Hi everyone! Hope you guys and gals are doing great and had a fabulous New Year. Anyway by the time you read this, it must be way past New Year, probably Vesak Festival as well. So let’s get on with the story. I guess the topic might have given you a clue as to what this is about. It all started with the holidays when I got a full week off but had nothing to do. All my traveling buddies were busy with the New Year preparations making it impossible for them to do any hikes.

This is when Ana called and asked if I would like to join him for a hike. Well, this is what you call being lucky and without so much as a second thought I jumped in. Well what would you do if it turned out to be a journey which you had done twice before within the last year? I don’t think many would have been fancy to take on that offer but not me. I don’t mind visiting the same place over and over again because everytime it’s a different experience. After all, we eat the same thing again and again, do the same boring things day after day so why not see and visit the same place every now and then, I keep asking myself.  So when he suggested to do the Kirigalpoththa Trail once again (for the third time within a year), I felt elated quite different from many others.

Day 01

So we set off on the wee hours of 11 April on our journey with plans to visit many other places. However unlike all our other journeys, we didn’t have a proper plan in place. We had three key places to visit but other than Kirigalpoththa, the rest was very sketchy. This time we had two other companions, Fritz (novice hiker), one of Ana’s friends and a naturao cum veterinary, Dr. Deepani, joining for the hike. We all got together and left for Kalugala around 4am.

Tour Highlights:

1. Laxapana Ella, Koththellena.
2. Rozella.
3. Kirigalpoththa, Horton Plains.
4. Aberdeen Ella, Kalaweldeniya.
5. Martin Air Memorial, Norton Bridge.
6. Norton Pond, Norton Bridge.
7. Castlereigh Dam & Reservoir, Norwood.
8. Sunset from Rozella.

Ok, here we go but not before we have some breakfast. Weerasiri Cafe passing Miriswatte on A4 before Avissawella is a good place to have a meal and they open by 5am.

Laxapana Ella

We reached Kalugala where the right turn will take you along B189 towards Norton and Maskeliya. However this forks once again after 1-2km at Bodhigira Junction. Check my report, Waterfall Festival, for more information and higher water levels. We took the right, rather straight road that goes via Polpitiya, Hangarapitiya and Koththellena. The condition of the road is terrible and better to stay away if you go in a car or similar vehicle. Alternatively you can take the left road (B189 – Kithulgala-Norton Bridge Road) which goes via Kehelwarawa, Morahenagama, Laxapana and Kiriwaneliya. This will circle around and then come to Koththellena.

However, the Koththellena lower road is very scenic compared to the other as it goes keeping the Seven Virgins to the right along the base. We reached Koththellena and took the cement steps to the left that lead to the base of the falls. You will also see the memorial located before Koththellena commemorating the victims of Martin Air but we didn’t bother to stop and I visited it during my previous visit.

Total Length – About 750m to the base.

Elevation Difference – 236m (877m – 641m)

GPS Location – Latitude 6.90047 // Longitude 80.50023

The cement steps are fully completed now with a hand railing making it easy. The steepness is so much and one would really appreciate it. Unfortunately the water levels were not so great but the relatively thin streak of water greatly enhanced the sheer height of her. Well, unlike last time, I could get to closer to the base. Here you go and look at the pictures.

Breath-taking…

Rugged looking Seven Virgins

Here we are

Have to go down

The top

Last time, it was fully covered with water

Long and silky

Shallow base pool

Very tall and long legged

Rocky top

The base

Very little water to speak of

Portrait

Searching for breakfast

The steps

Red

Oh, hello!

Very tasty

Rozella

We took our leave and had a quick cup of plain tea flavored with ginger before heading to our base, Ana’s Nest in Rozella. After a wash, we sat down for a sumptuous meal. You wanna know what we had, don’t you? Well, here we go. See if you would like to have a similar meal.

Couldn’t have asked for more

We all were dog tired, especially Ana, having driven all the way since the early hours. So, a bellyful meal was followed by a short nap. It was a treat to have been able to get away from the blood boiling heat of Colombo. It’s like being roasted on a spit over a never-ending fire.

After a dreamless sleep, a hot coffee was in order. Then it was time for some exercises for the lazy muscles. So we hit the estate road which is ideal for an afternoon stroll. The lush green tea plants smiled with us while a couple of birds sang to us. Most important of all, the Most Sacred Mountain looked upon us over the hills giving the blessings. About 100m into the walk, we came across a scary thing. Can you guess what it is? Probably Tony guessed it correct. It’s the terrifying sight of leopard pooh, grrrrrr. Just imagine having to witness leopard pooh so close to our home. We were thrilled and sacred at the same time.

The circular trail is closer to 1.5km and we took our time to enjoy the scenery and take in the mountain air to our tired and poisoned lungs. I guess it’s time you saw the pictures without me keeping you waiting from this awesome sight. Go on, enjoy them folks!

Our home

Where I slept

Many of them

Oh, where did it spring from?

Ana taking a pic of leopard poo. This was only about 100m from our home

Dark clouds threatening us

Typical estate work

Not a healthy looking tea estate

There’s Sri Pada

What a lovely picture it makes

Hey!	Posing for the pic

The night slowly befell upon us bringing the dark from all over with a chilly wind forcing us indoors. There was a necklace of pearls glittering in the dark. I was worried somebody might steal it but I shouldn’t have for it was the lights flickering along the Hatton route to the pointed summit of Sri Pada. Would you like to see what it is like? Don’t let me stop you, go savor it.

The necklace of pearls

Closer

The dinner tasted even better. A warm and a comfortable bed was waiting for me for which I duly obliged. Through the window I could see the diamond necklace hanging in the air. The sleep slowly took over my body and took it away to a faraway land for the night.

Nutritious

Day 02

Getting up at 3am out of a comfy and warm bed needs a lot of persuasion. The sleeping angels flatly refused to let me go but there was an even better girl summoning me. So I pushed the blanket out of the way and found Ana already up and about. A strong black coffee with a punchy sugar boost got me out of my trance and we got busy preparing for the big journey. Fritz had never been to the Kirigalpoththa before so this was a big moment for him. Dr. Deepani had been there a long time ago so this was as good as going for the first time.

Chick Peas was boiling in the pot and we were waiting for the eggs to make sandwiches. It was like an anthill everyone busily chipping in. Finally we got everything nice and tidy before leaving our home around 4.30am, a good half hour later than we liked. However we didn’t know at the time that it would cost us dearly and cause some uncomfort at the end. Driving in the early morning feeling the chill in our bones is not a healthy experience so we kept the windows up and close.

Kirigalpoththa Trail

It was around 6.30am when we arrived at the ticket counter to find the parking area is full of vehicles. Every one of them had foreigners except us. We were the only local group and thanks to Dr. D’s prompt action, we managed to get the tickets soon. On the way to the main car park, we saw a little Sambar was being fed by its mother but the little fella was right under the mother Sambar’s tummy making it impossible to get a clear picture.

At 6.58am, we arrived at the car park and got down to work on the boiled and tempered Chick Peas. Having made a big dent in the portion, we got ready to begin the hike. Having shown our permit and the bags to the checking counter, we hit the trail just before 7.30am, still that half hour late. Just remember to inform the checking counter of your destination as it’d make things easier should you happen to come across any misfortune. Also, it’s imperative you inform them after the journey of your safe return. So, enough of all that, let’s make a move. Oh, forgot to tell you that this was my 20th visit to the Horton Plains since 2000. Well, little did I know that I’d get to celebrate it in an unprecedented way.

Windmills in Ambewela

Zoomed

Sun struggling to come out

Finally out on the cotton wool sky

We were waiting for the tickets

Do you see the Sri Pada?

If you look closer, there’s the cub underneath feeding

And they ran away

Good Morning!

Beautiful landscapes

Breakfast

Climbing Uphill

It’d been raining heavily over the past few days, especially in the evenings. The grassy bit of trail was like a sponge cake as a result. The invasive Eulex plants seemed to have grown further. About a 100m-stretch of the trail is now nearly blocked by them making the hikers to take a detour around them. This is worse than a cancer. I can remember in the past there were projects carried out by schools, environmental groups, etc. to remove them and their efforts paid dividends. Apparently it’s the time once again somebody did something to combat this problem. Well, here is something the Lakdasun can do for our next project similar to the one we did at Muthurajawela. This is gonna be even more important.

The Sambars kept roaming around us but keeping their distance. Agra Bopath looked greener than ever while the rest of the plains were colored with many shades of green, yellow, brownish red and the blue sky with cotton wool sky completed the show. We encountered our first and only leopard pooh passing through the first forest patch. “Tony would have loved it”, said Ana. The path was soggy in many places and we got our shoes muddy. We then came to the big stream that flows across the path and rested for a while.

Crossing it presented many problems as she had more water than my previous visits. After maneuvering a bit, we crossed over to the other side and started the walk along the path bordered by the tiny bamboo plants. Now the sun was fully up and had started lighting up the open terrain. However he failed to bring about the freshness of the real Horton Plains due to the continuous rains. That gloominess hung in the air so thick you could have leaned on it. The forest paths were soggy and darker than my previous two visits. Nearly all of the Nelu trees were gone with their colorful flowers. Nevertheless, the odd ones still kept trying to defy the nature.

Ok, Ana found it was easy to practice his triple jumps this time as there were plenty of muddy patches to cross. Fritz, the novice hiker, kept motivating us when it should have been the other way around. Dr. D had no problem at all to encounter the difficulties and looking back, I feel it was me who found it tougher despite having been here twice before. We arrived at the base of the Kirigalpoththa around 10am, having made very good ground. We were feeling mighty hungry and decided to work on the egg sandwiches before the final push. Until we do that, you enjoy the pictures up to now. It’d been nice had we more sandwiches to share with you but we have about 16 of them (barely enough for us). So it’s better you find something to eat before coming for the last bit.

The Farr Inn

We’re on the way

Eulex covered with dew

See the color combination

A group of them far away

This is some medicinal plant, I’ve forgotten the name

Here our path, Agra Bopath to the right

Red

Dead tree arts

With the half moon

One and only leopard poo we saw

Reflection

Can you read the insignia? It’s Fly Dubai

The popular stream

Well?

Here shooting away

One of my favorite things to photograph

Crossed the stream

Pinky

Miles of open terrain

Saw something similar during Maliboda Trail

Butter Cup – Another invasive plant despite the sweet look

Triple jump champion getting warmed up

Orchids

Wow	Plenty of little bamboo

Path through them

Not Gotukola

Spiky, this actually helped us fasten a torn sleeve

There goes Ana, the first jump

I guess I told you that I like them

Agra Bopath

Some more

Different one

The usual Bovitiya

He was too fast for the camera

Jumped

Pair of them

Some more

Mushroom tree

Looks like jelly, ain’t it?

Before the steep part

“Alright, let’s make a move”, said Fritz and make a move was we did. The lime flavored drink gave us a liquid boost after a hearty meal. We started the climb. The path was overgrown but not impassable. Now that we were in the steep stretch, going was very slow with continuous breaks. The higher we climbed, the better the view became making us yearn to get to the top. Finally we arrived at the first observation point about 150-200m before the summit. Remember, here is in fact the best view point. The summit doesn’t have much of a view of the surroundings. We stopped for some water and a few massaging minutes for our feet.

Dozens of pictures were taken but as I said earlier, the views were not top of the range yet enough for the casual observer. Thick grey clouds loomed in the distance obscuring the sun and the view. We decided to make it to the summit without wasting much time. We chose as usual the path along the forest, not the risky one along the rocky ledge.

It took us about 15 mins to get to the top. The summit covered with tiny guava trees doesn’t offer much view but you won’t be disappointed, lemme assure you. Fritz and Dr. D were over the moon while Ana looked on as if this is sometimes he does every other day. We all sat around the summit for a group picture. The gong of the Dayagama Factory could be heard and we all decided not to be late to get down. So after the photographic session, we decided to call it a day and head down.

Up we go

View getting clearer

Lovely

I simply love this too

This fellow was very tiny, smaller than a 25-cent coin (if you remember that coin)

“Sudu Binara” endemic plant

The path goes around

Slab Rock Falls can be seen if you look closer to the right

Waiting for us

Our destination

Closer

Here we are at the first viewing point

Dark clouds somewhat ruined the beauty

Here’s the rocky slope

Those guavas are very tasty if you happen to find a ripe one

Once again

To the peak

Looking back

Here comes

Here we are

View all around

The team at the summit, look at Fritz who kept imitating Usain Bolt. Pic by. Ana

We met another group of people coming up as we were climbing down. There must have been a dozen or so guys laboring up. The clouds kept getting thicker and darker warning about the imminent rains. We decided to step up the pace because if rained, those soggy and muddy stretches will be even more difficult to cross. We came up to the main stream without a problem and stopped for about 10 mins to get our breath. This break too cost us some vital time. About a little over half km, without any more rumbling, it started to rain.

We had no choice but to keep going. Dr. D produced an umbrella (don’t know how she managed that) and Fritz had his jacket which was waterproof. I too had flimsy remains of a disposable raincoat which I borrowed from Amila during Eli Hatha. It kept the upper body away from the rains but Ana got wet as he had no protection. The rain kept up until we reached the safety of Farr Inn around 2.20pm. It was that half hour delay that cost us and made us wet. So it’s really important on days like these to start and finish as early as possible. I went and informed the checking counter about our return before heading to our vehicle. There was a homeless Sambar (probably chased away from the house by his wife) begging for something but we didn’t comply for his disappointment. Showing his back to us, the fella went away trying the rest of the tourists.

Bunch of them

Going down from the first view point

Got lucky to find him

We were there

Rain is imminent and we hurried on

Ready for another jump

Here goes

Kept looking for a Rhino Horned Lizard but none to be found

Bamboo

Back near the stream, it started rain after another 15mins or so

Wet Sambar looking for something to eat

Giving us the tongue

Looking at us from the corner of his eyes

Had enough of us

We drove home and surprisingly there were many more vehicles heading to Horton Plains even after 3.30-4pm. All of them were locals and we kept wondering what they were going to see at that late hour and in heavy rains.

We made it home around 5pm and chatted about the day’s events after a warm bath. I spent a little more time taking the diamond necklace on my lenses which was glittering in the dark. I wish I could be on the summit of Sri Pada then.  The dinner was delicious as usual and we went to sleep after a successful journey. Tomorrow would bring more exciting experiences but let’s see what they are later. Go get some sleep coz my eye lids got some heavy chunks of lead on them and can’t keep them open anymore. Good night folks!

Omelets Pizza, another of our signature dishes

Followed by Dinner

Day 03

Good morning everyone, it’s the New Year eve. You must be busy getting ready for the new year but here we are up and about. It’s just gone 4am and we had our coffee while contemplating the plans for the day. Finally after a few cups of strong and scalding coffee we came to an agreement. We’d go to Aberdeen, Castlereigh and Dickoya Club, in that order. Looks like a good plan, doesn’t it? Well let’s go out and see. But, please wait, we’ve gotta have some breakfast before.

Good Morning Sri Pada!

Closer

Gorgeous sky

Some Kiribath for breakfast

Aberdeen Falls

Ok, we’re ready, if you are. Or should I say something like “Naan Ready – Neenga Rediyah?”. Fritz decided to stay behind and in his words, chill out. Whatever it meant, we decided not to pursue any further and left him to look after the bungalow. We drove to Rozella and then took the Sri Pada Road off A7 at 58th km post. It’s 8km from here to Norton. We turn to the right and drove towards Laxapana. After a short distance is the Kalaweldeniya Road to your right. Take this (unlike the last time closer to 18 months before) carpeted road for about 4-4.5km to reach the falls, rather the trail head.

We met a family of giant squirrels playing around and managed to take a few pictures. After that we arrived at the trail to our right and got down. The path is very steep but thankfully there are cement steps similar to Laxapana but not the same quality. Laxapana path is maintained properly as there are houses along it. It’s completely the opposite at Aberdeen with no houses anywhere near. Leeches kept slithering around the cement steps hoping for a free meal. They in fact managed to suck a decent amount of blood out of us.

Not being able to take it nice and slow was really tough due to them. To make matters worse, the not-so-used path was slippery as well. We treaded carefully not wanting to end up at a hospital when the New Year was at the door frame. I can still remember how it was like last time. The villagers then claimed it was the highest amount of water in decades while the roar of the waterfall could be heard so far up the path.  We finally arrived at the viewing point and decided to roam around. She’s as tall as Laxapana with very little water.

The eroded rocky surface almost looked pre-historic with many strange shapes and colors. Fierce sun made it quite uncomfortable especially to take pictures. After a while, as if heard our pleas, he hid behind a thick cloud giving us a more appropriate window both to photograph and enjoy. Amid vivid colors, she looked absolutely stunning falling like silk to the base pool. This is what I usually refer as kissable. We spent as long as we could enjoy this beauty unfolding before us. Finally, it was time for us to go see what other nearby attractions were. Good bye sweet heart and you can bet last drop of your water that I would be back.

Oh hello!

Looking for his partner

Got irritated by our intrusion

Just look at the amount of water when this was taken – We saw a similar view but didn’t have a chance to picture like this

Viewing platform, last time it was impossible to get to it

Ooops

This is nothing at all compared to last time

Hitting the base

Portrait

The top

The base

Look at the eroded rocky surface

This one is normally known as “Thal Ataya”

Alien?

Any idea what this is?

Whatever it is, a good actor coz now it’s pretending to be dead

Well not really

Martin Air Memorial & the Norton Pond

We retraced the route and arrived at Norton Bridge. Ana wanted to fill the diesel and I took the liberty of wondering about. First I saw the Memorial of the DC-10 tragedy which occurred more than three decades ago. One of the tires is placed by the road to commemorate the 191 lives that were lost in one of the worst aviation disasters near the police station. There are many stories about the incident and I don’t think this is the time to go into them. Just take a look at it from my angle coz I’m sure most of you must have come across this either in person or through a similar post. After that, come let’s go see the Norton Pond. Now don’t get alarmed if you haven’t heard the name. Those who have passed through Norton Bridge must have seen this without knowing the real name. So if this is new to you, lemme do the introduction.

“Facts about the Norton Pond…

Owner: CEB

Purpose: Hydropower Generation

Type: Concrete Gravity

Power Generation: 50 MW

Dam Crest Level: 873.00 masl

Dam Crest Length: 103m

Full Supply Level: 866.85 masl

Minimum Operating Level: 863.80 masl

Storage (at FSL): 0.39 MCM

Surface Area: 0.15 sq. km

Catchment Area (Direct): 19.4 sq. km

Construction Started: 1924

Construction Completed: 1948 Sep”

This is something new for me. It looked nice and placid. This is fed by the excess water from the Castlereigh Reservoir. After a few minutes, we left along Hatton Road parallel to the water stream which feeds the Norton Pond hoping to see Castlereigh Dam & Reservoir. First, enjoy the pictures of Norton Pond.

Here it is

More than 4 decades ago

Click image to enlarge

The Dam

Closer

Through the spill gates

Where water is released when it’s too much

Good looking

Time to go

But not before this

Castlereigh Dam & Reservoir

We drove along the road which ran through tea estates. Every house looked busy with New Year preparations and there was hardly any other vehicle. The kids were playing around but stopped for a while to wave at us. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Passing Osborne Estate, we finally arrived at the Castlereigh Dam. Letting Ana drive along, I got off deciding to walk along the dam. There are remains of army check points and sandbagged bunkers, signs of the difficulty time we all faced.

Places like these were out of bounds for the general public in the past and taking pictures was just a dream but not anymore. I enjoyed every inch of the over 100m dam taking picture after picture. The reservoir looked huge and the colors were simply mesmerizing. I heard that the water of most reservoirs is green due to the fast growing algae. Their growth has increased by many times due to the excessive usage of fertilizers for the farms and tea estates. Those fertilizers reach the reservoirs having washed down with the rains. See what you think about this.

We then drove on and before merging with the Bogawanthalawa-Hatton Road, we stopped to take pictures of an ancient looking church. Ana had been to it before but wanted to take a few pictures from where we were. This is the Christ Church, Warleigh, Dickoya. Here they are for you to enjoy.

On the dam

The excess water goes to Norton Pond

Closer look

Is that an elevator?

Lush greenery

It doesn’t apply anymore

The greenish slime I told you about

Endless

Probably used by the CEB

Green all around including water

Hatton-Osborne bus

There’s a beautiful and old church near here

Up there

Can you see?

There it is, couldn’t visit this time but maybe later

This is the Christ Church, Warleigh, Dickoya

Our next stop was Dickoya Club which had been built during the colonial era. Unfortunately they were closed for the New Year until the 16 April. So we had to turn around with nothing to show for the trouble.

Very old club. Pic by Ana

On our way, we passed the Hatton town bustling with people. We managed to make it home just before 1pm and found Fritz been busy drying out the wet clothes and shoes from Kirigalpoththa. Lunch was delicious and we wanted another map before anything. Don’t worry; you will see the pics of our Japanese styled cuttlefish dish too. Now that my Bundy is full, I’m gonna take a nap and suggest you do the same before coming back. Let’s see what the evening would bring.

Japanese styled cuttle fish

Followed by lunch

And the dessert

Sunset from Rozella

I woke to find the mist had been and left. There was a bit of it stubbornly hanging in the air. I came out to find Ana already up and the inevitable cup of coffee in hand. It was closer to 5pm. After a few minutes, we decided to go for an evening stroll. The chill clung to our bare skin lovingly as we walked along. Seven Virgins were to our immediate right but it was the sight of Sri Pada in the evening that stole our breath.

The sky was so colorful, with yellow, orange, crimson and purple mixed in a way that looked like a professional artist had been working with his crayons hard. To the edge of the Seven Virgins sun began his descend after a busy day and the clouds were illuminated by the final rays. We were mesmerized by what we saw. Apparently you don’t necessarily have to be on top a mountain or at a beach to witness a beautiful sunset. I saw a similar one between Palmadulla & Ratnapura when returning after a journey. Well, I’ll let you see what we experienced without a delay. However, just remember it’s nowhere near like you see it with your own eyes.

Going for an evening walk

Sun setting slowly

Cloudy and colorful sky

Almost dark

Seven Virgins beyond

At the last bit

Closer

Let’s go

The Best Mountain in the World

Can you see the tiny blood ready pearl?

Look at this

Amazing, ain’t it?

Ok, have to go now

We came back home and sat down for yet another delicious dinner. Gosh, the New Year is almost on top of us but we needed the beauty of our sleep. The lights of Hatton Trail looked more beautiful when I hit the bed. Before I go to dreamland, lemme wish you all a very happy new year full of safe and happy traveling.

Tiny peals hung in the air

Closer

Our dinner

Day 04

Good morning and happy New Year once again guys! I’m really excited coz the New Year is always a great time. We got busy with making breakfast as the Nonagathaya started at 7.23am. We all wanted to be home before the New Year Dawn around 1pm. We prepared or rather invented a new kind of burger. Kurakkan mixed Roti Burger with Omelet and Dates Chutney. Packing it, we left our home for the past four days, Ana’s Nest around 6am. Well, lemme show you our new invented recipe.

Giant omelet

Kurakkan Roti

Ready to make burgers

We had our breakfast on the way before 7.23am duly obliging the rituals. The road was so isolated save for the odd vehicle with tourists going probably to Nuwara Eliya. There were firecrackers going off all along. Finally, we arrived home around 9.30am well before the rest of the auspicious times.

So, there ends Sri’s another fairy tale. Well I’ve got a couple of Panos as well.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Hope you had a grand New Year and ready to face the rest of it positively. The next fairy tale will be about our heritage so be ready for something spectacular.

Take care and keep traveling. This is Sri saying goodbye.

Map around Kumana – click to enlarge

Map around Lahugala – click to enlarge

Though I have been to Kumana twice and visited many interesting locations I did miss out on Bambaragasthalawa site. So with my wife I took off towards Kumana on a late afternoon. Our first stop was at Panama Lake. We took the road which led towards Wedagama Lake. At the border of Panama lake there was a road to the left and that ended at Panama RMV which is in ruins. The monk who was residing there was not available at that moment so we walked around a bit and returned to the lake which is famous for its bird and Croc life.

this sign is found at the beginning at Wedegama lake road

Panama ancient temple

inscription

stairway to the top of Balumgala

art of mother nature

Panama lake

bit hazy

Whistling ducks

type of karawila

beauty

From Panama we headed towards Kumana and we didn’t forget to stop here and there to enjoy a random elephant and a herd of deer of Panama – Kudumbigala NP. Before reaching Kumana we came across Weheragama Kovil where we did stop to climb the road side rock. On top of this there were ruins of a pagoda and there were many other ruins scattered everywhere which signifies that this must have been once a hermitage. After having some “dane” which was offered to us we headed to Kumana. At Kumana we inquired about the route to Bambaragasthalawa and no one could answer us properly luckily Rajitha was aware about the route since he was the only one who had been there for the whole year.

Weheragama gana devi kovil

Weheragama pagoda

stairway to the pagoda

kema

ruins

traversing the park which doesnt have any jeep tracks

different ethnicity

a kite

With Rajitha we took off on a less muddy route (took a road to the right somewhere passing yoda lipa) and few Km’s along the lonely road disaster struck.. We got stuck in mud hole and the differential was knocking on the ground. It took 1 ½ hours to recover ourselves and continue on our journey to Bambaragasthalawa. This route is a very lonely 8Km stretch and if something happens you won’t receive help as fast as you expect. Finally we reached Bambaragasthalawa and we were surrounded by many rocky hills on either side. Each of these had prominent caves on them too. After a 500m walk we reached the main cave with the statue. It was a huge reclining statue just as seen at Pidurangala, Tarulengala, Mailla & Hebessa. Sadly the head part had been vandalized by treasure hunters. This must have been a majestic hermitage in the past. One could still appreciate the lime plaster and the excellent craftsmanship of this sculpture though it has been vandalized. Bambaragasthalawa is known to be one of the highest points at Kumana and we did manage to climb up on a rock and enjoy the fascinating view.

national pride

where we got stucked

what a helpful guy was this Rajitha

harvesting minerals

our destination

Bambaragasthalawa cave

full circumference drip ledge

the large statue

another view

another cave

an inscription

a kema

view from the rock surface

kudumbigala seen from bambaragasthalawa

another cave seen far away

serpant eagle

From Bambaragasthalawa we returned back to the main safari track and decided to head towards Thunmulla Lake and do a wild life safari though it was not in our plans. And the safari was very rewarding. We spotted almost all of those mammals except the leopard. The best was the Bear who were playing hide and seek with us somewhere close to Yoda lipa. The best thing is there are no troublemakers like in Yala and Wilpattu we could enjoy the nature as we wish without been bothered by anyone. On that day we didn’t come across any other safari jeep. When we exited the park it was close to 6 and if it wasn’t for Rajitha the tracker we would have been still stuck in Kumana. He was a lovely and very helpful chap and if you go there try and get his guidance. At Okada we climbed up on the rock to enjoy a lovely sun set before heading back towards Monaragala. On our way we had to stop on few occasions to let the Elephants pass by on their natural path. When we reached Monaragala it was close to 9pm that day.

ducks

deadly

wild boars

thug life

lots of them

those antlers

wow	chest nut headed bee eater

Bagure

bagure rock

those landscape shots

Thunmulla lake

croc at thunmulla

sleeping like a log

lonely duck

jacana

majestic

ah playing hide and seek

malabar hornbill

that jump

one of those bulls

hawk eagle

approaching a dead dog

trying to see if its a live

and it started feasting

view from okanda

end of a day

okada devalaya

lovely sun set

obstacles along the road

On day 2 I decided to do a wildlife safari at Lahugala though I have traveled many times passing this NP I have never set the foot in it. Before reaching Lahugala we stopped by at the edge of tank to snap few ducks. At around 3pm we entered the park close to the park office. We first headed towards Kitulana tank. There is an elevated rock where you could have a lovely view towards the tank. From here we then proceeded towards the proposed camp site at Lahugala which is a rocky plateau. We were told by the ranger that they were going to build a tree house type camp site at this location. This is indeed a lovely location for birding. From here we headed towards the spill where the Lahugala wild life bungalow once stood now only ruins of it could be seen. We were told that it was also going to be restored in near future. We did walk a bit on the bund but since the water levels were high we couldn’t capture any elephants clearly. From here we took another route and exited the park close to the tank – main road border and ended our brief visit to Lahugala NP. These were two pending adventures in my list and I’m happy that I fulfilled my dream.

Serpent eagle having an ahetulla as lunch

Lahugala tank as seen from the road

friends

lot of ducks = godak

lesser whistling ducks

flying away

Ele’s enjoying Beru

lovely

hungry sun bird

purple heron

ah found these guys at Lahugala too

inside the park

the view point at kitulana lake

kitulana lake

Green bee eater

Lahugala tank as seen from the proposed camp site

proposed camp site

spoonbills

Indian Pipit

lovely location near the camp site

mushroom life

hawk eagle

look at those those muscles

we drove over this

the tank

the bund

lovely creation

ah didnt forget to capture them

evening rays

more ducks

නැට්ට කොටා

ah we took off before he came

submerged

Malabar hornbill

where we exited

free of charge bird observation point

Map around palatupana – click to enlarge

This was a special journey because this was my first ever wild life safari to Yala. Though I have been to Yala on foot during the Pada yathra walk, I always wanted to do a safari too. I was invited by Sheham who was a good friend I met because of Lakdasun and I happily joined him on this venture. This was really a relaxing journey. On day one we hanged around the bungalow enjoying the bird life of Palatupana and on day two we roamed around Palatupana and Nimalawa seeking for more bird life. And on the evening of the second day we did a safari in Yala and spotted many Mammals other than the bear. On the 3^rd day we returned back after a brief morning stay. This would be more of a picture report, so please sit back and enjoy.

a family at palatupana

coastal line of palatupana

note the jaw like rock formation(Shehams find)

drooling

the perfect green tinge

accommodation

two days at this peaceful place

get out of my net

that skull

not mine

i really loved this guy

close up

no more buddy

webbed

wedihiti kanda seen over the salterns

Spoon bills

out of the water and on the salt

crossing each others pathways

bird life

at Palatupana salterns

even tiny guys were clearly seen

barriers

that colour looked so unreal

salterns

shallow and plenty of food

they were disturbed

what a place to hang around

one out of many herons

on the tip

contrast

a busy flock

seagull

and another

the process of hunting

rowing hard

his catch

huge nest over my head

first time i captured this guy

crested hawk eagle

not a krait

rescued it

dropped in at back of beyond yala

disturbed

just like a fish

cactus flower

a sacrum

the black headed guy

mixed together

fishing competition

majestic

big guy at Nimlawa

pelican at Nimalawa

all seats were booked

Receptionist at the entrance of Yala

glimpse of a leopard

spotted you

looks malnourished

obstacles

musth

beware

that bull

a huge heard

close up

roads at that time

eggs to be hatched

whistling ducks

politician and the voters

another one

wild boars

pathana gala

everyone is feeling the heat

not a pretty dance

Bee eater = crow of yala(so common)

athgala

many jumbos

cute hare

photogenic

and more deer

wow

“Alintai, Lamaintai – Naliyantamai Hitha.” (Elephants and Kids are always very playful)

“Ali Belillei, Bali Belillei – Iwarayak Ne.” (One can’t get enough of watching Elephants and Cultural Ritual called ‘Bali’)

I’m sure most of the Sri Lankan, if not all, have heard the above sayings related to elephants or jumbos as many refer to them. They are such lovely creatures of the Mother Nature. I simply can’t get enough of watching them, especially when they are in their natural habitat. Many say they are one of the most intelligent animals in the world and have long memories. Watching them in their home turf is something I really love. My memories of the Maduru Oya Journey still keep me going despite having seen only a few. This time I longed for more jumbos and the Mother Nature had already decided to grant her son’s innocent wishes.

One of my friends is gonna get married in September so he wanted to go on a relaxing journey before his arms and legs are tied. As I’d not been to Udawalawe before, this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. Apparently the scary things bring along good and happy returns with them. So we planned the journey during the Vesak as we all could get away without an issue. However, this time there wasn’t any of my Lakdasun buddies to accompany me. It was just the four of us, my close friends outside Lakdasun. So we all got ready to spend a night at one of national park known to harbor more than 300 jumbos. Our biggest concern, if we’d get a better bungalow.

There are four known bungalows at Udawalawe. They are Seenuggala, Thimbiriya Mankada, Gonawiddagala and Weheragolla. When I visited the Wildlife Department website to make the booking online (this is a great thing introduced by them. It saves so much trouble and painstaking process many undergo until not so long ago), none of those bungalows was available. Gonawiddagala and Thimbiriya Mankada were highly recommended but I had no luck. There was however a fifth option, Pokunuthenna, and it’s not listed in the information page for the bungalows which has photos and accommodation details. I was in two minds whether to cancel our jumbo watching and do something else coz every wildlife bungalow at all the national parks was booked.

This was when one of my friends came to our rescue. She said that I was indeed very lucky to have got the chance to go to Pokunuthenna and it hadn’t been available for booking for some time. So without any more haggling, I went on and did the booking, fingers crossed. The online booking process is very efficient and they even send you a text message with the reference number. You can go back and keep an eye out for the status of the booking as well. So let’s hope we would get a better experience.

Tour Highlights: 

1. Ath Athuru Sevana (Elephant Transit Home), Udawalawe.
2. Udawalawe Reservoir & the Dam.
3. Udawalawe National Park.

The whole country was busy with the preparations for the Vesak while we did the final touches on the planning. This time I was without any of the old and trustworthy traveling companions so everything had to be fixed and looked after by me. It took so much scribbling and changing before I arrived at the food items to be taken to the bungalow. We decided to have only two meals at the bungalow making it easy for planning and taking the food items. The shops would be closed so we bought all the dry rations on the 2 May. Everything was in order when I finally hit the sack on the eve of Vesak.

Day 01

Getting up at 2am, I got ready and joined my friends at the bus stop around 3am. It was another good half hour before an Embilipitiya bus arrived by which time we were ready to go back to sleep on the pavement. The golden plate like moon was high in the sky signaling it was a full moon Poya day. The bus was jam packed with people but we didn’t wanna wait for another and managed to squeeze in. I was hoping to catch up on the lost sleep in the bus but big fat chance I had in the current state. We set off being squashed from all around. We fell asleep standing and hanging from the bars.

After swaying as if in a boat amid a rough sea, we got seats closer to Sankhapala. There were hundreds of white clad devotees at the Sankhapala RMV despite the early hour. Finally, we arrived at the Udawalawe junction just after 7.30am and started our journey towards the reservoir on Thanamalwila Road. From the Udawalawe junction, Elephant Transit Camp is located about 3km away and you could take a Udawalawe bus or anything going along that road which is the Thanamalwila-Thimbolketiya road. However feeling ravenous, we stepped in to a nearby shop which was doing a soaring business of breakfast, rice and curry. After a tiring and sleepless bus ride, a hot meal was just what the doctor ordered so we went in and savored every morsel of our meal. Now let’s do something fruitful than having a plateful of rice.

Elephant Transit Camp aka Ath Athuru Sevana

We first decided to take a walk to the dam as there was no sign of a bus but about 100m into our walk, there came a bus and we hopped in. They dropped us near the Udawalawe closer to the Transit Camp. From there we walked towards the dam in the hope of getting a few pictures. There were hundreds of vehicles going on the road probably to Tissamaharama and Kataragama. When we reached the dam, we were fully exposed to the burning down sun. Within seconds we were soaked with sweat and everyone complained about having to walk in the fierce heat. Nevertheless, we walked for a couple of hundred meters and saw the faint outline of the mountain range that runs from Kalthota via Diyawinna towards Gevilipola. Sensational Diyawini Ella could also be seen amid the thick haze but taking a picture was impossible. The fishing boats were anchored to the right of the reservoir due to the Poya.

My friends never stopped grumbling so I decided to save the trouble and turned around to visit the Elephant Calves. But, you would surely wanna see some pictures, so here they are.

On the dawn of Vesak

Placid water

Not fishing on Poya Day

Oh, hi baby!

Hello there!

Here’s where people bathe, can see from the amount of garbage left

No one has come yet

Now this is just abandoned

Ok, over to Ath Athuru Sevana

On the way towards the Transit Camp, we met Sanath and he said the jeep would be coming to the camp shortly. So we hurried to the camp and found a large group of people already inside while a few others were trying to get through the gate. It was five minutes to nine, just before the first of four times those calves are fed. Feeling lucky, we too hurriedly bought the tickets and ran out to the viewing platform beyond which was the feeding center. Now you don’t have to run with us, take it easy and lemme give you an overview of the place.

“Overview of Elephant Transit Camp

There are over 30 (we counted 31) baby elephants in different ages and sizes being looked after at present. They are resided in the park and brought to the feeding center during four times a day. They are from 9am until 6pm at three-hour intervals which mean 9am, 12 noon, 3pm and 6pm. They are fed Lactogen 2 powdered milk. You have to buy tickets to enter into the premises which is Rs. 20/- each for adults, Rs. 10/- each for children and Rs. 5/- each for school kids. The money collected selling the tickets goes to the well-being of the elephants and if you are really interested, you could become a sort of poster parent by sponsoring one or more elephants for their quota of milk. The parking area is open for the public only just before and during the feeding times so make sure you plan your arrival at an appropriate time.”

Now you know what to expect let’s go experience this wonderful sight. By the time we arrived on the platform, there was a big crowd but managed to squeeze through and find a better place to watch the proceedings. Elephants were coming from their resident areas and were waiting outside an electric fence some 50m from the feeding shed. One officer was keeping them in order with the help of a stick. At the shed, there are 3-4 counters where calves can come and claim their rations. Closer to the platform but separated by another electric fence (so that they wouldn’t come near the public) is an open ground almost two volleyball courts in size. There were branches of jack tree lying around so that they could munch on them after the milk.

There was a heart-breaking site of a small calf with the lower part of its right hind leg missing, probably blown off by a landmine. The wildlife officials had fixed him with an artificial lower part made of steel. The stump had been fixed to an open basket like metal container slightly bigger than the leg so that it would fit nicely. The basket had holes in it probably for ventilation. It then had a metal stick attached to the bottom so that the calf could walk even with a difficulty. The sight of this cute little one walking made me feel so sorry for the fellow. He’s kept at the feeding site separate from the others coz he can’t move freely and the chances of him getting injured again are high.

Before any of the others came in they allowed him to have his quota of milk and this was a very sorrowful but a new experience. He finished his milk and dragged himself to the open field much to the delight of the kids watching him. We heard kinda deep growls made by the impatiently waiting calves. Finally the wire fence was open but the officer allowed only a couple of them at a time otherwise it’d have been a huge uproar at the feeding shed.

The first group came running and making noises before coming to an abrupt halt in front of the feeding rack. The officers had a time control their impatient demands. Most of them drank their quota hungrily while some spilled most of the milk in their hurry. The first group finished but they simply didn’t wanna leave. They hung around the shed in the hope of more milk but another officer with a stick chased them to the open field.

Then came the second, third and fourth batch of baby jumbos and got busy with their drinking. One tiny fellow drank his milk kneeling on the ground as if asking for more or maybe even thanking for providing him with milk. Another tiny fellow kept screaming for more milk and defying the stick. I remembered Tom Sawyer and him asking for a second helping of the watery soup but got a beating instead. Sometimes a calf would drink his milk from the rubber hose attached to the container while putting his little trunk over the rack to straight to the container itself trying to be a bit cheeky and drink simultaneously in two ways. Some large elephants refused to drink from the hose and the officers poured the milk into the cement tank on the ground.

It was another thing that made us all laughing from ear to ear. A couple of the calves drank their milk, and then wandered off to the open ground. After a while they slowly circled around and joined the queue once again to have milk. The first one or two were successful and had a second helping but the others only received a bash on their backs. After finishing the leaves lying on the open ground they were herded back out of the center and we decided to explore the visitor center before going out. I know you must be craving for those pictures and here they are before we show you around.

Ok, now you are as content as those calves, aren’t you? Let’s see what the information center has to offer. It has wall papers with valuable information pertaining to the jumbos, their history, how they evolved from mammoths, present condition and future difficulties. There were a few elephant skulls as well. The most prominent one was the complete skeleton of a jumbo assembled at the entrance to the information center. I remembered the whale skeleton in the national museum. Meanwhile, I received a call from Akalanka, our jeep driver and we went out to join him. Take a look at some of the pictures before we go.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Can you see the stump and the metal attachment?

What a sight!

He goes away after the quota and the others arrive

Difficult job to contain them

Running like hell

“Please uncle, give me some more”

“A little bit more please”

“Is there anything left?”

“This cable is not so big”

“Oh dear! You spilled all of them”

“Hurry sis, I can’t wait anymore”

“Here we come”

Play time

Munching on leaves

Away they go

A sorrowful sight

The sleeping doggy couldn’t be bothered

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

A jumbo skeleton

From the back

Rib cage

Tail and the back

Skull

Foot

Full body

Entrance to the hall

Inside

Set of teeth

Click image to enlarge

Our jeep

We drove to a shop and bought everything in the list. It took so much effort and time agreeing on the meals. It is so complicated when you think of how many ingredients are required to cook a meal. No wonder they say cooking is an art and put so much emphasis on the techniques. If one tiny thing is missing, the whole curry would be tasteless. Afterwards we came to the junction and ordered lunch packets to take with us saving having to cook another meal. So finally around 11am we started our drive to the entrance passing the dam. Towards the other end, we saw the beggar elephant waiting for someone ignorant person to throw something at him.

There are many signs placed all along the road in all three languages requesting not to feed the fellow warning that he’s still a wild elephant and can be dangerous. Unfortunately not many heed the advice. As we were passing there was a long tailback on the dam. It’s prohibited to park on the dam itself but that like not feeding the jumbo had fallen in deaf ears. There were vehicles waiting for their turn to get closer to the jumbo and probably feed him. There already was a lady carrying a kid in one hand and an umbrella in the other dangerously close to the elephant. Her group was inside the van taking pictures and others getting out to join the lady with the kid. This was beyond being silly and unnecessarily putting not only one’s life but also the little kids’ lives in danger. Here look at the pictures.

What’s the traffic?

Holy moly guacamole

When will they learn?

Looks innocent but he’s a wild elephant

Udawalawe National Park

We drove and entered the park. You have to drive another few hundred meters to the ticketing office. There’s also the car park where if you want, can leave your vehicle overnight when staying inside the park. We produced our online booking papers and were asked to pay for the jeep which was Rs. 280/-. Our tracker was a young wildlife officer, whose hometown is nearby, named Prasad (not my Lakegala mate Dodam) and we entered the forest. We showed our permit to the officer at the entrance to the jungle and were waved through.

Here we are

Entering

Not functioning anymore as I heard

Ticket office

Inside

Nice replicas

Some more

Click image to enlarge

Elephant collar

Close up

Some more

Ready to go in

“Facts about Udawalawe National Park:

Established: 30 Jun 1972

Area: 30,821 ha (76,160.30 acres)

Details: Before the designation of the national park, the area was used for shifting cultivation (Chena Farming). The farmers were gradually removed once the national park was declared. The park is 165 km (103 mi) from Colombo. Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third most visited park in the country.

The Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home was established in 1995 for the purpose of looking after abandoned elephant calves within the park. A total of nine calves, on two occasions in 1998 and 2000, with another eight calves in 2002, were released in the park when old enough to fend for themselves. Currently there are some 30+ calves in residence.”

Safari in Progress

Lemme give you a short description of the layout of the Udawalawe National Park. Until this was declared a national park in 1972, the forest had been cleared for Chena Cultivation. As a result, even today the first half of the park is more like an open ground with bushes and a few trees scattered every now and then. Due to the jumbos feeding on the tiny plants such as teak, even today this area doesn’t have many trees. It’s one of the reasons why you can see jumbos very easily. Most of the 3-hour safaris roam around these open areas. However if you go deeper into the park such as Seenuggala and Pokunuthenna, you will be able to experience the typical jungle very much like Wilpattu and Yala.

As soon as we entered into the park, we came across the first of many jumbos we encountered in the journey. He was resting under the shade of a tree, leaning against it keeping his eyes half closed. The fierce heat bothered them as much as us even though their skins are thick enough to endure the hardships of the jungle keeping them safe from the thorny bushes and trees. He made an imposing sight and I filled my memory card with more than a dozen pictures. Ok, let’s go see what else is in store for us. Already Mother Nature kept her promise and as the day progressed, we’d come across many dozens. You wanna see what he looks like, don’t you before we move on?

How do you like the fella? Well before we go any further, lemme tell you the birds we saw in addition to the number of jumbos. Pokunuthenna is a great place for birding and our Lakdasun birders would love it there. We saw many but managed to picture only a handful of them. I’m not a great bird watcher and my knowledge of them is as good as my Greek. Finding their names was like my Advanced Level Pure Maths paper. You know the names of the complex formulas but that is as far as you would go. But, after a lot of time and searching, I’ve found the names of them. Here we go:

1. Red-Wattled Lapwing (Kirala)
2. Changeable Hawk Eagle (Crested Hawk-Eagle)
3. Oriental Honey-Buzzard (Crested Honey-Buzzard)
4. Indian Peafowl (Peacock)
5. Purple Heron
6. Common Kingfisher
7. Sirkeer Malkoha (Southern Sirkeer)
8. Malabar Pied Hornbill

Ok, now that is taken care of, we might go on. We came to an abrupt halt after a short time to find a large group of jumbos, mainly calves and females, resting under a huge tree. Some of the tiny ones were sleeping on the ground under their mummies’ tummies. The bushes prevented us getting a better picture of them but the rest of the group, a dozen or so, just stayed still as if trying to fall asleep. However our intrusion must have woken them from their after lunch siesta. This was a sight I had been dreaming about and we spent nearly half hour until my friends got tired before moving once again.

The tiny ones kept moving about not allowing their mothers to settle down. Do you know that elephants are have the longest pregnancy period? The elephant mothers hold their babies for 22 months, yeah you heard right, nearly two years, before giving birth to their calves. Just imagine having to bear a baby for nearly two years. The little ones looked so cute and playful and I felt like jumping out, running to them and hug those tiny fellows. You can watch these cute darlings all day long without batting an eyelid. Well, enough of my descriptions and you enjoy the pictures.

What do you think? Sensational isn’t it? Well we saw two other groups like that during the safari and a couple of others as well. I didn’t honestly expect to see that many elephants in that time of the day because it was so hot but Mother Nature took pity on us and asked those jumbos to welcome us. Well I guess it’s time I let you enjoy the rest of them as well before we moved to the thick forest on our way to the bungalow. Here you go, enjoy them to the fullest but come back for the last leg coz I’ve got a couple of hawks to show you.

The first one

All alone

Bye mate

Another loner

Another

A dead water buffalo

One of the many tiny ponds

View through the jeep

A pair of them

Looking for something?

Another pond

First big group

Sheltering from the piercing sun

Hiding its trunk

Rest of the group

I like this one

See the tiny fellow

That thick bundle in the middle is a baby elephant sleeping on the ground

He’s away from the herd

Posing

Another

Loner found after

Greeting us

See you!

Another pair

Saying hello

Smiley face

Crossing the road

No hurry

Second lot

Similar expressions

A pregnant lady?

He’s exhausted

There a tiny one

Oh yes, she is pregnant alright

Protecting the little one

See hiding behind

Don’t forget to eat though

I simply love those tiny calves

The whole group

Oh, no head

Like the posture

Keep munching

Another pond

Oh ho, having a great time

Completely relaxed.

Ok, now I’m getting hungry so let’s go to the bungalow for lunch. Our lunch packets are still hot thanks to the unforgiving sun. We drove along the road and entered the buffer zone between the thick forest and the open area. It was like a mixture of both and the signs of the jungle slowly advancing towards the open terrain were visible. This is when we noticed a hawk resting on top of a dead tree. This was well my second countable encounter with one (the first was at Archeological Site in Polonnaruwa) and we spent some time taking the pictures. The fella had a few feathers (a crest) on top of his head like a crown giving it the name Crested Hawk Eagle. It’s also known as Changeable Hawk Eagle. He looked absolutely sensational and here are the pictures.

There he is

See how he balances

Closer

Zoomed in

Another

Look at the crest

Let’s see the other one

Passing him, we came across another fellow but this time a slightly different one. It was an Oriental Honey-Buzzard or Crested Honey-Buzzard. He stayed on a tree branch right by the road but flew as we settled down but the long range in my camera managed to capture a few more pictures of the fella. Here they are.

One of my favorites

Love the colors

Just then he flew away

But went to this branch

Shady branches didn’t help

A bit clear

The path to the bungalow, note the thick forest

Just before the group of deer ran away

Well, after him, we entered the thick forest and carried on the shady road. On our way, we passed the turn off to the Seenuggala Bungalow. The journey was uneventful except for a few spotted deer that ran across the road, too fast for a picture. Finally we arrived at the bungalow almost at the edge of the park bordered by the Pokunuthenna Tank thus the name for the bungalow as well. I’ve given a fairly detailed description and a few pictures on a separate post. Check the Pokunuthenna Bungalow Post here. I’ll give you some more pictures while we have our lunch. Be seeing you soon!

Here we are

Spacious

Worn out

Dining area

You definitely need those mosquito nets

Another room

Behind

The other half

Side view

Another view

Solar panels

Ok, if you have enjoyed them, I’m gonna show you a little more around the bungalow. As I said earlier, this is located at one end of the park and beyond the electric fence and the tank are the villages of Hambegamuwa and Weli Oya. Nishantha, one of the keepers, said it is only 6km to the Hambegamuwa main road from the bungalow. Well look at these pictures while we take it easy and relax. Afterwards we’re going to have a cuppa coffee.

Our jeep is taking a break

Behind the bungalow facing the tank

Thick tree cover is a godsend

Tank with many water plants

With the bungalow

Where the water tank is

Plenty of them

The dam

Beautiful, ain’t it?

Beyond this is the village

Some water surface

The electric fence blocking jumbos going from this end to the village

Oh hi!

Lasantha looking for any birds

Another of my favorites

Good one to end the day

Ok pals, while you were at it, we spent some quality time chatting and drinking surprisingly good coffee. I can hear the dinner is being made as we speak. It’s gonna be Soya Meat, Gotukola, Potato Curry, Mushroom (yummy, yummy) with Papadam. We had dinner a lot earlier than any other group and the bungalow keepers kept saying this was the first time four-person group arrived coz always they bring the full complement of 10 or very likely a couple extra as well.

Well, that is not how we do things. The night arrived in all four corners enveloping the bungalow. We heard towards the evening, farmers of the bordering paddy fields making noises to chase the elephants. When that didn’t work, they fired an elephant cracker too. I was hoping for those jumbos to pay a visit to us and had my torch ready but none appeared. Ok folks, we’re going to hit the sack and I can hear mosquitoes circling around making that dreadful noise. Thankfully we’ve got the nets even though I hate to sleep in that confined space of a net; it felt good to have it. It’s been a long and wonderful day experiencing many new things. So the Udawalawe treated us really well in our first ever journey. Did I tell you that there is only solar powered electricity here? However we saw the bungalow keepers watching TV, probably using a small generator (couldn’t hear any noise though) or a battery.

We’re no fans of the TV and can live without electricity for a while so settling comfortably in our new home, we went to sleep. I simply couldn’t take the jumbos, especially those cute little darlings off my mind. I was hoping for a jumbo to come in the night and make a roar or something but they must have decided to let us have a good sleep. I’ll see you in the morning folks, good night!

Day 02

Good morning folks and I hope you slept soundly. We enjoyed the cool air coming from the Pokunuthenna tank. The birds were out in numbers looking for some breakfast and we had our tea while contemplating the day ahead. It was the second day of Vesak and the end of a long holiday so we had to make it as early as to the bus stand to get home early. After a few pictures around the bungalow, we got ready to have our breakfast. While we eat, why don’t you look at them?

While we eat this, you check the pics

Good morning Pokunuthenna!

Morning rays

Clear water

Fully red

Floating

My team looking for hawks

Saw only this one

Birds’ nest

Home grown

Morning stroll

The road to the village

We took a walk

Oh ho

Not edible

Prasad is next to me while Akalanka is right corner

Two chefs, Dhammika and Nishantha

We then took our leave bidding farewell to our cooks. On our way our first encounter was a peacock sitting majestically on top of a tree branch. We then saw a parrot looking through a hole in a tree but we couldn’t get pictures of him as he got frightened by our arrival. Afterwards Prasad pointed at a bird on the road ahead of me and he said it was the Sirkeer Malkoha. The fella went ahead of us for about a couple of hundred meters keeping us on our toes and making us delay as we tried to take as many pictures of him as possible. He would walk a bit then raise its head to hear and look then put it low and run for a few feet before doing the same again. The way he ran with the head low was a great sight. Here look for yourself.

Afterwards it was the Hawks that kept us going. We saw at least half a dozen of them but got lucky to picture only three. The first fella was feeding on a dead rather killed bird. He was plucking the feathers in an attempt to dig up what little meat was there. Sensing our presence, he then flew with the prey. The second one was on top of a dead tree (must be their favorite place to sit and watch) and after a while flew away. All the time there was not a sign of the jumbos as if they wouldn’t wanna come out of their homes. I was frantically searching for them when there was another Crested Hawk Eagle sitting on a short stick sunbathing. He was very vigilant and looked fierce. However our close encounter got disturbed by a herd of water buffaloes. The bird sensing trouble flew away. Dam those buffaloes. The last bird to come face to face was a beautiful Hornbill with bright yellow and black feathers. It flew into a tree nearby and we enjoyed our encounter. There was a fairly large hole in the tree and Prasad informed that a leopard had gone into that and apparently got stuck. He’d been there the whole day and everyone came to the park got lucky to see the fellow. Well, no such luck for us and I’m gonna find an elephant even if I have to spend the rest of the day going around. See the pictures while I check on them.

There he is

It was hilarious the way he ran

Malkoha waiting for a prey

Cute one

Got something in the mouth?

Out in the sun

Wow	Prob the best of the whole lot

Before he left

There in the distance

Another

Inspecting the claws

Before he took to the air

The other

Closer

Another of my favorites

Trying to balance

Time to take off

Hornbill

Closer look

Thunpath Rena

I promised to show you some jumbos and here I got lucky with a Thunpath Rena (a small group of elephants that consists of two adult females and a tiny calf). As we were about to leave, I pleaded with the tracker to try a different route and as we were going halfway, there was the trio. I was over the moon and took a lot of pictures before noticing one of the adults, not the mother, was in a way pointing with her trunk at the front left leg. Then we saw it. A swollen wound full of puss as large as a wood apple was sticking out of her leg almost at the base. She kept pointing to it and we felt really sorry. There was another jeep and the driver said it could be a gunshot wound probably one of those rudimentary set-guns or in Sinhala “Kandan aka Bandina Thuwakku”.

Prasad immediately contacted the office and asked for a medical team to be sent. Meanwhile the baby elephant was playing around his mother making sure he was always closer to her. Prasad said it’d be better if he went and reported in person when the naughty calf started to have milk from the mother. Gosh, this was a sight very rare and we had to spend a few more minutes before leaving. We didn’t get a very clear look as he was behind the mother. We waited a little while even though feeling a bit guilty for doing so. Afterwards we went out of this wonderful park which gave me a lot of things in my inaugural visit. The matter of the wounded elephant was also another concern for our early departure. Now look at the pictures and tell me if they are any good.

Here they are

Closer look

Mum’s going away

“Don’t go mum, they might kidnap me”

“Oh yeah, keep him hidden”

See anything?

The wound

Playful calf

Don’t know what she’s looking for

Lovely

Imitating the mother

Other one kept pointing to her wound

“I’m hungry”

There he goes

Slowly

Must’ve felt shy

Not really, but we left them for themselves to inform the officials about the other one’s wound

We arrived at the office and Prasad went straight to the park warden to inform about the elephant and hopefully she’ll get the proper medical care and be better. We then bid farewell to Prasad and drove towards the dam. Two of my friends wanted to bathe in the reservoir so we got ourselves dropped at the public bathing place at the beginning of the dam when coming from Udawalawe Junction. They had a bath while we waited. There were many people enjoying a dip in the shallow waters.

Serene

Very shallow

Where my friends had a dip

Second day of Vesak, still no fishing

Shady and cool

Adventurous youths

Fitting pic to finish our adventure

Finally we took a bus to Embilipitiya in the hope of getting a seat but it turned out to be a 2-hour wait before we got the chance. Even then, it was a low-level bus and we reached Avissawella by 5.30pm. This was going to be bad and it was just that coz the high-level road was blocked by the people going to Colombo for Pandols, Lanterns, Dansal and many others. They walked all over the road and there were thousands of vehicles as well. It took us four and a half hours to get to Nugegoda. It felt like an eternity but finally we got home around 10.30pm.

Well, here ends another fairy tale of Sri and I hope you like it and I managed to keep you interested right throughout. Well, I’m saying bye for now and will meet you with another soon.

Take care!

Sri…

P.S. I’m no bird expert and the names of the birds in this report, I just found out on the internet but I might be wrong. So please correct if there are any mistakes. Apologies in advance for any errors.

Sri Abeywickrema – 100*

“How much have you seen in this country?”

“Have you finished seeing everything there’s to see?”

“Don’t you get enough of travelling around getting wet and tired?”

“Is there more left for you to see?”

“How many reports have you written by now?”

Questions, endless questions like these are being asked my friends and colleagues day in and day out. No matter what I tell them, they keep coming up with these questions every now and then. Sometimes they rephrase them but the end result is still the same old question. Even I wonder myself sometimes thanks to the persistent enquiring by them how much I’ve really seen in this country. Once at a training about 1 year ago, one of the foreigners asked what I loved doing for which I replied traveling around Sri Lanka. He then asked much I’d seen of Sri Lanka for which I said without thinking much, about 5%. He laughed at me and remarked “some traveler you are then”. I knew he meant it in a sarcastic manner but didn’t wanna pursue the issue further coz there was no point in that.

Even today, when my friends keep on and on I just tell them that I’ve seen less than 10% of what there’s to see in this country. “Is that right?” they won’t stop and I’d reply “I honestly don’t know”. I don’t think anyone can give a specific answer to a question like that. And for those who ask if I don’t get tired of travelling, I’ve got a straight forward answer ready in my armory, “not a chance”. Of course there’s plenty for me to see in this country so that question is pretty much irrelevant. By the way, I don’t travel just because I want to prove that I’ve visited all those places or boast, it’s just my passion nothing more.

And to the last question, I had no idea how many trip reports I’d written coz it’s too difficult to keep abreast with them. I gave up keeping track of them long ago. However, when I published my Udawalawe report, one of my colleagues at work exclaimed that I had only three more to reach a century of reports. I couldn’t believe that but realized he’d not been exaggerating after checking. By then I’d already sent the Jaffna 1 and Jaffna 2 report and was on the process of writing this report. So I figured I’d already completed my 100^th trip report but didn’t know about it. Well, don’t ask me how or what I felt coz it simply came so unexpectedly and I’d already completed the 100^th report when it dawned on me thanks to my curious colleague.

I can remember though when Ashan published his 100^th report long ago (about a year and a half) and felt pretty good about it. I even kept wondering what would it be like to write 100 reports and if I ever could achieve that feat. Finally now that I’ve reached the magical number, I guess I’m supposed to feel overjoyed and be jumping up and down. I joined Lakdasun in July 2012 and since then been a part of this wonderful family for the past  34 months (of course by the time I write this article) and now I’ve reached as Tony Greig would’ve said the triple figures. Looking back, I can see four significant events in my travelling life which transformed it into where I am today.

My first ever trip report which was about Sinharaja helped me get a feel of travelling and I was hooked since then. Then came a major turning point when I attended the Lakdasun gathering on 02 Mar 2013 and met many keen travelers. As a result, Hari (my long-term buddy) and I did the Great Western hike. That was something I really enjoyed and kept me going on and on. The third most crucial one was when we got together and did Bathalegala with Tony, Hari, Dhana, etc. It was a great journey and helped form a great friendship and bond between us. Finally, my 50^th trip report helped me expand the scope of travelling when I visited the isolated and very little known Baththalangunduwa Fishing Island off Kalpitiya. Those four journeys have helped me grown from a toddler to man when it comes to travelling. Ok, now you know my secret and achievement, let’s go see what I’ve got for you in this journey, shall we?

Jaffna 3

You now know that I’ve been roaming around Jaffna Peninsula as if it would vanish the face off the earth soon. So far I’ve brought you the things to see in and around the heart of Jaffna (Jaffna 1) and then we travelled along the northern tip of Sri Lanka from Mathagal to Manalkadu (Jaffna 2). This is something different what I’m gonna bring you. Now you’ve seen most of the Jaffna Peninsula had to offer. I know I must have missed quite a lot but hopefully I managed to bring most of the key things. Now, let’s go beyond the peninsula into the islands off the northern part of Sri Lanka.

If you want to know the Islands of Sri Lanka, please click on the link which will take you to the Wikipedia list of islands belong to SL. Even though it looks at a glance as if the Jaffna Peninsula is one huge block of land, it’s in fact a combination of islands. They are connected to the mainland through causeways thus making them look like part of the mainland. The following islands are connected to the mainland via causeways: I’ve given both the Tamil and Sinhala names of them.

Punguduthivu – Punguthdeepa

Mandathivu – Mandadoova

Kurikkattuvan – Kiralakatuvana

Velanai (Kayts) – Bellana (Uruthota)

Naduturitti – Madduriththa

Karaitivu

The above mentioned islands are connected to each other and you can find them if you travel to Nagadeepa along Jaffna-Kurikkattuvan Road. In addition to them, there’s another huge island off Kayts connected via a ferry and that is:

Karaitivu (Karainagar)

Ok, now you have a fairly good idea about the Jaffna Peninsula and its islands which can be reached by road. Of course there are many others that you have to take a dedicated ferry. They are as follows:

Delft (Nethunthivu) – Maedundoova

Nainathivu – Nagadeepa

Eluvaithivu – Eluvadoova

Analaithivu – Annaladoova

Then there are some others that you have to either hire a fishing boat or have a navy contact to go in one of their boats. Let’s see what they are:

Chirutivu – Hiridoova

Kachchathivu – Kachchadoova

Kanantivu – Kaennadoova

Karaitivu

Palaitivu – Paludoova

Paratitivu – Paludoova

Puliyantivu – Kotidoova

Thorattapputti – Doratumukka

Now that our geography lesson is done and over with, we can start our journey.

Tour Highlights: 

1. Nagadeepa Island.
2. Nagadeepa Viharaya.
3. Buddha Walauwa Temple.
4. Nagapusani Amman Kovil.
5. Flamingoes @ Kayts Causeway.
6. Eluvathivu Island.
7. Fort Hammenhiel Restaurant.
8. Karaingar Light House.
9. Casurina Beach.
10. Karaingar Shivam Kovil.
11. Anaikoddai Fish Market.

Day 01

I was all alone and had nobody to accompany me. Getting up around 5am, I started walking to the Jaffna bus stand and reached by 6am. I wanted to catch the first bus to Kurikkattuvan Jetty which is about 33km from Jaffna. The first bus (always a CTB No. 776 and the ticket is Rs. 72/-) leaves Jaffna at 6.30am and usually gets to Kurikkattuvan in real quick time. It always gets to Kurikkattuvan well before 7.30am so ample time to catch a ferry to Nagadeepa or even to Delft.

Nagadeepa Island & Nagadeepa Viharaya

The bus ride as usual is no worse than a roller coaster. I can still remember my first experience in the Jaffna-Kurikkattuvan bus when I visited Jaffna in 2013. These drivers don’t believe in driving slowly and they keep their foot firmly planted on the accelerator. No stopping or slowing down but keep going at the speed of wind. Fortunately the road from Jaffna to Kayts is under construction and most of it is finished. However it got really interesting when we turned towards Velanai and from there to Kurikkattuvan. The road is not in good shape especially the long Pungudutivu causeway. There are so many pot holes but the driver tried to go above them rather than slow down and take it easy.

The result was that we didn’t have our bottoms on the seat for second or two at a time. The bus would fall into a pit and down goes the seat leaving the bottoms hanging in mid-air. Then the bottom starts its downward journey but by then the fallen bus had started its upward journey thanks to the shock absorbers. This meant the bottoms going down would meet the seats coming up and have this collision. I just gave you the description of a fraction of a second process. This kept going on and on until I couldn’t feel my buttocks anymore. I kept touching them after getting down to make sure I had them still on me.

Getting out of the bus at Kurikkattuvan I just started taking a few pictures while waiting for the ferry to get to Nagadeepa. The morning was nice and cool and the lagoon looks absolutely sensational. Do you want to see the pictures? Here they are:

The bus to Kurikkattuvan

The tiny causeway before the Jetty

Taking a break

But not him

Selfie in a different manner

RDA ferry, probably that takes vehicles to the islands

The RDA run ferry to Delft, free of charge and leaves at 8.30am. There’s a second one at 9.30am

This is not my boat but the one I took to get to Nagadeepa

Already there was a large group of people who had come all the way from Hambanthota. I joined them inside the ferry. They kept saying how calm the Jaffna Sea compared to the rough seas in Hambanthota. Probably they didn’t know that this was simply a lagoon and not like Hambanthota. We arrived at the newly renovated jetty of Nagadeepa. Before we go in to the temple, see some of the pictures of the ferry ride.

By the way, you have to pay Rs. 30/- for the ferry ride one way. Why I mentioned one-way is because one lady kept complaining that it was so unfair to charge Rs. 30/- one-way and even offered to suggest they build a bridge between Nagadeepa and Kurikkattuwan. She went onto say that she’d donate Rs. 1000/- for such project.

People from Hambanthota

Leaving the jetty

View in front

That magnificent flag of all

Kurikkattuvan behind us now

Two vessels going their way

This one returning from Nagadeepa

There’s the entrance to the Temple

The Kovil

Getting closer

Clad in white and see the little girl

Cheeky

Navy on guard duty

Getting ready to berth

Newly built pier at Nagadeepa

I jumped ahead the rest of the crew as I needed the space to take pictures of the temple without anyone walking around. I was really lucky as I had no problem taking pictures at my will. Other group was clad in white and was on a real pilgrimage. They didn’t hustle and bustle but got on with the rituals and then settled down on the sandy floor in front of the silvery stupa to worship. The peacefulness of the temple enveloped me and I simply didn’t wanna leave. It was so nice I didn’t even want to bother with my camera. After sitting down under the shade of the Bo tree and feeling re-energized, I walked around and took these pictures for you.

Well I’ve a piece of news as well. If you want to go around the island, a tuk-tuk can be found for about Rs. 1,000/- – Rs. 1,500/-. I didn’t really want to try it. In addition to that, there’s a bus now running in the island coz the number of people living in it has gone up. It operates from Nagapusani Amman Kovil to the other end of the island (about 1km) back and forth throughout the day. Even a ride in that bus might help you if you really wanna see the island.

Here they get off

I started ahead them

The vessels moored along the beach

Special boat service

Here they come

The wall of the Temple

Very ancient temple, the second place where Lord Buddha arrived in Sri Lanka after Mahiyangana

Muchalinda Naga Daranaya

This is one of the most beautiful Dagobas I’ve seen

Silvery

Spire

Other side of the road

Bo tree

Closer

The legend

Image of Lord Buddha preaching to the Nagas

The beliefs

Worshipping

Simply amazing

Inside one of the image houses

See who’s built a house?

Main image house

The legend

In Sinahala

And in English

Going towards it

The top

Replica of a moonstone and guard stones

Main Buddha Statue

One each on either side

The other one

Beautiful paintings of Nagas

Some more

The ceiling

People who’ve kept the temple going all this time

A replica

Here they are worshipping

Time to go and leave them in peace

The bus being operated on the island

Buddha Walauwa Temple

Did you like those pics? Right, let’s take a short walk, shall we? I started walking towards the Nagapusani Amman Kovil but stopped suddenly when I saw a notice to my left saying “Buddha Walauwa Temple – 500m”. Well, I don’t have to tell you what I did next, do I? I started walking towards it and had to take another right turn before reaching the completely isolated temple. I guess they’d found this granite Buddha Statue in the location recently and kept it for display. However, it doesn’t look like anybody goes there.

I was the sole person on site except for a gorgeous Indian Roller aka Dumbonna (not a good name for such a beautiful bird but what to do?). The granite Buddha statue kept in a small box like thing on a pedestal looks simply beautiful. Why delay further, here are the pictures.

Nobody is around yet

Here’s the turn off and note the name of the road

One of the houses along the road

Found him too

He was a bit far away

Palmyra land

Finally here

Tiny image house with a Bo tree

Here the other building

Couldn’t know what this exactly was and the significance of it

Ancient Buddha Statue found

Closer

Fully granite

The Indian Roller

Some of the ruins found on the way

Closer look

P.O. Box

Nagapusani Amman Kovil

I walked back to the main road and started the short walk towards the Nagapusani Amman Kovil. The stalls either side of the road were being opened by the owners. The sun had risen fully up to the sky sending his blazing, fresh and golden rays all over. The sweat had already appeared all over me but I had to endure the open area and go see the kovil. Just like the temple, this too didn’t have many people so I enjoyed a bit of peaceful picture taking. Without much hullabaloo, here are the pictures.

Now I’m at the Kovil

Can walk along the road

Cute	Near the main entrance

Wanna go in and see

The main pillar

In I went

Here’s the kovil

Not many around

His parents were adamant he poses like this

Afterwards, I started walking towards the jetty and got on board the same ferry I came in. the ride was without an incident and we arrived at Kurikkattuvan about 9.30am, still the whole day ahead of me. Here are the pictures and I’ll tell you about the rest later.

Heading back to the jetty

Nagadeepa Temple entrance in the distance

The tiny boat you saw while coming to the temple earlier offers this service

Resting for the day

Some are being repaired

Looks abandoned but very much in use

The hospital boat

That gorgeous flag

One of the better ferries but was not operating that day

Nagadeepa entrance zoomed in

Ready to berth

Not very old boy

This is our ferry, look at those red flowers on it

Leaving them behind

Giving balance of Rs. 20/-

Ready to get onto the Kurikkattuvan

The RDA Ferry

I reached Jaffna and went around seeing many other things but you already saw them in my Jaffna Chapter 1 report. So I won’t bore you with that stuff. The next day is reserved for more island touring but I was in two minds whether to go ahead with that or not. There was so much doubt lingering and I kept wondering whether to postpone it for another day so that I’ll have more planning time but Paval, one of my working mates in Jaffna came to my rescue and promised to join me.

That sealed the journey and we fixed another tuk-tuk to go on the journey. It’s gonna be one heck of a ride so be ready till I come tomorrow.

Day 02

Good morning everyone, how are you doing? Tell me you wanna go rock ‘n’ roll with me coz that’s exactly what we’re gonna do today. I got up around 5.30am and got things ready and Paval came in the tuk-tuk around 6.30am and away we went like birds out of a cage. The morning was nice and crisp. We drove along the Kayts Road which is under construction but a lot of it had already finished. The lagoon air kept kissing us all over very lovingly and we passed the Velanai (Nagadeepa) turn off which I went the other day by bus. You can easily get to Kayts by bus as there are a lot of them available from Jaffna every half hour or so. However I took the three-wheeler as I had many other plans too. Ok, let’s make a move.

Flamingoes

I’m not expert when it comes to birds; well I’m not even a novice, far below. However despite my poor knowledge, I still love to see them. I’ve managed to learn a few names of the birds but don’t think will ever be able to manage like Dhana who’s got a birds’ dictionary stored in his brain. Thanks to the Udawalawe trip, I saw quite a lot of Eagles and now recognize them should I happen to come across any of them again. Among all the birds I simply love Flamingoes with long legs, pinkish feathers and tall bodies. They roam the waters in large flocks and can be found along causeways in Mannar and Jaffna.

I’ve always wanted to see them but never got the chance. However during my visit to Baththalangunduwa and Mannar, we saw some of them along the Mannar causeway, but so far out only a faint line was visible. As we got closer to Kayts all of a sudden I saw a pinkish thing to the right among the water and looking closer found it to be a flock of flamingoes. I got down the tuk-tuk and slowly crept along the grassy patch towards the lagoon so as not to disturb them. Nevertheless they sensed my approach and very gently started moving away deep into the lagoon. Finally they had enough of me and slowly flew away leaving me looking up and feeling sad.

I managed to take a few pictures at the extreme zoom and wished I had one of those mega zoom cameras. However, what I managed to take satisfied my crave for the flamingoes somewhat but at the same time it doubled my yearning to see them more and more. Here are some pictures and see if you like them.

There those beautiful ones

Oh my gosh

Closer view

Just taking off

Here goes

Closer

Shadows

Kayts Ferry Point

We then arrived at the Kayts Ferry Port where it connects to the Karainagar via a ferry service. It’s run from morning to evening (every hour or so) but I couldn’t get the exact time table. Just note that there’s no service during the lunch time say from 12noon till about 2pm. What’s really fascinating is you can see the Fort Hammenhiel from the ferry port. It looked absolutely breath-taking in the middle of the sea and very much imposing. Fort Hammenhiel restaurant could also be seen from there. Here are some pictures while we travel to the Kayts Jetty where it connects the two islands, Eluvathivu and Analaithivu via another ferry service.

Just bear in mind that the ferry to Karainagar and back doesn’t take any vehicles due to the poor condition of the ferry. Only exception is motor bikes and bicycles. We had to take a long detour as a result.

Here’s the ferry port at Kayts

Those are captured ones from illegal stinking Indian fishermen

Closer look

There’s the ferry at Karainagar pier

One of those loners

Another but smaller

What’s that?

The mighty Fort Hammenhiel

The restaurant

Eluvathivu Island

We arrived at the Kayts Jetty which is about 2km from the Ferry Port around 8.30am. However, just before the jetty, we were warmly welcomed by an Indian Roller that looked gorgeous in the morning sunlight with its royal blue feathers. I spent good 10mins talking to him and getting him to pose for the pictures. Finally we arrived at the jetty. There were two ferries already with people in them and we ran towards them checking the departure times and which was going to which island. Thankfully I had Paval and the tuk-tuk driver who could converse in Tamil. I’ll give you the ferry times for both the islands so that it’d make matters easy should you ever make up your mind about visiting these islands. If you wanna go by public transport, the Kayts buses go to the Jetty at regular intervals especially depending on the departure and arrival times.

• The ferries leave Kayts Jetty at 9am to both Eluvathivu and Analaithivu. It’s better nevertheless for you to be there by 8.30am.
• Eluvathivu is located closer to the Jetty than the Analaithivu.
• The return Ferry from Eluvathivu is at 11.30am and there’s more than one ferry operating between Kayts and Eluvathivu but I couldn’t get the other times.
• Apparently there’s one ferry operating between Analaithivu and Kayts. The return ferry from Analaithivu is at 3pm. However we were told that there’s a ferry leaving from Kayts to Analaithivu at 12.30pm as well.

• The ferry time to Eluvathivu is about half an hour and to Analaithivu is about one hour.

• It costs Rs. 25/- one-way to reach Eluvathivu in the ferry.

Ok, hopefully you’ll find the above information helpful. We were in a dilemma whether to go to Analaithivu or Eluvathivu. As the return ferry from Analaithivu is at 3pm, we decided to go to Eluvathivu first and depending on the time and energy levels, to take the 12.30pm ferry to Analaithivu so that we could return by the 3pm ferry. I also wanted to go to Fort Hammenhiel but it looked such a toll order and I knew I would have to sacrifice one or the other. Finally we got into the Eluvathivu ferry and settled on the roof so that we could get a good view.

Both ferries launched simultaneously but the Analaithivu one went faster than ours coz it had so much distance to cover. The sea was rougher than usual and we got splashed by the stray salt water and I had trouble keeping my camera out of the way. Here are some pictures for you to look at till I get onto the island.

Hi!	“Oh it’s you!”

“I’ve got to scratch”

Well, see yah

Here we are

This was one of the ferries

Read the name. That had come from Galle and taking a break here

Ready to go

One of the loners hard at work

Inside our ferry before anyone came in

Engine

There goes Analaithivu ferry overtaking us

Here’s ours

There’s Eluvathivu

Getting closer

Almost there

Time to go explore

We reached the island around 9.30am were helped by a boy who had come to the jetty on a bicycle. Later we found out he was the one who runs a shop at Eluvathivu and he’d come to pick up the bread which is delivered daily all the way from Jaffna by bus and then on the ferry. Even though they take such a long journey, the price is only Rs. 10/- more than what it is in Jaffna.

As usual there’s a small navy contingent based on the island and will take down the details of any visitors to the island. So make sure you carry some sort of identification with you, preferably the NIC. I’ve got a few facts about the Eluvathivu Island down below and it might help you get an idea about the island and its people.

• Selvan (0778-996717) is the boy who has a land master should you wanna take an island tour. He takes Rs. 500/- and worth the journey even though it’s a very short one.
• If you want to spend a night at the island, Selvan will help you stay at the church but will have to ask permission from the navy first.
• There are about 170 families living in the island which means about 500 people.
• There’s a small government run hospital on the island but for serious cases they have to go to Karainagar and navy does a grand job helping those people.
• There’s electricity in the island powered by 3 small diesel-powered generators (2 – 100kv and 1 – 28kv). They are run one 100kv each for day and night. Shasheedharan is the guardian of the power plant.
• There are no snakes in the island.

We got talking to Selvan (thanks to Ashan and Amila’s first visit) and he came in with his land master. We gave our ID numbers, names and contact numbers to the Navy officials and went away. There was no one about and we stopped at the shop (I told you about the owner who came to pick up his bread) and had some snacks. He runs the shop with his wife. Afterwards, we drove on passing the hospital and arrived at some jungle patch beyond a few houses. Our tuk-tuk driver asked in Tamil if there was any Palmyra toddy available and Selvan duly obliged by stopping at one house.

There were two men who were having a chat and seeing that they got visitors they came out to chat with us. Unfortunately the morning quota of the toddy was finished except for a tiny amount which they served us in a tiny glass. I took a sip and it was very much like the Kithul toddy. Afterwards they offered us Nongu which is the Palmyra version of our King Coconut. One person climbed to one of the nearby trees and plucked nearly a dozen or so and gave us. Paval was crazy about Nongu and kept at getting as much of them down his throat as possible.

It has three tiny holes about the size of a 2-rupee coin and about 2 inches deep. There’s a fleshy inner cover and very little juice. You gotta use your fingers to get the flesh out after drinking the juice which is very little. This doesn’t even come closer to King Coconut or Kurumba but for those people who can’t have them, this is really good. After thanking and giving them some money for all the trouble, we bid our farewell to them.

Afterwards, we drove back towards the jetty and reported to the navy personnel of our getting back safely. Then we waited for the ferry and right on time, we got on board and said goodbye to this wonderful place. There was a group of surveyors who had come to do some surveying and they too joined us in the ferry ride back to Kayts. Most of us fell asleep for a while due to the heat and the constant swaying of the boat. We arrived at the jetty just before noon and contemplated about our options. While we decide what to do, you guys enjoy these rare pictures.

Boat stop

Paval doing the talking

Here’s our land master

Getting it to safety

Isolated

The best resting place on the whole island

Ready to go

The church I told you about

The shop

Lonely road

The hospital is nearby

Here it is

All around it’s Palmyra

Power house

Inside

100kv one

This is the 28kv one

Main board

Shasheedharan the keeper of the place

Entering the other side

Here it is lonely

The household that treated us well

They were close by

Typical Palmyra branch fences

Ready to climb the tree

There he goes

Hard work

I was feeling giddy

There he reached the target

Got down

They’re curious

Some of the fruit

Cutting it fine

Juicy and delicious

My friend looked after them all

Finished

They love the bark

Having a chat but my friend is still at it

Back to the coast

Boats parked

They’re working on them

One of the fish drying places

Almost in ruins

Back to the shady Nuga tree near the pier

Time to go

They are in better condition

Here is one of the survey people

Others were in the far and this is a zoomed in pic

Through the structure at the jetty

They came to the pier while we waited

And had these on board

Ready to go

Oh hi

He’s the boatman and waiting impatiently for the survey people

Most of them fell asleep due to swaying

Finally at Kayts

Catch if you can

Getting closer to the jetty

Small navy detachment is here

Flamingoes Once Again

Paval looked seasick and complained that he’d had enough islands for one day so we decided to keep Analaithivu for another time and leave for Fort Hammenhiel straightaway. Having started our journey once again and we reached the Kayts Ferry Port hoping to catch a ferry to Karainagar but there was nothing till 2.15pm so decided to take the long detour and reach Karainagar by the tuk-tuk itself. On our way where we saw flamingoes in the morning, there was another group idling away and I jumped and went slowly towards them trying to hide myself behind the thorny bushes. I managed to take a few decent shots but they kept going away sensing my probing eyes and finally took to the sky shouting at me for disturbing their afternoon siesta. Here are some pictures.

Here they are once again

Sunbathing

Very vigilant

Going away from me

Zoomed in

Fort Hammenhiel Restaurant

We drove along the Jaffna-Karainagar road and passed yet another long causeway before arriving on the Karainagar Island. We passed many sesame cultivations and the farmers were harvesting them. We saw quite a few birds as well. Driving along the causeway, we noticed that there were huts placed on sticks in the lagoon resembling the paddy fields and chena cultivation in the down south. The heat was getting on our nerves but the breeze along the causeway restored our sanity back. Here are some pictures.

Sesame fields

Macro of one of the branch

They just flew away as I tried to picture them

Just got him

Welcome to Karainagar

Near the start of the causeway

Those houses I told you about

Closer look

Oh	Beautiful ain’t he?

Typical crane

Very thorough in his search

Cat walk on the lagoon

Empty road bordered by the lagoon

The ferry port from Karainagar side

We arrived at the Fort Hammenhiel restaurant which is located closer to the SLNS Elara at Karainagar. Anyone can go to the restaurant for a meal but will have to obtain a pass from the navy officer at the gate. We arrived at the restaurant and the first impression was a big wow. There was a small group of people already having lunch and we too joined them. Taking a seat outside the air-conditioned hall and we ordered our lunch. Don’t worry I’m not gonna show the pictures of the food as you saw them in the Jaffna 1 report.

While they got the meals ready, we roamed around but my heart was broken when they refused to let us go to the island. The Fort Hammenhiel was looking majestic in the middle of the sea about half a km from the restaurant but we were denied access claiming only the people with bookings could go there. I felt so frustrated and nothing will change their minds. Finally, we had to satisfy ourselves with the pictures taken from the jetty.

After a many pictures and vowing myself that I’d be back again, we sat down to enjoy our lunch which was delicious. While we eat, would you care to see some of those gorgeous pictures?

There it is

Closer look

At the front

Typical navy style

Inside

Again navy hallmarks all over

Reception desk

Just a replica

Artist’s version of Fort Hammenhiel

Sailing ship replica

Looking out through the entrance we came in

Out in the open

There’s the fort

Closer look

Left most part

And the right

Wish I could go there

Restaurant

Hope lunch is ready

Where we sat

A/C dining area inside

The tables along the corridor

Don’t know if they are being used

One final look at with a heavy heart

Vesak celebrations at the restaurant

Leaving

We took our leave with heavy hearts and drove back on the same road after returning the pass to the navy soldier at the gate. On the way, we were greeted by yet another Indian Roller. He kind of wanted to soothe our wounded hearts and told us not to worry. Such a beautiful creature he was.

Just look at this

Beautiful colors

Portrait

Curious look

Karainagar Light House

Still I felt pretty bad of not letting us see the fort. This is when our tuk-tuk driver, Balasubramaniam, cheered us by asking if we wanted to see the light house in Karainagar. I’d never heard about a light house at Karainagar so was very much keen on going and seeing it. I’d covered the other light houses in the northern peninsula such as KKS and Point Pedro and wouldn’t dream of missing this one. Ok, this is located at the north-west edge of Karainagar Island.

To make it easy for you to understand the location, just remember the location of Casurina Beach. If you’ve been there, it’d be pretty easy. When you reach the Casurina Beach, facing the sea, look to your left and in the far with a tiny piece of land jutting out of the main island, you’ll see a light house. The distance is about 1.5-2km. However, you can’t walk along the beach and get to the light house because there’s a navy camp in between and they won’t let you go beyond them.

Go towards the Karainagar Depot and about 1km before the depot, about 2-3km before the Fort Hammenhiel turn-off, there’s a junction and you can get the directions from them. You need to take a right turn when going from Jaffna and it’s another 2km along winding roads to the light house. I’m extremely sorry that I can’t give you better directions and I should’ve pin-pointed the GPS location but in my highly excited moments, I completely forgot about it. Hopefully, you won’t miss this.

We arrived at the place thanks to Balasubramaniam but guess what, some of the villagers who were living about 1km from the light house didn’t know its existence. Thanks to Paval and Bala who could speak Tamil, we managed to reach the light house without further delay. Unlike the other light houses, this one wasn’t inside a navy base so you could enjoy the surrounding peacefully. However, don’t try to climb to the top as the railings were very rusty and on the verge of breaking down. We even so ruins of an old building but couldn’t make out what it really was. It was located right by the base of the light house. The navy camp was about half a km from the light house towards Casurina Beach and we were uninterrupted.

The sun was setting but not at the last bit so there was plenty of light still remaining. The sky had the typical royal blue and with a few of those stray clouds. I won’t waste any more time but will let you enjoy the scenery. Here we go:

Oh my gosh

Navy camp to the right

We stopped the tuk-tuk and started walking

Closer

Rusty and decaying top

At the base

The structure I told you about

Closer look

Inside

Some more

Must’ve been the fire place

The chunky base

Built in 1916

Inside

Dangerous to climb up

The zoomed in view of the lamp room

Love the color of the sky

Calm sea

Time to go

Casurina Beach

Having fascinated our parched minds after the Fort Hammenhiel debacle, we started for Casurina Beach. The time was just after 4.30pm but the light was still very good. We drove towards the Casurina Beach. Paval wanted to have a bath but I’m no keen on bathing in the sea so let him get on with his swim and started strolling around the beach taking pictures. Karainagar Light House could be seen in the distance and I felt really happy that I was able to add it to my collection. I would’ve loved to stay till the sunset but there was plenty of time left and I had to get to Jaffna early so decided to leave it for another day. Here are the pictures of the Casurina Beach. We’re getting closer to the end of this journey so enjoy them.

Here we are

Anchor

They do tours I assume

Some Cyprus trees

Playtime

Mummified looking

What’s that?

A hut used by the police

Miles along the beach

Resting

Life on the sand

Picnic points

On the beach

Tiny crabs are responsible for this creation

Not grapes

Do you see anything?