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.
