To Batticaloa

We took the 7.15 train to Batticaloa from Colombo Fort, which seems to be the place from where most of our travels begin. It is also possible to get to Arugam Bay via Ampara but spending  11 hours in a bus wasn’t exactly our idea of fun.

The train ride is long. We only got to Batti at 5 am. It stopped at various places for no apparent reason. Traveling on a Sunday night in second class will get you double seats for yourself. But, unless you are a midget, you’d be hard pressed to get some comfortable sleep. Tickets are Rs. 500. Its a longass train ride that takes you through Habarana and Polonnaruwa seemingly just to avoid the hill country.

At Batti, following the guidance of Lonely Planet we visited a very mediocre looking dutch fort. The general architecture of Batti is reminiscent of South India. There aren’t many trees but the ones there are have been colonized by pigeons, with very bad bathroom habits.

We ate at a restaurant called Hotel Thameemy at the end of main street. We had Parata and pol rotti with potato curry, pol sambol and beef. The food was excellent.

To Arugam Bay

The ride to Arugam Bay was in three stages. Batti to Kalmunai, Kalmunai to Akkaraipattu and Akkaraipattu to Pottuvil. The landscape is dry and arid. Its got a strange beauty about it.

The first two stages were in hot buses. We had interesting chats with the driver on the second stretch. The roads are being developed at a rate and this provides a lot of employment to area residents. On the stretch from Akkaraipattu to A’bay we took a tuk tuk. This cost us around Rs. 1300. We recommend you take the bus.

Eating and Sleeping in A’Bay

We stayed at Sooriyas, the only place in Sri Lanka (pending verification) where accommodation can be gotten for 200 bucks per person. The room comes complete with bathroom, fan and fresh linen. The host, Asraff, is friendly and a good cook. Food is billed for separately though and if you’re looking for ultra cheap meals then Alira’s, a few meters north on the beach side, is a good option.

Peanut farm

We rented 3 push bikes and biked over to Peanut Farm. Bikes can be gotten from Hakeem’s for 300 rupees a day. Peanut farm is a surfing point that is roughly 8kms south of Arugam Bay. Its got beautiful deserted beaches and some interesting looking rocks on to the right side with some caves in them.

The road heads through fields flanked by thick dry zone forest. Elephants are said to haunt the roadsides after dark and we had a close encounter with one on the way back. It gave us the stink eye. We assume there is rap music involved somewhere.

This post might be a bit delayed because we are currently using internet that apparently uses smoke signals and monkeys overdosing on Acid for transmission provided by the dude over at indi.ca via dialog. Phone reception is particularly good with most areas covered by that operator.

So it turns out the backpacking trip worked out after all. At the moment you first read this post, we are probably just getting to Arugam Bay. We have got here via the Colombo-Batti train and then by bus to Arugam Bay. The plan will probably take in Panama (not in South America) and then just take in some chill time on the beach(es).
We’re taking two tents with us. That’ll hopefully do for shelter. A tent is essential if high travel costs are to be avoided. And if you’re camping out you may as well try the outdoor food thing anyway. But there is one other cheap travel option that one can try and that is sleeping in mosques and temples etc. I know for a fact that places of worship aren’t too particular about offering a nights rest to a tired traveler or five.
On day two we may go back to Batti (where the mangoes right now are ripe and tasty, unlike the pieces of coconut husk I find attached to the tree in my back yard) and probably head to Pasikuda. Camp out there for a night and then come back to Batti. There’s a lake I heard about on the Badulla-Batti road on which you can go on boats to fish with the fishermen. A fishing trip will take the whole day apparently and its good fun. So day 3 may be on that. But there is no plan per se so we’ll head wherever the wind blows more like.
On to the beaches of Trinco after that we think, depends on what everyone wants to do. I heard the camping on Pigeon Island is good. Camping sites will have to be evaluated though; Most of the East Coast is still a bit wild, much like the US rapping scene’s one, many wild animals making strange noises. And as per info received from kirigalpoththa and a few other people there are still armed gangs roaming the jungles along with equally edgy armed forces. There are also apparently wild elephants that can potentially tear your tent to shreds so we’ll have to ask around for safe spots. If all else fails we will make sure to carry a mouse or two.
Checking out the East Coast now will be great because in a year or so it will definitely get more commercialized judging by the amount of tourist resorts going up all over the place even now.
Getting to the Northern parts past Trinco may not be possible because of security restrictions but I guess we’ll have other options like the West Coast, Anuradhapura and other places of historical significance and even Badulla and the hill country.
We are taking supplies; Torches, clothes, bedding, good backpacks etc. If we’re back in one piece expect a few good posts on this site soon. In the meanwhile tune into our live twitter feed for daily updates, pictures and more (well not really, updates and pictures will be all actually but that should do

Preparation

We decided to tackle a trek this time over, so we settled on an 11km long hike through forests and hillsides to a cave full of bats and Potassium Nitrate. We are told this cave was mined for gunpowder thousands of years ago to feed the armies of ancient kings. Either that or it was the secret hideout of a diabolical archaic supervillain. We are inclined to believe the latter as it offers far more incentive to visit the cave. That’s not to say the cave doesn’t look amazing by itself, though.

The trek can be undertaken by anyone who takes regular exercise or is reasonably confident of one’s physical ability. You’ll have to travel nearly 2km up a mountainside on steep gradients. The rest is mostly gently sloping paths. Be warned though, the gentle downhill climb of 9 kms in the beginning turns into a torturous uphill trek on the way back that will take you almost twice as long to cover. There will also be leeches and an oceanload of rain if you go in the rainy season. Best months are from June to September, according to Lakdasun.

The complete trail guide can be found here. Get a few copies of it and make sure you don’t get it wet. Best to get a plastic holder for it. It is essential as it contains the directions you will have to take.

Items to get would include sufficient food (make sure to pack glucose and energy bars), plenty of water (the streams are drinkable but few and far between) and some first aid things. If you don’t want to donate blood to less than charitable purposes we recommend you prepare some form of leech repellent. We just used ordinary face wash. Leech socks are also essential. Wear shoes that have a good grip and won’t fall apart when roughed up. You’ll need warm clothing for the start of the trail which starts at a higher, colder altitude. Raincoats are very important.

Last but certainly not least, make sure you have arranged reliable transport. We cannot stress this enough. Make sure you get a vehicle to come and wait for you at a predetermined location till you get there. You do not want to be stranded in the middle of the leech infested road at night with heavy rain and not even a cell phone signal for assistance. Your mobile is better switched off to conserve battery power throughout the hike, as there is no signal anywhere and the constant searching eats into precious battery life.

You’re better off doing this hike over the course of two days. Camp out in a hena if you can. Or book rooms in a number of hotels around Corbett’s Gap. However, if you’re physically and otherwise prepared for some rough down and dirty fun; this is a tremendously enjoyable hike to complete in a day.

As you can see above, it is also a great opportunity to photograph things. Or in the case of Kandy, the lack of things.

Getting There

We took the Friday ‘night mail’ train that leaves Fort for Badulla at 8pm. Switched trains at Peradeniya, and arrived at Kandy at around 11. We hired a van from the station to Corbett’s Rest, a lodge near the trail head. Till the cab arrives good food can be had close by. Eat up.

If, like us, your cab arrived at about 1am, you might want to head straight to Corbett’s gap to start the hike. It is recommended that you get the van to arrive as early as possible and get some sleep. If all else fails, catch a few winks in the van itself. It will take about 2 and a half to 3 hours depending on how the road is. Watch out for felled trees in strong winds.

The drive itself is eerie. The darkness all around makes the hills seem spooky and the few human habitats you will see appear positively haunted at that time of night. Sit on the windows or stand on a seat with your body outside to truly experience the howling wind. The journey is beautiful.

Either way, get to Corbett’s gap around 5am if you wish to see a spectacular sunrise. We saw a very mediocre sunrise due to the entire valley being shrouded in mist, though. Corbett’s gap is the highest point on the Meemure-Hunnusgiriya road. You can recognize the place by the shockingly wild winds and the view out over the valley. There is a cement signboard with a map of the locality. There is also a trail leading upwards to the left.

The Hike; Starting off

Corbett’s Gap is the point at which you will start the hike. All the information you require in terms of direction is well provided for by the wonderful people at Lakdasun, so a laminated copy of the trail guide is essential to get around. The first stretch is along a road that leads down to a village called Meemure, itself a popular tourist attraction, but we turn off after five kms into a rougher jeep track that leads through another rural village.

The trail will alternate from views of panoramic mountain ranges and patches of lush forest. Keep your eyes open for the flowers and butterflies. And whatever you do, do not pollute. Leave only your footprints and take only pictures as the saying goes.

The jeep track leads on through cliff edges and more great views of the mountainside and will wind on through the village and some paddy fields. It’s interesting to note that the entire path leading to the foot of the mountains is kept well maintained. It’s trimmed and mostly level. It is also home to many leeches when wet. Be wary of the critters. The jeep track will eventually peter out into a mere footpath and you will arrive at some hena. This is about the point where the rough stretch of the hike will start.

We took this opportunity to chill on a hena and have some brunch. There are cows and buffaloes grazing near by but they are generally harmless (to those unacquainted with the disposition of farm animals). There’s a great and imposing view of Lakegala and the open sky that we enjoyed while getting slightly high on a well placed rock nearby.

The locals are very obliging with smiles, directions and water. We don’t know if they’d have been obliging with anything else because that’s all we asked for during the trip.

To the Nitro cave

The last stretch of the hike is a vague footpath that winds through jungle for about 2kms, in the course of this you will climb roughly an altitude of about 250 meters, which is not a very easy joke. Make sure you get staffs if required and proceed in a disciplined line. Ensure you have plenty of water.

There is an excellent ‘bathing spot’ right where the climb starts. Its great to have a bath after you visit the cave on the way down if, like us, you venture inside and experience the bat residue in your efforts to see what lies inside. But more on that soon.

The trail may appear to go on forever and there is a point where you may have some difficulty locating it. But keep going upwards and stick to your directions and you will eventually end up at two large, and we mean massive, trees light gray in color. They look like they’ve been put there on purpose to mark the spot. There will also be small milepost-like stones with something between 1-3km written on them along the path. Beyond the trees there are some big boulders and once you pass through them you are confronted with the Nitro cave. Its a sight.

It is located at the bottom of a sheer rock cliff and it is basically a gaping cavernous hole. There is a steep ledge to get over if you want to climb up to the entrance. Beware the bats who will by this time be getting excited by your presence. But they are mostly harmless, we just decided to fall flat on the ground if they tried to ‘attack’ but mostly they only flew above us creating a lot of racket.

Watch out for wasps. But the nests we saw appeared empty so we just risked it. Only four of us entered the caves. And unfortunately none of us had a camera. But we explored the interior of the opening cavern and found that three smaller caves lead off into the dark beyond. There are also various crevices and nooks from which bats kept pouring out by the hundred. Expect to see a lot of excited bats. We were not able to confirm whether this was the site of batman’s first encounter with the flying foxes.

The Way Back

The route you take when starting the hike primarily heads downhill. The lowest point of it is the ‘bathing spot’ mentioned earlier. After that the trail climbs again steeply to the Nitro Cave. What you have to remember is that you have an almost 10km long uphill climb on the way back to Corbett’s Gap. We were almost stranded on the mountain in the rain and the dark, but luckily we received a lift from a passing van. You can also use a jeep to get around up and down on this stretch, but hiking is recommended. Cos It’s more fun that way.

A run down of some popular eateries sprinkled amongst the streets of Colombo. A traveler might very well end up requiring nutrition even in his home turf, so we’ve put together this bunch of restaurants(loosely) for your reference.

Burgers

Everyone’s familiar with Burger King by now I presume, and no I’m not talking about the international franchise, I’m talking about that little joint on the corner of Malay Street at Slave Island. Cheap, tasty burgers in a variety of forms and killer shawarma. Helped possibly by the chap who cuts up the chicken, who in some shades of light looks like a mask-less Jason X to my eyes. They’ve also got kebabs which I am yet to try out. The exact location is about ten feet into malay street when coming from the Galle face/Union place side of the road. It’s a tiny shack like thing, more or less the same size of one of those petti-kada which offer key-cutting services. They set up shop in the evening, with a bunch of chairs and tables spread out on the pavement.

Rottis

There are a variety of rotti based food to choose from. Time was when the number one joint for paratas, naan and other rotti like food items was Nana’s. He had an outlet at Galle face green and then one at slave island. But he’s gone and shut down his business now for some obscure reason and great butter naan with some tandoori chicken on the side while you sit of an evening looking at the sea at  Galle Face is denied us.

On the topic of rotti, but off the streets of Colombo, I simply have to tell you about this great place at Hikkaduwa simply known as the ‘Rotti Shop‘. It’s a few hundred meters before Amaya Reef on the land side if I remember correctly. The cheese rotti there is awesome. Very thick and juicy, filled with spicy chicken and cheese. And it’s not shaped like the standard cheese rottis available in Colombo. I’ve had it several times and keep going back for more whenever i pass that way.

When we talk kottu, most people think of Pillawoos (or Pilla) or blogs. The Pilla at Kollupitiya  is the most popular. You can park your car and they’ll serve you right there on the street. They’ve got a bit of variety with the cheese kottu, masala kottu etc. A good option is also Hotel de(?) Hijra right next door. They’ve got similar fare and will serve you the same way. Wash it down with a nice iced Milo and you’re all set to go. Though kottu fare seems to have dropped off in quality of late.

There are two other Pillawoos’s that I’ve spotted, in Bambalapitiya. They seem decent but I am yet to try the rottis there. Their kottu is not bad.

Indian fare

For Indian food like dosa’s, veggie rice, vadeys etc. the place to go in my school days was Amrithas next to the flats in Bambalapitiya. For unlimited and delicious vegetarian rice however, it used to be Vani Villas down Armor street. They serve your rice and spicy veg curries on a banana leaf and keep refilling you free of charge till you’re too full to move, they also get a bit offended if you don’t eat a lot. Sadly haven’t been to a really great Indian street restaurant lately, though Rahumania right next to Odel (Town Hall) is not bad at all. The vegetarian fare they have might not be everyone’s plate of tandoori but it is safe to say they cater to everyone’s palates, simply by there being around four sections to the place. On the ground floor you have three, the vegeratian, non-veg and dessert thing, where they have some good fruit salads and such. I wouldn’t recommend their kottu though. Climb up the stairs in the middle and you end up in the air-conditioned section where you get served even more food. It is located about twenty meters from Odel when walking away from Lipton Circus.

Vadeys, Rice and other stuff

Galle Face has always been a great place for vadeys, isso vadeys (or prawn vadeys) that is. there is also a chap at the top of the corner of Bullers road and Galle road (basically right at the mouth of the Bambalapitiya junction) who sells great Maldive fish vadeys. Other than that there are always people popping up here and there selling vadeys and things off the street. You just have to try one and see.

For manioc chips there used to be a famous place down station road Dehiwala. You could get a whole bag for just ten rupees.

Hoppers have always been a favourite. Sadly there is no trademark  place I can name for the best hoppers in town, but recently I tried out this tiny place at the Kirulapone junction that was fantastic. I like my egg hoppers watery, and like a lot of loonu miriss (onion/chilli mix) and gravy. Yum yum.

Finally we come to that staple of all Sri Lankan food, bread rice. You can get great biryani at Bilal Hotel opposite Majestic City, There is also a new Pakistani place called Eat More at the Bamba junction that’ll serve you some killer fried rice. They also got this very nice kind of chapathi. You have to try it. They’ve got a speciality called Brain Masala which I’m probably gonna try out soon.

As for all the shops and hotels strewn around the place, just walk in and try it out. There will always be some joint where you can go into and enjoy some hoppers and a tea. Just yesterday I went into a place in fort, a little way off from the railway station. The parata was slightly cold but the chicken was good. Best to go when they’re making everything. Which is usually after 7pm.

Sure I’ve missed out on some great places and even possibly some great food items. What are your favourite places?

Originally posted here – http://abdulhalik.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/street-food-colombo/

The Bus

The beaches of Sri Lanka hold many locations that make you just wish you had an SLR. Or if you’re less photographically inclined, to drool. Mirissa is one such place, just over three hours from Colombo by intercity bus. Lonely beaches, rock pools with clear water and snorkeling opportunities, shallow waters with waves lapping in with just the right amount of force. Take a sporting ball along and you are guaranteed to have a great experience.

Mirissa, primarily, is known as a surfing spot. At least to the scores of foreign surfers who frequent it every year. As far as surfing spots go, its rather on the more challenging side with the rocky reef affording somewhat of a narrow channel to get your board in, translating into a few smashed limbs every year, but that just drags the crowd in.

Surfing lessons should cost you roughly Rs. 1000 per hour. Although if you go in the middle of the season excessive demand for surf lessons may drive the price up. If you’re an experienced surfer, you can rent a board for Rs. 500 from the Surf Bar which is just opposite the main spot of beach where most of the surfing happens.

If you don’t surf, at least bodyboard. Its super fun! And anyone can do it, it’s like riding a bus. To Mirissa, if you will.

Mirissa is a town on the Galle-Matara road smack in the middle between Weligama and Walgama.

To get there, we took the 6am Matara bus from Pettah and arrived at around 9:30, even after our original bus broke down. Tickets are Rs. 220 again, and you’re supposed to get off at the Mirissa Junction. Either get the bus conductor to drop you off there(It would be a good idea to temporarily be annoying and keep querying the conductor with “Ayye pahu wunaada?”) or take somebody who knows the place along. Mirissa Junction is not a junction in the conventional sense of the word in that it’s not really a junction at all. It’s just where the concentration of shops increases to a building every ten meters or so.

Directions to the beach

The local three wheelers will keep asking you if you want a ride, but their services won’t be required so you can politely refuse or be all posh and ignore them. Be prepared for stony looks on the way back if you choose the latter.

From the bus stop, walk towards the Matara side for a few meters and you will get to a turnoff that leads to the Paradise hotel. Turn.

After going down the road for a few dozen meters you get to the Paradise Hotel, which is where we entered the beach through. We assume they named the place after it’s location, and not it’s facilities. But then again the facilities weren’t all that bad either. They have a great lunch for Rs. 350, but they fleece you with desert at 200 bucks. The head waiter’s almost manic grin hides this fact. The beach is magnificent, complete with a small rocky island you can climb, pictured on the right in the image above.

The Beach

The beach right in front of Paradise is good for wading out and just messing around in the water. You can even rent body boards for even more fun, though we didn’t get to try that. The water comes up to about chest height when wading out about 30m to sea. The waves are a joy to ride even when you’ve got just your body to ride them with. It’s as fun as it sounds.

All sports you plan to play out on the sand should be done with by around 2pm, when the water starts lapping up on the higher ground of the beach, making running on it feel like you’re ploughing it.

As noted earlier, Mirissa primarily is surfing spot. During the surf season, the area around the rock pool (pictured below) is completely covered with sand, making it easier for surfers. People from all over the world come down here (most people we met were from Europe). The season will be a good time to learn some surfing skills.  Surfs up in a couple of months or so!

Walk along the beach for in the western direction for a few meters and you will come across the Surf Bar, where they have surf boards for rent. It is usually populated by a bunch of people who you can approach to teach you how to surf. Just go over and ask around. Keep walking past the Surf Bar and you will get to The Spot.

The Spot(Rock Pool)

If you get there by morning, this little enclave is sheer bliss to be in. We arrived there around 10am and were nearly speechless at sight. Nearly because no self-respecting sinhalaya brother can have nothing to say at any time. There was the occasional utterance of “Heaven” and “Good God this is brilliant”.

It’s basically a bit of beach that has a long slab of rock that that just beaks the surface of the water at low tide. This created a barrier of sorts, making the space between it and the beach a virtual pool full of clear, slowly flowing water that only reaches up to waist deep at most places. This area is also quite suitable for snorkeling, as even the occasional fish swims past. But as the tide comes in around afternoon, the little barrier island sinks below the waves and the waters of the rock pool become a bit more active and less translucent.

The view from Palace Mirissa

Even further along the beach you’ll get to a place where you find a road leading to the “Palace Mirissa”. This is a boutique hotel with little cottages strewn about built on top of a cliff that opens up to the sea. From inside, you get a fantastic view of the surrounding cliffs and the water crashing onto them. Try bluffing your way in.

The Island

The island is a nice place to go conquer. Or at least pretend to conquer, since many have doubtless been on it before. As evidenced by the concrete stairs at one place.

You can jog up the beach for a few hundred meters to reach it, after which you can wade through the water which reaches around waist height for about ten meters to get to the actual island. It is best to go scout it out in the morning when the tide is low so you get an idea of the path to be taken, as you have to walk along a curved path to avoid deep areas. Look for rocks on the surface of the sand to navigate by. Alternatively, you could just ask someone who hangs around there to guide you. Physically, not spiritually.

All this should be enough to keep anyone occupied for at least a day. We didn’t even try everything that was on offer. Getting back is a cinch because there are A/C buses leaving Matara and other places along the coast at all times of the night. Just get to the junction and wait. Better yet, get to Galle and wait there. As always, confirm directions with as many people as possible. A sort of mental triangulation is what is required.

For more information on where to stay and rates etc, leave comments or mail us!

Cheers!

The Seminary

Climbing up a wild stream, trekking for kilometres along winding roads with only the directions of the occasional human being among a mass of emptiness to guide us, we arrived at an unknown little waterfall that provided us with some great stories to bring back and also some leeches and indigestion for a lucky few of us.

Our original intention was to visit the Monte Fano seminary. Sri Lankas oldest centre of teaching for the Catholic clergy. The current head bishop of the island studied there somewhere in the fifties.

We got to the seminary by tuk tuk from Kandy town, near the lake. Although its possible to get there by bus as well, we were a little posh into the beginning of our journey.  You’ve got to be careful if you are entering Ampitiya town by bus because it is so small you might miss it. There’s no actual townthere. A scattering of shops (mostly restaurants, which is a bit weird now that I think about it) is strewn along a distance of a kilometre or so; thickest at the turn off into the seminary, which lies up a hill or rather, a mountain.

Best to ask directions and ensure the konda knows where you’re headed when you’re going. Tuk tuk should cost you a maximum of 200 rupees. DON’T take tuk tuks from ’stands’ as they will look at your shorts and rubbers and assume you are posh and charge you almost twice as much as a reasonable rip off should cost.

The Seminary is Big. It’ll take you by surprise when you arrive at it. It’s lush and green and the buildings have a very wholesome looking ‘churchy’ feel that reminds you of Angels and Demons. Its got huge well-kept gardens and a vast amount of  well maintained surrounding land and forest area. The Vatican sponsors it well.

It is not known as a popular tourist spot. The administration prefers it low key. When we got there the place was shut down, the inhabitants having gone off on holiday; but we spoke to the ‘guard’ (an old gentleman in a sarong) and he showed us around.

They have rows of cages with eagles in them. And big ones too. After snapping up some choice pics of the buildings we headed off to the top of the hill to catch the famous view of the Mahaweli river snaking along in the distance. Here we got slightly intoxicated. and not just from the view.  Our guide, being too frail to climb mountains, only turned up a good while later when we showed no signs of returning.

The Bathing Spot

Next it was off to find a ‘bathing spot’. Cos no real Sinhalaya goes anywhere without enjoying a bath native style. Something you have to try before that is the food at the bakery down the main street at Ampitiya. They bring it in freshly baked at about 2 pm and it is literally to die for(Not really, but you get the gist). Lunch is available at a decent restaurant close by. It was 110 rupees per person, with your own dining table with a cool view of the surrounding greenery. A kathakali dancer or some Hindu god stares at you ominously from the far wall as you dine. It is best to avoid catching the painting’s eye.

The first thing to do when looking for a bathing spot is to ask a three wheel driver. After that, ask another three wheel driver (far away from the first one). Then check again with a shop keeper. The key to quality directions is one word: verification.

One may assume that, being natives and all, they’d all know the exact whereabouts of where everything is but a good example to the contrary is our search for a bathing spot; each person gave us little tidbits of information which we pieced together to arrive at a reasonably accurate estimate of where it is, how far away it is, how we get there, is it worth the effort etc. Such accuracy requires a fair bit of industry and diligence to accomplish.

We got conflicting directions telling us that it was 5, 8 and 13 kms away. We were told that there would be a bus along eventually though, and that’s what happened. In the meanwhile we were treated to some local hospitality at a roadside kade. After some refreshing king coconut we sat talking to the shop owners brother who obliged by taking our picture and asking after our lives in Colombo, whilst sharing a wealth of local information.

Gaalthanna, the stream lies some 10 kms or so off Ampitiya. The bus materialized about a half hour later so we were saved an extra long trek. But the surrounding countryside is worth taking in.

We asked the bus driver to drop us off at Gaalthanna. We had to walk across some irrigation constructions around the curve of a hill until we came to the mouth of a natural stream. Then as per our directions, which we almost got wrong, we started the slippery climb up the rocky stream to locate the bathing spot.

After about a 20 minute climb we came to it. It lies in a secluded spot that is unreachable by any other route. The water falls off a rock that is about 15 feet tall. the water is about three to four feet deep and there is a big grasy bank on which we kept our backpacks and used to relaxed on.

We headed back to Kandy a little after an hour or two. After walking back down the road taking in the surrounding view we were again met with a bus. And were back in the city within an hour. It was around 6 pm. Luckily for us there was a Dansala or an alms giving of food (due to it being the time of the perehara) so we feasted on some vegetarian rice and curry before heading back to Colombo.

The Train

The train to Kandy in the morning was the Intercity Express. It leaves the Fort Railway station at 7.a.m. sharp. You can buy first class tickets but you will have to book them in advance. they cost something like Rs. 340. We managed to get second class tickets. It takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours to reach Kandy by the Intercity, which is probably one of the quickest ways to get there.

The view, as always, is best from the foot board. Some brilliant scenery along the way if you keep an eye out during the latter half of the journey.

Some things to be careful with. The Railway service, like all other government services, can sometimes get petty and idiotic. So they will not allow any one person standing in line to buy more than five tickets. We managed to ask the next chap in line for his obliging help when confronted by it, but its best to have a few people standing in line when you purchase tickets.

Also, the tickets you get are numbered according to the seats. You will have to ensure that all your tickets are numbered together by specifically mentioning that to the chap at the counter, cos their particular about these things. Best is to book the tickets well in advance if you’re the pre-planning type of person. But we Sinhalaya’s being more into spontaneous wanderings, crossed that bridge when we got to it rather than going looking for the bridge.

Train ride is fun. Second class is sitting only. But it doesn’t mean you cant stand at all, it just means they only allow people who have a ticket and a seat. Scream in the tunnels and bring along water and biscuits. And a camera.

You can also take the bus. Which is what we did on the way back. It costs exactly the same as a second class ticket, which is Rs. 220. An A/C bus will usually be at Kandy town, a slight distance away from the regular bus stand. Ask around and you will find it easily.

The journey left us exhausted yet satisfied. The true Sinhalaya travels not for the sake of touristy satisfaction to well worn destinations in order to experience things that are perfectly predictable. No. Given the opportunity, the Sinhalaya travels to gain new experience; to be confronted by things not been confronted with before, to encounter challenges and overcome them, to live the life of storybook adventure at least during those few moments when you’re dead tired and everything is uncertain and all you want to do is head back home, thinking of your bed.

But your bed is your enemy. The open air is your friend. Stick with us at Sinhalaya travels as we take you through accounts of more of our journeys into the wilder generally unknowns of Sri Lanka.