The plan was made for all of us to visit Sri Pada and Horton Plains National Park. I was so excited to get out and about and to be able to share it with people.
We drove back to Kandy which is where they are from. They have a house there that they were renting but as the people removed a door, drew on the walls and had a pile of rubbish out the front, they decided to take the house back and keep it as a holiday house.
Now, I thought the food I’d had so far was good. But nothing beats home cooked Sri Lankan food. I have been eating the most delicious meals over the last 5 days. I feel a bit silly as I rave about how good it is and yet this is common for Hasthi and her family. I’ve asked for all of the recipes so I’ll try and recreate the masterpieces although I’m not optimistic. And I have a new appreciation of eating with my hands. I’m so used to it now, that the waiters at the volunteer restaurant no longer bring me cutlery but rather a bowl of water for me to wash my hands instead.
Anyway, Hasthi’s grandma is so adorable. She’s so small and very sweet. She kept forcing me to eat which I did so obligingly. And then there’s Banda who is an old family friend who helps around the house and is a tremendous cook. I felt so welcome in their home.
We went into Kandy the following day to the Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic). The tooth is said to have been snatched from the flames of the Buddha’s funeral in 543 BC and was apparently smuggled into Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. It’s a beautiful temple and there were many locals there who consider such a pilgrimage a must. Security is extremely tight because in 1998, the LTTE detonated a bomb destroying much of the temple. They didn’t get into the temple thank goodness because the destruction would have been a lot worse but the damage was still done nonetheless. I think this is the only country where being a foreigner is an advantage. I was able to take my camera in and the guards were extremely friendly. I had to pay to get in (locals don’t have to which I think is good because they should be able to see their beautiful monuments for free), but it was worth it.
We then managed to go and watch Kandyan dancing. The men play double sided drums while other men and women dance in traditional dress. It was really great and we had such a great afternoon. Sunil then drove us up to a lookout which gave us a great view of Kandy Lake and the town at night.
Then we drove to Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) the next day. The countryside was beautiful as we went through the hill country where all of the tea plantations are. Sunil knows the head of police in the area and they were staying in a tea plantation which is where we went for lunch. Lunch was home made and was of course delicious. We went for a short walk through the tea plantation where we saw the women tea pluckers, plucking the tea leaves and placing them in the bags they hang from their head. The local kids saw me with my camera and kept yelling out photo, photo. So I took pictures of them and they then started running down. They were so adorable. They kept wanting me to take their picture and then when we left, they all shook my hand and said thank you! I felt awful because I should be thanking them for letting me take their picture and giving me a beautiful memory. We had some chocolate in the car so we gave them that and they were very excited.
Then we got a police escort to Sri Pada. It was so funny. Five of us sat in the back in the jeep so everyone was staring at us and waving as we went past. It must have looked so weird with 5 people in the back, one being a foreigner and 2 being kids (Hasthi’s cousins). We made it to the base of Sri Pada and started preparing for the climb. The best time to do it is at night as it’s lit up and the grand finale is the sunrise. It’s also much cooler at night. Sunil’s police friend organised for us to have a nap in a hotel that is half way up. And we were so glad he did. However, it was not the most comfortable sleep. Somehow 8 of us managed to squeeze onto a king size bed. It was so funny. But we managed to get some sleep that kept us going through the early morning ascent.
Sri Pada is a pilgrimage for many as it means Sacred Footprint which was left by the Buddha as he headed towards paradise. For others, it’s called Adam’s Peak because it is the place where Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of heaven. For others, it is Samanalakande which means Butterfly Mountain, where butterflies go to die. Either way, it’s a pretty tough climb with lots of steps. We were fortunate to have a rest at the half way hotel where Sunil’s police friend organised a room. The only problem was that when Sunil arranged it, it was only going to be 4 of us. However, Sunil’s brother and family joined us, so 8 people had to squeeze onto two king single beds! It was hilarious. We managed to get some sleep between tossing and turning and Sunil’s snoring, and we then took it slow and reached the top at 5am. It was pretty cold, and because there is a temple there, we had to take off our shoes!
The sunrise was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The sun rays came over the horizon first and covered the entire sky. The temple was playing Buddhist music as the sun rose and it was really special. But the best part is that when the sun rises, the mountain’s shadow forms a perfect triangle on the other side. As the sun rises higher, the triangle disappears back towards the peak. It was eerie but beautiful.
Then the worst part came as we had to descend the steps, something my knees disliked very much. We finally made it down and drove to Sunil’s police friend’s house in Hatton, which was our accommodation for the night. It’s good to know people in Sri Lanka.
We almost didn’t go to Horton Plains because Sunil’s mum called and said she had heard of some shootings in Horton Plains. Sunil called his police friend to confirm and he said he hadn’t heard anything. We watched the news and it wasn’t on there. We later discovered that she didn’t want us to go because it was a jungle area, and she thinks everywhere is dangerous. So we confirmed there was no danger and we drove into the plains. Why we persevered I don’t know. It was misty and raining and really heavy…not the best hiking weather. And we were planning on going to World’s End, a hike that takes you to a huge drop off that gives you amazing views over the tea plantations. Visibility was unlikely and getting drenched was very likely.
But we arrived at the start of the walk and the clouds parted a little. We got to little world’s end and the clouds parted even more. Then we got to World’s End and we must have had good karma or something because we were blessed with a beautiful view over the plantations. It was spectacular. The rest of the hike took us to some waterfalls and streams and then we were fortunate to see some Sambar deer on the hills. We were told when we got back to the information centre that there were deer up one of the other roads so we went for drive and were lucky to see herds of them grazing in the mist. Sunil and I went crazy with the camera so hopefully out of the hundreds of pictures, we have one good one.
This weekend was really special. I got a wonderful insight into a Sri Lankan family, got to taste amazing food and got to see some of the beautiful natural wonders Sri Lanka has to offer. I even got to hear Sri Lankan songs on the way and learned some of the words. This weekend was truly magical and I am forever grateful. Even if I don’t go anywhere else, this weekend will keep me going until I reach India.
We drove back to Kandy which is where they are from. They have a house there that they were renting but as the people removed a door, drew on the walls and had a pile of rubbish out the front, they decided to take the house back and keep it as a holiday house.
Now, I thought the food I’d had so far was good. But nothing beats home cooked Sri Lankan food. I have been eating the most delicious meals over the last 5 days. I feel a bit silly as I rave about how good it is and yet this is common for Hasthi and her family. I’ve asked for all of the recipes so I’ll try and recreate the masterpieces although I’m not optimistic. And I have a new appreciation of eating with my hands. I’m so used to it now, that the waiters at the volunteer restaurant no longer bring me cutlery but rather a bowl of water for me to wash my hands instead.
Anyway, Hasthi’s grandma is so adorable. She’s so small and very sweet. She kept forcing me to eat which I did so obligingly. And then there’s Banda who is an old family friend who helps around the house and is a tremendous cook. I felt so welcome in their home.
We went into Kandy the following day to the Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic). The tooth is said to have been snatched from the flames of the Buddha’s funeral in 543 BC and was apparently smuggled into Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. It’s a beautiful temple and there were many locals there who consider such a pilgrimage a must. Security is extremely tight because in 1998, the LTTE detonated a bomb destroying much of the temple. They didn’t get into the temple thank goodness because the destruction would have been a lot worse but the damage was still done nonetheless. I think this is the only country where being a foreigner is an advantage. I was able to take my camera in and the guards were extremely friendly. I had to pay to get in (locals don’t have to which I think is good because they should be able to see their beautiful monuments for free), but it was worth it.
We then managed to go and watch Kandyan dancing. The men play double sided drums while other men and women dance in traditional dress. It was really great and we had such a great afternoon. Sunil then drove us up to a lookout which gave us a great view of Kandy Lake and the town at night.
Then we drove to Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) the next day. The countryside was beautiful as we went through the hill country where all of the tea plantations are. Sunil knows the head of police in the area and they were staying in a tea plantation which is where we went for lunch. Lunch was home made and was of course delicious. We went for a short walk through the tea plantation where we saw the women tea pluckers, plucking the tea leaves and placing them in the bags they hang from their head. The local kids saw me with my camera and kept yelling out photo, photo. So I took pictures of them and they then started running down. They were so adorable. They kept wanting me to take their picture and then when we left, they all shook my hand and said thank you! I felt awful because I should be thanking them for letting me take their picture and giving me a beautiful memory. We had some chocolate in the car so we gave them that and they were very excited.
Then we got a police escort to Sri Pada. It was so funny. Five of us sat in the back in the jeep so everyone was staring at us and waving as we went past. It must have looked so weird with 5 people in the back, one being a foreigner and 2 being kids (Hasthi’s cousins). We made it to the base of Sri Pada and started preparing for the climb. The best time to do it is at night as it’s lit up and the grand finale is the sunrise. It’s also much cooler at night. Sunil’s police friend organised for us to have a nap in a hotel that is half way up. And we were so glad he did. However, it was not the most comfortable sleep. Somehow 8 of us managed to squeeze onto a king size bed. It was so funny. But we managed to get some sleep that kept us going through the early morning ascent.
Sri Pada is a pilgrimage for many as it means Sacred Footprint which was left by the Buddha as he headed towards paradise. For others, it’s called Adam’s Peak because it is the place where Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of heaven. For others, it is Samanalakande which means Butterfly Mountain, where butterflies go to die. Either way, it’s a pretty tough climb with lots of steps. We were fortunate to have a rest at the half way hotel where Sunil’s police friend organised a room. The only problem was that when Sunil arranged it, it was only going to be 4 of us. However, Sunil’s brother and family joined us, so 8 people had to squeeze onto two king single beds! It was hilarious. We managed to get some sleep between tossing and turning and Sunil’s snoring, and we then took it slow and reached the top at 5am. It was pretty cold, and because there is a temple there, we had to take off our shoes!
The sunrise was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The sun rays came over the horizon first and covered the entire sky. The temple was playing Buddhist music as the sun rose and it was really special. But the best part is that when the sun rises, the mountain’s shadow forms a perfect triangle on the other side. As the sun rises higher, the triangle disappears back towards the peak. It was eerie but beautiful.
Then the worst part came as we had to descend the steps, something my knees disliked very much. We finally made it down and drove to Sunil’s police friend’s house in Hatton, which was our accommodation for the night. It’s good to know people in Sri Lanka.
We almost didn’t go to Horton Plains because Sunil’s mum called and said she had heard of some shootings in Horton Plains. Sunil called his police friend to confirm and he said he hadn’t heard anything. We watched the news and it wasn’t on there. We later discovered that she didn’t want us to go because it was a jungle area, and she thinks everywhere is dangerous. So we confirmed there was no danger and we drove into the plains. Why we persevered I don’t know. It was misty and raining and really heavy…not the best hiking weather. And we were planning on going to World’s End, a hike that takes you to a huge drop off that gives you amazing views over the tea plantations. Visibility was unlikely and getting drenched was very likely.
But we arrived at the start of the walk and the clouds parted a little. We got to little world’s end and the clouds parted even more. Then we got to World’s End and we must have had good karma or something because we were blessed with a beautiful view over the plantations. It was spectacular. The rest of the hike took us to some waterfalls and streams and then we were fortunate to see some Sambar deer on the hills. We were told when we got back to the information centre that there were deer up one of the other roads so we went for drive and were lucky to see herds of them grazing in the mist. Sunil and I went crazy with the camera so hopefully out of the hundreds of pictures, we have one good one.
This weekend was really special. I got a wonderful insight into a Sri Lankan family, got to taste amazing food and got to see some of the beautiful natural wonders Sri Lanka has to offer. I even got to hear Sri Lankan songs on the way and learned some of the words. This weekend was truly magical and I am forever grateful. Even if I don’t go anywhere else, this weekend will keep me going until I reach India.
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