Trinco - To see it, is to love it!

Departure Time:     1000 hours
Departure Venue:   Nugegoda
Travel Mode:         (death) Naval car
Adventurers:           Udeshi and Senal Nugawela, Niroshini and Chinthana Seneviratne & Avanti

It’s amazing how we ended up going on this trip! We were al truly thankful for Udeshi’s academia, as she was able to tutor the Naval commander’s daughter, which in turn enabled us to visit Trinco and stay (for free!) in the Naval headquarters!!

Anyhow, we were not allowed to go without a ‘boy’ (though we three are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves!)… It was only in the last second (the day before we had to leave) that we managed to convince Udeshi’s and Niro’s brothers to join us! And so we took off for Trinco, at around 10am, on the 2^nd of January 2010.

It was an exciting ride, as was the trip! Since we were staying in the naval headquarters, we travelled with a naval officer – in his double cab. One good thing about this was that our vehicle was immune to all speed limits… and our driver took that to heart as he sped at death-defying speed to Trinco! We, quite literally, lost our breathe a few times as we counted many close shaves… But we were asleep for most of them, and so we weren’t too freaked out.

I have no idea how long a normal person would take to travel to Trinco, but I’m quite sure we arrived there in record time – even after stopping for breakfast!

As we arrived there we were shown to our ‘quarters’ for the next two days… It was a ‘house’ of sorts, complete with its own kitchen, dining, living and bedrooms. After settling in and refreshing ourselves with a drink, we decided not to waste any time, and headed out again to a nearby Kovil.

It was all lit up (as night-time was falling), and looked beautiful. We walked around, snapping pics and looking like tourists. We also looked over a small cliff, which looked like the famous ‘Lovers Leap’, but the water looked soo beautiful from up there! (The water in trinco is a clear blue!)

 

Coming back to the quarters, we had noodles and chicken for dinner, and played around and watched some tv, before we headed to bed. (There were two rooms, and ALL the doors were unlockable. But the boys took the room at the back, and made us sleep closer to the door! But we were not afraid :)

Up early the next day, we quickly washed and dressed up, and got ready to go on a naval boat ride around Trinco!

As we made our way to the pier, the ‘naval boys’ were having swimming lessons. We felt totally awkward, as their leader made all of them stand at attention (in swimming trunks!!), as we walked past them!!! But trying very hard not to giggle, we finally made it to the boat, and took off.

I don’t think any naval vehicle travels less than 100kmph!! The boat was sooo fast as well, that we literally felt like our heads would fly off! But that didn’t stop it from being an AMAZING ride. We were shown the different areas which were LTTE-infested, and were not naval land, the various cargo and battle ships of the navy, and many other landmarks…

After about a half an hour ride, we finally came back on land, only to visit the Trinco Naval Museum, which was equally amazing! The museum housed the various artefacts that were retrieved from LTTE-camps, following the Sri Lankan war victory… There were guns, ammunition, battle vehicles, cannons, LTTE jackets and so on and so on. It was amazing to see! And you could only imagine the LTTE cadre who was wearing that jackets when they were taken into custody, and how Prabhakaran himself might have awarded the badges that adorned the jacket.

It was all just amazing to see – live!

Our driver then took us to a beach, as we were dying to step into the pristine waters of Trinco. We immediately dove in… splashing around and snapping pics. The water felt as good as it looked…albeit there being no waves.

After swimming awhile, now starving, we decided to head back to our quarters. We had another amazing meal of rice and fish etc, and rested awhile…

But not wanting to waste time to see Trinco, we took off after awhile, and decided to visit Marble Beach. True to its name, the beach area looked like it was adorned with marbles – rocks glistening in the sunlight. It was amazing!

We walked around the beach (but didn’t swim), and took more pics as we lazed the afternoon away… and came back to our quarters only to be taken on a tour of The Naval House (commander’s house). It was more of a mansion, with the high roof, majestic hallways and lush lawns etc.

We also saw a pic of Mohan mama (he was a former naval commander), with all the others.

Back in our ‘house’, we had string hoppers for dinner and played around awhile, before we headed to bed (only to ‘chat’ for a few more hours there too!).

Early next morning, we were up, and given another small tour of the naval officers ‘hangout house’… complete with its own billiards table, bar and other recreational rooms.

Then, bidding goodbye and a hearty thank-you to all who took us around, we loaded back into the (death) pick-up, and made our way back to Colombo…

[Although we stopped midway at Lasni’s thaththi’s office, had lunch and also met up with Udeshi’s family there.]

A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and a Wanna-be Lady - Hunnasgiriya

Once upon a time there was a boy. He was very Adventurous, and constantly on the look-out for an opportunity to vent-out his prowess. One fine day, he encountered a like-minded individual, a Voyager… raised in the hills, and equalling his thirst for a quest.

Tired of their boring and humdrum life in the city, together, these two quickly developed a mind-boggling idea to ‘get away’ to the hills… away from civilisation, and be ‘one with the wilderness’… if only for a few days.

Thus a plan was devised to go camping in the hills…

Realising that it was not only the two of them that actually wanted to ‘get away’, they quickly rallied the troops… First came the Master Planner, then the Fetching ‘Ever-ready’ Camper and his cousin… oops! I meant ‘Sidekick’.

Hmmm… but something was amiss, decided the Master Planner. A female!

And so, before long, this league of extraordinary gentleman was complete with the presence of a (Wanna-Be) Lady – ahem!

Oh, but what is this? Yet another addition… Oh, what trip is complete without a Joker?!

Thus this legion, now complete, soon made its way to the hills country – albeit without the Master Planner.

Leaving the dull city life behind at 0700 hours, on the 30th day of the seventh month on the (1009) Intercity Express, they reached their destination at around 1115 hours… drawn and dusty, yet exhilarated!

Pitching their tent on the edge of a mountain range, The Six then went about setting up the camp, making themselves comfortable in their ‘home away from home’.

After a quick meal to satisfy grumbling tummies, they then decided to explore further… and hiked towards a pine forest in a distance. Entering the pine forest was akin to being transported into the famous ‘Twilight’ saga, as the whistling of the wind through the trees made it sound as if it were raining, and evoked the feeling that werewolves wound pounce out at any moment… (although the Wanna-Be Lady wished they would!)

Hiking along, they even encountered yet another ‘World’s End’, in this part of town… although the ruins of an old horse stable was nowhere to be found. Thus our hopes of seeing a headless horseman were dashed!

Making their way back to camp, it was soon time to prepare for dinner. Albeit being in the middle of nowhere, they had come prepared for a feast… Dinner consisted of roast chicken, in a batter of cheese seasoning, and french-fries… topped off with chocolate for dessert.

Needless to say, each one held their end of the bargain, as these six cooks did not spoil the food!

As night-time fell, and the only source of light was the glow from their hand-made rock stove, The Six prepared for bed… only to realise that none of them really wanted to sleep! However, due to the cold weather, they were confined to the inner sanctum of the tent…Uno was the saviour in a time of need… as the game kept everyone in fits of giggles, counting many hilarious episodes.

Finally passing out close to 0200 hours, The Six were awake by approximately 0620 hours, and soon began their day… so as not to waste a precious moment. Washing in the icy cold stream that ran past us, to changing in the semi-private abode that was made available to them through a friend, every experience was one to be treasured…

Following a hearty breakfast of ‘bread pizzas’ and baked beans (later realised as a fatal mistake!), they were soon introduced to their tracker for the day.

Lunch and a change of clothes in hand, they then began a long and ruthless journey to the top of the Hunnasgiriya mountain. The steep climb up the mountain was strenuous and exhausting (for some more than others), but following the example of the Fetching Camper, the constant encouragement provided by the Adventurer and the non-stop chatter of the Sidekick… and of course the random Joker moments and the back support of the Silent Voyager… they finally made it to the top – top of the waterfall, that is! And oh, the sight before them! Too indescribable for words… too wonderful to comprehend… the magnificent creation of God.

Through the KU-infested land, onto more daring landscapes, they fought each battle (which showed in their battle wounds) with vigour and zest, eager to soar higher!

After this three-hour long walk up, and back down, the mountain – albeit stopping every now and then to capture these momentous moments on film – they finally reached their camp again, weary but ecstatic!

The Six then made their way to their watering hole (in this case, bathing hole), to enjoy the coolness of the icy cold water on their now-sweltering bodies.

Soon, it was time to prepare dinner once more, with noodles on the menu. Of course the last night was not complete without a sugar rush, as The Six dug into roasted marshmallows and chocolate…

Back inside the tent again, spirits were high as The Six indulged in Uno, Cheat (at the request of ‘cheaters’) and ‘I have never’… This was soon followed by a heart-to-heart chat, dipping deep (some deeper than others!) into their secret vaults and revealing innermost secrets… thus bonding them to each other for life!

Note – All said inside the tent, will always remain inside the tent… Exposé of any data may result in serious consequences!

Our fatal food mistake also came to light (…or air!) at this time, as moths and butterflies filled the tent, sending many into a daze… until awoken by the strong scent of the Sidekick’s whiff!

Rising once again 0620 hours(!), it was soon time to return back to civilisation – much to the dislike of The Six. However, fuelling on Samaposha (for breakfast), they soon packed up their belongings, and made their way back down the hill.

Hitch hiking their way to their destination, The Six soon boarded a bus that brought them back to the city… only with solemn promises to reunite again soon for yet another adventure!

The (detailed) Galle Story.. cont.

Departure Time:     1630 hours

Departure Venue:   Mount Lavinia

Travel mode:          Colombo-Matara Bus

Adventurers:          Avanti & Anushan Selvarajah

Another ‘bored trip’… packing up our belongings, we made our way to another ‘home-away-from-home’, Unawatuna. Booking a room at Bishu’s beforehand, it was close to 8pm when we reached Galle town, and hopped a three-wheeler from there, on to Unawatuna…

 

Arriving at Bishu’s, we unpacked our stuff, and headed out to grab some dinner. Walking along the beach, we took in the familiar surroundings and restaurants, finally settling down to dinner at B’s Place (our new joint).

After dinner, we headed back to the room to get some sleep, as we had to set off early the next morning to go dolphin watching.

Getting a delayed start the next morning, we caught the bus to Mirissa (one hour away), only to reach the dolphin watching office after the day’s crowd had left on the outing. Heartbroken, we spoke to the lady at the office, and managed to fix a time for the next day morning… promising to make it there on time!

Heading back to Bishu’s via bus - which was crowded, but interesting - we decided to hitch a ride with Bishu to the Galle Fort, and spend the day roaming the Fort.

At the Fort, we first visited the Galle Fort Museum, run by Bishu’s brother. It was part museum, part jewellery show… with even the jewellery makers working in the open so people could see how it was done. The museum was set in an old house, which was beautiful… complete with a courtyard and its own swing AND well!! We strolled around, admiring the ancient artefacts, and snapping pics… The jewellery makers were hard at work… shining the stone, cutting them, and carefully placing them into various items of jewellery.

 

I couldn’t get enough of the courtyard! It was exactly how I wanted MY house, and took all the ideas I could from it!

We also had a look at the jewellery shop at the side of the shop… housing large rocks, and exquisite jewellery!

Saying bye to Bishu for the time being, we then took off to explore the Fort. We would have walked for around half a day, as we spent all day there! From the ramparts to the bastions… from watching the Galle jumpers, to walking along the beach down below… we had a blast!

With lunch from the Pedlar’s Inn, and other junk snacks of achcharu and candy-floss etc… we were fully fed, and satisfied.

We climbed down one bastion, and onto the beach, walking along the water… when Anushan spotted something in the water. Going closer, and prodding it with a stick, we realised that it was dead baby reef shark! Not sure if it was killed, or if it died a natural death, we pulled it out of the water, and wondered if to bury it or not… but thinking that it would be better off left to decompose in the water, we left it abit away from the beach, so noone else would pull it out…

Close to the Fort clock tower, atop yet anther rampart, we had a conversation neither of us were likely to forget. Minor scares, fears revealed and heartfelt confessions… we vowed to remain together and calm through anything.

Back on the ramparts, we then walked over to another bastion, where a crowd was gathered. Making our way through the crowd, we saw the star attraction – the Galle jumpers. A group of young boys who had made their hobby – daredevil type jumps from atop the bastion into the sea – into a money-maker, as many people gathered around to watch them.

Among squeals from the girls, and gasps from a few others, they launched themselves off the over-10-feet high bastions, and into the narrow spaces between rocks… and then hopped back on to the rocks nearby… and thereafter scale up the wall of the bastion, back to the top… amid applause.

As it began to get darker, we soon made our way back to Bishu’s… only to change and head out to dinner at B’s Place again.

Early next morning, we were up at the crack of dawn… and hopping on to the three-wheeler we hired the day before to take us to Mirissa (we weren’t going to risk missing the boat again!), we quickly made our way there. Arriving there half an hour earlier (!), we walked around the place until the other travellers arrived… and made our way to the pier, together with Anoma Alagiyawadu (from Jetwing), who was to be our tour guide.

Taking off at around 0700 hours, we sailed for around one and a half hours, out into the ocean… until we could not see the land anymore! With no sign of dolphins or whales for over an hour, we were just giving up hope, when we saw a spray of water rising from the ocean… In a flash, we were off behind it. ‘A whale’, we were told! So, cameras positioned, and ready to snap, we awaited eagerly for a better look.

About another half hour into our excursion, we finally saw what we came to see… a school of dolphins, now surrounding us, swimming alongside the boat, jumping out and back in to the water… seemingly laughing at us. All of us were beside ourselves as we huddled to the sides of the boat, snapping pics and watching them. It was beautiful!

They were close enough to touch, but we were pre-warned not to do so… so we just enjoyed them from afar (yet so close!).

Following them for another half hour, we soon came across our ‘sight for the day’. Two beautiful whales, on the surface of the water… just waiting for us to snap pics of them. They blew fountains of water out of their blow-holes, telling us exactly where they were… and as we edged closer, one of them swam under the boat threateningly, rocking us violently.

Although being terribly frightened at the thought of ending up as a ‘whale of a meal’, it was the closest encounter with an animal of that magnitude for almost all of us, so we were too thrilled to care about its dangerous aspect. Watching them laze around us, they finally decided to make their way back home as well, as them slowly sunk to the bottom of the ocean once again, leaving behind an oil-spill like ‘shadow’ of their existence.

We too then made our way back to the shore… which took around 2 hours, during which most of us (me!) caught a quick nap under the afternoon sun. [It was most delightful to wake up in a moving boat, surrounded by the sea… and of course, Anushan.]

Back on the shore, we thanked Anoma and the crew for an excellent outing, and made our way back to Bishu’s by bus.

At Bishu’s we packed our belongings, and headed down to B’s Place for a quick lunch before we took off… and after a scrumptious lunch of rice and hot butter cuttlefish etc, we bid goodbye to Bishu and made our way back to Galle to catch the next bus home…

This trip will always be remembered as our first sighting of whales in their natural habitat, and more dolphins!!

My FIRST (independent) trip to Negombo

Departure time:          1100 hours

Departure venue:        Fort bus station

Travel mode:              Bus (No. 240/1)

Adventurers:              Lanil Pieris, Nimasha Samarasekera, Avanti and Anushan Selvarajah
                                 (joined later by) Diroshana Silva, Darshan Dias Abeysinghe and Kalpika Abeyesekera

Having being there a week before taking the trip I’m about to document, my impression of Negombo was of a small fishing village, with the ability to entertain me only through its beach.

But meeting up around 0800 hours at the Kohuwela Commercial Bank bus stop, from where we were to take the 120 bus to the Fort Bus Stop, and there onwards… I was about to be pleasantly surprised.

Hopping off three stops after passing the Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA) we soon realised that we had got off a stop earlier – thanks to our “guide” – and walked close to 500m more to get to where we should have initially got off; and took a tuk tuk thereafter to get to our ‘shelter’ – a rest house on the beach. However, the highlight of this location is the ‘unpublicised’ authentic Italian coffee house that adorned the premises, and was a popular hangout only among the local expatriates and foreign guests.

Appropriately named ‘The Sweet Life’ in Italian, the Dolce Vita is a coffee house-cum-restaurant managed by a friendly Italian couple who have made Sri Lanka, and Negombo, their home. We immediately took a liking to them – with some of us developing a school-boy crush on the owner’s wife who, I’m told, “had a voice that anyone could listen to” – and inquired more about the place, and how they came to be.

Located in the premises of Sea Sands rest house (where one could rent rooms for a nominal fee) it is not visible from beach road, which is the reason behind its serenity.

The Dolce Vita offers enticing edibles, from Italian coffee – straight from Italian coffee beans, might I add! – to authentic pizza, but what captured our attention the most was the home-made ice cream!

Drawn and dusty from our bus-ride, the ice-cream was a welcomed substitution for breakfast, after which we were more than happy to check of the rest of Dolce Vita’s menu.

Pasta, pizzas, croissants, pies, pastries, lattes, cappuccinos and ice-cream were all enough to make us forget the beach, and spoil us for choice that we ended up spending a precious half-hour trying to decide what dish we should try first and making sure not to order the same thing, so we could cover the most dishes during our stay here.

And indeed, we came, we saw, we devoured!

Too relaxed to even to go for a swim – which was an initial aim of the trip – we spent the rest of the day lazing about, indulging in reading, playing cards and meaningless chit-chat.

Towards evening, locals gather to a nearby cove to swim and take their children to the amusement park just on the shore. It is packed with families and couples milling the beach, and the park, with screaming children – and parents screaming even louder – and the noise of waves crashing into the rocks.

We stood watching the children bathe, and adults drink, waiting for the sun to set; and at around half past six, we were able to watch while the orange sky and the bright orange sun slowly but surely sank into a glossy blue ocean.

Negombo at night was busy, yet serene, with locals and visitors walking the streets in search of drinks and some grub. We settles on a restaurant-cum-bar (as were all hangout spots in Negombo) called Rodeo. This place had its own unique attraction – the walls were covered with notes, poems, autographs of all the people who had been there, since its inception.

Looking around, you were able to see “Michael was here!”, “I watched the 2006 Cricket World Cup from this spot!” and “Jenny loves James” from the floor of the restaurant, up all its walls and even on the roof! And you didn’t feel like leaving without adding our mark!

If anyone happens to visit this place, check out the spot near the top of the main doorway, next to the fan fixed to the wall – that’s us! J

The next morning we were up as early as the local fishermen who were already at work, putting out their nets, and preparing their boats for take-off.

We watched them untangled the previous day’s nets, and mend them for today’s casting.

We watched crows fight for the leftover scraps of fish that the fishermen threw to a distance.

We watched their families help the fishermen to untangle, salt and dry the fish caught yesterday.

And while walking on the tiny footpath in front of the fishermen’s houses, we could see the surroundings in five colourful states – golden sand, green grass, black jagged rocks, dark blue crystal water, and the light blue sky.

Another unique thing about Sea Sands and Dolce Vita was that it was just as much a hangout for dogs, as it was for humans, as the people who visited Dolce Vita did not hesitate to bring their dogs along for the ride/meal.

While there, we met Jimmy, the portly bulldog of a faithful patron of Dolce Vita; and also two HUGE Bull Mastiffs who were brought in a truck(!) for a walk on the beach, and also a fluffy hybrid puff ball brought for a run on the beach.

Although we were all too reluctant to get into the icy cold water, the locals splashed around as if they were at home in their bathtubs!

And preferring to stay out of the water, the official ‘photographer for the trip’ took to snapping pictures of us bold ones in the water – to which we were all too happy to pose for…

On our last day, we could not leave without one more taste of that heavenly ice-cream, and spent our final few hours in the café’s lounge area; as the time to leave seemed to take less time than the trip itself, and soon it was time to bid goodbye to Sea Sands, Dolce Vita and Negombo, as we knew it. 

Fakes..

The world sees me
Smiling & laughing
Happy go lucky
Never crying –

What happens when i’m alone
No one can tell
Never let anyone into your space
Into your den

That’s my hiding place
It’s where i take off my mask
The mask i put on every dawning day
Through each and every task

When is it going to be ‘my’ day
My happy ending
Will it ever come my way
Or am I only day-dreaming…

You were everything – everything that i wanted
Mind, body & soul
So then why is it that before we even started
You left me out here in the cold

All this time together we were spending –
So much for my ‘happy ending’.

Closenberg Hotel

Departure Time:     1900 hours

Departure Venue:   Fort Bus Stop

Travel mode:         Colombo-Matara Bus

Adventurers:          Avanti & Anushan Selvarajah

Although this was (by far) not the best trip we’ve been on, it must be documented as well!

So, we were only able to leave Colombo at around 7pm, due to Benchmark QC (Anushan), and other delays… but I had informed them beforehand that we will arrive quite late… So, camera equipment and laptop in tow, we set off (once again) for the beach.

[The bus ride was not one of our favourites, as a drunk chose to sit next to Anushan… complete with a plastic bag, lest he throws up! I couldn’t help but stare at him, much to the annoyance of Anushan]

We arrived at Galle only at around 10pm… Although Galle town was still bustling, the by-roads were deserted. Stopping off at a grocery store to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste, we were soon at the hotel. Closenberg Hotel stood on the tip of Galle, next to the Naval Base… When we arrived, except for a few workers, noone was in sight. We were even rudely turned away, saying “it was not a 24-hour hotel, and that noone was available at this time”. –sigh–

But, after explaining who we were, we were finally taken in, and showed to our room… Anushan thought he even smelled alcohol in their breaths, but I didn’t notice anything. Maybe just coz I wanted to get into the room, and away from them as soon as possible! (they were just ‘shady’)

Compared to the rest of the hotel, the room was quite nice. It was cosy and snug, and the bed was pretty perfect! True, it did not have any of the modern amenities that we were now getting used it, but it met our needs. After unpacking out stuff, we spent a few minutes in the small patio just outside our room, watching the sea below us… so close yet so far (as we could not ‘go down to it’).

Anushan was up early morning (as usual!), taking pics at sunrise etc. I woke up to a room that was chilled, and has misted windows due to the coldness inside. It was almost as if we were in the hill country! 

I spent most of the morning in the room… and went for a walk later on. We walked down to the many level of gardens in the hotel, that led you almost down to the water (which you could not reach). There was even a pier, but you could not get down from it… -sigh-

The gardens were lovely, and the design concept was unique, but the hotel has not capitalised on many of the unique features, and ‘upkeep’ was a word unknown to its workforce. Therefore, sadly, although it was eye-catching, you soon got bored of it…

There was also little to do here, and I felt that it was just a hotel for stops… where you spend the day out in Galle etc, and come back only to sleep.

Breakfast was also nothing to write home about. Although the string hoppers, egg curry and fish curry went down nicely, its presentation was ‘normal’.

After breakfast, we walked around more, snapping pictures and stopping to talk to the hotel’s manager.

The jewellery store at the hotel, was a noteworthy find. It is run by the brother-in-law of the owner of Queen’s Café. The jewels were beautiful, and what he had done with them was even more beautiful… While I examined the jewels, Anushan showed little interest, and preferred photo-snapping the hotel instead. But he WAS interested when I picked up a jewel that was the size of a small rock, set on a ring!

 

After a few more photos and taking down the hotel’s details, we packed our bags and were soon off (it was ‘bed & breakfast only’).

Of course, we could not leave Galle without tasting Pedlar’s Inn delights again, so we made our way to the Galle Fort, by tuk-tuk… and boy, were we glad we came back! Settling down at Pedlar’s Inn, Anushan soon discovered a hidden delight of the place… and inner enclosure that was just beautiful!

It was a lounge area, with cushioned chairs and long wooden tables, perfect for relaxation… but the eye-catching thing about this area was that when you switched on the ultra-violet (UV lights :), the normally white ceiling turned into the night sky, complete with stars and the moon, the white walls turned into a shrubbery, with vines and flowers, and the floor littered with Araliya flowers… stunning!

Awe-struck at this transformation, we were then told that the painting were done in fluorescent paint, which could only be seen under the UV lights; which was done for the Inn free-of-charge by a foreign artist.

 After enjoying our meal in this (now) scenic lounge, we soon left its comforts for the bus, and made our way back to Colombo.

The bus ride back was another story to tell (mostly for Anushan), who was stuck next to a Sri Lankan ‘musical hippie’, who (I was told) sang… nah, HUMMED… the same song/tune all the way from Galle, to Colombo!

Summer Hill Bungalow - A planter's life!

Departure Time:     0700 hours

Departure Venue:   My home (132/3, Stanley Tillakaratne Mw, Nugegoda)

Travel mode:          Our car (Toyota Soluna JQ6144)

Adventurers:           Avanti, Anushan Selvarajah and Ananda Perera (Driver)

After thaththi agreed to give us the car to travel to Nuwara Eliya for our next ‘review’, we set off early (but later than expected) one morning, along with Ananda.

The ride there was tiring and long, but constant chatter (Anushan and Ananda), food stops and beautiful scenery got us all the way there…

On the way, we even chanced upon a new power plant being built, possibly by the Government, and took many pictures to take back with us…

 (I felt like a spy, as we took pics from in between the trees, and through the forest! But it looked like a pretty big project. - Later realised, by the League, as the new Kotmale Power Plant.)

We also had a few scares, as the engine overheated, and we had to make a non-scheduled stop in order to make it all the way up that hill…

And finally we reached the Summer Hill Bungalow (Finlays)! It was a regular bungalow, set in top of a hill, and filled to the brim with flowers… As the managers were not available, we were let in by the housekeeper-cum-cook-cum-butler.

Stepping inside, the first thing I notice are the huge bouquet of lilies in the foyer! And from then onwards, at every corner, huge bouquets of fresh flowers greeted us… filling the house with a permanent fragrance.

Once Ananda was also settled in the driver’s quarters, we went about exploring the place, and taking in the clean, cold mountain air… The garden was being meticulously attended to, as the gardener was also hard at work on our arrival. Every corner of the garden, and driveway was covered with flowers, from anthuriums to roses, to lilies growing wild by the wayside! Gorgeous!

Soon it was time for lunch, and we sat down to your typical planter’s meal, of rice, fresh vegetables and chicken curry… all tasting as though they were made in clay pots. It was delicious.

 After lunch, as there was not much to do, we went for a walk down to the road, which overlooked tea bushes and a lake. Walking on the road for a few hours, we decided to head back, as it was getting darker, and the air was becoming chilly…

I plucked several lilies from the wayside, but alas, they did not survive the trip back home.

Dinner was also a wonderful meal of mashed potatoe, grilled fish, carrot sambol, veggies, bread and ketchup… a truly planter’s life! Dessert was also a pleasant surprise as we truly enjoyed homemade hakuru (treacle) soufflé.

We then spent the rest of the night walking about the house, which was deathly quiet, when we were not making a sound (as we were the only ones there!), and just chatting… We also went outside for awhile, but I could not remain outside for five minutes due to the chilly air!

And as a typical English winter night of sitting cuddling on the couch in front of a fire (although we had to imagine the fire!), we chatted into the night and only went to bed close to 1am!

Anushan, up early the next morning (as usual!) indulged in photo-catching, while I slept into the morning… Finally dragging me out of bed, we changed and went in for breakfast, which was a truly Sri Lankan affair -  pittu and kiri hodi, in addition to fish curry and pol sambol…

We then walked down to the road again, to walk off our stomachs, and ran into a couple of planters – one of whom wanted us to email him the picture that Anushan took of him. They were “with technology”!

We walked abit more further, up until we could see the lake more clearly, and sat on the edge of the mountain (tea bushes), watching the cows roam the streets, the tea pluckers going about their business and people going on with their daily chores… We also walked down a short way, coming up on a stream, and tested the water… which was freezing!

Coming back to the bungalow, Ananda had packed up our things, and after a few more routinely pictures, we thanked the caretakers profusely, and made our way back down to Colombo…

On the way, both Anushan and Ananda could not stand to watch the vegetable stalls pass them by, and stopped to buy a few… Satisfied, and with the smell of fresh vegetables filling the car, we headed back home.