Conquering Bible Rock!

Departure Time:     1030 hours (to Kandy) & 0330 hours (to Bible Rock)

Departure Venue:   Fort Railway Station & Bambi's archchi and seeya's house (Kandy)

Travel Mode:         Colombo-Kandy Train & Van

Adventurers:           Avanti, Bambi Asiri Wickramasuriya, Osanda Senapathiratne, Nilesh and Jay-D Perera, Yohan Fernando, Anthony and Rebecca (from Sweden) and Kalana (driver)

Sometimes I think it is totally unfair that guys have a freedom advantage over girls. Why do you think that is? Because guys are strong, or girls are more naïve? Anyway, it doesn’t seem fair, but I am truly glad and thankful to God for giving me my parents, and for making them so cool with me being ‘one of the guys’. (Although they are not so sometimes, I can always talk and get through to them!)

So although I was thrilled when Bambi asked me to come to Kandy with them (and on a hike), when I announced that I was going to ammi last Wednesday, I got mixed emotions. At first, all was good as ammi knew I had to get out as much as possible before I went to the US, or started work. But when thaththi got home, he convinced her that it was raining there and therefore abit dangerous, so I was not allowed to go. However, after abit of coaxing, and promising that we would not climb if it was raining, I got permission.

So, around 10am on Thursday, me and Osanda met up with Bambi at the Fort railway station to catch a train to Kandy. We managed to find three seats together, and surprisingly the train took off on time, and we were on our way. I was excited to go to Kandy again… In my opinion, it is the New York City of Sri Lanka!

We arrived in Kandy around 2pm (3 and a half hours from Colombo), and made our first stop at Devon for lunch. After a hearty meal, we headed over to Trinity College, as Bambi had to go for choir practise, during which Osanda agreed to give me a tour of Udawatta Kelle – a natural forest area behind Trinity College.

At first we were not allowed to enter (as they do not allow couples to enter following some complaints by schools etc). However, after explaining to the man in charge that we were NOT a couple, and that I just wanted to look around and take some pics, we were allowed inside.

It was truly amazing, as the natural forest now had a pathway that you could take to go deeper into it. It smelled so fresh, from the rain, and made me feel like we were walking into Jurassic Park! On either side of us was thick forest area, which I am sure consisted of many wild creatures. (I, however, ignored the feeling of fear, and trotted happily along.) While walking along, Osanda was explaining all the animals that resided in Udawatta Kelle, and we hoped of spotting some… Fortunately, God was on our side, as we did!

Apparently there was a pathway that led to the hill behind the Dalada Maligawa, but unfortunately, halfway through, we realised that it was now blocked, so made our way back to the main path. Suddenly I was stopped by Osanda who then pointed to a spot where my foot had been a second ago, to a peacock green scorpion, who was snapping its pincers at me. I was stunned at first, coz I wasn’t sure what would have happened if it had stung me… but I later realised its true beauty (especially its colour!), and we snapped some pics of it.While walking back to the entrance we also chanced upon two wild boars (Pumbas!), who ran away at the sound of us approaching. We also saw a garandiya, who slid away from us, and a few types of birds.

Walking back to the Trinity chapel, we then watched as Bambi finished his choir practise. We also met Nilesh and Yohan (they are part of the choir too), and made a few plans to meet up the next morning.

Me, Bambi and Osanda then made our way back to Kandy town and to Bambi’s seeya’s house. We soon ran into his archcha and cousin, Shala, on the road, and convinced her to come walk around the town abit. We went to the Kandy YMCA for soya ice-cream (which was yummy!), and also to the Kandy City Centre (KCC), now a fully-fledged mall. We then made our way home, hoping to get to bed soon as we had to wake up early the next morning.

Back at home, we also met Shala’s new puppy, Barney. He was sooo cute (and as naughty as Bambi!) , and was teething on our hands, and showing off his squeaky toy! We played with him for abit, before we headed back down to play abit of Tic Tac Toe (“and another tic”) on Bambi’s phone. (Bambi showed us the art of winning when you play second, and we had some fierce competitions.) 

Since I was the girl, Bambi’s archcha was kind enough to make a special room just for me, and we soon said good night, and I retired to a very comfy bed, and had a good night’s sleep.

Waking up close to 2.30am, the three of us soon washed up, drank the Milo that Bambi so kindly made for us (which WAS yummy!) and had some fish buns as breakfast. At around 3.15am, we met the others.
Nilesh had managed to get a van to drive us to our hiking point, mainly because we had two guests come with us – Anthony and Rebecca, from Sweden. I also met Nilesh’s brother, Jay-D, for the first time. Although I was quiet the ride to the base of the rock, Yohan and Jay-D’s constant chatter kept all of us entertained.

 

We reached the base at around 4.30am, and readied ourselves for the climb. As it was still dark, none of us were too sure about the start of the hike, but we were encouraged by Bambi, and soon headed up the hill (our driver, Kalana, joined us too). Losing our way once or twice (which was all part of the fun!), we finally got on the right track… We ducked under fallen trees and stepped over thorn bushes, and trekked onward without a stop.

Closer to the top, we took a few stops (mainly for my benefit)… and Bambi walked behind with me, while the others went on. Jay-D was the fittest of all and sprinted up the hill ahead of us, with Nilesh following close behind. But, thankfully, none of us missed the sunrise, as we reached the top of the hill JUST as the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. It was an AMAZING sight! We just couldn’t take our eyes off the sky.

After a quick KU-check (I had none, sadly!), we then made our way to one end of the hill, and came upon a rock surface, where we rested for awhile. Anthony and Rebecca worked on their tans, while the rest of us involuntarily worked on ours as well… while we tucked into sandwiches and drinks. Bambi also pointed out all the neighbouring mountains to us (Saradiel, Uthuwankanda etc), and tried making plans to climb them as well.

After awhile, we decided to check out the other end of the rock, and made our way there behind Yohan, now turned into a Nat Geo commentator, and showing us around. (but he soon quieted down when we realised there might be wasp nests around there!)

The other end of the hill housed a mini Buddhist temple, and a flat rock area which you had to climb down to… me and Bambi, being the daring ones, jumped at the chance of climbing down, and were soon followed by Osanda and Nilesh.

After snapping a few pics, we then made our way back up, and decided to head back down. Some of us were better at going down than coming up, so took off downhill at a speed, while the others climbed down cautiously. Yohan was my guardian on my way down, keeping an eye out for me and jumping everytime I slipped (and let out a squeak). Thanks, Yohan!

Back down, we did another KU-check… and I STILL had only one! Oh well.. And once everyone was down, we decided to join the others to go to Pinnawala, as we still had some time to kill before we had to get back to Colombo.

I hadn’t been to Pinnawala in awhile and was shocked to see how amazing it looked! The reception building was made, and looked like a professional zoo. I was glad that these elephants were given so much precedence.

We walked down to the river, as we had come in time to see the elephants bath time, and soon saw all of them coming down the road in a herd. From huge elephants to tiny aliyah patiyas, they made their way to the river to bathe. It was amazing to watch, as although they are so huge, they are very graceful creatures.

We watched and snapped pics of them for awhile, before we made our way back up to the orphanage area, to see the remaining elephants. We were even allowed to touch a baby aliyah who hadn’t gone down for a bath… and although he was abit smelly, he was really cute.

Oh! And i almost forgot! Bambi carried a SNAKE! It was sooo scary...! i stayed far away from it... but it was one of the 'Everything' list Bambi had wanted to do, so he carried it around his neck. YUCK! (but am proud of Bambi!)

[Apparently it wasn't as SLIMY as all of us thought, but scaly! Gross..]

Soon after it was time to go back to Colombo, as Osanda had an event, and me and Bambi had choir practise. We got off at Rakwana, and said goodbye to our (old and) new friends – Nilesh, Yohan, Jay-D, Anthony and Rebecca – and boarded a train to Colombo.

We reached Colombo, with time to spare, at around 3pm… but hung out at church, chatting and going over the exciting events of the day. Me and Bambi had quite a few scrapes on our legs, as we were the only ones who hiked in shorts… but I loved my scrapes and wounds!

Saturday Morning Adventures - Attack of the Jellyfish!

Venue:     Mount Lavinia Beach

Adventurers: Avanti, Bambi Asiri Wickramasuriya, Lashika Weerasinghe and Dinuk Senapathiratne (the others were onlookers)

This was also a part of my life’s adventures, so I thought I should document it…

On one of our usual Saturday morning fitness/swim mornings we were feeling particularly adventurous, that when Bambi suggested that we swim to a rock island a little bit off the Mount Lavinia Beach, some of us agreed.

So me, Lashika aiyah, Bambi and Dinuk took off. About 2 minutes into the swim, Dinuk had fallen back, as he couldn’t swim anymore. A few minutes later, Lashika aiyah suddenly shouted and started swimming back to the shore at top speed. He didn’t even stop to warn me and Bambi! We didn’t know what was wrong, but thought that it might have been jellyfish. But we thought it wouldn’t be too serious, and so we continued our swim.

I kept on chatting and laughing as we swam, and only later realised that Bambi was unusually quiet coz he wasn’t used to swimming as much as me… but he was very good, as he kept up with me AND replied to my questions and laughs. (sorry, Bambi!!)

Finally, (after I have NO idea how long!), we finally made it to the rock! There was a fishing boat stopped close by, and they showed us where to get onto the rock from… They couldn’t believe that we swam all that way! And while we were nearing the rock, we heard some of them say, ‘anna, kellek enawa!’ ('look, that’s a girl who is swimming')

Anyway, we got on the rock, and it was sooo cool! We waved to Dinuk and Menthi, who were our look-outs back on the shore. (we didn’t see Lashika aiyah, but hoped he was ok!) We walked on the rock for abit, and looked at some men collecting oysters that were all over that rock. Some were snorkelling and fishing too! It was cool.

After awhile, we both decided to jump off the rock back into the water… which was FUN! I dove right in… but Bambi took some time to make sure he didn’t knock his long legs on the rock under the water. And we began our swim back… This time, I think, it was easier for Bambi, coz he was chatting and stuff too. It was a totally awesome swim!

Once we got abit closer to shore (almost at the same place Lashika aiyah stopped), I also suddenly felt a burning sensation on my hand (like a current), and I jerked my hand… and then Bambi felt something on his butt too!! :) It WAS jellyfish, so we quickly swam away from there.

Back on the shore, Dinuk welcomed us back, and congratulated us for achieving that… and told us that a jellyfish had stung Lashika aiyah and his hand had swelled up. Even my hand was slightly swollen now, but it wasn’t hurting so much – just a mild sting.

We found everyone else near the cars, but Lashika aiyah seemed cool about it, and was ok with it… it wasn’t serious. (but later, he went to the doctor, and was asked to put some cream etc on it. But he has some mean and ULTRA COOL scars!)

That swim as abit of a risk (and I got into abit of trouble for it), but it was totally worth it!! It was TONS of fun… and I am glad I was able to do that. THANK YOU, Bambi… you are the coolest person who will always adventure with me!! :)

Hikka - Unplanned and Awesome!

Departure Time:     12noon (LATE!)

Departure Venue:   Picked from home

Travel Mode:         Lashika aiyah's and Pathum's cars

Adventurers:          Avanti, Bambi Asiri Wickramasuriya, Lashika Weerasinghe, Yujith Perera, Thisal Senapathiratne, Pathum Perera, Dinuk Senapathiratne and Osanda Senapathiratne

Hikka was one of those spontaneous trips - totally and utterly unplanned!

I was staying over at Niro’s, and the guys just called me up on Saturday saying they wanted to go somewhere… With little options, someone came up with option of going to Hikkaduwa for the day! (I have NO idea why we didn’t think of Negombo, which was closer as well!) So, since all of us had nothing better to do, we soon made our way there.

Pathum was able to get his car, and with Lashika aiyah’s as well, we all piled in and took off!

Although Lashika aiyah drove most of the way, he also let Bambi have a turn in driving his car… and Bambi turned out to be quite a cool driver!

We went in search of Rita’s, which akki and them told me to find… but since I couldn’t find it, we settled on a nice stretch of beach that we came across. When we walked on to the beach, and were just gazing out into the water, we actually saw turtles swimming close to the shore! It was so cool. We had never seen sea turtles up close before, and they looked so beautiful just floating in the water, bobbing their head up and down… but it was hard to get a picture, coz they kept hiding in the waves.

[The boys also came across an equally interesting sight - but i will not mention that any further!]

After making a base camp in a small, closed-for-the-day restaurant, we put sun-block on ourselves(!!) and started playing tap rugger. It was a fun and exciting game – with me, Thisal and Osanda, paired against Yuj, Bambi and Lashika aiyah! (Dinuk and Pathum snapped pics) But even with me, we managed to hold down the fort, and scored a few… even though the other team won.

After we were tired out from playing, we stripped down and dove into the warm waters! It felt sooo good. We throwed around the rugger ball while swimming… and while Thisal and Bambi walked off taking pics, the rest of us rented a boogie board, and took turns riding the waves!

None of us knew how to do it properly, but it was fun to learn! We kept falling off, but some of us were soon able to get the hang out it… kind of. Once Thisal and Bambi returned, we rented another board, and helped each other ride some waves. It was tons of fun!!

After swimming and playing around until the sun had gone down, we came out of the water and took even more pics with a SURFBOARD (even though we didn’t really use it)!!

Then we washed in a shower nearby, changed and went back to the car to head back home.

[All of us had frantic calls and messages from home as there had been some trouble in Colombo areas, due to the provincial elections; but everyone was ok.]

Back in the cars, we started heading for Colombo, only to stop for dinner at a place called Kandoori. It was AMAZING food, and quite reasonable as well (make note!). We stuffed ourselves here, before finally heading home – stuffed and excited with our adventure.

Family trip to Trinco

Departure Time:     1900 hours

Departure Venue:   Fort Railway Station

Travel Mode:         Train

Adventurers:          Nihal and Sunil Perera (the Grandparents), Anil and Dimu Samarasekera, Enakshi and Malik Perera, Dinali and Rani Dhammapala (Generation X), Anarkalee and Nevaan Perera, Kavi Dhammapala and Avanti (Generation Y) 

 If there were ever a family that over-indulged, it would be mine!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family to death (!), but picking an ideal getaway that satisfies everyone is so far from doable that we were in the verge of giving up… that is, until we went to Trinco!

My family is what you would call a mixed bowl of nuts (literally)… I know everyone can relate to this, but we take it to the next level! My family consists of the oldest generation (the grandparents) – who would pretty much go anywhere as long as the whole family was present, Generation X (my parents, aunt and uncle) – who CLAIM to be comfortable in any situation, but would actually prefer luxury abodes, Generation Y (us!) – who are pretty much happy provided we have either the beach or a pool to resort to… (although one of us is adamant about having a spotless washroom!) and the foreigners (aunt, uncle and cousin who reside overseas) – who also claim to be ok with any ‘situation’, but would prefer to keep away from mosquitoes, and the heat!

So, adamant to keep everyone happy, we planned our most recent family trip to Trincomalee.

Our first hit at our abode for the trip was itself a winner. Having stayed at rented bungalows all our holidays, we decided to indulge this year by booking into JKH’s most recent addition in Trincomalee, Chaaya Blu. Luxury rooms, beach and pool – I think we killed several birds with that stone!

Being the adventure people that we were, we also wanted to experience another mode of travel in Sri Lanka, and decided to make the journey to Trinco via train. So, late one night, we met up at the Fort Railway Station, and hopped the train to Trinco (although we didn’t literally ‘hop’, we had pre-booked all six ‘sleeperettes’).

Arriving at Trinco at around 6am, since it was too early to check into the hotel, we decided to explore the town – as it was the first time some of us had been there, post-war. As we went along the deserted streets, we saw the depth of the destruction that had befallen this town. For every two miles of land, there were around two houses. Many of the houses were in ruins, or showed signs of bullet holes on its walls.

There were more ruins of houses, than those actually standing upright. It was overwhelming to see; and I was sure all of us were saying a little prayer for the families that had lost loved ones in the midst of this destruction.

We then decided to visit the Kanniya Hot Wells, a popular tourist spot in Trinco. According to the information boards at the site, the Kanniya Hot water springs started when King Ravana stuck the earth with his sword in several spots and seven hot wells sprung up of different temperatures.

Now considered a religious location, the locals believe that the hot water from these wells is good for some skin diseases and has healing power for Arthritis and Rheumatic. Based on this belief, many locals and tourists journey here daily to bathe, and receive these ‘showers of blessing’.

Thereafter, we made our way to Chaaya Blu. Chaaya Blu is a new, retro-chic resort, boasting of 81 rooms – 36 beach chalets, 43 superior rooms and 2 suites, which open out to the inviting blue ocean. All rooms are complete with modern facilities, from Cable TV and Wi-Fi, to complimentary toiletries and a scenic view of the magnificent sea.

Ammi and them went out to get some breakfast (as our meals began from lunch), leaving me, Anu, Nevo and Kavi with Ashi nandi, archcha and seeya. Ashi nandi went about getting our rooms sorted, while the four kids went to the beach with archcha and seeya.

Once we got our rooms, we immediately got changed and ran into the pool… Me, Anu and Nevo shared a room, and Kavi hung out with us a lot too but refused to sleep with us.

Needless to say, we enjoyed the best of the best during our stay at Chaaya Blu. The food was fabulous, the rooms were pleasant and the atmosphere was that of rest and relaxation – just what the doctor ordered!

The Captain’s Deck is Chaaya Blu’s main restaurant, where the main meals are serves in buffet style. The hotel also hosts an open-air restaurant dedicated to countless tantalizing crab preparations. The Rum Hold is an open lounge bar overlooking the distant Indian Ocean, which offers an array of tempting cocktails and fresh fruit juices.

We spend endless days rolling around in the white sandy beach, and splashing around in the pool, just having fun and making memories.

On our last day there, we had a huge debate on if we should visit Marble Beach or Pigeon Island. But alas (and as usual!), the kids were out-voted and we left the hotel after lunch and to Marble Beach, before we caught our train back to Colombo.

But we had been fortunate enough to gain access to the Marble Beach Air Force Resort. The Resort blends in with its environment, enabling you to experience the wonders of nature complete with modern conveniences. Aside from the main restaurant, the resort’s six cabanas boast a distinct style and providing a tranquil atmosphere for its guests.

Marble Beach Air Force Resort is also fully equipped to cater to your every need – from serving up the freshest seafood, as well as its beach front bar (‘Eagle's Nook’). They also provide visitors the opportunity to go on snorkelling expeditions, and also organize hiking tours for adventurous guests.

Me, Anu, Nevo, Ranil mama and Kavi decided to take them up on the snorkelling offer, and ventured out into the sea, fully-equipped, and ready to discover the wonders of the big, blue ocean. Although we didn’t have an underwater camera, we will never forget each magnificent fish we saw – out of them, the most amazing being the Lionfish. It was a truly unique and memorable experience!

Catching the train back to Colombo that evening, we weren’t able to get the sleeperettes, so we had to sit in the 2^nd class seats, but it wasn’t so bad… Me and Anu listened to music and chatted, and the ride went by fast. (We were able to get a sleeperette for archcha and seeya.)

Even on our way back, I could only think of returning as soon as possible, to explore more hidden treasures of Trincomalee – from Pigeon Island to Nilaweli Beach.

Devundara - BFFs!

Departure Time:     0500 hours

Departure venue:    Mount Lavinia

Travel Mode:         Colombo-Matara Bus

Adventurers:           Niroshini Seneviratne, Udeshi Nugawela and Avanti

We decided to visit Udeshi’s loku ammi’s house in Devundara coz we needed to ‘get away’ from Colombo for awhile. They were having a daane, and so we decided to accommodate Udeshi to Devundara.

We travelled there in the Colombo-Matara Bus, which we hopped onto from Mount Lavinia, and reached Devundara close to 10am. Lal mami picked us up from the bus station, and we made our way to the house. We had been there once before, so we were cheerfully greeted by everyone – loku ammi, suddhi and prasanna etc.

After catching up with them, settling in and refreshing ourselves, we immediately changed into our bathing suits and took off for the beach!

About a 20 minute walk from the house was the Devundara Lighthouse (in Dondra Head – the lowest point of Sri Lanka). Since Udeshi’s family knew the owner, we were immediately let in, and climbed all the way to the top… The sight from up there is amazing! You can literally see all around Devundara, and far out into the sea. We snapped pics (of the sight AND ourselves!) to our heart’s content, and just sat up there for while, taking it all in…

Once we climbed back down, we decided to go for a dip in the clear blue sea. We walked a short distance to where the sea looked most blue, stripped down to our bathing suits and dove in… As the water was abit cold (and owing to a bunch of Devundara boys following us), we didn’t stay long, but soon moved to another/more common beach area – to be on the safe side. Here, on the rocks, we splashed around (and posed –Udeshi!) abit, and then decided to head back..

After we ate some more (!) and changed, back at home, Lal mami then took us to a Buddhist temple that was on a small island, but you could get to by crossing a bridge (like the Brooklyn Bridge). While me and Niro snapped pics, Udeshi laid flowers in the alter, and posed some more! ;)

Me and Niro both went in short skirts (coz we were told it was ok!), but the man at the entrance had the nerve to tell only ME that I couldn’t go in in the skirt!! But Udeshi told him that me and Niro were kind-of tourists, and then we were allowed to go in… lol.

Back at home, Udeshi’s ammi, Choota and ‘Loku thaththi’ had come too (for the daane). After dinner, Niro, Udeshi and Choota surprised me with balloons and ‘choco-pie cake’ although it was February(!), as we had not really celebrated my birthday. Hehe… it was fun! We listened to music, FB stalked people (as usual! with Lal mami’s dongle) and chatted before we finally fell asleep.

The next morning Lal mami decided to take us out of the way of the women, who were getting things ready for the daane in the evening, and arranged a boat ride for us. So me, Niro, Udeshi, Choota, Lal mami, Loku thaththi, Bada and Udeshi’s cousin nangi all boarded a boat, and took off.

It was a fun ride! We went far out, and along the coast too, quite far… We even saw turtles swimming!! It was awesome… Then, as we got closer to where we took off from, Lal mami allowed us to dive into the water and swim ashore. It was amazing, as the water was a gorgeous blue and was glorious!

We then swam around there for abit before we went back home. Still keeping out of the way, we four then went to a hotel nearby, for a drink and chat. We walked around for abit and took more pics… and chatted.

Back home, it was time for the daane… and a few new people had come. Me and Niro sat in a corner while the others said ‘pirith’. Afterwards, me and Niro were introduced to a few more people, and we had a small dinner. Udeshi’s family is also JUST like her, and were ever-ready to pose for pics! So we had a fun time!

 

Early next morning, me and Niro were to leave for Colombo by bus, as Udeshi and her family were staying back for another day. We said by to everyone and Lal mami dropped us at the bus stop… It was sooo crowded with people going to Colombo that we decided to take a bus to Galle, and one to Colombo from there!

Interesting ride too! When we got to Galle, it was also crowded, but we were standing in line and were finally able to get on a luxury bus to Colombo!! HOWEVER, there was no conductor on the bus!!!! Me and Niro seriously thought we would have left him behind, but apparently that wasn’t the case. It was just a bus going to Colombo, and decided to pick some people on the way… Thus, a man on the bus had to collect the money!! (although me or Niro would have loved to have done that! :)