A Pearl Shaped Island Nation – Sri Lanka

Click to read Part 1 : Kerala Floods - A prologue to Srilanka Trip before you proceed. 

We reached Colombo by noon. It was drizzling when we reached. Wherever we went, when people came to know we are from India they had to ask about the flood only. We had been to a restaurant “The Gallery Café” on Alfred House Road, Colombo. The place is fantastic not only for food, but it was a Gallery indeed. The next morning, we started our trip from Colombo (Fort Station) by train to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. The nearest railway station is Rambukkana. It takes 2.5 hours by train. The elephant orphanage is 2 kms from the Rambukkana railway station. We spent there 3 hours enjoying the elephant bathing, feeding etc. We also visited a nearby factory wherein the elephant dung was used to make books & paper. We happened to see a demo on how paper is made out of elephant dung. The shop also had a corner for souvenir.  

From there we went to Kandy. Kandy is known as the spiritual capital of Sri Lanka. It was another 3.5 hours journey by train. We stayed at Kandy for 3 nights. We were happy that we could witness the Festival of Tooth which is known as “The Kandy Esala Perahera”. It is a procession with a number of decorated elephants. One can also witness an elephant carrying the casket which holds tooth of Buddha. It is an annual festival to pay homage to the sacred tooth relic.

There is another temple dedicated to Lord Buddha - Bahirawakanda Temple. The temple is 2 KMs from the city center, but situated on a hilltop. This temple is known for the giant Buddha statue in white which can be seen from almost anywhere in Kandy. The night view of this statue is absolutely stunning. 

Next day of our travel was to Minneriya National Park(Click here to know more). It was 2.5 hours journey from Kandy. On our way, we had stopped at Ranweli Spice Garden, Sigiriya & Dambulla Cave Temple. People who have visited Kerala or living in Kerala, the spice garden is nothing new. The Dambulla Cave Temple which is also known as Golden Temple of Dambulla is a UNESCO world heritage site. Sigiriya is also another UNESCO world heritage site. It is an ancient rock fortress which has a gateway in the form of an enormous lion.  

Our next destination was Ella. Ella is a very small town. But what makes Ella so important is the train journey to Ella from Kandy. It definitely is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. It is 9-10 hours journey. You would go crazy seeing the crowd on the train. But the journey is worth. The most picturesque journey ever. The train runs along a narrow mountain ridge & the landscape shifts from misty forests, beautiful waterfalls & mountains, tea plantations along with cool climate. Remember we are climbing the mountain, so the train would be slow. The tracks are single in most places except for the stations.

Nuwara Eliya is between Kandy & Ella. But one has to travel till Ella to enjoy the picturesque view. Nuwara Eliya is a hill station full of tea. Sri Lanka is famous for tea and Ceylon Tea is considered the cleanest tea in the world. The nearest railway station to Nuwara Eliya is Nanuoya. This is 5 hours journey by train. Lovers Leap waterfall was very close to the place where we stayed. We decided to hike the road that leads to this waterfall as it was very close. The stroll was even more beautiful due to the cool climate & we were surrounded by tea plantations. The fall is said to derive its name from the tragic tale of a prince, who while hunting in the jungle, lost his way. He was rescued by a beautiful girl from the local village, and the two became inseparable lovers. But the match was opposed by the king. So, the two decided to immortalise their love by leaping from the top of the fall to their death.

Next day our journey to Wadduwa started. We hopped into the bus which was to going to Colombo, since there was no direct bus going to Wadduwa directly. It was supposed to be 5 hours journey to Colombo and then another 1-hour journey to Wadduwa. But somewhere in the midst of our journey, Dileep realized, if we get down at a point ahead, we could save time as there was some other road that led to Wadduwa without reaching Colombo. And he was right too, we were able to reach Wadduwa in the meantime the bus reached Colombo or may be early.

Wadduwa is a coastal town which has many resorts facing beach. Since it was in the evening that we reached, we decided to spend time there itself at the beach. Next day morning Dileep’s colleague who was the reason for our tour also joined us & we went to Galle which was 1.5 hours journey. We spent the whole day at Galle & Unawatuna whole day. Then next day we visited his family who were away for 2 days as they had some family function. Galle & Unawatuna somehow reminded me of Pondicherry which is now Puducherry.

Again, our return flights were cancelled as Cochin airport remained closed. We were given flights for the next day to Trivandrum. We got a day extra which was not in our itinerary. So, after checkout from Wadduwa, we headed back to Colombo and chose to stay close to airport as we had early morning flights.

 Click here for photos from Minneriya National Park.

Kerala Floods - A Prologue to Srilanka Trip

 

It has been 10 years since we have been travelling together. Recently during lockdown, we thought of making an album which would comprise of our travel photos alone. Since all these years we have been storing them digitally, there were no physical albums. So, we were going through the process of selecting & sorting photos that needs to be printed. That’s when we realized that “A photo indeed freezes not just that moment. It also carries a lots & lots of memories along with that.” And that’s how the idea popped up in Dileep’s mind of writing blogs on our travel.

Sri Lanka was in our bucket list since long due to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Sri Lanka for me meant nothing more than Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. But it was in 2018 that finally the trip happened. And it was a trip which we thought got almost cancelled even after a much planning & bookings which we had never ever done with any of our trips. This trip was planned just because Dileep had a colleague from Sri Lanka in his last ship. He gave a list of must visit places. So, we wanted that trip to happen immediately. That’s how the trip was planned that too when Dileep was still onboard. Dileep came back from the ship on 9’th of August and the trip was booked for 16’th of August 2018.

The Sri Lanka Trip experience would be incomplete without telling about Kerala Floods. In 2018 Kerala received pretty much heavy rainfall that all the dams were full. We knew the dams would be opened one by one and we never knew what would happen. Most of the flights were getting cancelled those days due to rain which led to difficulty in landing & take off of flights. We met my friends who were residing in Africa & were supposed to leave the very same day Dileep reached Cochin. They were also not sure about their flights till they reached Africa. And the entire discussion during our lunch was about their flight whether it would take off or not. My friend who was about to leave that day, was at times busy calling the airlines, but was not able to connect with them. This was just the beginning. Kerala was yet to see the worst days & so were we.

The 2018 flood created a number of records in the history. It was raining continuously from 8’th of August. All 14 districts were given red alert. Kerala being such a small state has 54 dams and that’s when we also came to know that these many dams were built in Kerala. Out of which 35 of them were opened for the first time in history which resulted more water & flood. Even many places were isolated. Our flights to Colombo were booked. It was scheduled to fly on 16’th August from Cochin International Airport. On 15’th Cochin airport was closed and we tried to contact with airlines from noon which we got connected in the evening. Finally, our flights were rescheduled for early morning from Trivandrum. Meantime, here we were getting news of trains being stopped in mid stations due to water on the tracks. Similarly, buses were stopped, as roads were flooded. Now we started thinking of chances of reaching Trivandrum. Dileep booked the train tickets to Trivandrum which was supposed to go till Nagercoil. But chances of us reaching Ernakulam South Railway Station seemed to be bleak. The railway station was just 2.5Kms. But with luggage & the heavy downpour, walking to the railway station was impossible. But somehow, he managed to get an autorickshaw and we reached railway station on time. On reaching Trivandrum around 3-4 AM, there was an announcement that the train which was supposed to go till Nagercoil is ending its journey at Trivandrum due to landslide ahead. Railway station was crowded and there was chaos all around. And luckily, we managed to reach airport somehow and finally flew to which was so called Land of Demon. Little did we know the wrecks going to happen. 

                                                                                     (Click here to continue.....)

A Trip Through The Wilds - Angamoozhy to Vandiperiyar

This blog is about a trip to the forest on a Jeep. These places are for those who want to enjoy the forest & the wildlife. Recently the state government has been working on eco-tourism projects. A place for nature lovers with lush greenery & refreshing climate. When we started our trip, it was very hot outside & it was sweaty too. But the moment we entered the forest & crossed the check post, it all changed. We started to wonder which part of the world have we reached. It was full green & very dense with tall trees reaching up to sky. There were places where we could feel the presence of the sun. It felt as though the Sun was trying hard to reach us. Our trip was on an open jeep which we had hired for the day. So, we could stand in full length & our lungs were filled with fresh cool air.

We were staying at Thekkady, & we had to travel almost 2 hours by road to reach a place Angamoozhy. Angamoozhy is a village in Pathanamthitta district & on Pathanamthitta – Kumily Road. It is the entry point of forest. It is also known as the gateway to Sabarimala. Once you reach Angamoozhy, you just have to follow the road signs to Sabarimala. The forest check post opens for public at 8.30 AM. We had to wait there for some time. While we were waiting our guide cum driver spotted & showed us Red Jungle Fowl & Grey Jungle Fowl. A little while later we heard very huge sound of wings and its then we saw a big Hornbill. Till date we had not seen a Hornbill this big & close. And after a wait for 15 minutes & our light breakfast which we had carried with us, we got our pass to enter the forest. It is important to note that the journey through this forest is one way. We enter through Angamoozhy and the exit is at Vandiperiyar. The journey was a 90 Km through thick forest, but the roads were tarred as the forest is also house for KSEB which has 5 dams. The only vehicle coming in opposite direction would be belonging to either KSEB or forest guards. 

We got to see Anathode Dam, Moozhiyar Dam, Kakki Dam, Pamba Dam & Gavi Dam. One cannot take any photos at Dam sites as it is prohibited. There is another option for those who are for short time of visit. The same Jeep Safari from Kumily to Gavi and back to Kumily. There are numerous tribal inhabitants in the forest who have their own traditions & beliefs. These dams are the water sources for Sabarigiri Hydro Electric Power Station. There is a point in the forest where one could stop to have a look of penstock pipes from the dam leading to this power station. Our guide showed us a tree on which there were scratching marks of an elephant. That huge tree was a scratching post for the poor big mammal.

On our way, we got to see few deer which were sitting on a steep mountain. If they had not been spotted by our guide, we would have missed sighting them. We got down from our jeep to take some photographs. It is then one of them made a huge sound as if it was a warning for the rest. The male sambar deer would have long antlers. Sitting on the top of the mountain gave them the entire view of the forest & the valley.  The other animals which we got to see in this Goodrical forest range are Long Tailed Macaque, Langur, Barking Deer & a number of Malabar Giant Squirrel. 

It was when we reached Gavi, we came to know that people who were ahead us got to see a wild bison. We stopped over there for taking some photographs & for having our lunch. Even though our roads were full filled with Elephant Dung we were not lucky to spot even one. Seeing the dung on the road, it felt like the road was paved using elephant dung, not the tar.

Our guide showing us a big tall tree with a fat trunk was saying that it is the tree which was used to build ships. It is Benteak tree which is commonly found in western ghats. He also showed us a snowbell tree, the resin of which is used as 'sambrani'. Sambrani is a dried form of the resin which is burnt during any divine ceremonies or as air purifier.

And finally, towards the end of our trip, we got to see a wild tusker which was roaming alone in the deep valley. It seemed to be aggressive. We were lucky as we were on the top. It trumpeted on hearing us. And thus, spotting the biggest mammal, the trip became a complete one. If interested one can go for a coracle ride and also there is a trekking trip at Gavi where they take you to a point from where we can see Sabarimala. This trekking is included in half day, full day or a package that includes a stay at Gavi. It was 2.00 PM when we were about to exit the forest check post. But it was a zombie experience overall.

Click here to view more photos of this trip.

Bhoothathankettu & Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary

Recently due to covid we have been travelling to places which are at drivable distance and also to places where we can avoid night stays. Most importantly we wanted a less crowded place too. During such trip, recently we had been to a place called Bhoothathankettu. It is a dam in Kerala. The name means Monster Fort. The dam is very close to my college from where I had completed my graduation. Nowadays the dam is closed because of which we can’t walk over it. But a new bridge has been built across the reservoir parallel to this dam. We can cross the bridge to reach an eco-tourism point. Nowadays you can see various eco-tourism picnic spots like Thenmala, Paniyeli Poru, Kapprikkadu, Gavi etc. The objective behind eco-tourism is to preserve the nature as it is. One can have a picturesque place that are silent & green. One can experience a rich collection of fauna & flora as well.

So, you can walk/trek through the forest listening to the flowing water for 1 km until you reach the banks of the river where you can see the so called Bhoothathankettu. The river never leaves you even if one can’t see it. You can spend hours sitting at the banks or climbing over the stones or even can have a dip where the river seems to be shallow. When we reached the river bank, we were mesmerised by the view. It started raining in a while after we reached and it was another pleasure to eyes. But we were not lucky enough to hop over the demonic stones as it was raining heavily & the stones seemed to be slippery. I will make sure I visit this place again during summers. We were welcomed by a guide who narrated a story/myth behind this which I felt interesting.

There is a temple which is considered to be the last shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva by Parashurama. It is known as Thrikkariyoor temple. So, the story is related to this temple. The narration goes as Lord Shiva was very happy with the devotees that he started to meditate there leaving his wife Parvati abode. Parvati after few days started searching for Lord Shiva & came to know that he is undergoing meditation at Thrikkariyoor. Parvati wanted to wake up Shiva. But she was afraid of Shiva’s anger & third eye. So, she asked the demons to block the water of the river so that the water level would rise ending up submerging the Thrikkariyoor temple. Demons who also knew about Shiva’s anger & third eye were reluctant as they cannot deny Parvati’s order either. And hence they came up with an idea that, they would block the water just till dawn. Lord Shiva, who was omnipotent came to know about this trickery, faked the approaching dawn by a rooster’s sound. Demons fled away leaving their work half way.

We can see the river flowing through the narrow gap which demons left before filling up. One can walk up over the boulders to see the gap during summer.

There is a bird sanctuary nearby as well. It is named after the famous ornithologist Salim Ali. It is ever green low land forest on the banks of Periyar river. We were welcomed by a squawking of a beautiful & big peacock which was sitting on a branch of a tree in the parking area. It made the sound whenever there was a visitor. Before taking the trail for bird watching, one can even visit animal rescue center which include Peacock, Python, Monkey, Civet etc & a beautiful butterfly park. Earlier there used to be boating as well. One can cover the sanctuary in 3 hours of trek.