Backpacking Towards The West

Aloha!!!

Its been a while since i have got back, surprisingly im still in the beach mood that i have got due to my recent trip.it was  11.11.11 i didn't plan to leave on that day but hey turns out a day i will always remember, of course the trip was unforgettable too.

11th november,sky is clear it havent rained for a few days now,the word is out it will be good for beginner surfers and since i have never tried,i thought i d give it a try when i get a chance.i left home around 1000h got down from a town named Kosgoda,a very popular place to go watch turtle hatching and turtle egg collection points and all other activities that was related to turtles.well from what i read i had big hopes on it,but it turned out to be not as good as i expected it to be.but hey i had a good time hanging around the trutles.

i m really sorry for not having photos of most of the things in this trip,i lost most of them due to a small misfunction in my computer,and i could complete the trip too since i had an emergency at home had to get back so might do it all over again.


the best thing about the south is the beaches its splendid you can just stare out the bus and so many lovely spots to swim and i actually did get down from one to take a good swim,and i met two other backpackers and that was it the beach was ours.and the other very attractive thing is the artistic coconut trees,i m not sure if they are owned by people but if i wasn't too tired of walking ,i would have climbed up to have a drink:)

                                                           
                                                    Long Legged Coconut tree ;)




my next stop was ambalangoda,its popular for the rich southern culture of masks,and a lot of native rituals associated with it.ariyapala mask museum was my spot to take a good at how it was done.its quite amazing how all of its hand crafted,with such preciseness  and every paint used is taken from tree sap or from other natural sources.such patience as well.well they were really nice people they let me in to the work shop i could walk around and see anything i wanted to.it was good fun.

The Carving process of the Masks

there are so many ritual dances in sri lanka,sadly i havent seen more than two ,these dances are belived to cure illnesses and used in many other riualistic practises too.there were another kind of dances or more like stage dramas with masks on which was only done for entertainment.i have seen one or two and well yeap it is good entertainment,much better than most of the commercial bullshit they have now.

        WEREWOLVES?????????











































my next stop was hikkaduwa,but before that i had an old promise i had to keep.it was to visit the foundtaion of goodness at seenigama.which i promised the founder that i will come and introduce The Scout Movement.and to my own surprise it is the most organised place on earth i have been to,not a pin out of its place and it clean and clean could be.it so well organised and well maitained.Mr Kushil Gunasekara was nice enough to show me around and to offer me to stay the night at seenigama,so i accepted it and stayed in a very fine room ,which was very comfortable and well there was a pool too,and the beach was just walking distance.

The foundation of Goodness was found sometime back before the Tsunami hit the seenigama village,but it got majorly activated after the tsunami,and due to the foundation of goodness the village is a few steps ahead of all the other villages around.The foundation has opened doors to every possible success the youth could ever reach to,be it education sports or what ever the children are interested in.

The Tsunami water mark

If you have a chance this is a place you should visit,something that also surprises me is that this Foundation is not mentioned as a place to volunteer in lonely planet even after the Planet wheeler foundation being the sustainable sponsor for this foundation.

There is a ton  i could write about the foundation and the founder but time is not on my side these days ,the link to the official website is below and they have done a better job on detailing than i could ever do on a small blog like this.

http://www.unconditionalcompassion.org

12th November,My next stop was hikkaduwa i woke up early morning to get to hikkaduwa,and rented a beginger surfer board and trust me it is not at all as easy as it looks.i was given lessons from two other nice surfers who surfed with me,well to be exact it was tara and david.

Snorkeling in hikkaduwa is not bad but its a long swim before u reach any good corals,which is locatred between two isolated rocks in the sea.and the sun set is some thing u should never miss in hikkaduwa.

Sunset in Hikkaduwa

Next stop was Galle and well i was being picked up by one of my dad's good friend,Nalin and he was an quite an intersting character himslef,well the most intresting guy out of all my dad's friends.he told me a lot of things he done on his days tought me a few tricks and well gave me a swiss knife for my future endavours too.and his daughter Isuri is the coolest kind of girl u can meet,we had quite a good time and his wife is the best cook ever.Its unusal bakpacking but the best way to unwind a tough day of surfing.

Galle is quite a crowded place,the fort specially is ,filled with locals and also with foreigners,and of course the obvious reason is the majestic view you get while walking on the rock fortress.and i absolutely loved the clock tower and light house.it was quite fun to watch it while the sun was setting around.here is the tricky part in the fort a few mins of walking you can see the west and the southern sky as well,which is a bit rare in this island.

The Light House

Streets inside the Galle Fort
















13th november,i walk up early but got caught up in the chatter with the family i was staying with,they were nice to drop me off at the entrance to Roomsassala,the jungle beach.legned says that this part was dropped off when hanuma threw the himalayas back to nepal.well suprisingly the soil sampeles have matched and the trees that grow in that jungle are not at all the kind of treee u find near the sea.

my 1st stop was the peace temple,which was build by a fund from japanese after the tsunami,and this temple is what u see from far when you are walking on the galle fort.its quite peacefull and a has a very good view of the whole harbour.

The Stupa in Roomssala

Make sure when you are going to the jungle beach to take a pair of snorkels,snorkeling in the beach is no fun but if u look carefully you will find so many spots good for snorkeling in between rocks,its not dangerous since there are no waves ,the sea is very still so it good fro snorkeling.To say it was the best snorkeling time i had on this trip,and it was free too.

The Jungle Beach

The beach is a harbour for small fishing boats but not for many,so its not disturbing the peaceful environment.the Fisherman are quite nice,they would throw any live fish who survived the boat trip back in to the sea,i realized they only do fishing for the money and since they have no other potions too.oh when i was in the beach there was a small fishing baot aproched and to my suprise  a Land Monitor(Varanus bengalensis) we call them thalagoya was hitching a ride on the boat.turns out he droped from a rock to the sea and has been swimming for quite a long way when these fisherman saved its life.now that's humanity.:)

Not the everyday Sight eh??

I left rommassala and took a jungle path to unawatuna,well its quite a good trekking place but trees is all you might get to see and some squirrels.unawatuna is well the most overrated place ever and it has not beach what so ever ,if you cant swim and you try to go for a sea dip you are almost done its that deep.but well its alright for snorkeling you can see a few fish and some turtles too.it was not at all anything like i heard of .

my next stop was mirrissa ,and its is a lovely beach the perfect place to go body surfing and well surfing too,but it a bit away from the beach i m talking about.all in all mirissa is a good beach.and oh i made friends with a German couple who were really nice.

My plan was to go further more but Due to a small family emergency,well to be honest one of my friends were throwing in a party and the party-stater was missing so i had to go back and party.was not a bad deal:P

All in all west is a very commercial and very touristy place but is lovely no wonder it had such success over tourism and a must place to visit if you are in sri lanka.

All the Above Photograph's were taken by Me,using an A590ls cannon.






Blogged by,
Malinda Senanayake,
Sri Lanka Scout Association,Sri Lanka.
malindamax91@gmail.com

Backpacking Towards The East

Hello Boys,

I have a few jelly fish Stings,millions of small cuts all over my body and a few deep ones in my feet.despite all this hardships ,it was so much fun and i will do it all over again if i get a chance,so lets get started.

27th October,i got a call from the two Italian friends i met in my previous trip to the hill country,they were keeping their promise to meet up with me if they were in Colombo.so yes i was more than glad to hear from them and i was so happy since i was planning on heading out the next day anyway and now they could also join me.Daniel being a seasoned back packer and also a mountaineer and Felix being an excellent mountaineer as well ,was the best ,more like the perfect companions i could have on a trip. i picked them up from my town center in pandura,we had a good dinner and went to bed with the plan  that we are heading out towards east but no plan of where exactly.

28th October ,sky was clear and no sign of rain so far,yes a good start since it has been raining for a few weeks we decided to go and see water falls,since it would be full of water and spectacular.what better time to see a waterfall other than a rainy season eh?

                                     

The Pine Forest that leads the way to the Bambarakanda falls.

We took a bus to rathnapura and another to kalupahana,we were set to see the sri lankas tallest water fall,The Bambara Kanda falls.we reached there around 1100h,it was spectacular as expected or more if i say.the air was so full of moisture it felt as if we were living inside a bottle of water but still being able to breath.now i know what a fish should be feeling like.

The Bambarakanda Waterfall




















     The Pond at the end of the waterfall.

The 263 m (863 ft) high waterfall ahd a very good pond at its end,it was quite deep and the perfect place for a swim before lunch,so yeap we all dipped right in.the rocks around the pond made it fun and exciting to climb and jump in to.this was all fun but all in all in was freezing cold even at 12 noon.my mom was nice enough to pack us some milkrice for breakfast and we had it for lunch.oh before that i did my 1st rock climb,Felix and Daniel were both trained and experienced but for me it was a whole new adventure,and yes it was hell of a lot of fun.we had lunch on the top of the rock.

                                                    Diyaluma was the next waterfall we met on the way,although we were able to see it right out side from the bus we got down anyway.this waterfall was quite full of water too as we expected and we all wanted to see if we could take another swim and hang out more there.

                                                                                                                            

Diyaluma Waterfall

This was not at all a very corwded area,only a few houses and two shops around.there were rubber plantations so the workers had their houses known as a"laima" which are more like flats around the rubber collecting point.we walked in to one of the small shops filled with mangoes and all sorts of other fruits,and there was one fruit that i have never come across not even seen on tv,so we wanted to try that and asked what it was.it was cocoa,the seed they used to make chocolate.



me being a chocolate lover( oh yeah i love it),could not believe that chocolate was made out of this ,because it does not taste anything like chocolate.its not even bitter nor its sweet .it has more of a sour taste.well now i m in trouble  i have no clue how to explain a taste.you have to taste it yourself i guess:)

                                                                 The coca Fruit

The lady who ran the store told us there are ponds at the top of the waterfall and we might even get to see some elephants because there was a herd 8 to exact living in that area,who come to drink water from the stream.so we decided to camp out at the top of the waterfall.the hike was quite long and we detoured to find our own,well it was Daniel's idea it was fun but the grass was very itchy.

                                                               we were able to reach the top around 1700h,it took us nearly about an hour and a half from the road to the top.we set our back packs and we started to look for a place to put up our tent.it was tough since the whole land was a bit slanted and had a certain type of a grass which was highly spread all over the place.we even had the risk of being attacked by the elephants if we did not pick up a right place to set the tent.some how we did make one and put up the tent.the next thing was to make a fire ,we were successful even when it was raining a bit through out all of this.suddenly the rain got heavier and it wasn't fun to sit around a fire in the rain so we went in to the tent and had our mango dinner and rested for the day.

our little hide out from the elephants,well none of the elephants did show up though.all in all the stay was fun.rain kind of fixed the right temperature for a good night sleep inside the tent.

The best thing about Diyaluma water falls is that it has so many pond like structures when u reach the top of it.if you keep walking along the stream you find so many good bathing spots,absolutely lovely.there were a few good jumps too,one jump which was about 5 m we were thinking of doing,we didnt do since Daniel climbed all the way down in the rock and said it might not be deep enough,but we sure wont die.we didnt do it anyway.

one of the ponds,the stream comes through the trees which has rocks large enough to sit on and yes it was our dining place.best dining place ever.

Bath and a Sunbath???OH YEAH!!!!!!

we went to the jumping point of the waterfall next morning,29th October was the day.we could see the buses on the road,it looked like a small match box race.Daniel and Felix would always discuss about climbing up or down when they see a rock and yes that's what they were exactly doing while we were on the top looking at the steep downfall.

                                                                Arugam bay was a well known surfing spot and it was our next destination.the buses are a bit less and we were fortunate enough to catch the last bus to arugam bay from,moneragala.These areas were under heavy LTTE attack back before 2009,and its so blissful to see that those roads are free and safe,just like in Colombo or just like in any other part of the country.we were very fortunate to see a well build elephant crossing the road on our way to arugam bay so yes we saw an elephant on our trip,a very wild and a loud one too.we reached arugam bay around 2100h and we got a place to stay for a decent price (Rs 800) for all three of us.we settled in had a bath and went for a walk in the city.it was small ,quite party like but it was deserted since it was off season.it was majorly a fishing village,we went in to this nice cozy bar and had a game of carrom.it was fun and it was a good night.we went to bed early since we wanted to catch sunrise.

     Arugam Bay

30th October,the sky was gloomy and we could not watch any sunrise due to the clouds.but the waves were strong and good for a surf.but for some reason it started raining so we had no other option but to head out,with our things to our next destination.

                                               we arrived in batticalo around 1300h and we wanted to see around batticalo so we booked a night train to trinco,that way we save money without spending for accommodation.yes all of us were quite on low budget so it was for the best.when i arrived in batticalo i was so happy because i just came passing a scout statue.and this was a symbol that scouting was well spread in my country.

The Scout Statue built to celebrate 80 years of scouting in batticalo.2012 Sri Lanka would be celebrating 100 years of scouting and we will be hosting the Asia pacific regional jamboree as well.

Something that i found uncommon and very interesting was the common sight of girls riding bicycles.yes so many of them all most all of them on bicycles.this ended up being my hobby trying to catch women riding bicycles on my camera.the girls probably thought "freak"but hey you wouldn't get photographed for riding a bike everyday.

 
The Rumor says there were mermaids in the lagoons of batticalo back in the day.the batticalo railway station adds a little spice to the legend.

Riding with one hand,for a girl is damn impressive.

another common view in the beaches of batticalo would be fishermen drying fish,we call it "Karavala" its various kinds of wish soaked in salt and dried later on,but i heard its mainly a type of tuna.

Dried Tuna

we had so much time to kill and we spent a quite a lot of time swimming,we needed something more fun to do.we were trying to convince a fisherman to give us a ride in his motor-less boat which would have been fun,pedaling though high waves.but the sea was a bit too strong so our hope was less.

                                                           we saw a small group of people about 5, one man a kid and a few women trying to catch something or doing something which looked like catching fish with a cloth.of course this was in a small strip of water in the beach very close by to the sea.we went there to see what going on and yes they were fishing and we joined them right away. Felix being a hunter set a fish trap and yes none got caught.but Felix and Daniel were both able to catch fish with their bare hands and well i was a bit out of luck i would say.

this is where they stored the fish.umbrella fishing.

we grabbed a few things for dinner and got on the night train,it wasn't a long sleep since we had to get down from a station(gal oya) and change to the trinco train.and we were supposed to reach trinco at 0040h on 31st October but we reached there at 0020h.and we didn't want to buy a place for just a few hours so we slept in the railway station.homeless people we were that night according to Felix.

                                                                   we came to the trinco bus station and the nice policeman agreed to keep our backpack in their hut.which was quite a lot of help.we were straight away headed to the nilaveli beach,the beach was beautiful but it was a bit cloudy but no rain.jelly fish jelly fish,so many of them but to hell with it we just jumped in for a swim and got a few stings.after the swim we were headed to see the pigeon island national park and for foreign entrance once again the ridiculous pricing.we were a little pissed off but the island looked pretty intersting.

The pigeon Island

There is quite a wide reef spreading along the pigeon island so it is quite a good place to go snorkeling.except the snorkeling gear that is provided when u pay 500 bucks is bullshit.so take your own mask or some equipment if u have.there is a living coral and you can see some colors the further you go.and yes its filled with lovely fish and yes a quite a no of jellyfish too.i heard its during this time of year there are more than the usual amount,but the risk is always a thrill.

two things you will see until you get sick of,that would be pigeons and crabs.you cannot see a rock without a crab on it or you cannot look up the sky with out seeing a pigeon.its full of them.there are so many rocks around the island and we went rock hoping all around the island,it should be turned in to a sport.

Pigeon Attack

Crap Crab (that's what i call them)

we spent a lot of time in the island and returned to the land once we felt an unbearable hunger.we were very lucky to hitch a ride from nilaveli to all the way to trinco.trinco town is quite amusing.its a coastal fisherman town and you see deer,just walking around all over the place.how odd is that eh??truns out that they were given to the Koneshwaram kovil for kind of a festival and no one kills it since the animal is considered holy.

well this is odd???hmm not for people in trinco

the way to koneshwaram kovil is more like a sanctuary for animals.birds,Deers families of cats,dogs and goat.you can see tons of parrots.the pathway is thorough an army camp.its quite interesting how there are no check points every 5 minutes even in a high security area.its such a delight to be back in peace after 30 years of war.

                                                                                                

The kovil consists of quite a number of  sculptures and one large sculptures was still in progress.the kovil is built on a rock called the swami rock and yes its the sea straight down and it would have been an awesome jump if we did it.the kovil is known to be one of the main places taken care by the king Rawana,in the story Ramayanaya.

King Rawana

Sculptures in Koneshwaram Kovil

oh here is proof that scouts are everywhere,we were in trinco town trying to get some snacks.and i got my two friends to try sri lankan hoppers and they loved it .of course it s amazing.and a bunch of kids all dressed up walks pass me and i could not resist taking a photograph with them.i had nothing on me to give them next trip on i m carrying something with me to give to the next scout i run into.

Me,Daniel and the Boy Scouts

The bus to colombo was at 0015 so we had more time to kill,we found a place to play a game of pool and well we played that game for quite a long time,at least for two hours.we finished the game came to the bus stand and still we had more time.and tuk tuk guys would not leave us in peace asking to give us rides.and finally felix siad "hey man we want to go to the moon can you drop us?" and the tuk tuk guys said get in.well good days it was,all of it.

The Three musketeers

The feeling of not being worried about a future,the freedom from the past and all other responsibilities was simply blissful.something i learned from this trip is to trust,to trust any stranger,because to live in fear or suspicion in our minds is such a burden.if something is meant to happen it will,what ever precaution we take.why not just enjoy the ride,leaving all the worries aside eh?







All the Above Photograph's were taken by Me,using an A590ls cannon.






Blogged by,
Malinda Senanayake,
Sri Lanka Scout Association,Sri Lanka.
malindamax91@gmail.com