s a good strength for us.

Novel morning

She flows usually

It’s great effort of army crew

Nice dining area

Our band with heroes

Time is coming to leave

At the last time cross over the bridge

Sacred god “Katharagama” our lives make over to you

Again start our adventure journey

We have to cross over muddy areas like earlier and we use cable and escape from that. Specially two of army friends give a good support for us. So we came back with good inspiration. Went forward like this few km we met a special visitor. He crosses over our way behind 5m a head. He got frighten much. At that time we were put the cable to the jeep. So we didn’t see him which came closer. That’s the first time we met a wild bear closer like that. We get frighten yet when remind that.

Already to landing

Through the Greenland

Again start the mission (It’s easy because of our friends)

Finally we did it like this…

Just click

It was photogenic

“Keterians” we are proud of you

He done it his level best

If there is much of water the journey could be tough

We reached to “Galge” at about 12.30 pm and we didn’t forget to worship all the sacred places which we met along the way. Then of two our army friends leave us and we came back to Katharagama. Then we go to Katharagama dewalaya and worship and thanks for god about succeed our journey.

Pilgrims

Back to the home

The “Udawalawa” reservoir

Then we left Nimal uncle & get on to the van to come back. We don’t forget worship few dansal also…

It was about 10.30 pm when we back to the home finishing this immortal experience.

Thank you very much to reading my long report.

It was a longtime dream of mine to tackle the devil staircase. But because most of the travels went by 4×4’s on this road I was a bit skeptical how my vehicle, which is a 2wd(RWD) would perform. So on our way back from Horton planes we decided to travel via this road. Luckily there weren’t many landslides which could have made our journey more difficult. But the mist did block our view of the beautiful sceneries.

Started from “Y” junction on udaweriya estate road. It was 12.30pm

.

Near Udaveriya tea factory

Near Udaveriya tea factory

Tea factory

Devil’s staircase

.	A Dog followed us from start to end

Rocky roadway. Your tires must be in good condition

Dog and the car

An old Pond which was made by Englishmen

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Our friend

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Mist stared to appear

.

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Our Team

Dog still with us

.

Guess where he has been

.

There was a small town where we brought some biscuits

Our friend enjoying biscuits

.	Road to heaven

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There was a map which is difficult to understand

Road ahead

Road ahead

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Our friend trying to keep up with us

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on the way to DS

Rain started

Babarakanda falls in the distance

.	Water stream

Crossing the water stream

V Cut

Finally.. gravel road to concrete road…. (Note that our dog friend is still with us)

Babarakanda falls

We met our 2nd team who were waiting near babarakanda rest

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It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to finish the trail and then we head back to Colombo.

Thanks for reading

The map – click to enlarge

The famous scenic hike from Kalupahana to Ohiya was one I wanted to do for a while and as usual this was decided within few hours. On the previous day we hiked Gommolliya and were spending the night at Bambarakanda rest relaxing and watching the football world cup. Since our Sunday plan was to return back to our homes we decided to alter it and do this hike. Bambarakanda rest which is managed by Mrs. Mayakaduwa is located 4km’s from Kalupahana so we had 20 more Km’s to get to Ohiya.

After packing up our breakfast and Lunch which Mrs. Mayakaduwa prepared we started hiking along the well paved road. After 2Km’s in to the hike we came across some awesome scenery towards Wangedigala and Gommolli range. The beautiful cascade of Bambarakanda was adding value to the scenery too. Our first landmark was V-cut which was very windy; passing it we came to the causeway where the Bambarakanda stream crossed the road. The windiest part was the stretch from this stream to Yahalatenna which was waiting to blow us away. Passing Yahalatenna we reached West Haputale and after passing west Haputale it was a lonely path. The scenery towards the Walawe valley started to fade away and we were crossing the gap towards Udaveriya side.

dawn at Gommolliya

tiny stream of Bambarakanda

Wangeidigala seen on the way

Wangedikanda range

beautiful scenery

alltogether

the new road to ohiya

v cut to be carpeted

enjoying the wind

bambarakanda stream

what a scenery

scenic route

enjoying the wind and scenery

at Yahalatenne

4wd only

curious onlookers

landmarks

Rest in heaven

Delica no 1

Delica No 2

never seen a pagoda painted like this

through the houses

shortcuts

lovely leaves

Delica no 3

entering west haptale

road side beauties

this was found below a bridge

upper part which could be seen by the road

Udawalawe was seen clearly

crossing towards Udaveriya

entering the devils staircase

The acute descent with hair pin bends which we passed through was known as Devil’s staircase. The scenery became much more fascinating and we couldn’t stop clicking while hiking along the road. We were walking through many line houses and at one point we reached the Horton plains short cut which takes one to the main road from Ohiya to HP. Since we were not going to Horton plains we proceeded along the road and reached a mini lake at Udaveriya where we had some snacks. Next mile stone was the Udaveriya abandoned factory. After traveling 7Km’s from the previously mentioned junction we reached the turpentine patch which lead us towards the Ohiya Horton plains road. We were very happy that we finally reached the main road but we had to hurry to Ohiya to catch the train. So the running part begun, after walking for 18 plus Km’s running was not easy at all. We somehow reached Ohiya railway station 10 minutes before the train arrived. It was almost 6 hours of uphill walking and we were dead tired, for our pleasure the train arrived on time at around 2.30pm. We got in to the new power set and started untying our lunch packets for lunch thanking Mrs. Mayakaduwa for this wonderful meal. My friends got off at Haputale to return to Colombo. And I did proceed towards Ella to end my two day memorable journey around Kalupahana.

cascade seen far away

acting king Arthur

wow

a map

looking back towards Devils stair case

taking the right path from the 3way junction

what a scenery

Delica no 4

wow	lonely path

no wires

pole posing

we loved this hike

Kalupahana rd could be seen

Udaweviya

lake at udaweriya

gommolliya as seen from udaweriya

the tea factory

vegetable chena

they walk because they have no other option

wind is a problem

tea plantations were endless

misty mountains

closing on to the main road

meeting HP road

3 man team

Thanks for reading!

The map – click to enlarge

Kalugala is a location on the northern point of Madulsima range which consist of two peaks and out of those Kalugala no 2 is the highest. Kalugala No 1 peak belongs to Monaragala district and is the highest point of Monaragala. I have been eyeing on this for few months and out of nowhere the anticipated day arrived. I got together with Bandara and took off towards Madulsima and packed our stuff at his home. After packing up we took off towards Roeberry which is about 40Km’s from Madulsima. After getting to Roeberry hospital and planning our journey we took off with two hospital staff members and after tackling the 4wd tea estate path we reached the end of the tea estate (Roeberry upper division). It was almost 6pm and we did manage to have a glimpse of the surrounding scenery by taking the foot path for 100m which begins at the end of the tea patch.

We returned back to the tea estate and said good bye to the two hospital staff members. We did put up our tent and started collecting fire wood for the night. It was a full moon day and camping under the moon was always a special thing. We cooked some noodles and had an early night sleep to be wakened by cold breeze which made the temperature to drop rapidly.

The northern end of madulsima range with kalugala peaks as seen from mahiyanganaya

Madulsima range as seen from loggal oya

madulsima mini worlds end

stopped a bit at mini worlds end

endless view

off we go

used the camp fire to quickly cook

noodles and scrambled egg

At around 5am we got up to notice that the whole area was covered with mist and it dampened all of our hopes of experiencing a sun rise over the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. At around 7am we headed back towards the Kalugala range and waited….waited… and waited… till the mist cleared out. After few hours only the mist started to clear off. While Bandara stayed on a rock I decided to proceed towards Kalugala No 1 and the beautiful range which was beyond it. There was a foot path leading down from the tea estate which would take one towards Kohona. The last flat area was the best place for me, it was flat and with an infinite view along Mahaweli river towards Trincomallee. After hanging around a bit I returned back to meet up with Bandara and head towards the highest point which was Kalugala No 2 peak.

towards madulsima worlds end from our camp site

Kalugala peak 2

our tent

going along the foot path

and the mist was a suprise

cleared off periodically

towards nilgala

loggal oya framed

mist passing from the cooler badulla district to warmer monaragala

moments

foot path towards Kalugala 1

meegahakivula

yahangala, kehelpathdoruwa and dumbanagala

Narangala

nigala and gal oya reservoir

Bibile

namal oya and gal oya peaks

scenic

loggal oya reservoir

lakes parallel to mahaweli river

Kokagala and maduru oya

mapakada wewa

the last peak i went to

burned out

descending kalugala 1

what a gap

wow	lovely sight

the last summit

the two peaks of kalugala as seen from the edge of madulsima range

Pano from the edge of madulsima range , this is towards randenigala side

pano towards mahiyangana

looking down

maragala seen partly covered to rilaoluwa

gal oya peaks and its dried out reservoir

nagadeepa wewa

Ulhitiya

randenigala and rantebe

bit of sun

central hills

may be poisonous

the edge of madulsima range

lonely survivor

patch of green

towards knuckles

the drop similar to worlds end at madulsima

kalugala peak 1 seen from kalugala peak 2

kalugala 2 peak the highest point

edge of the upper roeberry tea plantation

drop towards dehigala

namunukula as seen from kalugala

Central hills of sri lanka

yeah thumbs up

drinking water found 1km away

was sour

at Roeberry hospital saying good bye

From the summit of Kalugala one could appreciate five provinces and those are Uva, Southern, Eastern, Central, North central. On a clear day one could have witnessed a clear coastal line at Batticaloa too. Please refer the images for the landmarks. It took only 10 minutes to get back to the camp site where we packed our stuff and left towards Roeberry. Though it was the dry season we did come across a water stream 500 meters away where two roads merge and one could get drinking water from this site (but boil it). We returned to the Roeberry hospital and said good bye to the staff and headed towards Madulsima where I had a refreshing wash and lunch at Bandara’s place before taking off towards Monaragala. This is one place I don’t mind revisiting and if you have a 4wd it’s a great location to go and camp with your family.

Would you believe that if I said there is a mini Horton plains in the peak wilderness. Yes that’s true this beautiful savanna plain first came to my notice during an Adams peak hike in 2009 and after seen it for the second time in 2013 I started gathering information about this mysterious plains. Once there was a newspaper article but without any pictures of the plains and reading it urged me to explore this unseen territory some day in my life.  It is said a Bison like buffalo called “Gawara” once lived here long ago and hence the name Gwarawila was given. It is also said that once the Haldumulla route to Adams peak fell across this plains of Gawarawila too.

The map – click to enlarge

Google earth image

as seen from Adams peak

zoomed

On a Saturday I got on to the Colombo bound night mail train and arrived at Hatton to sleep on a chair until Chamara arrived by the Badulla bound night mail. From Hatton we took a Nallathanni bus and reached Maskeliya at around 3am and slept in a halted Gartmore CTB bus. The bus took off at around 6am and reached Gartmore estate at 7am. Since Harinda & his friend were coming from Colombo by bikes we had plenty of time to walk around this beautiful estate. We walked along the border of the tea estate while enjoying the splendid scenery towards Maskeliya reservoir. Finally we reached the plunging point of Adams peak falls where we rested for a while before returning back to the bus halt. After a one hour wait Harinda came on his bike and we took off towards Frogmore division ASAP. Initially we were bit lost within the tea estate but somehow with the aid of Google maps and advice from locals we found the correct route. A long ride on 4wd road took us to the forest boundary and the scenery on the way was just amazing. This is a place one would like to re visit at any given time. Just before entering the forest we had some breakfast at a stream with a shrine. Few hundred meters from this point the road ends and the foot path begins.

sun rise at maskeliya

festivals

Gartmore estate

mode of transport & accommodation :-P

lovely

the reservoir

towards HP

lighting up

crowd along the trail

to be plucked

the two gartmore estate falls

top most cascade of adams peak falls

plunging down

adams peak falls

holy peak

view from frogmore

Gartmore falls falling from gawarawila

the fall which plunges down

capturing

where the plain is located

Actually it’s a 1km hike with a small ascend. One needs to cross the valley and get on to the plateau but this is not an easy task at all because of the undergrowth. We decided to follow the foot path and it paid off. Initially the foot path took us along the bank of a stream (bit higher up) and at one point we had to cross it. The crossing point was just like paradise and there was a wonderful pool to dip in but the freezing temperatures weren’t human friendly. After crossing the stream it was a gradual climb through Nelu and bamboo bushes. Surprisingly the path was cleared very well but at one point it suddenly disappeared. When we checked on Google maps we noted that we were 150m away from the plains. There was no other option other than creeping through the bushes and reaching our target. After 15 minutes we finally saw the plains through the branches and we did hurry to reach this heavenly location.

covered path

one of those beauties

Common Rough-sided Snake

the path

paradise

unknown

where samber rub there antlers

cleared uphill path

forest roof

more flowers

a mini break for harinda

end of the path

last bit

We were mesmerized with what we saw and delighted with our achievement. After sitting around a bit we started walking around. Though the plain was dry when we visited most of the year this is a muddy marshy land. So one needs to be careful when stepping around during the wet period. We reached the stream which could be found in the center of the plain and there were few gem pits which were abandoned few years back. This must have been an illegal gem mining paradise once. The problem is that there is a chance of accidentally falling in to one of these pits. If one camps they would be lucky to see herds of Samber here on early and late hours of the day. On a clear day Adams peak could be seen over the mountain forest but we were not fortunate enough to see it. The stream flows to the edge of the plateau and forms one of those Gartmore estate falls which could be seen from the summit of Adams peak.

wow the plain

this is what I wanted to witness

cloud forest

Horton plains junior

staghorn clubmoss

feeder of maskeli reservoir

marshy land

on a clear day Adams peak could be seen (copyrights Mr Anil)

A pano

just like horton plains

gem pits

wow

dreamland

bit dried out

towards the main peak

what a scenery

more

young explorers :-P

this changes to green after april

the cut off line

this is where the waterfall falls down

the colours

tree tops

three layers

and more

found here and there

After hanging around this magnificent landscape we decided to return back. And as expected it was not possible to find the path we came along. So we decided to traverse the dense forest by using Samber foot paths. We targeted the place where we crossed the stream and headed in that direction, after an exhausting one hour journey we reached the river and headed up stream to reach the way point. The walk along the stream was like walking in paradise. After reaching the crossing point we had “Dosai” as lunch and backtracked along the foot path until we reached the tea estate. Ah I almost forgot there were few leeches here and there that troubled us intermittently. After reaching the tea estate we washed ourselves from the stream close to the shrine and took off towards Colombo on bikes. It was one of those tiring days for me but somehow on the same day I had to return back to Monaragala for work. This was one of those dreamily adventures I would cherish for many years and I’m sorry that I had to leave behind few Lakdasun friends who wanted to do the same.

bit of adventure actually this was the end part of the 2 hour lost session

the main stream

a cascade

like a privet garden pond

along the stream

another one

Gordonia speciosa

pure red

happy faces

where we were

a cool dip

team picture near the shrine

Indian Fritillary

Gartmore no 2 falls

crossing the bridge

The map (taken from Malikas post) – click to enlarge

Galagama as seen from Havagala

Mysteries are to be solved and this time we made sure to put an end to this long lasting mystery. Galagama falls which is very well marked on many maps is a glamorous beauty hidden in the wilderness. It all started many years back when a discussion was started in our forum regarding this mysterious fall. Few years back when Lahiru and I decided to reveal this mystery we ended up with a failure. So both of us were ever so determined to finish off what we once started in 2012. I have seen this waterfall once when we hiked Havagala few years back and also saw few close ups from one of my friends(Supun) who had been there previously but only to note the completely dried out waterfall.

This was arranged suddenly out of nowhere and we were eyeing on the weather till the last minute. Our team comprised of Lahiru, Malith Supun and his wife plus Ruwan. Malith, Lahiru and I came from Colombo to be united at Belihul oya with the other 3 who came from Badulla hospital. After winding along the scenic road to non perial we reached the tea factory where we needed to get permission to proceed towards Nagrak. The surrounding scenery was very rewarding and since it had rained during the past week the cascades were in full flow. The road from Hirikatu oya camp site onwards was in bad condition and one needs to be careful when driving uphill. Some hair pin bends needed to be reversed and re attempted. On our way up tackling the 33 hair pin bends we came across newly concreted stretches. We also didn’t forget to stop at Backers bend and enjoy the lovely scenery towards Samanala wewa while reaching Nagrak. After reaching Nagrak and halting our vehicles we met Nishan who was our pre-arranged guide for this journey. We selected him because he had gone with Supun and the team few years back and our picking was an excellent choice.

morning rays

a cascade of hirikatu oya

Non perial falls

its lower section

we named this one banana falls

road side cascades

Adara kanda seen on the way

samanala wewa and udawalawa seen on the way

closing on bakers bend

concreted ( in the backdrop gommolli range could be seen)

view from bakers bend

samanala wewa zoomed

bend no 23

heaven

towards worlds end drop

reaching the last few bends

then came the mist

proudly halted

Nassdanda division

valley of belihul oya

misty mountains

cute pup at Nagrak

We walked along the estate road towards the 33^rd bend where the foot path begins. One needs a guide on this journey because there are plenty of misleading paths and also if you miss the correct path, getting to the base of the waterfall would be only a dream. Initial path took us through a small bamboo patch which ended up on a hill (this was the highest point of our journey). From here it was a gradual descend through bamboo and Nelu until we met our first landmark which was a water stream. After this stream we crossed another mini stream and entered a spooky forest path which ran along a base of a rocky cliff. This forest patch was one of a kind and I have never come across any like this before. It was so misty spooky and covered with ferns and etc. I loved this stretch a lot; from here it was only matters of minutes before we heard the roaming sound of the mysterious angel. Out of the forest we were on top of a rock gazing at a beautiful cascaded hidden in a veil of mist which mesmerized us and made us speechless for few minutes.

off we go

lonely tree

patterns

probably an introduced species

trail head at bend no 33

my favourite

along the foot path

unknown

summit point

contrasting

mountain forest

maha hedaya

old mans beared

enjoying the hike

more colours

the forest

first way point

micro life

life on life

fallen orchid plant

very common at this altitude

along the ridge

mountain forest

mushrooms

The heart was pumping so fast after seen this gorgeous beauty, I felt like shouting out loudly at that moment. Mighty Belihul oya was plunging down resembling upper Ramboda falls and it was surely more than 60m in height. In few minutes the curtain of mist opened up and showed us her full glory. It was like seen a naked women with an absolutely astonishing figure. All of us were clicking and clicking before the mist decided it was enough. Though we waited for some time it showed no signs of clearing off. On a clear day one could clearly see Havagala from the base of this waterfall but we weren’t fortunate enough.

First glimpse

wow here she is

please clear off

once a dream

plunging down

the valley

front view

fully cleared

descending from top is not possible

here comes the mist

the base

waiting till the mist clears off

In august 2012(image owner Supun)

on a clear day Hagala could be seen (image owner Supun)

minus me

We decided to get back before the evening showers decided to fall upon us so we backtracked along our path. Since Supuns wife was the pace controller of our team we had plenty of time to have many chit chats inside the forest. It was sought of a relaxed journey thanks to her. We reached the tea estate after a 4 ½ hour hike (actually it would only take 2 1/2hrs) and sat down and relaxed a bit before we thanked our excellent guide Nishan and took off towards the main road. We were very well kept away from the falling showers until the last moment when we reached the main road. After having lunch at Halpe we said good bye to each other and vanished towards our destinations feeling so proud with what we achieved on that day. So this is another beautiful end to one of my dreams which is now a reality.

returning back

ferns

bamboo

the trail

spooky forest

unique

finally came out

1KG of murukku

bakers bend

rainbow

7 falls of non perial

cascades of 7 falls of non perial

cascades of 7 falls of non perial

road side cascade

bye bye

Papulugala fall?

vicious surathalee

vicious brampton cascade

What would you give to spend a couple of days in a comfy bungalow more than 7000ft above the sea level which is bordered by a cloud forest? Well I would go to greater lengths to make it a reality. I’m sure you would too. Tell me you wouldn’t give a toss and you would win the first prize for the biggest lie. I’ve been lucky to have visited some wonderful places where you could get completely isolated and feel heavenly. Ginihiriya Bungalow at Horton Plains, Fishing Hut, Morning Side are some of them. This is when we came across Nagrak Bungalow, a place highly rated for its location, comfort accommodation and most of all the awe-inspiring views it offered.

There have been a few online posts about it and we decided to give it a go as well. The highly controversial but very tempting Non Pareil Trail to the Horton Plains begins near the bungalow and it added flavor to our intentions. Ana as usual led the planning and all we had to do was tag along. The charges for one day is Rs. 15,000/-. I know the moment I heard it, I felt the same way how you just felt hearing that. “They must be joking”, I thought out loud. It was however true and we had to haggle over whether to go for it or not. Finally having weighed pros and cons, we decided that there was not much choice but to give it a go. “But for how many days?”. We asked each other many times that question. Even though the experience is wonderful, if it’s not affordable and beyond our reach we wouldn’t be able to go for it. If we try to do everything wonderful, it’d soon leave us beggars.

We passed the idea this way, that way and the other way and still got nowhere. After what felt like an eternity, we came to the conclusion that we need minimum two nights. We couldn’t anyway afford more therefore settled at two. Having arranged everything we set off on the dawn of Saturday, 21 February. Just a word on the way we were given the instructions by the Nagrak Management. They gave us the account details promptly to deposit money and other than mentioning about the electricity which is available from 6pm to 12 midnight, there was no other information given. It’s a major lapse from their end because the way Fishing Hut Management (click on the link to check the info sent by them) sent out the information was simply brilliant. They had gone to great trouble to put everything in writing so that there was no misunderstanding. We knew exactly what was they were giving and what we had to take. Further, what we could do and shouldn’t do. It was just great and I feel Nagrak Management failed to meet those standards. They have some catching up to do and do it fast coz that small lapse could lead to very unpleasant things and disappointments.

Day 01

Driving up to the Bungalow

We made good ground and arrived at the Non Pareil road passing Belihul Oya as the sun was beginning to appear. According to the estate sign board, it is 21km to Nagrak but the provincial council notice, World’s End is 32km away. Well it’s a bit confusing as the Non Pareil trail to the world’s end is about 4km. Well, it’s the way and let’s not waste too much breath over it. One thing I can tell you is that the elevation gain from A4 to the bungalow is well over 5000ft. We drove on passing a couple of hotels and then a couple of abandoned big houses. The road was tarred and in fairly good condition.

After a few kms we came across the CTB bus coming from the Non Pareil estate. The road is very narrow and very few places where two vehicles pass each other. We saw a couple of cascades falling but didn’t stop for a picture. Then we arrived at Hirikatu Oya Educational Center. It’s about 6km from the A4. Passing it and feeling ravenous we stopped for our breakfast of sandwiches while the mountains were showing their shades of green. Many of the Mana-covered Mountains looked like a light green velvet has been draped over them. The morning wind made us shiver and we badly wanted a scalding cup of strong coffee but it was just wishful thinking.

Hirikatu Oya Ella

We came to a school then and taking the next turn we came face to face with a beautiful waterfall. We couldn’t ignore her and stopped for a photo shoot. Despite the lack of rains, she still had a fair amount of water flowing from the Horton Plains. She must be something close to 100ft and above her loomed the Non Pareil Tea Factory. Later on, we realized this as the Hirikatu Oya Ella. Looking around we saw many cascades, of course with very little water, falling from great heights. So a journey during the rainy season is in order and I saved all the locations in my already packed brain for future use. There are 35 hairpin bends before we reach the bungalow along the snaking uphill estate road. Going up maneuvering around made me think of 18-bends below Udadaumbara. It was nothing compared to this even when it was in bad shape. Ana’s expertise in driving took us safely up and it must have been a nightmare without power steering and auto gear.

We reached the factory and the road from there is closed. However our permit took care of it and we were onto the most strenuous part of the road. Thanking our stars for not having to climb up walking, we drove on tackling one bend after the other. The sun was shining down fiercely but the cool breeze coming from Horton Plains kept them at bay. The road has been repaired in places with stretches of concrete paved patches making it relatively easier compared to what it was. The season for Nagrak starts from late February till late April so that must be the sudden urge to make this road better. Even the road closer to the bungalow was being repaired using earth.

We then came to another milestone, the Baker’s Bend which is almost like a horse shoe. It’s located 5000ft above sea level and is the 23rd bend. We got some beautiful and panoramic views from here but the sun made it tough for our cameras that were not so sophisticated. The surrounding mountains stretched miles and the Samanalawewa Reservoir was visible clearly. There was a group going uphill when we reached the Baker’s Bend. After the usual picture taking, we got going and reached another milestone, the 33rd bend with a signage saying it was 1km to the bungalow, 4km to World’s End and 5km to Belihul Oya. This is 6990ft above sea level which meant we had climbed over 5000ft within 20 or so kms. You can imagine the climb, can’t you?

Finally we got to the bungalow passing a few people who were repairing the road. The gardener was there to open the gate and then we drove in to find one of the best places to spend a holiday.

Here we are

Wonder if this is true if it’s only 21km to Nagrak

Isolated road being illuminated by the morning rays

Surrounding mountains

Having breakfast with serious faces

Hiya!

Just passing the school

Warm welcome

There she is

Closer

Portrait

Lower part with the base pool

The road ahead

Leafless

Sun is fully up and running

I simply love the shades of blue here

The factory

Could’ve gone in but others decided against it

Velvet Mountains with Royal Blue

Climbing

Landmark

What do you say to this?

Gon Molliya Range and Balathuduwa

Samanalawewa Reservoir zoomed in

The happy wanderers

Another hairpin bend

Another landmark, see the notice, especially the elevation

Endless views

Border of HP

Sun shining through the leaves. Ana was quick to spot this

Terrible road condition

Our bungalow is at the corner, if you look harder, can see the summer hut at the edge

Road under repairs and maneuvering was hard

Where’s everyone

BBQ hut

Front

“Anybody home?”

Nagrak Bungalow

To say that we were impressed is an understatement. The single story typical colonial-era type bungalow painted a dull green or similar to deep grey with a matching greenish tin roof looked majestic in the middle of a huge garden full of perfectly trimmed plants, well-cut grass and vividly-colored flowers. There were many large windows allowing the natural light in. At the edge of the garden is the sloping tea patch. Further away velvet green mountains looked grand. Beyond them we could see the Pambahinna Town, Samanalawewa Reservoir, Walawe Basin and further away faintly visible through the haziness of the glowing sun was Udawalawa Reservoir. There was a nicely built summer hut at the edge of the garden allowing visitors to enjoy the view shielding from the sun and rains. To our left was a long mountain range. From Wangedigala via Balathuduwa towards the Gon Molliya (double humped peaks) Range, it looked menacing. Bambarakanda, Lanka Ella and the Kalupahana-Ohiya Road that goes through the Udaweriya Estate were behind them. Further towards the end we could see the edge of the Horton Plains where millions of people visit every year. The famous World’s End was a bit away hiding from us. Non Pareil Trail to the World’s End runs behind the bungalow through the Horton Plains. The back garden borders the Horton Plains Reserve with millions of trees and many shades of green. It was a sight worth seeing over and over again.

We ran around like a bunch of kids taking in the scenery and breathing the mountain air filling our parched lungs. The grass was like a carpet especially laid for us. Not even bothering to unload, we kept shooting this way, that way and the other way. Ana taking pity on us carried on unloading allowing us to be play around. After a heavy shooting we decided to go see the interior as well.

Ready to unload

Just look at this, especially the royal blue background

Closer

Entrance

The garden and the summer hut at the edge

View

Towards the side

Gardener doing a good job

Some more art work

Border of the garden

Wow…	Gon Molliya through the trees

Out in the open

Me, hiding inside the giant bush

Towards Samanalawewa

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Lady Bird

Flowers

More Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

Going in we were greeted by a huge fireplace and a large set of comfortable settee set kept in a big sitting area. Either side was two rooms and the passage through the sitting area, led to a room to the right and the dining room to the left. Further along there were two other rooms either side before the passage led to the kitchen. In the back passing the kitchen were servant quarters, storage and the boiler room where they have a typical firewood-powered old boiler to provide hot water. Now they have a solar-powered hot water system as well but not so effective compared to the old one. The ceiling is wood paneled along with the floor helping to keep the cold out. The rooms are so spacious, bigger than any I’ve seen in a place like this with two beds each. There are four fully equipped washrooms which are clean and well maintained. Thick, long and matching curtains are hung along the windows. Even the rooms had their own fireplaces. Well, now you know what this place is like, don’t you?

Interior as soon as we entered

Dining room

The refrigerator powered by gas and can also be used with electricity. If anyone knows where to get one of these, let me know

One of the bedrooms, note the wooden ceiling

Another

Can you see the fireplaces and different color combinations used?

Inside one of the bathrooms

The boiler area

Working better than solar

Ready for a nap

We settled in our rooms while the workers got busy. There are three workers in the bungalow, a cook, gardener and an assistant who served meals. Unfortunately the cook didn’t turn up on time delaying our lunch. Fortunately we had some pre-cooked curries with us. We got very little information about the number of people in the bungalow and we had to take meals for them as well. Nevertheless we managed to weather the storm and make do with the resources we had. Finally we sat down for lunch with Rice, Polos, Chicken, Gotukola Sambol, Papadam and followed by Cashew Nut Chocolate. After a bellyful lunch, we took to our comfy beds for a nap wrapped in clean and warm blankets.

Our delicious lunch

Just a word on the workers in the bungalow.

Gardener – Does a superb job of keeping the garden and stay away from the visitors keeping to himself.

Assistant, Kumar – Very polite and attentive. Always ready to help you.

Cook – Can cook really well. But can be a nuisance too coz he kinda expects us to offer some liquor. We were asked by other workers not to offer alcohol to him as it can be troublesome.

Amid all this, we heard a roar of a huge engine, very much similar to that of German M6 engine and we were wondering if the railway line was closer. Out of nowhere appeared a SLAF Bell 206 Jet Ranger circling the World’s End. At the time we could no longer make anything out but later on came to know that it was looking for a fallen Dutch tourist. Initially it was communicated that was a Chinese national who had fallen but in fact it was a Dutch. We were only a few kms away from the World’s End.

Here’s the Jet Ranger looking for the Dutch who’d fallen. He was miraculously stuck among a few branches and later rescued by the Sinha Regiment Soldiers

There are remains of another bungalow type structure behind the current one and we found out one of the superintendents had illegally cleared the reserve building a house of his own hoping to stay there forever. Well looking at how serene and tranquil the surroundings, I’m not surprised he went to that length. Now it’s in ruins as the officials had finally claimed their territory but the area still hasn’t got any typical Horton Plains plants. Instead it’s just grass that covers the entire area. Apparently that fella had planted vegetables as well such as potatoes, carrots and some others.

From the car park

Well, don’t know the name

Like dhal or even green gram

Crooked

Maha Bovitiya

Buds	Gigantic mushroom

Water stream coming from HP

We followed it up a bit

Ruins of illegal construction

Afternoon Stroll in the Drizzle covered with Mist

After a nap, we had a nice cuppa tea and decided to go for a stroll downhill just to unwind ourselves. The sun was on his way down but there was plenty of light. We walked down the road where we came from hoping to experience the atmosphere around 7000ft up. Kumar offered to accompany us but we declined as we didn’t plan to get lost. Now that the sun was behind us we could see the Gon Molliya range very clearly and a mist was heading our way. We reached the 33rd bend to find the weather had changed completely. Rain clouds loomed threateningly and we had to cut short our walk and head back. The rain caught us before long but thankfully there was a medical center where we sheltered for a while. It kept drizzling and we decided to walk in it. The mist covered the entire area within seconds making it hard to see anywhere.

Walking tucked my sweater under the arm, feeling the tiny drops of water pricking the exposed skin sending a chill right throughout was a new kinda experience. The evening wore off amid chit chat. The bulbs flickered into life when the generator was turned on at 6pm. With it came the mobile reception. Anyway we wouldn’t have minded the poor reception coz it adds to the calmness. Later on after a hot shower we sat down for an early dinner which was sumptuous. The solar panel is not maintained properly, especially it needs washing to clear of the moss and oiliness of the rain water. Unfortunately the workers at the bungalow were not aware of this when Ana explained what needs to be done to improve the efficiency. Thankfully the good old firewood-driven boiler was our savior.

We then got into our beds which were nice and warm. The temperature dipped below 14 degrees and the winds picked up howling around the bungalow but it in some strange way it felt great. The drizzle kept on but it hitting the tin roof was muffled thanks to the wooden ceiling. Having wrapped the thick woolen blankets around us just like mummies we settled down for the night. The sleep slowly crept up on us dragging us slowly into a dreamland. Well before I become dead to the world, lemme wish you good night.

Out they come

The line houses below our bungalow

Our summer hut zoomed from the road

Road repairing underway

Through lush greenery

Here comes the mist

Fading signs

Cotton wool like flowers

Compost pit

Black clouds appearing

Lorenzo De Almeida pose

Isolated road and the rain is imminent

Oh my goats!

Goat just ran away

Found a short cut

Towards Samanalawewa, everything is blocked by the mist that could be hacked with a chain saw

Our garden slowly being invaded

Let’s call it a day

Day 02

Sunrise over the Mountains

The shuffling noise brought me back to earth and getting up I saw Ana as usual making coffee. The cold was back now I’m out of the protecting layer of the blanket. Strong and sweet coffee tickled down the throat warming the interior. The time was closer to 5am and our noise brought the rest of the household into life except Hasi who was still snoring like hibernating grizzly bear. Throughout the night it was a snoring contest between three rooms. Ana backed Atha was the first to take part closely followed by the selfie king, Hasi but they were no match for Prasa who kept up snoring throughout the night moving between various rhythms. Ana was the first to notice the faint glow in the sky and we ran out not caring a toss about the cold. The thermometer read as 10.6 Celsius but our focus was far away.

The whole mountain range comprised of Gon Molliya, Balathuduwa and Wangedigala were silhouetted against the glowing sky. The Walawe Basin was faintly visible through the thick fog that hung above it. Red, orange and yellow strip of light kept expanding up the sky while sun was doing his morning rituals before turning up for work. Towards the world’s end, the sky looked like a milky sea full of thick clouds cluttered together. We were all pointing our cameras firing them off occasionally disturbing the stillness of the environment. The garden was still largely in darkness but we kept moving about looking for that perfect angle.

I just simply don’t have the capability to express the events unfolded within the next hour or so. But lemme try all the same. The first rays of the morning captured the subtle hues of the valley below. Twin humped Gon Molliya was the most prominent among the mountain tips but sharp point of Balathuduwa was looking grand too. We just tried to picture the tallest girl in the country waking up for the day and being bathed in the golden sun rays. There were a couple of clouds hanging just above the tips of the mountains. The golden rays colored them in vivid pink, purple and magenta. After what felt like a millennium, the sun peeped above the mountains and then came slowly up until he was fully out and shining down on us.

The fragrance of the flowers and the trees was so great and we were shivering in the morning breeze. The bungalow looked stunning standing in the middle of all this. We spent a long time being washed by the morning rays before going in for yet another splendid meal.

Just appearing and the temperature was around 11 degrees

The flash lighting the flowers foreground

Sunrise on the way

Mountain silhouettes

Closer

Gigantic fern tree

Can you see the milky sea to the left? That’s the area behind Gon Molliya

Colorful

The time is close now

Any time

Hhmmm?

I’m getting frozen

Almost

Grrrr

Finally, can you see the outline of the cloud?

There

Good morning lazy man

Come on up, don’t be shy

Hurting my eyes

The milky sea still there

Up in the sky

Good morning old lady!

Hike through the Cloud Forest

After a grand breakfast, we decided to do a bit of exploring. We took a short walk through what we usually refer as the cloud forest. The thick foliage kept us shielded from the sun and the chirping birds sang along with us. The dew had gathered on the leaves, flower buds and petals looking very kissable. We walked in single file very much like a six-man reconnaissance team not making a noise. It felt like a crime to disturb the tranquility inside the forest.

After a steady hike we came to a place very much similar to the popular World’s End. Below us were the Non Pareil Estate, its factory and line houses of the workers. Further in the distance were the Walawe Valley, Samanalawewa Reservoir and Velvet Green Mountains. Horton Plains stretched out to miles with her unique beauty. We saw the snaking road we took along the estate to reach the bungalow.

Out of nowhere reminding us the uncertainty of the weather, a great cloud of mist appeared as if to signal the end of the show. We all had taken a whale lot of pictures already so there were no qualms about having to leave. We got back around late morning to find the bungalow along with the garden plunged into a thick layer of mist.

“There’s a Giraffe”

Clear surroundings

Ana ready to rock n roll

Dew covered grass

On our way

Hanging beards

Vivid colors

Giant ferns towering above us

Tiny pathway

Samanalawewa in the distance

X-rayed

Dead tree arts

Like blood veins

Nelu

Prasa looking proud while Ana humble

Thick forest

One of my favorites

Another

The path was slippery

Beard tree

Here the team

Life

Barriers

Non Pareil being unveiled slowly

First of Maha Ratmal flowers

Closer

The line houses below and the snaking road

Mountains beyond World’s End

Sitha Pera

Fern buds

Egg yolk like

Clear view that runs for miles

Below

Zig-zagging path

Non Pareil Tea Factory zoomed in

Clearing in the forest, to the right is World’s End

Towards HP

Towards KGP if I’m not mistaken

Clear views

Not a lotus

The end of the show, here comes the mist

Amazingly beautiful but very narrow

The sad story of the day, invading Eulex found among the trees. Wish we could uproot and destroy it but didn’t wanna ask for trouble

Heading back

Home sweet home

Misty Afternoon