“What on earth are you hammering the keyboard so much for?” – One of my colleagues doesn’t approve my constant tapping.

“Just writing a report, you silly” – I retort.

“How many reports have you written so far?” – He’s trying to take the mickey out of me.

“Well, I don’t know. Why do you ask?” – I’m beginning to lose my cool.

“You don’t know? You’re constantly tapping on the darn keyboard but don’t even know how many reports have you done? What a funny thing?” – The bugger is relentless.

I quickly checked and found to my own amazement that there are 46 reports published under my name. Oh dear, have I seriously written that many? I asked myself.

“46” – I casually replied wanting this stupid conversation to be over.

“All of them on-line? You’re counting the ones you’ve not even written right?” – Dear God, I seriously wanna hammer this fella.

“No you snob, it’s 46 online and I’ve some unpublished ones as well” – I quickly checked and found there are 2 more to be published and 1 to be written.

“Seriously? Let’s have a look.” – God save me and my soul. I had to get this over with so decided to just let him have a peek at my desktop.

After looking through them he asks “What are you gonna do about your Half Century?”

“What half-century?” – Since when this bugger started talking in Greek?

“Your 50th report buster, what else?” – Holy Moly Guacamole!!! That one. “I ain’t decided anything yet. But now that I know, gotta do something special”.

“Oh yeah, you gotta do something very special. I’ll be waiting for that report” – What about the other reports, I felt like asking but decided to get on with my work and with that finally the end of conversation.

Wow, 50 trip reports in just over 18 months is something I’d never dreamed of. That night at home while glancing through the news I heard a magical word. Baththalangunduwa!!!

Just managed to switch it over to the proper channel and got the news. There were people and reverends protesting against taking over Baththalangunduwa fishing island from the native villagers so that our power-greedy corruptive politicians can make money by selling it to some foreigner. B’Gunduwa has been a fishing village for generations and the people who stay there have migrated from the western coastal areas such as Negombo, Chilaw, Puttalam, Mannar, etc. They feel it’s their birthright to do fishing from this island located roughly 16 nautical miles from the mainland Kalpitiya.

B’Gunduwa was not a stranger to me thanks to the Beach Traveler Program which is one of my all-time-favorites. In his tour around SL along the coast, the beach traveler (Nishantha Kahawita), travels to B’Gunduwa and spend a night there. Since then, I always wanted to go there. His program had helped me in the recent past to find places to visit and I marked it under top-priority list. However, over time, other trips made it push further back in my list.

So when I heard this on TV, everything fell into place like a long lost jigsaw puzzle. Couldn’t think of a better time to go there like the present due to two reasons.

1. Need something special for the 50th episode.

2. If the powers-that-be decided to take over this island, then no amount of protest will save it. (Having a quick look of the recent past proves this point).

So I immediately called one of my long-standing travel partner Sheham and submitted the proposal. Sheham, being Sheham, jumped in the idea and said yes without even consulting his business calendar. Next in line was the Uncle Tony but he was having a difficult time with his job and said he might not be available. Hariya had also shown a keenness to visit the island but had to give up at the last minute co he had to do the watcher man at home. The other old fella, Athua agreed to come and I just called Kasun as well. I’m thankful I called him coz he saved the day by bringing one of his friends, Asitha as Athula had to pull back due to a personal problem at home. (Second time you missed out Atha).

Day 01

So on the 8th morning, around 2.00am Sheham picked me and we drove to Wennappuwa to pick Kasun and Asitha. E3 made it really quick and when I called Kasun somewhere in the middle of E3, he was still fast asleep. Our reaching soon his friend’s place put things in motion but we politely declined an offer of cuppa coffee from Asitha’s mother as reaching Kalpitiya ASAP was top priority. I’m now a bit worried about having to waste time for flat tires and other unpredictable problems after our delay in my Rail Hike Stage 5. The going was pretty good as the roads were isolated, no poisonous gases emitting from decades old engines. Our conversation was running wild with all the topics from Area 51 to Spies of Russia to the origin of Amazon River. It was so interesting as 4 different people talking in turns about various things. The night simply wore on and we found all of a sudden that we’d reached the Kalpitiya turn off.

It was 40km from there and the road is very wide nicely done passing the Puttalam Salt Factory and staff quarters of doomed Norochcholai power plant. At certain parts the road is still being constructed, especially the bridge about 1-2km off the turn off. We made good time and closer to Kalpitiya saw a statue of a donkey on the roadside. Gosh, not an actual statue but a very still donkey in the dark. Surprisingly those donkeys at Kalpitiya area seem to be too lazy even to move a hair on their body. Wonder how on earth they manage to stay like that.

We found ourselves at the Fishery Harbor of Kalpitiya. Our entering into the premises woke the security officer and he came running to see if a boat is coming along the road instead water. I’m sure he must’ve relieved to find it’s just a car. We told him that we were planning to go spend the weekend at Baththalangunduwa (refereed as BG hereafter) camping. He was very fascinated and gave us a lot of information about the island and Kalpitiya. It was lucky that we talked to him because we prevented a near catastrophic end to our magnificent journey.

We were planning to camp in BG and return on the afternoon ferry the following day, Sunday. However, we weren’t aware of the fact that the ferry is not functioning on Sun. Even when I called the Mark Boat and told them our plans, we weren’t told about this. I guess it was a miscommunication on both parties coz we emphasized on the dates 8 and 9 instead of Sat and Sun. Thanks to the security guy we got to know this before the journey and had to resort to abort the camping and spending the night somewhere else. I felt so down but thankfully Sheham came up with the idea of camping somewhere close by and doing the Puttalam-Mannar stretch on the following day.

None of us had done it before so it was a very welcome idea and we all embraced it with both hands. You know there’s a saying that “Everything happens for good” and we too thought as much and at the end of the journey figured it really happened for good as we managed to cover a whole lot of things in that 48 hours instead of only camping at BG. We had our breakfast of Tempered onions mixed with chilies, tomatoes and boiled eggs with sliced bread. The morning sun was creeping over the horizon and lit up the jetty full of different sized boats arrived in the night after a long stretch of fishing. Suddenly Kasun shouted and looking back I saw this glowing lava ball like Sun appearing at the edge of the horizon. What a sight it was!

I simply forgot the breakfast and Kasun ruined his hanky trying to wipe the curry-stained hands to get at the camera. We savored it to the max while the crows were coming in numbers sensing a free meal. There were a few dogs too and they had a rough time chasing the greedy crows. We shared the last bit of our bread with them coz the sunrise filled our heats and lifted our spirits. Finally we were ready to rock ‘n’ roll.

Tour Highlights:

1. 6-Hour ferry ride in total

2. Baththalangunduwa, a world of its own

3. Documentary on the Fight for Water in BG

4. Dutch Fort, Kalpitiya

5. Camping at Thalawila

6. Drive through the Wilpattu along Old Mannar Road

7. Doric House

8. Dutch Fort, Arippu

9. Portuguese & Dutch Fort, Mannar

10. Biggest Baobab Tree, Pallimunai

11. Pics of My Sister

12. Collection of Panos

We decided to visit the Kalpitiya Dutch Fort before the departure of ferry at 8.30am. When went to the entrance about 200m away from the jetty the navy officials informed us the visiting hours are from 09.00am till 5.00pm. Then we told them about our failed attempt at camping on BG and won’t be able to make it on time to see the fort. Then they said even till 5.30pm it would be ok so we left for the jetty yet again.

Longest Ferry Ride to date

I called Sujith and told him that we were at the jetty and he too was very confused about our miscommunication but could do nothing at the time. However he promised to inform the manager of the Ferry about us and give us a bit of breathing space in case we were a bit late on the return journey. Paul came and talked to us and the two helpers on the ferry were very cheerful and pointed us to sit on the shady side and took care of our 2 5-litre water bottles.

There were a lot of people waiting to get on board and many sacks of different kinds of goods were also being loaded into the cargo bay underneath. This ferry is the only connection between the island and the mainland. You could even say it’s the lifeline of those people. There are a plenty of small fishing craft that can run between the two but for those fishermen doing it between the island and the mainland is very costly, about Rs. 3500/- – Rs. 4000/- worth fuel which is way too much for their liking.

So the ferry is the only viable method of transporting people and goods in between. However we felt that there’s too much dependent on this single ferry giving a kind of monopoly to the owners. Just wondering what it would be like if the ferry stopped operating due to a malfunction for a few days. I hope they have replacement in place but didn’t see any sign of it. We boarded and sat along the shady edge. The layout is kinda funny coz the boat is three-tiered. The bottom (under the waterline) is the crew quarters, washroom and cargo bay. The mid-section above the water line is the passenger hold. Passengers sit on a wooden platform that provides little or no comfort (Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess) especially when the sea is rough. Thankfully it was nice and calm when we were on board. Above it is the roof-cum cargo-passenger hold without a shelter. I guess it’s a good viewing spot especially in the morning run but you’re bound to get sun burned due to direct exposure.

We were relieved to be on the shady side as the boat finally laden with so many essential items and about 50 people left the safety of the jetty into the Dutch Bay. It’s actually the extension of Puttalm lagoon along the arm of Kalpitiya Peninsula on the left and Eluwankulama and Wilpattu Jungle on the right. If you wanna look for BG on the map, just look right across the Kudiramale Point to the left about 5-6 nautical miles off. The navy boys look less busy now the terrorists are wiped off the face of our country. However, they have to stay vigilant as the stinking Indians continuously breaching our sea areas and the biggest threat for our youth, the illegal drug smuggling too seems to be happening across Negombo via Jaffna along the North Western coast.

About half hour into the journey somebody yelled “Dolphins” and we were so excited and forgot for a moment that we were sitting at the edge of the boat. There were about 5-6 dolphins jumping but we couldn’t take clear shots of them as the front of the ferry had a row of people sitting. I managed to get a quick pic of a dolphin but not prominent enough. Unfortunately our ferry wasn’t in the mood to hover about and see them and sadly we passed them behind. It was my first encounter with dolphins and what a sight it was.

There were a number of tiny islets full of Kadolana trees scattered along the arm of the peninsula and the mainland too. They looked green against a blue-grey-emerald green lagoon. I found the team talking to someone and found he’s a fisherman from Negombo located at BG returning to the island. His name was Nissanka and provided us with valuable information. There was plenty of time to kill and we kept chatting with him while shooting the odd picture. All of a sudden we saw a group of Pelicans flying towards us, they were not so big and we had difficulty identifying them at first. After that there was a single Pelican so skinny flying overhead that I named the Somali Pelican.

Video 01 – Just a short video of the ferry journey.

There were an endless number of sea gulls crashing like a stone and catching fish and at times floating on the water with the waves like ducks. We got fooled at first they were real ducks. The average speed of the ferry was about 8-10km an hour. It recorded a highest speed of around 20km according to Sheham’s GPS. Time wore on and all of a sudden Nissanka showed us a distant communications tower which was at BG Navy Camp. Without even knowing we had moved from Dutch Bay to Portugal Bay but for me it was the same lagoon or rather the sea. However the water looks more clean and clear than it was close to the mainland. We could clearly see the ocean floor and the depth can’t have been more than 10ft. The water looked a gorgeous emerald green too.

There was thing that happened on the ferry I found so hilarious that I couldn’t resist laughing out loud. There was a group of travelers going to BG for a reason they didn’t know. Most of them were middle age fellas with pot bellies and a few kids with their mothers too. They were staring at us as if we’d descended that very moon from the mighty Jupiter. While we were talking among ourselves and with Nissanka, they looked at us open-mouthed as if we spoke Greek. The ladies (as usual) were very curious about what’s going on around and kept asking odd question from whoever was close to them. However, one lady found it too irresistible to wait any longer with her question and asked one of the ferrymen. I couldn’t help overhearing the most hilarious conversation in 2014.

The lady: “Meke Saththuth Innawada” – “Are there animals on the island?”

The ferry worker: “Apo Innawa” – “Of course, there are”

The lady: “Mokkuda Inne” – “What kind of animals?”

The ferry worker: “Ballo, Harak” – “Dogs and Cow”

I can assure you the real conversation in Sinhalese was far better than my sloppy translation. The lady was very serious about the question and the worker very sincerely replied to her. I couldn’t help laughing nonstop and soon had to divulge it to my team mates who couldn’t control their hysterical laughs.

The lagoon was too shallow so we kept going in an arc to reach the island coz the heavily laden ferry couldn’t risk of running aground. We kept sipping the lime and mint drink brought by Sheham and it was a godsend as we felt the heat taking its toll. There are two islands joined by a narrow sand strip which are Palliya Watta and BG. At times they get separated when the sandy bank is submerged in the tide. There’d been another island named Karathivu but now it rests peacefully under water. When the tide is out the sand banks might appear but the rising sea levels have taken care of it.

We saw just off BG some divers with face masks on as if they were snorkeling. Looking at the sea didn’t reveal anything to go snorkeling for and one of the fishermen on board solved that mystery to us. He said that those were fishermen doing a part-time job of collecting “Sangu”. It’s the Tamil name for “Hakgediya” or “Conch Shell” in English. Apparently those are a sign of good luck and sell like hot cakes among superstitious rich folks.

The sun is appearing in the horizon

Navy boat returning to the camp after a night patrol

Busy at work early in the morning

Just appearing

Wow	Fiery looking lava ball

Parked along the jetty

Very important notice

This craft (Sudu Duwa) was freed by the Indian Authorities after the agreement

1 million fine? Oh dear

Cubes of ice is being taken to the waiting fishing craft

Captured Indian vessels illegally fishing in our waters

Done a good job of building this

The Ferry

Another boat that carries tourists around

Team ready to rock ‘n’ roll

Peering at the Navy camp

Paul, the manager is overseeing things

Being loaded onto the ferry

Crowded

Leaving the jetty

Another Navy craft returning to the jetty, they moved dangerously close to us

The lush greenery islands

Another large fishing craft

Cheerful worker on the bow

Nissanka on the left

Trying to reach to the roof

First-ever Dolphin sighting

The sea gulls like sitting ducks

Cargo hold is providing shelters for workers and their close friends

Getting their catch to the boat

The mother ship with the Conch Shell collectors

Got you

Portugal bay water is more clean and emerald green

The comms tower in sight

Got there

Climbing down the ladder

The Uniquely Placed Fishing Island – Baththalangunduwa

After it felt like an eternity, we reached the BG but there was no jetty. Instead they had improvised a ladder along which you have climb down and jump to the sandy beach. I had to jump a bit further to avoid getting my shoes wet. The strong smell of fish hit us in waves but not so bad. I guess those fishermen might not be able to take that off them for a long time, might even be lasting a lifetime. There was a row of fishing huts where the 15hp-engined craft were parked under the shade of woven coconut leaves. The whole island looked less busy coz the fishing is done for the day and most of the folks were dozing after a hard run at sea from the early morning.

There were people inside those huts sorting out fish (mainly small one such as Hurulla, Salaya, Karalla, Keeramin and a new kind called Kohombaya which sounded funny), cutting them and adding salt to prepare for dried fish. To be honest I don’t think they welcome the outsiders but stay quiet. So should you ever go there, be sure to stay out of their way as much as possible. However we found some of the keen ones inviting us to take pics of their catch. The people at BG speak mainly Tamil and Sinhalese, however there’s some strange dialect unique to them but no name. It’s a mixture of Sinhalese and Tamil. The Sinhalese and Tamil speakers of the mainland find it difficult to understand this.

E.g. They’d say “Enge Yanne?” – Enge is a Tamil word meaning “Where” and Yanne is a Sinhalese word meaning “Going”. So they are asking “Where are you going?” in a mixture of Tamil and Sinhalese. Uncle Tony knows this a lot better, so should you ever come across him, do ask. He has some very interesting things to say.

So many interesting things and we enjoyed this unprecedented journey even though the sun was up and running full blast sending scorching rays mercilessly as if to fend us off. Walking along the fishing huts didn’t provide us with many landscape shots and we decided to go to the other side. We saw the makeshift wells made by digging holes in the sand burying plastic cans about 3-4 feet deep. No doubt the water is salty but they’re using that water to do cleaning pots and other utensils. The water off the beach is not so good due to garbage and rotting fish. I even saw a couple of toilets too. Wonder how they manage to dig holes without them collapsing on their own in the sand.

Crossing all this we reached the other side of the island which is about half a kilo meter and devoid of any construction. It’s a crystal clear beach but about 50ft off the beach is their main toilet too. So watch your step folks. Funnily enough it also doubles as their waterhole where they dig holes in the sand about 2ft deep looking for less brackish water. They use it to drink and bathe. The beach was however clear of the garbage save for a group of travelers who came with us in the ferry started drinking. Can you imagine the length people go just to get drunk? I was aghast.

Avoiding the drinking party we kept exploring the beach and saw a navy water jet hovering about 3-4 nautical miles off. All of a sudden we came across a Star fish but a dead one. Never seen one before except on TV so this was a very nice encounter. There were plenty of them along the beach so we took pics of them both sides. Sea shells were very common and there were very artistic ones too which didn’t escape our exploring eyes and lens. Sheham kept reminding us about the time so we decided to walk about half a kilo meter further and take a sharp turn back to where we got off.

All of a sudden one guy materialized out of nowhere and was heading towards the beach. About half way back he squatted down and we knew what he was up to. After a few minutes he got up and left; no water or tissue. That’s the way they’re living with no hygienic facilities yet making a living and sending hundreds of tons of fish to feed us Sri Lankans. Then there were 3 guys coming towards us and we saw dug holes in the sand marking their waterhole. They were very cheerful guys and chatted with us while one of them dug the sand looking for water.

Digging water out of those sandy areas is such a cumbersome thing in a way yet very simple in another aspect. They just choose a spot clear of garbage or anything else and dig a hole in a circular way about 2 feet deep and another 2 feet in diameter. You have to do it very systematically so as not to have the walls collapsing on you. The water will slowly come up as if from a spring. Then using a small plastic cup they’d fill a larger container. According to those guys you can fill about 2-3 fairly large containers with a volume of roughly 10-20 liters.

Video 02 – The struggle to dig water at Baththalangunduwa.

They told us how difficult their lives were due to the lack of water and do switch on your headphones and listen to their story. However on the ferry Nissanka claimed that it’s so surprising that they even have this kind of drinkable water in BG coz it’s practically very small and nowhere to get fresh water. They gave us a clear cup of water to taste which Asitha sampled. He claimed it was not so bad. So it shows that miracles do happen. It’s very costly to bring water from Kalpitiya costing about Rs. 500/- for a gallon of water including all the transport costs. Just imagine how lucky we really are. Therefore please by all means save water and electricity. We offered them some of the mineral water carried with us and they very hungrily took it and gulped it down. Wish we had more water with us. They’re supposed to close the waterhole after as dogs and crows will feed on it dirtying it.

After witnessing this we decided to call it a day and head back to where we got off. It was so hot and sun was very much unforgiving. Nonetheless we were very much content deep down coz this was a life-time experience. There were many solar panels in their houses along with a few TV antennas as well. We then saw a generator near one house and the secret behind the TVs was solved finally. There were plenty of kids too playing around and can’t imagine their lives being stuck in a tiny island with nothing more than sea and fish. There were plenty of cows and dogs as well. I’d never seen such bored dogs coz they simply stared at fish and dried fish as if they didn’t give a toss. The dried fish was drying in the open as none of the dogs would bother stealing them.

Cats were no different. They too look fed up of fish and dried fish. I just imagine taking a few hundred dogs and cats from mainland and dropping them there for a few hours. They’d have a field day and need to be hospitalized for over eating. There was one shop selling the day to day items but we didn’t have time to venture into it. Having reached back where we were well before the ferry departure time gave us time to recollect our thoughts. The ferry wasn’t there which gave us a jolt but around 1.30pm it was coming towards us having toured around couple of other places dropping and taking cargo and people. The stop we got off is called Sinna Gunduwa (small Gunduwa).

It was time to go and we bid our farewell to this unique place and got on board the less crowded ferry. Once again we were lucky to get the seating on the shady side facing Wilpattu and Eluwankulama. Funny thing was there were quite a few small fishing boats catching up with the ferry bringing more passengers and cargo, mainly fish or dried fish packed tightly in cardboard or rigifoam boxes. It was so fun to listen to the exchange between boats and their dialect was completely off my limits. The going was more or less easier compared to the morning one as the waves were rolling along with us instead of towards us. I could figure out the beloved Gange Wadiya in the distance with the Navy RABS (Rapid Action Boat Squadron) camp clearly visible. You can read our Gange Wadiya Adventure over here if interested.

The Kala Oya and the Kumburawa River where the Elephant Tree (allegedly the second largest Baobab tree in SL) located were easy to distinguish. Aruwakkalu Limestone Quarry was also there and the destruction is clearly visible from the ferry. There’s a stretch about 4km all looking reddish at places among replanted trees. This is where they’ve dug deep and extracted the limestone for producing cement. This area is a frequent living place for the Camalian but this kinda destruction doesn’t help their well-being. It won’t be long before they’ll be extinct from this are. This exploration keeps on going at a more devastatingly speed. Repercussions of privatization are clear for all to see.

We got a big fright when I saw one of the workers unloading bucket after bucket of oily water from the below deck and went to inspect. To my horror water was leaking inside and the worker was working furiously to get them out of the boat as quickly as possible. The mainland was looming closer so we felt somewhat subdued. It was a back-breaking task but he kept at it.

Video 03 – Back breaking task of unloading water of the BG ferry on return journey.

We got back at the jetty around 4.30pm and said our thanks to Paul and his assistants. Got back to the car and had a long pull on the lemon and mint drink and headed towards the Kalpitiya Dutch Fort.

The fishing huts are all along the beach

Yet another fishing raft

That day’s cache

It’s the season of small fish such as Salaya, Hurulla, Karalla and Keeramin

Temporary shelters for the boats and people sorting out the fish

Few big ones too

Getting the dried fish ready

Imagine the taste of fried Karalla

Dogs and cats are nowhere near. They’re bored to death of the sight of these

Here’s the Kohombaya

Temporary well for washing the crockery

They are playing

Not many trees like these

Long stretch with plenty of coconut leaf roofed houses

Water buffalo? Up close it’s actually a dog in the water coz it’s too hot even for them

During the high tide all these areas get flooded with sea water

Very beautiful

Never thought she’d look this nice when I took it

One of the waterholes

Yet another waterhole but I initially thought it’s croc

The team

One of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen

Sea shell X’mas tree, made by Sri

Colorful shells all around

Eroded by the continues lapping of sea water

Black Pearl?

Here’s the star of the day – Starfish

Belly of it

Looked nice through the lens

Some life on the unforgiving soil

If they were in dark fatigues, you’d mistake them for a group of soldiers

Just beginning the ordeal of water digging

Eurekhaaaaaaaaa!!!

Managed to fill two containers, one of which is a rigifoam box

This one is poisonous I think. Name is Puffer fish if I’m not mistaken

Pack of sea gulls disturbed by our presence

Stunning colors

They must be leading a pretty difficult life with barely any grass and drinking water

Taken some measures to make sure they’re not exposed to dogs and cats

Getting ready to pack and send to the mainland

Plenty of these all around

Sigh of relief, here she comes to pick us up

They kept coming in boats like this and catching up with the ferry

After the cargo and passengers are on board back to work

How on earth can they sleep here?

Not for long coz he had to get busy with water leaking

Back breaking task

Bored

The pilot maneuvering the craft with his left foot. Look closely

Looking at the back

Navy on constant patrols

Navy jetty

Here we are and the carts are already waiting for goods unloading

Waiting to jump out

Time to go

Kalpitiya Dutch Fort and Camping at Thalawila

There are no pics to show you of the Kalpitiya Fort which is so much irritating. We went to the gate and Navy people took about 15 mins making up their minds and getting someone to escort us inside. “No Cameras or Phones” was their motto and we felt so frustrated having gone there all the way not being able to take a pic of this piece of wonderful creation. The soldier who took us gave a running commentary as if replaying a recorded cassette. I’m sure he’s done it hundreds of times and now it’s more like listening to a computer operated robot. However he was very friendly and answered our questions as best as he could. Inside it was a disaster as Navy had added numerous structures and using the interior open area as their playground.

However on a previous visit Sheham and his team had been given the permission to take pics by their escort but they’d left all their camera equipment in the cars. So it looks different messages are being conveyed at different times. There were two tunnels inside but now blocked by the earth and one was barricaded by a brick wall due to terror attacks. That soldier had tried to venture into them without success. Apparently this tunnel leads to a nearby church and the home of the commander of that time. The church is still there about 500m away from the fort complex.

It was a pity to see the current status of the fort due to the negligence by the archaeological department and additions by the navy. True they (Navy) did an outstanding job of protecting our coastal line but I think it’s time they moved out of this place and let the visitors enjoy it and take pics without all this hustle and bustle. We didn’t even have this much hassle at the top of Piduruthalagala where they have the most sensitive radar installations.

Out of sheer frustration, I asked when the Navy was planning to move and the soldier said that the archaeological department had inspected the place and will soon take over. Finally some good news but it means another trip to Kalpitiya too. After that we decided to camp around Kalpitiya and do the Mannar tour on the following morning. Having talked to numerous people about an ideal camping slot and came up with two options. 1. Kandakuli, 2. Thalawila. We, after a lot of thinking, decided on the latter. It turned out to be a wise decision and we hurried on hoping to catch the sunset. Passing “Ali Rani Palace” notice put up by the archaeological department made me wanna go there too but Kasun said that there’s hardly anything to look, just a bare unexplored area so abandoned that notion.

First- Ever Camping on the Beach, Thalawila

We reached Thalawila church around 5.40pm, well in time for the sunset and found a grassy patch just off the beach devoid of any thick bushes for camping. Doomed Norochcholai was looming in the distance and for a change working. It was belching a streak of black fumes towards the Indian Ocean signaling that it was doing something worthwhile for the money spent. From what I’ve heard, it’s been out of commission more than 50% of the time it’s been installed here. Some record.

There were wind mills too about 2km away from us. Thalawila is a very popular church among Catholics who come in large numbers during the festival season. However this being a quiet time, not many were there. Rows of houses roused my curiosity and found out they’re available for rent and get full very quickly during the festival. “For 2014 festival, already all the houses are booked”, one of the caretakers told us. We set about putting up the tent which was the biggest I’ve ever slept in. It was a massive 7-man tent but we managed to set it up in a record 20 mins. The sun was setting and we managed to shoot on and off while setting up the tent. The sandy ground made it difficult to hold the tent with 8-inch guy pins. (Those are the ones buried into the ground to hold the tent together, funny name nevertheless).

We had to use a few stones too to keep it in place. In the meantime Kassa and Asitha had gone and sweet talked one of the caretakers and arranged a washroom in one of the houses for us to have a wash. It was a very welcome thing as we badly needed to have a shower and was wondering where to go. After the camp setup we took the gas cooker and started boiling instant noodles packets and heating the pre-cooked canned chicken meat balls. The dark enveloped us quickly but a half moon lit the whole open area beautifully. Moon rays were reflecting on the still ocean surface and it was a night good for a poet.

We gobbled up the hot noodles mixed with steaming chicken meatballs, left over tempered onions and boiled eggs from breakfast. To top things off, there was a loaf of bread too. What a feast! We badly needed this kinda meal coz we were without lunch. After a sumptuous meal, we decided to turn in for the night. The tent was more spacious and we had ample room to sleep. We settled in for the night, listening for the rustle the wind made by disturbing the flaps of our tent. The waves kissed the beach in small waves making very little noise as if not to disturb us. I fell asleep and slept like a log till 5.00am.

Moored at sea off Thalawila

No light house but the statue of St. Anne’s on top of that tower

Hiya	One of the dumbest projects, Norochcholai finally belching black smoke

Ready to set

Getting redder

Almost sunk

The biggest tent I’ve slept to date

Chicken meat balls and eggs are ready

6 packs of noodles to go with it

The tent in the torch light and the blue light is coming from the tower

Day 02

Getting up, after a very good night’s sleep was a blessing and we boiled water and had Nescafe 3 in 1. It revived our bodies and we went back for our borrowed washroom to wash and get ready. By 7am, we were ready to go and bid our farewell to the friendly caretaker and were on our way merrily.

Good Morning! everyone

Busily folding the tent

Here he comes

Look at the halo

Sweet

Still there where it was

Busy at work in the morning

Laying the nets

Another ready to get going

Puttalam lagoon, one of the biggest in SL

These are a familiar sight for me

Going towards Eluwankulam

Old Mannar Road via Wilpattu, Doric House and Arippu Fort

We left Thalawila and headed towards Kalpitiya turn off. Reaching Puttalam starving wasn’t an easy thing to do. So we stopped to buy some buns and headed back towards Eluwankulama. The road is under construction but done quite a lot since our last visit to Gange Wadiya in Oct 2013. Passing Eluwankulama junction where the turn off for Gange Wadiya we headed further up towards the Navy camp where the Kala Oya borders the southernmost boundary of legendary Wilpattu. There was a barrier across the road with a navy soldier on guard. You don’t need any permission to go on this road but they’re checking the vehicles for any smuggling goods or taking animals too.

I hope they’re doing the same thing for the vehicles coming out of the park too coz the chances are very high for people to smuggle animals or plants out. He explicitly asked us not to photograph around their camp. Ban the photographers is the theme for them. We reached the Sapaththu Palama and Kala Oya was gushing not over but underneath, almost touching the top. It was a super duper place for camping as there’s plenty of fresh water and scores of Kumbuk Trees are providing cool shade throughout. No chance of getting permission I guess.

Video 04 – The Southernmost boundary of Wilpattu, Kala Oya

There was park office near the Kala Oya to enter the Wilpattu but looked isolated. The gravel path is uneven making it very hard for low clearance vehicles to maneuver. There’s very little traffic mainly the people either side (Silavathura and Eluwankulama) of the jungle moving from one area to the other. We saw motorbikes, small Lorries and even passenger buses going in this road. Puttalam-Mannar buses use this road. It must be noted that the bus drivers are very reckless in this road. They travel at high speeds putting both passengers and animals lives in danger.

There was one CTB bus of Mannar Depot (WP NA – 7032) travelling as if this was the Expressway about 60-70kmph. It was crazy driving totally unacceptable. There were a couple of Navy checkpoints inside the jungle taking down the vehicle numbers. I wonder why they don’t do something about these maniac drivers. There were quite a few tanks we passed along the way. Periya Villu, Periya Naga Villu, Malai Villu, Mailanganmotte and Karanchiuttan are a few of them. After a very scenic drive on a slippery gravel road, we reached the northernmost boundary of Wilpattu which is the Modara River (Modara Gan Maruwa). There was a checkpoint at Marichchukkadi the first village after the jungle. There too and those soldiers were fascinated to hear what we were doing and gonna do.

From there the road was in good condition but still under construction at most parts. Passing Mullikulam and Silavathura where the SL Army’s first offensive into the northern terror-held areas was bringing back the memories of valiant sacrifices made by our soldiers. Our first stop was Doric House which just by the road. There’s a tall white pyramid shaped monument close by. 2 Navy officers were on guard duty and talked to us were very friendly.

Doric House is nearly crumpling to the beach below. If I’m not mistaken the entire top floor is fallen off and the majority of the ground floor too is in pieces on the beach below. It was clear that nobody had taken any effort to restore this place other than putting up some sign postings. The walls are crumbling down and our Archeological Department gotta do something real soon to avoid this being fallen completely to the beach. There was color poster showing how it looked in 1804 and in 2012. The difference is heart breaking. Apparently this is where the first British Governor of Ceylon, Fredrick North resided while overseeing the pearls fishery in the North West Coast. The Arippu fort was built to safeguard the collected pearls with a garrison placed.

From Doric House, it was a short drive to the Arippu Fort. Not so difficult to find with well-placed signage. It too was crumbling down and nearby farmer had tied a calf inside showing that authorities don’t get there often enough. It was only the mere Archeological Notice going rusty that tried to fend these trespassers off. The funniest part was the name of the Pradeshiya Sabha in this area. It’s called “Musali Pradeshiya Sabha” and you all know what it means in Sinhala.

Just before the barrier entering the jungle road

The Sapaththu Palama through the shady Kumbuk Trees

What a nice place for a bath

Lovely

Imagine what it’d be like when the water levels are too high

Towards the Navy camp. Wonder what those summer huts are for?

Here’s the isolated Entrance office

(Click image to enlarge)

Managed to get only him out of plenty of birds

Reaching to the infinity

Oh dear, so far to go

This is the culprit bus who was driving like a bullet out of the gun

Doric Bungalow is just by the road

The monument like tower about 50m away from the house

Dilapidated house

Only the bare bones

Those skinny pillars won’t stand long.

More than 50% of the bungalow is down at the beach due to negligence and 3 decades of war

What it was like 2 centuries ago

In 2009 but now it’s worse

Sheham on the steps to the first floor but nothing to see

Only the skeletal structures of the ground floor to see

Just like a tank, no waves. Very still

Trying to get down to the beach

Very sad looking state

Gotta do something very soon

On the left are the two navy personnel

From the beach below

Huge chunks had fallen to the beach

Artistic sea plants on the beach

Making sand houses

Don’t get many like these in the dry zone

200m to the left from the main road

The story behind

Protected by a fence but no guard

Being used to keep cattle I suppose

Nothing has been done to restore it

The front is like a church. This is a tactic used by all of them Portuguese, Dutch and the English to fool the SL kings

Not much left standing

Plenty of these white flowers

Leaving

Well, no words to explain the hilariousness of the name

Pooh…

The long causeway joining the Mannar Island to the mainland

Mannar Fort and the Biggest Baobab Tree in SL

Then we crossed the famous Malwathu Oya and entered Nananttan Area. From there it was pretty straight forward journey to Mannar through world famous bird sanctuary, Vankalai. However in Nananttan, the roads can be a bit confusing, so don’t forget to ask for directions. The road joins the Mannar-Medawachchiya main road just before the causeway. Along the causeway we saw two white lines in the distance lagoon. We were anyway looking for the gorgeous looking flamingoes and looking through Sheham’s 500mm lens proved they really were flamingoes. Such beautiful looking pinkish birds were my first encounter with them. Wish we had a small raft to get close to them and take a closer look.

Just passing the bridge that connects the causeway to the Mannar Island we saw the Mannar fort to our right. It’s so close and we got the first right hand turn and travelled for about 400m towards it. This fort like Galle and Jaffna are in a better condition. The complex is huge with plenty of buildings bordering the perimeter. One special place inside is the Church inside with gravestones along the floor of it. I think the same thing can be witnessed at the Church inside the Galle Fort which is still functioning.

We walked along the perimeter wall and noticed the man-made moat like thing using the water from lagoon. Pretty smart move huh! After a thorough inspection we went searching for the Baobab tree and got directions from the Army checkpoint. It’s about 600-800m away from the Fort along Pallimunai Road which is the second right from the bridge.

Reaching and looking at this mammoth tree was something wonderful. Its bark is so thick and charcoal grey in color, exactly like an elephant’s. It’s even got parts of the trunk popping out like an elephant’s foot with their big toes. What a gigantic piece of creation by the Mother Nature. Time was in short supply so we hurried up and got back on the road and reach a shop called “Rice Bowl” near the Giant’s Tank maintained by the Army. The food was tasty and very reasonable. We even got the info about one of their Holiday Bungalows called “Kamatha” in the area. I’ve put a pic of their poster on the report.

After a hearty lunch and directions to shorten our journey we reached Settikulam and took a turn towards Oyamaduwa via Thanthirimale. Ultimately this joins the Nochchiyagama Junction on Puttalam-A’Pura Road. We stopped for a quick cup of tea at Pelpatha (Remember My Short Report with lots of birds). There is a giant squirrel there called “Nangi” and she’s a darling I can tell you. She’d been injured and treated by the hotel’s staff and now nestles in the Tamarind Tree inside the hotel itself. If you call her “Nangi”, she’ll come running and even let me stroke her fur. Such an adorable darling! She got frightened when Kasun tried to come near her (don’t ask me why) and Asitha managed to give her a cheese cracker. She grabbed and ran up the tree and settled onto eat it dearly.

Video 05 – Nangi having a Cheese Cracker

I could’ve spent the whole evening with her bus others were adamant on leaving. So we left for Colombo but managed to stop for another breathtaking sunset along the Puttalam-Colombo road.

Video 06 – Sunset on Puttalam-Colombo Road

After a heartfelt journey of 700+km and 48 hours of joy and fun we got back home while dropping Asitha at Wennappuwa and for the second time declining an offer for dinner.

50 Trip Reports!!! Who would’ve thought of this when I first sent in my first one in July 2012? Even I can’t believe I’ve written so much during the past 18+ months. Lakdasun has provided a great platform not only for travelers, but for writers too like me to horn their writing skills. I’ve seen so much of this paradise island in the past 18 months but compared to what’s more to do, it’s nothing.

Thank you all my friends who’d been there encouraging me to travel more and write more and more. Hopefully there’ll be more from me.

Will see you in the next episode and this is Sri signing off for now.

Take care

P.S. Numerous attempts by me to find how the Baththalangunduwa name came by went without success. Therefore I came up with my own conclusion in the end.

Baththalangunduwa could mean “Bathalayekuta Dun Gunduwa” which means Cheating a Rotund Fella. Just trying to add my mockery into this. Don’t get it serious folks.

The lagoon along the causeway

Drinking milk from the mother

The last bridge joining the Mannar Island to the causeway

The fort is just there

Signs of the moat

The entrance is there

Still lagoon to the right. Wish we could take this boat and close in on the flamingoes

One of the buildings inside

Massive rooms

Archaeological signs going rusty. This could be a symbol or a gravestone

Huge courtyard too

One of the biggest forts in SL

Initial thought was a dungeon or a tunnel

But very abruptly ended here

Going to the top where the guards roamed along the wall

Bell tower

The entrance and part of the lagoon from the top

Old church inside the fort

Signs of moat

Guard rooms

Must’ve been like a small village inside

Caught her inside

Here’s that church we saw from the top

Gravestones

Must’ve been a helluva thing to carve these on solid rocks

Must be some sort of a symbol

Another grave

This was on a side wall

Coming out of the fort

The front wall of the fort with gaps for the riflemen

The biggest in SL

19.51m in circumference = 64 feet

We’re here

Like a huge elephant

Here’s the foot of the elephant

The bark is very similar to the skin of an elephant

She was exhausted and resting her old bones

Placid Giants’ Tank

Wonder if this is allowed.

Where we had lunch

You can check call the number given

The giant Nuga Tree at the restaurant

Something was wrong with this fella coz he won’t fly away. I took him to a leaf and kept by the Nuga tree

Here’s my sister and me patting her for being a good girl

She was very possessive of her biccie

She’s a darling

Close up of her

Sunset is about to happen

A flock of birds going home

Windmills looking gorgeous in the setting sun

Wow	He’s gone home and so we are

Enjoy the collection of Panos now.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Pano 6

Pano 7

Pano 8

Pano 9

Pano 10

Pano 11

Pano 12

Pano 13

Pano 14

Pano 15

Pano 16

Pano 17

The map – click to enlarge

It was late 2009 and we were returning back from Bambarakanda while the bus stopped at Balangoda I noted a huge rock which looked like Kunudiyaparwataya and wanted to climb it on the very next weekend. This mountain prompted me to make a forum post on Lakdasun for the first time (at that time I had a forum account but hadn’t done any posting). Guess who gave me words of wisdom it was Priyanjan and he gave me all the details I wanted but I never had the opportunity to complete this hike. This year the ongoing mini drought around Rathnapura area prompted me to complete my dream. As usual I couldn’t find any partners despite many calls. At around 10pm while I was at Monaragala bus stand and about to leave I gave a call to Harinda who was planning to visit Kukuluwa temple with Sanketha. Finally both of them decided to join my venture by cancelling their trip . So this is going to the record books of finding partners at the shortest notice.

Pettigala 1 the long one, Pettigala 2 the small one

Pettigala as seen from adams peak

Pettigala as seen from mahagiridambe

Pettigala as seen from havagala

We met each other at Pelmadulla and headed towards Balangoda, where we had breakfast and packed some lunch packs before heading towards Pettigalawatta rd. The road was manageable up to the factory (store) and after that it was bit difficult for a low ground clearance vehicle. We had to halt the car and hire a trishaw to reach the upper (new) Pettigalawatta. Finding a guide took some time because villagers were reluctant to accompany us to Petiyagala no1 with the current “wallapatta” issue. Some even said its useless climbing Petiyagala no1 and encouraged us to climb Petiyagala no2. We were determined to get to the tallest peak which also was the difficult one. Somehow after finding a guide we walked through the tea estates enjoying a panoramic view towards Horton plains and Adams peak. At the forest boarder we exited the tea plantation and entered the wilderness.

pettigala 2 seen from pettigala – balangoda rd

horton plains seen from Pettigala estate

Dethanagala as seen from the estate

pettigala new division

transport method

Pethiyagala no1 was our target

Adams peak seen on the way

on the way through the estate

Initial path was along a stream and we had to squeeze between bushes and try not to slip and fall, after an hour or so we reached a waterfall. Climbing around the waterfall took some effort and we even had to deviate from the stream to reach the top of it. Somehow after reaching the top of it, for the first time a clear view towards Horton plains was in our visual field providing some satisfaction to our tired souls. From here onwards we headed in to the forest cover where we had to roam through the mountainous forest for hours and hours. We reached the flat plain of Pettigala where one could easily camp (but to get water one needs to descend to the valley which separates the main rock). There was a view point but only Petiyagala no2, part of Balangoda and Petttigalawatta could be seen. We had a small rest before descending to the valley which separated the main Petiyagala rock from the mountain. For this we had to crash downhill through the itchy Nelu undergrowth and climb uphill again to reach the summit of Petiyagala rock. We were half dead when we reached the summit but also happy with what we achieved. We went to the edge and took plenty of snaps towards Balangoda and Horton plains side (Samanala wewa & udawalawa was seen faintly) but most of those weren’t clear due to the haziness of the atmosphere..

an orchid

along the stream

art of balancing

a small break as harinda wished

beauty

life on life

these were a problem

crystal clear

the waterfall which caused us many problems

top of a waterfall

view from the top of the waterfall

beauty of the wild

searching for a path

the forest cover which didnt cause much problems

creeping up

the plain of pettigala

Hunuwalkanda which is located in the same range but 15m taller than pettigala no 1

the view towards Pettigalawatta from the plains

tree tops

Pettigala no 2 as seen from Pettigala no 1

Kendrickia walkeri, an epiphytic climber in montane zone (tks Bushana for the identification)

through the bamboo bushes

different colours

a mini break

pierced

summit point

A4

got bit gloomy

Balangoda budhdha statue

lovely

Balangoda town

view from the summit

more scenery

paddyfields

raising the flag

pano from the top of Pettigala

wow	pettigalawatta

bit of blue

unknown beauty

half dead team at the summit of Balangoda

the range goes towards Kuttapitiya(pelmadulla)

After having lunch and raising a flag we started returning back and we never expected things to get more difficult than the ascend. There was an interesting flower looking like “Bovitiya” which was found in abundance that seem to be a mysterious species up to now even after consulting expert advice. These were found on tree tops and even at ground level. After getting back to the open area we entered back in to the forest but our guide decided to cut some distance and took a short cut but this short cut was through a bamboo forest which sucked each and every calorie we had. Finally Harinda had to protest his decision and force him to get us back towards the forest. This period where we went through bamboo forest accounted for many falls cuts and a massive leech attack but finally we reached the initial stream we followed during our ascend. From here onwards it was not a problem at all and at around 4pm we reached the tea estate to notice that the sky had cleared off and the scenery we couldn’t enjoy from the summit was easily appreciated from the tea estate ha ha ha. Anyway after having a hot tea and some tasty wades from Raja’s place we said goodbye to them and returned back to Colombo dead tired! I must thank Harinda and Sanketha for joining this “KATTA” which was once a dream.

the deadly gap

රත්මිහිරිය

through the bamboo’s

this was the toughest part

finally back to the stream

we were there(the rock is seperated from the range by a small valley)

horton plains as seen from the estate

phew that was tough

landscape of the tea estate

Thanks for reading!

This is a continuation of  - හරෝ හරා !!! – Part 1

We spent the first night at Kumana wild life quarters, and next day early morning we stared this remarkable journey. By the evening we reached to Madamethota and stayed there for the 2nd night.

Here the story starts from Madamethota on 3rd day morning.

Day 3
Following day we all got up early in the morning and had a cool dip in Kumbukkan oya and then packed our stuff to go. We started the journey as early as possible so that it would definitely help to avoid the burning heat. For the day three, our target was Navaladi hot water wells. Very first group crossed the river at Madamethota and thereafter no one was allowed crossing from there due to high water levels. Hence we had to go further up towards ‘Heraliyagas Ara’ camp site and from there we crossed the river. By 6.15am we crossed the Kumbukkan oya and entered to Block II.

Water was at chest level. This was how the first and the only group crossed from මඩමේතොට

Here it was not difficult & dangerous at all – near හෙරලියගස් ආර

Yes It is…

Sandy track was not supportive at all

Block II is the most difficult part of the walk. Other than the shade of Kumbuk trees at the bank of Kumbukkan oya the entire stretch is through thorny bushes and endless lagoons. The deep sandy stretches make the journey more difficult.
After about 30 minutes of walk we stopped for breakfast. We had dates and nutrition bars as the breakfast and it was really energizing. Initially we walked through scrubs and then entered to a vast open area. By 9.00am we reached ‘Ihala Gajabawa’ and it was fully dried. Couple of month back I came to this place by jeeps while going to Kumbukkan oya from Manik ganga and had to stop the journey from here due to high water level in the lagoon. It clearly showed the harshness of drought. There we could see few elephants at a distance and we were a bit nervous and tried to avoid them as much as possible.

Drought at its worst

Through Thorny Bushes

Harsh reality of extreme drought

Do you think that you can hide from us?

.	Sandy track was really difficult

By 10.00am sun rose and heat was so high that we could even feel the rising heat from the ground. Again we entered to a scrubby forest. But it was not enough to overcome the heat. Every 2-3km there was a water point run by SL Army. With the burning sun it was really difficult for us to survive. Jeewani was the only saver. With several stops we came to the Uda Poththna Lagoon. It’s a vast open area where there is no single tree for more than a kilo meter. With the burning sun we were all helpless. The only help was “Harohh Haraaahhhh”. It gave the energy for all of us. Occasionally we could see few foxes, deer and wild boars. But they never cared about us.

ඇති වැඩකුත් නෑ, හෙමින් ගමනකුත් නෑ

Luckily there wasn’t a monkey to steal my hat

With enjoying all these things by 1.00pm we were able to reach Navaladi 3 hot water wells. When we reached there, there were few other groups who had come before us. SL army had opened 3 shops to buy necessary items and food. I was in shock after looking at the items in those shops. Actually anything and everything was there. Vegetables, Toothpaste & brushes, soft drinks, Koththu, Hoppers, etc

It’s their land

Place of GOD

Navaladi Hot water wells, Our tent is at the corner

Aravinda is busy with his camera

Outcome

End of another day at Yala

We settled down there and setup the tent on the ground near to wells. With the tiredness nobody wanted to cook and we had roti from Army shop for the lunch. Then we all went to sleep for several hours. By the time we got up there were a lot of groups who had come there for the second night. Then we had a bath from those wells. But the quality of water was not that good – especially to drink. With the bath and long sleep tiredness was sorted out but there were signs of water blisters after two days of continues walk.
SL Army was very friendly with pilgrims and was very supportive. After dinner we had a long chat with solders and they shared their wild life experience with us. The previous day when they were coming to Navaladi, one of their unicorn buffels were stuck in mud on Pahala Poththana lagoon. With the support of other vehicles they have tried to pull it out but were not successful. Finally they abandoned the vehicle there for that night and kept 2 solders to protect that. Unfortunately during the night there were several elephants that came there and attacked the buffel. Finally those 2 soldiers had to run for their lives.
That night the sky was fully clear with a lot of stars. That night was one of the most beautiful nights we ever had. Simply it was like “Sleeping under the stars”. It was the end of another memorable day.

Day 4
We got up by 5.00am and had a wash from one of the wells. By that time the boutique was opened and we had tea and roti for breakfast. By 5.30am we were ready to go. With water blisters we decided to wear slippers. Target was Warahana bridge and this is the longest stretch for all 4 days.
After 10, 15 minutes of walk we came to the Pahala poththana lagoon. And we could see the unicorn buffel which was stuck in mud. Pahala poththana lagoon is a vast area and it was a truly endless walk. There was a very little water on the lagoon. Since we had breakfast before starting the journey we could steadily walk and get the advantage of walking before sun rise.

With the back drop of Dematagala

Stuck in mud, Pahala poththana lagoon

Aravinda(one of our members) was a little slow as he wanted to do some photography while walking. So he asked us to move forward as per the plan and he joined the crowds who came behind.
After sometime of walking we could witness sad scenery. It was a dead body of an elephant on a small villu. With the drought පොත්තන ආර had become a small water stream and it was not difficult to cross.

Dead 

Crossing Pahala Poththana

Dedication

Every 2-3km there was a water point

Then we entered to a small patch of forest and it was a great relief for us. We rested there and started walking again. Next difficult section was the යාල වෙල. The area was fully dried and occasionally we could see මලිත්තන් trees and no other trees were there. There were several lagoons in between and I can’t remember all the names.

Occasionally we could see මලිත්තන් trees

Classic

In some lagoons there were gangs of wild buffalos and we have been advised not to get close to them as they are the most dangerous among other animals. They are the most probable to attach if you are alone. Since we walked as a group we never had that fear but they continuously were looking at us. According to the experienced trackers, if you walk as a group they cannot target one. (We never know the validity of that). However they never came towards us. While we were passing the යාල වෙල we could clearly see the eastern sea to the left.

Looking at us

Sand dunes of eastern sea

Endless walk

Another open stretch….

During the drought these type of places create luck for predators

Looking for a pray

Passing 50km

Just missed…

We all were hoping that we could reach Mankik gannga soon. And we knew that we had to cross කටුපිල ආර before that. But still we never met කටුපිල ආර. With the previous experience in block II, I remembered පරණ තොටුපොල is 15, 20 minutes walking distance from කටුපිල ආර. Finally we met that and Army has made a temporary crossing over that. Not because that it was deep, but due to the possibility of crocodiles attacks. We had a considerable time to rest at කටුපිල ආර water point. Then we could see the giant kumbuk trees and it was the sign of Manik ganga.

Protecting her eggs

They are very dangerous

Heat was not bearable at all

He is alone

කටුපිල ආර

Doing a remarkable job

Time was around 12.30 and we walked further 1-2 km on the bank of manik ganga passing පරණ තොටුපොල and there was a boutique and first aid point conducted by the Army. We thought of having a cool dip in Manik Ganga and have lunch there. By that time we all were very tired with the endless walk under the burning sun and heated sandy tracks. Then we all rested on Manik ganga for about 2 hours under the shelter of giant kumbuk trees. That gave us a great relief for all pains.

Then we had Roti for lunch. Since our target was Warahana we started our journey again by 3.00pm. This was the easiest section of this track. It’s because the path was parallel to Manik ganga and was well shaded with giant trees. But it is the most dangerous section as well because there could be high possibility of meeting bears & leopards. Army always advised to walk as a bunch and you definitely feel the dark and mysterious feeling when walk on that stretch. The other group (Nimal Ayya’s) also had experienced that. They have observed a bunch of dears slowly waking around Manik ganga and they stopped to video record that. While they were recording a dear might have seen them and ran away. Suddenly they saw a leopard running behind them. Actually he was targeting for a pray and had missed that. He showed that video to us.

What a shot… Thanks Aravinda

We can see you dear…

However by 5.00pm we could reach Warahana and set up the tent on the bank of Manik ganga. By that time my legs severely painful and I was literally not walking but just dragging my legs. Even though there were lots of groups started with us 3 days before most of them were slow and only 7, 8 groups reached to Warahana on day 4.

Swami

Yes, he is a foreigner

For them it was a necessity

But for Children it was fun

Right timing

Memorable night at bank of Manik Ganga

Nimal Ayya and his group was next to us, we all got together and cooked dinner. They were very friendly and supportive. After having dinner they shared folk stories with us like the previous night. Then we went to the sleep.

Day 5
During the night was a little rainy. Early morning we got up and prepared a joint breakfast like we did for dinner. Then had a cool dip on Manik ganga. After taking a few photos we started the journey for the final destination. It was the last day and we all felt a little sad. By that time we all were adopted to the jungle life and it was really sad to see the end of this remarkable journey. First we crossed the Manik ganga through Warahana bridge and entered to the Yala block I & III. And walked parallel towards the upper stream of Manik ganga.

Bank of Manik Ganga, last day morning with Nimal Ayya’s group

Last day morning…Sad to leave 

Sithulpawwa

හරෝ හරා !!!

.

We walk along the jeep track in Yala block 1 & III and we met several safari jeeps which are coming from Katagamuwa side. Some of them were shocked by seeing us walking in the jungle with huge back packs in the early morning. We couldn’t see any animal in this day other than peacocks and birds. After about 2 hours of a walk we could reach Katagamuwa exit. That’s the end of Yala NP. Up to Katagamuwa in every 2-3 km there was a water point with SL Army soldiers. At Katagamuwa there was another check point run by SL Army and they keep the count of people who passed Katagamuwa. Even though there were thousands of people entered on very first day I was the 43rd person who passed Katagamuwa. Other groups were not in a hurry like us. As the Maha perahera was starting on 7th and they had 3 more days to come. At Katagamuwa we had an hour of rest, had tea and biscuits with cheese. Those who are going to Sithulpawwa usually stop at Katagamuwa. Even that time several busses were there, and they had thousands of questions for us. “ඇයි මහත්තයල මේක කරන්නෙ?, පූජාවක්ද, දවස් කීයක් තිස්සේ එනවද? බය හිතුනෙ නැද්ද?, etc…

Good bye YALA

At Katagamuwa

Feeling very sad to say goodbye to yala, we continued our walk on gravel road through Katagamuwa sanctuary on Katharagama – Sithulpawwa road. Our next landmark is කොච්චිපොතාන දේවාලය. When we approached the කොච්චිපොතාන we could see the signs of civilization. කොච්චිපොතාන is another halting place for pilgrims. We stayed there for half an hour and had osu pan. They had ඔසු පැන් දන්සැල for all 365 days. After 3 days of walk now we have come to a civilized area. Then we entered to a tarred road and walked towards Katharagama. We were in the first set of people who passed the area for this පාද යාත්රා season. Hence villages, children had come to the road to visit us. And all of them greeted us by saying “Harohh Haraah”. They offered us water as well. Those who were too shy were hiding inside the houses and watched us. But we saw them.

කොච්චිපොතාන දේවාලය

Came to see us

We felt that we can see the light of end of the tunnel. After about one hour of walk we were able to reach the Katharagama Sacred city by 12.30pm. Katharagama was getting ready for the annual festival and perahera. We all were very happy and proud of us about successfully completing this remarkable journey and about our fitness. That is the end of an Endless journey. By that time 87km was recorded in our GPS reader.
Our initial plan was go to the place where we parked our jeep and have a bath and come for the evening poojawa to complete the journey. But everybody agreed to visit the devalaya and do the basic rituals for now and participate the evening poojawa by late evening. Then we washed our faces from Manik ganga and went to the Devalaya.

We made it…

Nimal ayya and his group

Finally at the Destination – Katharagama Devalaya

All set for annual festival

Then we had lunch at Katharagama town and came back to the place where we parked our jeep. The house owners warmly welcomed us. We had a bath there and we were offered an excellent tea party. Finally we finished all the stuff and came back to the devalaya for evening poojawa.
We offered a pooja and worshiped the Kiri Vehera and offered our gratitude to all the spirits and headed towards Colombo to complete the journey.

Place of GOD

All set for annual festival

Kiri Vehera

That the end of an ENDLESS JPOURNEY…… It was a life time experience for all of us. I hope when we think back about our lives in another 10-15 years the importance of this journey will be much more.
Thanks for reading this report. If you are planning to do the same and need any support feel free to contact me.

As I had never been to this beautiful and largest national park I was dreaming of this trip for a long period. It became a reality when few of my friends who were working with me decided to do this trip with our family members.

We decided to do this trip in two days and planned to stay the first day night in a small hotel near Wilpattu junction and to start the safari following day early morning. So on first day we started our journey from Gampaha at around 2 p.m. and reached Puttalam at about 5 p.m. where we stopped near the lagoon for a break.

Nice sceneries at Puttalam lagoon.

Famous Wind mills at Puttalam

Norochcholei power plant seen from Puttalam.

Then we started our journey again along Puttalam-Anuradhapura road and again stopped at Thabbowa tank to see the beautiful sceneries of sun set near Thabbowa.

Beautiful Thabbowa tank

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Looks like they are having a class.

Our crowd enjoying the sceneries at Thabbowa

.	The beauty of Mother Nature.

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Then we again headed towards our accommodation on that night, Leopard den hotel which is situated near Wilpattu junction on Puttalam Anuradhapura road. It was a guest house with good clean rooms with air conditioning and clean attached bathrooms. Their food was really good and rates were also reasonable. They have a very good safari jeep also, which we hired for our safari on following day.

Leopard at leopard den

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Following day morning they prepared our breakfast and lunch and packed them and most importantly handed them over in time so that we were able to start our safari early in the morning at around 5.30 a.m.

Getting ready for a full day of safari in the early morning

When we travelled to entrance of the Wilpattu national park by the safari jeep the cold wind was unbearable for us and it was like travelling in an open vehicle in N’Eliya. Fortunately my kid was wearing a jersey and all the others had to suffer the cold morning winds.
We entered the park at about six in the morning and got a guide and straight away started the safari.

At the entrance of Wilpattu National Park

Nice sceneries on the start

Like a painted art work

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Bathing sun in the early morning

Then we had our breakfast at a place where there was a summer hut and where visitors are allowed to get down from their vehicles.

We had our breakfast here.

My little hero. He is also a real nature lover

After having a delicious breakfast we started our safari again.

.	They were really playful

.	Black winged stilt looking for a prey.

Nice reflexion

Red-wattled Lapwing

Showing his colours

Great Stone Plover

The Crested Serpent Eagle

The Crested Serpent Eagle

Beauty of Mother Nature

Purple heron

Enjoying a tasty meal alone

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We had a nice cool bath at Modaragamaru near Kokmote wild life bungalow before having a tasty lunch on river bank.

Kokmote wild life bungalow

Modaragam aru – the northern border of Wilpattu N.P.

Really love the shady banks and the river

It was a real fun time

Having a nice cool dip

This is the nice rocky surface near Modaragamaru where we had our lunch and relaxed a bit before starting exploring in the afternoon.

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We planned to visit Kudiramalai point also but had to abandon the idea as the area was flooded and not accessible for vehicles. So after the lunch we started safari again hoping to see the big one – the leopard.

A group of Indian Pond Herons

Flooded villus

Little green bee eater

A group of black winged stilts

Crested serpent eagle

Blue tailed bee eater

.	Wild boars

Found him at last lying peacefully on the bank of a tank

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We were really tired after a twelve hour safari but were really happy as it was a memorable day and we returned back to Gampaha via same route at around 11 o’clock in the night.

Thanks for reading.

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.

Taking time off to relax saw us heading deep down south a few weeks ago. Our destination was Sella Kataragama where SLAF has chalets for its officers. Travelling was easy as we took E1 to Matara. The drive was a breeze! A short stop at Devundara was all what we needed.

A little boy was busy trying to get his kite to fly near the Devundara lighthouse, early in the morning

Our destination was the SLAF Lake View Chalets. Bordering the Akkara Vissa tank, they are ideal for a quiet holiday.

The chalets – nicely surrounded by trees

A closer look

And the view from the chalets……..

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The road by the chalets lead to Kiri Vehera, a place where one can find peace any time of the day. Yet, the best for me is the night time………..

Kiri Vehera

A day at the Chalets

The day begins with a spectacular sunrise over the lake. My usual insomnia is a god send at times like these  and I am the only human to witness it……………

The magical blue hour with a tinge of pink………..

…. and slowly the lake waters turn in to a muted pink

පෙර’ඹර රිවි දෙව්රද එන පාරයි…….

The kingfisher comes first to his usual perch………….

…… and the pea-hen does a brisk walk, looking around of a way to break the fast

The sun makes its appearance…..

.

.

….. and the day begins

Good morning Sella and its people

It is time for the other two to join me for an exploration of the area and we took a walk along the tank bund.

Mr and Mrs Iora getting ready for the day

Lush green paddy fields by the side of the road. Typical ancient village style where the fields are found in close proximity to the tank

The waiting earth

A farmer who had come early

Watchful waiting……….

And as it was a week day, children were going to school and the adults to work

Off to School….

Off to School….

The lady who brought our breakfast

The Road Runner Show

And then it is all one big blur!!!

Well “life is motion” anyway and this camera shake is “moving with the tide”

The days at Sella are usually hot and not for the outdoors. A good time though for a visit to Gana devi kovila (aka Gange Devale) and well in time for the thevava too.

Thevava – Rituals that have remained unchanged over centuries

Thevava – Rituals that have remained unchanged over centuries

Beliefs…..

Faith…….

The evening at the lake sees a return of life……..

The kingfisher has returned to his usual perch

“Where are you?”

“Where are you?”

“Ah! Here you are ”

A motionless purple heron

A stilt with an itch!

A graceful take off…..

…… and a clumsy lan

In life there is always choices as these pipits found!

You could sing for your supper

….. or have a moment of quiet contemplation!

In perfect harmony

A white browed fan tail

.Those who came for a drink

Strength of show

Towards late evening

Yala

A trip deep down south is not complete without a visit to Yala and we did one game safari one afternoon. For the first time we went through the Katagamuwa entrance and what a change from the Palatupana entrance! No ques for tickets or to the gates.

Yala – Katagamuwa

House sparrow at the entrance

Yala was dry

And this was all for Darshana Veva

It was a bird show all the way and only deers, a mongoose and a lone elephant for mammals. No sign of leopards. But many evidence of bears – paw marks, broken palu brances – sans actual bears

Feeding painted storks

Show off!

A bathing spoon bill

A drying open bill

Take as many photos as you want!

And one for the ID!

A hiding hare

“To go on or not, that is the question!”

“Yeah, we have been relocated!”

A male Pompadour green pigeon

“You scratch my ears!”

A changeable hawk eagle

Up close and personal

Ok. I am off!

And on the home run…….

Right of way…….

A park with a view – where else but in Yala?

And that was it for the day, or so we thought. The time was 6.15 pm and we were late. And almost near the exit at Katagamuwa was……

…. this sloth bear – our first in the wild!

Needless to say we went wild with joy! And trigger happy too, despite the low light!

He was patient, gave me some shots and then crossed the road……….

Best paw forwards……..

… taking his own cool time…

….. slowly ambling in that lovely gait ..

….. in to the wilds

Yala – just like my Canon – delights me always

04 February, the National Day of Sri Lanka and an island-wide holiday for us all. While the entire nation prepared for the 66th Independence Ceremony, Sheham and I left for Wilpattu during the wee hours of February 04. This all happened in a hurry when Sheham said that he’d be heading to Palpatha, an Eco-Lodge near Saliyawewa Army Camp, for an official visit and asked if I was willing to join him. Jumping at the opportunity and the idea of doing a quick recce of Wilpattu (I’d never been there before) made it a very tempting offer.

I jumped with both feet and decided to leave during wee hours of the National Day. We left earlier that anticipated coz Sheham was suffering from insomnia and reached Puttalam around 3.45am. Turning towards the Anuradhapura road we continued passing Elephant roaming areas of Thabbowa and Karuwalagaswewa hoping for a glimpse of a jumbo. But to our disappointment, none of them bothered to come out for a glance.

Tour Highlights:

• Quick glance through Wilpattu
• Bird Watching at Palpatha
• Sunset @ Mundalama Lagoon

We reached Palpatha around 4.30am and decided to take a nap till the caretaker got up. Finally at 5.00am having left the equipment needed for the work there, we headed towards Wilpattu Junction where Bobby, our driver, waited. We left the car and got into his brother’s Bolero 4-wheel drive jeep (most commonly available kind of jeep at Wilpattu) coz both his modern Mitsubishi L200 jeeps were on hire. It was freezing cold in Wilpattu and I’d never imagined it could get that cold there. It was like Nuwara Eliya and the temperature must’ve been around 20 degrees or even less. Sheham and I were shivering in the open jeep but the luxuriously done cushion sheets provided a comfy sitting position. The whole area was covered in a moderate layer of mist too.

Having reached the entrance at 5.45am, we waited anxiously with many others who’d come from different parts of the country to visit this gigantic wildlife-rich beauty. However, the officials didn’t see it that way and didn’t appear till 6.20am to issue tickets (20 precious minutes wasted). As usual the ticket prices didn’t cease to amaze us. They even charged us Rs. 300/- for a tracker even though none was available.

Bobby had seen two young leopards the day before so we were very excited for a leopard sighting coz I’d not seen one properly. We passed many other animals especially a wild boar family of two parents and 20+ tiny ones running in a straight line one after the other. It was such a superb sight unfortunately couldn’t take a pic as we were so engrossed in watching them. We reached where Bobby had seen the leopards and there was a rotting flesh smell which nearly made me throw up. It had been the hunt the leopards had done before but there was no sign of them. We waited fruitlessly and decided to roam around with no success. On the way back out of the park, we got a similar smell but not a sign of a leopard.

Just at the gate we saw a flock of Hornbills feasting on some fruits noisily. There might’ve been about 2 dozen of them and it was a very welcome sight. So my first-ever Wilpattu Safari, which lasted a bit under 4hrs, ended without much of a drama.

Look at all the places and how far they are

First visit

Bobby opening the gate

The misty lake

The path ahead

I can’t remember the name, is this a Grey Heron?

One of my favourites

On the hunt

Having a chat?

Very observant and alert

Fearsome thug

See the contrast in color

I don’t understand why this is called “Barking Deer”

Crossing the road but no yellow stripes

Sandy paths can be difficult to maneuoure

Closer to the stinking flesh

The one and only toilets are located here.

Where we had breakfast

A big one

Oh dear!

Very busy to notice us

Here they are

Mighty hungry

Gorgeous

We went to Bobby’s house back for our car and he treated us with fresh guava, pomegranate and tea. He has a very cute son who kept showing us around their house. Sheham is helping them with Solar Electricity coz the mains line is too far and very expensive to obtain. So it’s yet another helping hand from Sheham.

Guess what? This is Kurakkan

Being dried in the sun

Bobby’s son had trouble posing

Very serious look

Never seen her before

Bitter friend

Such an artistic flower

Know the name?

Beautiful colors

Ready to harvest

Drying in the sun

Reminds me of Nasrudin’s Story

Juicy

We reached Palpatha around 12.30pm and while overseeing the ongoing work, set to have a delicious lunch. The manager, Anura, at Palpatha was a very hospitable gentleman. We decided to relax in the evening and I saw plenty of birds near one of their chalets called “Kohomba”. All the chalets are named after trees growing around them such as “Siyambala”, “Kumbuk” and “Andara”. This is a very good place for bird watching and I saw many different kinds of them in the vicinity but my knowledge on birds is as good as my Greek.

I was surprised to see the enthusiasm of people both local and foreigners to live in typical village life styles. It proves how effective and peaceful our ancestors’ lives were. You wouldn’t believe the money they pay for a simple village meal and to sleep on a mud house with a thatched roof. The world is in fact, going backwards.

Thanks to the chef Bandu, I learnt 5 names of the birds I saw:

1. Golden Fronted Leafbird

2. Clamorous Reed Warbler

3. Ceylon Paradise Flycatcher – Sivuru Hora in laymen’s terms

4. Indian Paradise Flycatcher – Sudu Redi Hora

5. Black Headed Oriole – Kaha Kurulla

Around 5.00pm we left for Colombo but wanted to stop somewhere to witness the sunset. I’m a big fan of the rising and setting Sun. Fortunately we reached Mundalama Lagoon just as Sun was gliding down and took some amazing pics. The place along the lagoon looked so beautiful and ideal for camping.

Well, it turned out to be a very good Pic Journey in the end thanks to all those birds. It looks like the number of Pic Journeys are getting more and more and I’m glad about the response so far from the readers. It’s certainly a different approach by me and seems to be working.

Check out the 2 Videos of the Golden Fronted Leafbirds below:

Video 1

Video 2

Thanks a lot folks for reading and hope you enjoyed it.

Take care

Entrance

Waiting patiently

Lilly pond

Beautiful

Tiny waterway flows nearby and joins the Kala Oya, which is the southern border of Wilpattu

Goes through the shady ravine

Mmmm, the taste is super

Thatched roof

“Tamarind” Tent

Like camping

Bird watching paths

Before switching to Solar, they’d used these kerosene lamps making it not so eco by emitting a lot of CO and CO2

A makeshift wooden bridge is the path to the Chalet

Village house looking

Look at those beds and frames especially… They are solid Burutha with Thekka panels along the sides

Old lanterns

They seem to grow their own food

Coconut leaves are being used

Reminds me of the childhood house

Black headed oriole, rather Kaha Kurulla to me

Indian Paradise flycatcher

Ceylon Paradise flycatcher faraway

Up close

Familiar birds too

Clamorous reed warbler

Silhouette of a bird

Birds are in abundance around here

Here’s the star of the day

Golden fronted leafbird

These 3 kept going in and out of the hollow

Shaking the feathers; guess the hollow is full of water

Gorgeous creature

Another Kaha Kurulla

They are coming in numbers

Flower of a corn

Strawberry colored blonde

Unknown one to me

Tiny pond

Getting ready to sleep

Through the trees

Either side

Wow

The lagoon to the left

And to the right

Faraway boat right under the sun

Gone…

Endless railway line towards Chilaw

Enjoy the Panos to accompany this episode. I only managed 3 of them this time and will bring more next time.

P.S. I’m a stranger when it comes to birds’ names. So correct me if I’ve got those names wrong and try to name the ones without a name too please.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

The route map – Green first part, Purple second part

This was a once in a life time trip and I wanted it to be a spectacular one. When one is in a romantic mood its always best to stay close to mother nature and far away from the busy world. This is what we did in our little paradise nation within 10 days. So let the pictures say our story. Our first and second day of relaxation was at Back of beyond Kahandamodara. This was absolutely the paradise we searched for. Two days of perfect harmony with many activities to pass ones time like boat rides in lagoons, cycling and etc. Thanks Yohan for building such a lovely place. The staff was simply the best; you don’t get good guys like them at 5 start hotels.

our paradise at Kahandamodara

Beautifuly blended with nature

The new Sandy at Kahandamodara

we took a cycle tour to the beach on the evening after arrival and it was rewarding

day 2 we took a boat ride in Kalamatiya lagoon which was full

these guys charge Rs 2500 for a full tour

lovely

the largest king fisher in SL

few Indian darters

plenty of LW ducks

great hide out for birds

next we visited Wehera 9 dhageba

BOB Kalametiya was round the corner so paid a visit there too

View from BOB Kalametiya

the lovely beach

ha ha we rode bicycles and also trishaws

that evening we took another boat ride in Kahandamodara lagoon

Keran koku which we had as lunch

this is fed by urubokka oya

lagoon flora

endless scenery

looking back towards gongala

where salt water meets fresh water

back to routine

here it goes

the huge grass land near BOB Kahandamodara adjoining the lagoon, this is a nice place to explore

plenty of these guys

yummy

a BBQ night

these two were wonderful chaps

After a two night stay we left towards Hambanthota and after going in circles we reached the newly opened dry zone botanical garden at Mirijjawela. Since the walk was a 5Km one we decided to hire a golf cart for 500/=(per hr) and wonder around. This ride was an interesting one and our knowledgeable driver did his best to explain us about all the different kind of plants. For me the best section was the plant house with hundreds of cactus plants. From here we took the road through Mattala to Thanamalwila.

Newly opened dry zone botanical garden

the herbal section

inside these there are many orchids

they come in white

and purple

dried out artificial lake

imitating Peradeniya walking path

these were blooming everywhere

a lake with water

the driver took the pic

landscaped

oh my god

so many varieties

Our next stop was Buduruwagala and from there we went towards Maligawila. After hanging around Maligawila we had a nice orange juice and took an unplanned visit to ancient Galtemmandiya temple. To reach Galtemmandiya one needs to go along Okkampitiya road and just before Maligawila there is a board put up by Uva tourist board on the left hand side. That day we ended our tour at my luxurious resting place at Monaragala.

main statue at Buduruwagala

some paint and plaster still remains

appreciating ancient sculpture

path towards Maligawila

the large Dhambegoda bodhisatva statue

a guard stone

tallest ancient buddha statue in SL

he has learned how to open a tap

Flower alter

all these sculptures were done by crystallized lime stone

a serpent eagle

Galtemmandiya ancient temple

a korawak stone

siripatula

Paddyfilds of Okkampitiya

On day 4 we left Monaragala early in the morning and reached Dehigaha Ela at around 12pm. This again like Kahandamodara was another paradise and we were going to stay there for two awesome nights. After having a quick tour around we hired a safari jeep to take us to Minneriya park where we were greeted by hundreds of elephants who were grazing around. We were also lucky enough to note Enigma the tusker in action.

our destination

Sepalika cottage at dehigaha ela

In the wilderness

off we go in search of elephants

this one scared us

dried out reservoir

they were busy

majestic Enigma

playful

running to mama

milk time

minneri tank

few open bills

three musketeers

flying pelican

we got some help

view from Pahala thilkote lake while returning back

a mugger we noticed at Sigiriya Diya agala

On day 5 we left towards Pidurangala and climbed on top of the windy rock. Most of the time we were crawling around to prevent been blown away. After returning back from Pidurangala we had a nice bath at Dehigaha ela and did some archeology and bat cave exploration that evening. Day 6 we returned back to Chilaw and day 7 was the rest day.

Good morning at Dehigaha ela

the pink lotus

many species were hunting for honey

husband on duty

a common Lora

what beautiful tree house

Steps at Pidurangala

Pagoda at Pidurangala

a kutiya

buddha statue just before the summit

Summit of pidurangala with two pagodas

what a scenery

towards Ritigala

endless view

Minneriya reservoir

the minneriya national park

the colours were superb

framed rock

many travelers climbing the rock

it was windy

towards arangala and menikdena

I love this one

Pano towards Ritigala

Pano towards Sigiriya

another frame

We stayed at the family cottage on the next day

spacious place

Kiri oya

Dehigaha ela meeting kiri oya

endemic

I call this fellow the dry zone crow because they are so common

view from the top of bat cave

on the way to the bat cave

the bat cave where once monks meditated

he was busy

found some time to spend at the natural fish spa

Gal Pandiyas loving my feet

On day 8 both of us wanted to do some trekking so we took a bus to Kalupahana. But it was a day with continuous rain and we were kept indoors at Bambarakanda rest for most of the day. Finally we got a window of 2hours without showers so we walked along the Ohiya road and descended to the top of the full flowing Bambarakanda falls. From there we visited Lanka ella and returned back to the cottage in pouring rain

a gloomy day at kalupahana

wow full flow during the dry season lucky us

on the way scenery along ohiya road

playful doggy

Idalgasinna covered in mist

scenery just before V cut

view from the pines plot

plunging down

Top of Bambarakanda fall

side view

on the way to lanka ella

lower lanka ella cascade

lanka ella

Bambarakanda while raining

splendid view from bambarakanda rest

Next day morning the sun shined brightly and we asked Mrs Mayakaduwa to arrange a guide to take us to Uduwara and Nagadowa falls. Thanks to the previous days shower the cascades were decent in water levels. After returning to Bambarakanda rest Mrs. Mayakaduwa arranged us some lunch and a trishaw to Horton plains via Haputhale.

next day scenery from Lampuwatta while trekking to nagadowa falls

towards lower ohiya

both falls together

met it by chance

Uduwara falls

Nagadow falls blessed with the previous day showers

lower part of nagadowa

wow

view from haputhale while traveling on trishaw

cascade found close to boralanda

We reached Horton plains at around 2pm and we completed the circular trail in 2 ½ hours. We were blessed with the weather and the windy nature kept the worlds end clear. From Horton plains we went towards Nuwara eliya and on the 10^th day we returned back home to end our memorable trip. Within few days with plenty of time to relax we did manage to visit different types of geographical locations like beeches, national parks, waterfalls, mountains etc. This was a perfect trip for us and was just the type of outing both of us expected.

we reached the plains

the friendly guy

one of those shots

ashoka

chimmney pool

and it flows

it was bit lonely

leg of mutton pool

Slab rock falls

Bakers in full flow

close up

plenty of these

Young belihul oya

love the colours

the famous drop

non perial estate

the not so fascinating view

Samanala wewa and the mountain with mana is Adara kanda

Gommolli and balathoduwa peaks

a darker version

not my beard

I always love the view from Mini worlds end rather than the greater one

flower of seetha pera

in to the forest

reaching the end of the circular trail which took only 2 and a half hours

finally met a pack of them

good bye misty plains

This was our second visit to Kumana National Park. From the first visit back in 2012, I fell in love with the magnificent and unspoiled wilderness of Kumana. It truly deviates from overcrowded Yala NP and has an amazing calm and relaxing environment. We had to plan well in advance based on the experiences from our first visit (Will also upload that trip on a later day). All the bookings for camp sites and jeeps were made at least a month earlier.

We started our journey around 4.30am. It was a one long drive of around 300 km. However the drive was rather comfortable as great road conditions existed throughout the whole drive. At around 1.30 pm we reached Panama and met with Chanaka and Senaka. We left our Van at a place recommended by Senaka and got into the jeeps.

Getting ready with provisions

We had our lunch near Lahugala

Starting our Journey from Panama

Wildlife on the Way…!

We were lucky to see a herd of elephants on the way to our campsite

A usual customer

This one was very large and very serious

It was late in the evening when we reached eda kumbuka 01 campsite. The sight and setting of the site was stunningly beautiful. The Beautiful Kumbukkan oya was lazily flowing. I have stayed both at the Moya Kata and Gal Amuna in the previous occasion but I believe this site is the best camp site due to its serene location.

We set up our tents on the river bed and quickly collected firewood for cooking and the campfire. We had a cool dip in the river and had our dinner quickly.

First Night in the campsite..

By 11pm the moon was shining and it was truly a magnificent view. Sand on the river bed was gleaming in white in the moon light we could see at least a 500m along the river. We were mesmerized with the sight that sleep never came to us.

Day 2

We started our morning visit very early. We were able to see wild buffalos, coyotes, elephant and lots of bird life. But we weren’t able to see any leopards or bears.

Posing Nicely

Senaka’s Jeep visible from our Jeep

Just like an Ostrich

A relaxing Family

Majestic isn’t it?…

In for the Morning Feast

This one was special as I saw it for the first time in my life

Majestic…

Our Temporary Residences on the river bed

Relaxing

Time for our chefs to show their colours

Feels Heavenly

After the morning visit we returned to the campsite and started preparing meals for lunch. Then it was time for the grand bath. We spent nearly 3 hours in the river and it was so relaxing. No sounds of dreaded mechanical buses, cars, trains, planes. Or even sounds of those shrieking lottery huts. The only sounds were coming from birds and monkeys and occasionally from large animals. What comes into our mind is a true feel of relief which is ideal medicine to relieve ourselves.

We made an evening safari visit returned back to our campsite for spending the night. And it was time to be back in the water

Tents and the Campfire in the night

This is a shot taken in the night in the moonlight. Do you see how bright the moonlight is..?

It dead in the night and you are seeing river was glowing in the Moonlight…

Morning Comes and still there is moon

Taken with my Tokina 11-16 f2.8 Wide angle lens

Doing the final Cleaning up

Finally it was time to say goodbye to Edakumbuka. We had our morning meals, packed all our belongings to the jeeps and started the long way back to the entrance.

Our Crew

Sights on the way back

On the way back we paid a visit to the Okanda Devalaya and Kudumbigala ancient Monastry and made our retrn journey via Monaragala, bibila, kandy and Kurunegala. This was one of the best journeys I made in our lives.

More wildlife on the way back

Kudumbigala

Kudumbigala ancient Inscriptions

Climbing up..

Surrounding views from the top of Kudumbigala

Fishing boats in Potuvil

Scenes around Bibila

Bibila beautiful and Lush