Rickity Train Journeys From Ella To Colombo
Posted On Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at at 11:17 PM by Alvin
Definitely one of the highlights of our visit to this lovely island would be the many different ways we experienced the Sri Lankan railways. But first thing first, after our hike up Adam's Peak, we based ourselves in the sleepy hill town of Ella, about 7 hours' bus drive East from Dalhousie. Lots of tea-drinking and walking would be the order of the day here in this little town with pristine mountain air and stunning views. So, we took frequent tea breaks in roadside tea houses in quaint garden settings as well as making little detouring walks and getting lost in amongst the tea plantations. Interestingly, we stayed in a local Wedding Hall smacked in the middle of town, where we witnessed an actual local (Sinhalese) wedding taking place below our room. The local families turned out in their Sunday Best, women in Sari, girls in knee-length frocks and men in dark suits and polished leather shoes !
We took a day trip out to the picturesque town of Haputale where we enjoyed a 7km walk back to Ella along the rail tracks; fortunately we did not have to duck out of any on-coming trains as they were few and far between (around 5 trains a day !). Last but surly the most memorable would the 10 hours journey from Ella to the Capital, Colombo. The train passed through morning mists, waterfalls, more tea plantations, sleepy small towns and even sleepier train stations. We reached Colombo Fort around 4P.M. and we found ourselves back in the company of diesel fumes, hurried crowds, office workers talking in their cell phones and multi-storeys buildings - a capital indeed. Colombo turned out to be interesting as we explored a bit more in depth and we found this capital had a lovely sea front, a pretty lake as well as sprawling temples - all in all, a pretty laid-back capital. The next day, we boarded an early train and headed back to Negombo before our flight back and sampled a bit more of the village life of this lovely island. Wonderful !
New Year Of The Dragon In Kandy And A Midnight Hike Up Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)
Posted On Monday, January 23, 2012 at at 8:00 PM by Alvin
Kung Hay Fat Choi to everyone ! Following the intense dose of Sri Lankan cultures, we had the leisure of spending the New Year Of The Dragon in the pretty lake-side town of Kandy. Kandy was a mild 25C with cool nights that made our exploring of this town all the more comfortable. We took a pleasant and slow stroll around the lake, explored the nearby hill side dotted with villas which oozed style aplenty and we ventured out to the surrounding villages of Embekka and Peradeniya, as well as attending a Kandyan Dance Show - all in all, a pretty interesting few days. We even found our favourite haunt for taking afternoon tea at the Bake House right in the middle of town where the high ceilings and un-intrusive staffs left us with lingering fond memories.
Just as well that our stay in Kandy was so restful, because next came the midnight hike up to the mighty Sri Pada a.k.a. Adam's Peak at over 2,200 Metres ! It took us two bus journeys from Kandy to Dalhousie via the dusty tea-trading town of Hatton. Dalhousie was located at the foot of Sri Pada and we quickly found ourselves a dinky hostel room the size of a shoe box for the night - hey, a bed and a hot shower, who could ask for more ? We turned in at 8P.M. and up at 1A.M. to start our ascent together with the numerous pilgrims. The atmosphere was special as we embarked on our 6,000 lung-busting steps amidst the eerily lit pathways; we met throngs of local families and priests along the way. The temperature dropped as we neared the summit and the last 15 minutes of the climb was pretty painful as the stone steps grew in height and our lungs cried out for oxygen ! It was a magical experience to be sitting amongst the pilgrims chanting their prayers at 4A.M. in the freezing wind atop one of the most famous peaks in the religious worlds.
Cultural Heartlands Of Sri Lanka
Posted On Monday, January 16, 2012 at at 12:06 AM by Alvin
We landed in Sri Lanka around mid-night and made our way in the mild climate to the seaside town of Negombo, where we relaxed for a night followed by a even more relaxing breakfast by the roadside - the laddie whipped up an energising multi-fruit shake to power us up. Negombo had a nice laid-back village vibe to it and we felt our Winter blues melting away along with the sea breeze. This town had a large fish market where fishmongers auctioned their catch of tiger prawns, sardines and tunas from the Indian Ocean as well as from the Negombo lagoon. All this relaxation could wait, we thought, and after breakfast we took a bus via Kurunegala to the island's famed UNESCO cultural heartlands : Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa.
Anuradhapura was dotted with numerous dagobas, sacred ponds, water tanks (Wewa) as well as the famous Sri Maha Bodhi Tree - an ancient sacred tree continuously tended by an uninterrupted succession (even during war times) of guardians for over 2,000 years ! We took our time acclimatising to the low land humidity (and mozzies ... ) with frequent tea breaks - ah, a nice hot cup of Ceylon tea ! We next based ourselves in Dambulla, a busy town and a major transport hub for the region, where we visited the famous Cave Temples. The guesthouse we stayed overlooked an open field towards the back, where we witnessed the amazing sight of giant air balloon landings during dawn. We took a bus to Sigiriya, where the incredible site of the Sigiriya Rock awaited us. The Rock is basically a surviving solidified volcano lava plug whilst the rest of the volcano cone had been eroded away over the millenia - a supreme and stunning example of volcanic geology. The summit at the top of The Rock had since been used by monks for meditation and contemplation of Life. The visit to the last of the ancient cities : Polonnaruwa was a very relaxing affair consisting of, chatting with locals on the hour-long bus, walking around a few ruins, strolling along the shores of the Wewa and sampling more Ceylon tea at the Polonnaruwa Rest House right by the Wewa. The Polonnaruwa Rest House was built for QE2 when Her Highness visited some years back - I guessed the lovely and peaceful views out to the Wewa had not changed much since - how wonderfully relaxing.
