september 2016
FIRST EDITION
Dupatha
Dupatha is a magazine exploring the cool places and activities in Sri Lanka. Acknowledgements Team Backpacker Ancestoral Home of Martin Wikramasighe Wave 2 You Weligama Printed in Sri Lanka
Š 2016 Dupatha magazine all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotationsembodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Contributors 1. Saeeda deen
3. Vinuri
Wijeyawickrama
2. rozanne
Fernando
4. Dominic
wunsche
1. City Girl Goes Hiking Beach Barbie
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2. Trek Accross Madol Duwa
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3. Southern
CONT ENTS Roadtrip
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4. A Weekend In Colombo
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1. City Girl Goes hiking
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It all began with chicken pies and fairy
1-h;v |orr;7 b|_ l-uv_l-ѴѴo Yo ;uv that we consumed on our journey to the great falls of Bambarakanda. We were hyped about hiking the tallest waterfall bm "ub -mh-ĸ vol; o= v Cuv|Ŋঞl;uv ;u; just bubbly at the idea of hiking in general. Although Sri Lanka is home to the some of the greatest virgin mountains and landŊ scape, hiking and camping for women is considered taboo which made this trip a novelty. $_; ;-|_;u =ou;1-v| -v mo| ;u orঞŊ lbvঞ1 b|_ |_; ;uu-ঞ1 ;-|_;u 1om7bঞomv the country has recently been experiencŊ ing but we hoped for the best as we sat through the four hour drive to KalupaŊ hana, in the Badulla district. The actual hiking began from the rest house, a few
meters from the base of the waterfall, owned by an entrepreneurial woman with no sense of interior (or exterior) décor. Climbing up was terrible, especially if you’re a chubby girl who’s last involveŊ l;m| bm -m |_bm] -|_Ѵ;ঞ1 -v - vhbrrbm] 1olr;ঞঞomķ vb ;-uv -]oĺ $_; 1Ѵbl0 -v quite steep and it took an hour although I -v 1 uvbm] Ѵbh; - v-bѴou 0 |_; Cuv| | ;mŊ ty minutes. To be fair though, once the Cuv| 0b| o= |_; _bh; -v 7om; b|_ -m7 we stopped to rest our burning calves, b| -vmĽ| vo 7bL1 Ѵ|ĺ $_; lo m|-bm -v vo 0;- ঞ= Ѵ -m7 v1;mb1 o 1o Ѵ7mĽ| Cm7 anything ugly even if you tried and the cooling wind was so strong that it made trees sway and grass ripple. We eventuŊ ally made it to the waterfall and decided that we wanted to set up camp next to it.
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$_; 1-lrbm] vro| -v t b|; 0;- ঞ= Ѵĺ The waterfall broke at a point where it formed a small pool and from that pool b| 1omঞm ;v |o v|u;-l 7o m |o |_; 0o|Ŋ tom. Besides this pool was a secluded spot where we set camp. The area was canopied by trees that sheltered us from the rough winds at night. Half of the team set up the tents while we
threw branches at each other and called it ļ1oѴѴ;1ঞm] Cu; oo7Ľĺ $_; ] v =o m7 - Ѵo] -m7 |ooh | umv 1olr;ঞm] |o 0u;-h b| o ;u a stone. The wilderness triggered someŊ |_bm] bm |_;bu lbm7v |_-| l-7; |_;l Ѵb Ѵ; kids again. They got into their swimming clothes and acted silly in the pool while ; v;| |_; Cu; rĺ
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Watching the sky at dusk was the best part of this journey. No carefully thought out words or photographic skills could 1omˆ;‹ |_; ;loাomv -m7 |_; oˆ;u‰_;Ń´lĹŠ ing sense of majesty that I experienced |_-| -[;umoomÄş | ‰-v -0voѴ†|;Ѵ‹ v|†mmbm]
and we would be one of the few selected people who would be privy to the gorĹŠ geous sights of the Bambarakanda falls. m; o= o†u _bh;uv l;mাom;7 |_-| omѴ‹ Ƒѡ o= |_; ;mাu; "ub -mh-m ror†Ѵ-াom ‰o†Ѵ7 have set foot on our campsite.
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$_; Cu; -v 1u-1hѴbm] -m7 ; 0;]-m cooking. We ate a tasty albeit not very picturesque meal of corn, potatoes and grilled, all wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked in the glowing embers of the hot coals. The night went quite comfortably b|_ ]oo7 1olr-m ķ ]oo7 1om ;uv-ঞom and good food accompanied with liquid Cu; oo7 Ő|_; m-l; ]- ; |_; -|;u ; 0obѴ;7 om Cu; oo7őķ mঞѴ - 1o1huo-1_ decided to include itself in our party. We also discovered, among our party crashŊ ers, a crab living in the waterfall which we
=o m7 t b|; bm|;u;vঞm] 0;1- v; ; 7b7mĽ| expect crabs to live in a waterfall on top of a mountain. We listened to music and watched the 7-m1bm] Y-l;v -v rѴ l;v o= 0Ѵ-1hķ ]u; smoke were being blown into our faces, burning our eyes. It was all a part of the great experience and as we watched the Ѵ-v| o= |_; Y-l;v Yb1h;u -m7 7b; o | ; ;u; -ѴѴ ;-u -m7 ;| CѴѴ;7 b|_ - v;mv; of contentment.
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With each minute that passes by I am taken further from that experience, that time that I connected with something seated on that rock, on that mountain, by the Bambarakanda falls.
I woke up to the sound of the water crashing, groggily crawled out of the tent and observed the morning sky as the sun uov;ĺ | -v 1_bѴѴ vo ; v;| r - Cu; -m7 sipped on warm tea and biscuits followed by a delicious and completely unhealthy breakfast of s’mores. ); |ooh - 7br bm |_; =u;; bm] rooѴ -[;u breakfast. The water was so cold that it l-7; v m l0 -[;u - _bѴ;ĺ )_o; ;u was brave enough to get into the waŊ
|;u ; ;m| -ѴѴ ]o| |o |_; 0o ol o= |_; fall and we sat on the rocks under it and laughed as the cold water hit us like pelŊ lets. It was actually funny, the feeling of being cold, numb and having water casŊ cading around you. But even the brave have their limits, so we dried ourselves and sunbathed on a big rock.
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Illustration of the panoramic view from the top of Bambarakanda mountain
The fun ended too soon though and we packed up and headed back down. $_; 7;v1;m| -v mo| -| -ѴѴ 7bL1 Ѵ| ; ;m though I was hiking in rubber slippers, the result of an unfortunate pair of broken shoes. The hike down quite fast and made it to the rest house where we relaxed and hungrily ate a meal of overpriced, deviled chicken bones and cabbage. The drive back to Colombo took six _o uv _;u; ; |u-mvbঞom;7 0-1h |o o u dreary, lackluster city lives and ended the
7- _- bm] |o - ;m7 v1_ooѴ ou ouh ou whatever we were expected to do. Upon u;Y;1ঞomķ o Ѵ7 v- |_-| |_; lov| ro Ŋ erful thought for me is the knowledge that with each minute that passes by I am taken further from that experience, that ঞl; |_-| 1omm;1|;7 b|_ vol;|_bm] seated on that rock, on that mountain, by the Bambarakanda falls.
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Watching the sky at dusk was the best part of this journey. No carefully thought out words or photographic skills could convey the emotions and the overwhelming sense of majesty that I experienced that afternoon.
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1. Beach Barbie
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Everybody made it only two hours later
than planned, typically Sri Lankan of us. We were a group of six friends, all amateurs at barbeque and eager to experience outdoor cooking with a sri lankan twist. Finding a private spot in the busy, public beach was not easy. ); _-7 |uo 0Ѵ; Cm7bm] - rѴ-1; |o v;| r that wasn’t infested with couples canooŊ dling under gaudy umbrellas. We found space at the base of the mount Lavania _o|;Ѵ 1Ѵb@vĺ $_; -u;- -v b7 ѴѴb1ķ r;-1;= Ѵ b|_ u ]];7 uo1h =oul-ঞom -m7 open skyline.
$_; v;1om7 |ub-Ѵ ; _-7 -v Cubm] r |_; grill. None of us had experienced having a beach barbeque previously and we didn’t u;-Ѵb ; _o 7bL1 Ѵ| b| o Ѵ7 0; |o Ѵb]_| - Cu; om |_; bm7 0;-1_ĺ ); f v| r | bm |_; 1o-Ѵ -m7 |_; v|-u|;uv -| |_; 0o ol o= the grill and lit it up. That wasn’t very v 11;vv= Ѵ vo ; _-7 |o ]o _ mঞm] =ou 1o1om | v_;ѴѴv -m7 bm 7;vr;u-ঞom ; burnt up all the paper (old receipts, and bm vol; 1-v;vķ r_o|ov o= ; Ŋ]buѴ=ub;m7vő |o ];| |_; Cu; |o 0 umĺ ;m| -ѴѴ vol;om; thought of Camphor which started the Cu; 0 umbm] ;mo ]_ |o 1oohķ vo ; v|-u|Ŋ ed with the Cajun spiced chicken wings.
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$_; Cu; 1ooѴ;7 7o m 0;=ou; |_; 1_b1h;m _-7 1ooh;7 vo ; m;;7;7 |o |-h; o@ |_; grate, put in more coal, light it up and reŊ place the grate. Team work was required for this, two of us were in charge of removing the top grate with the chicken om b| -m7 _oѴ7bm] b| 1- ঞo vѴ om vol;
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metal skewers, two were in charge of Ѵb]_ঞm] r 1o-Ѵ _bѴ; |_; o|_;uv m7;uŊ took the responsibility of sipping apple cider and watching the proceedings. Sadly, I lost focus and the skewer slipped causing some of the chicken to fall on the ground, not one of my best moments.
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Apart from the Cajun spiced chicken we had prawns
in arrack lime and ginger marinade and cheeseburgers with seeni sambal (traditional sweet and spicy onion pickle) relish.
Illustration of a cheeseburger with seeni sambal relish
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From that point, however, things picked rĺ $_; Cu; 0 um| vloo|_Ѵ -m7 ; ;u; able to cook the rest of the food quite fast. Apart from the Cajun spiced chicken we had prawns in arrack lime and ginger marinade and cheeseburgers with seeni
v-l0-Ѵ Ő|u-7bঞom-Ѵ v ;;| -m7 vrb1 ombom pickle) relish. $_;u; -v - Ѵo ;Ѵ -uol- -[bm] -uo m7 -m7 voom 1uo v v|-u|;7 Yo1hbm] 0 vĺ ); tossed the scraps at them and watched as
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they swooped down to catch the food mid air. $_; -[;umoom -v ]u;-|ĺ ); _-7 Ѵo ;Ѵ =oo7 -m7 - ]oo7 1olr-m |o r-vv |_; ঞl; away pleasantly. We sat on the beach,
1_-মm] mঞѴ v mv;| -m7 ; _-7 |o Ѵ;- ;ĺ This was an experience that would 7;Cmb|;Ѵ _- ; |o 0; u;r;-|;7ķ l- 0; somewhere a bit quieter, maybe the Wadduwa beach.
Illustration of the Mount Lavinia beach with cityscape
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2.Trekacross Madol Duwa
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- m-|†u-Ń´ 1omv;uˆ-ŕŚžÂˆ; -u;- 0†bŃ´| |o ;mĹŠ y two sisters and I were seated at the v†u; |_; ru;v;uˆ-াom o= |_; |†u|Ń´;v o= 0-1h o= |_; 1-u om o†u |_u;;ĹŠ_o†u fo†um;‹ "ub -mh- =ou |_; m;Š| ];m;u-াomÄş $_bv |o o]]-Ń´-ġ - Ń´b‚Ѵ; 1o-v|-Ń´ |o‰m |_-| 0ouĹŠ |†u|Ń´; _-|1_;u‹ bv v-b7 |o _-ˆ; v†@;u;7 dered a lagoon located on the Southern vb]mbC1-m| 7-l-];v -| |_; াl; |_; ]u;-| Coast of our island. The youngest of us, |v†m-lb v|u†1h bm Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ć“Äş o‰;ˆ;uġ b| ‰-v -Ń´vo |_; 1_-ম;v|ġ voom ]o| ru;‚‹ াu;7 rebuilt by the funds of the government o= vbমm] vাѴѴ -m7 v|-ubm] -| |_; ˆ;_b1Ń´;v and other common people who had a that passed by. So she began to sing and great concern towards ensuring a safe ru;‚‹ voomġ -Ń´Ń´ |_u;; o= †v ‰;u; vbm]bm] abode for sea turtles. Turtle eggs were at the top of our voices and munching on r†u1_-v;7 =uol Ń´o1-Ń´ Cv_;ul;m -m7 packets of potato crisps (we are always town’s people, and were kept in one out - _†m]u‹ 0†m1_Ĺ‘Äş $_bv 1omাm†;7 om =ou o= |‰o bm1†0-|ouv †mাѴ |_; ;]]v _-|1_;7Äş -0o†| -m _o†uġ †mাѴ o†u lo†|_v m;;7;7 $_;mġ -[;u - =;‰ 7-‹v |_;v; 0-0‹ v;- - u;v| -m7 ‰; -Ń´Ń´ 0;1-l; t†b;| াѴѴ ‰; turtles were released into the ocean. reached the hotel where we’re going to ;-m‰_bŃ´;ġ ‰; v-‰ 7b@;u;m| ˆ-ub;া;v o= take lodging in for the rest of our stay in sea turtles that were kept in large tanks Koggala. as exhibits for the visitors to the ); Ń´;[ o†u 0;Ń´om]bm]v -| |_; _o|;Ń´ -m7 Turtle Hatchery. drove to the turtle hatchery that was
M
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Illustration on Mangroves, surrounding the Turtle hatchery.
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Turtle Hatchery, Koggala
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[;u -0o | | o _o uv o= -|1_bm] |_; -ubo v ; oঞ1 vr;1b;v o= v;- | u|Ѵ;vķ ; Ѵ;[ the hatchery and headed to |_; _o v; o= uĺ -uঞm )b1hŊ u-l-vbm]_;ķ om; o= "ubŊ -mh-Ľv most renowned novelists. Upon reaching the house, we saw that it looked like an orŊ dinary village house that was made according to the Dutch architectural structures. InŊ side, the writer’s personal beŊ longings, manuscripts, photographs, and the many literary souvenirs he had were exhibited. This house with lime plastered -ѴѴv -v ru; ঞm b|_ | o 0;7uoolv and a staircase in the living room leading |o - Ѵo[ Ѵbh; rr;u Yoou 0 | bvb|ouv ;u; prohibited to go up there. I spoke with the watchman of the house
-0o | |_; vb]mbC1-m1; o= |_; various items that were disŊ played, which led him to inŊ form me about a rather interŊ ;vঞm] =-1| -0o | |_; - |_ouĽv house. During the World War $ oķ b| bv v-b7 |_-| |_; ;mঞu; village of the author along with his house was taken over by |_; !o -Ѵ bu ou1; -[;u |_; l-m7-|ou ; -1 -ঞom o= -ѴѴ its villagers. Most homes had been destroyed for the conŊ v|u 1ঞom o= - v;- rѴ-m; 0-v;ķ _bѴ; uĺ -uঞmĽv _o v; -v Ѵ;[ m|o 1_;7ĺ $_; house is believed to have caught the eye o= - =;l-Ѵ; -bu =ou1; oL1;u _o l-7; b| her abode during her stay in the area, thus ;mv ubm] b|v ru;v;u -ঞomĺ
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Moreover, he also said that the old armŊ 1_-bu |_-| -v vঞѴѴ om |_; ;u-m7- o= |_; house and which overlooked the huge lawn was the very same one on which he sat while he wrote his novels that would later become ever famous. Next, ; v|;rr;7 bm|o |_; Ѵb Ѵ; 0ooh v_or |_-| stood a few feet away from the author’s _o v;ķ om _b1_ -ѴѴ |_; mo ;Ѵ ub ;m 0 uĺ -uঞm -v _ m]ķ |or |o 0o olķ om - large white washed wall. Upon walking around, the garden surŊ rounding the house we saw many indigŊ enous trees as well as a glimpse of the Koggala lake that was a walking distance
away from the house. However, by now v m -v vѴo Ѵ v;মm] -m7 =-7;7 u- v o= light were peeking in through the cracks between the branches of the trees. A quick glance at our watches showed us |_-| b| -v -Ѵlov| C ; bm |_; ; ;mbm]ĺ ); hadn’t had any lunch and our stomachs were rumbling, so we decided to call it a day and headed back. At the hotel we had a quick dip in the pool and an early 7bmm;uķ =u;v_Ѵ ru;r-u;7 uoম -m7 Ѵ m Ŋ miris (a srilankan dish which is served b|_ Y-| 0u;-7 -m7 ombom v-l0oѴőķ 0;=ou; we went to our rooms to get some rest.
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My bed was near a window that gave me - 7bv|-m| b; o= |_; Ѵ-]oom -m7 -v 7ub[Ŋ ;7 o@ |o - 7;;r vѴ;;rķ v- |_; bmCmb|; sky deepen from a dark blue to black. The next day, we woke up around six in the morning, had a quick breakfast and Ѵ;[ |o bvb| |_; =-lo v -7oѴ - |_; mangrove island, upon which one of Mr. -uঞmĽv =-lo v mo ;Ѵ ľ -7oѴ -Ŀ was based. For this, we had to take a 0o-| ub7; -1uovv |_; Ѵ 1b7ķ vঞѴѴ -|;uv of the Koggala lake.A local boat owner
agreed to take us on a tour around the lake and to the island at a reasonable price. The ride began and for the most part of our journey all we could hear was the gentle rippling sound that the waters l-7; -v o u 0o-| v|;;u;7 v b[Ѵ |_uo ]_ the clear lake which was occasionally interrupted by the screeching of various birds.
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A boat ride across the lucid, still waters of the Koggala lake
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We also made our way past a couple of islands that were shrouded in thick greenery and shrubbery, out of which we were able to spot from afar the famous Cinnamon island which is said to have 0;;m |_; _ol; o= =o u ];m;u-ঞomv o= cinnamon planters and as we visited this small island we were welcomed by one of |_; 1_b;= rѴ-m|;uv 0 o@;ubm] v - vl-ѴѴ cup of cinnamon tea.
[;u -Ѵhbm] -uo m7 |_; 1bmm-lom island for awhile admiring the beauty of mother nature we were back on the vঞѴѴ -|;uvķ om o u - vb]_|;7 |_; ঞrv o= - m l0;u o= uo1h 0o Ѵ7;uv |_-| were almost completely immersed in the waters. Our guide steered our boat a safe distance away from these rocks as an encounter with them would have harmed o u Ѵb Ѵ; 0o-|ĺ
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Illustration of rocky boulders
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A little monk with a chubby face adorned in a bright orange robe that was a bit too large for his size, came to experience the fish feel as well.
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[;u ; _-7 ub77;m o ;u - 1omvb7;u-0Ѵ; stretch of water we were able to spot a Ѵb Ѵ; 0-mm;u b|_ |_; ou7v ľ bv_ ;;Ѵbm]Ŀ om b|ĺ ;-u0 ķ |_;u; -v - Ѵb Ѵ; oo7;m man made deck that supported two large m;|v _b1_ _;Ѵ7 - ]u;-| m l0;u o= Cv_ĺ &mѴbh; Cv_ |_;u-r _;u; |_; Cv_ mb0Ŋ 0Ѵ;7 -| o u =;;|ķ ľCv_ =;;Ѵbm]Ŀ bm oѴ ;7 ; r;ub;m1bm] |_; ঞm]Ѵ v;mv-ঞom o= |_; Cv_ v bllbm] bm -ѴѴ 7bu;1ঞomv m7;u o u
feet. What is more, while we were at it, -m ;Ѵ7;uѴ lomh -m7 - Ѵb Ѵ; lomh b|_ - chubby face adorned in a bright orange robe that was a bit too large for his size, 1-l; |o ; r;ub;m1; |_; Cv_ =;;Ѵ -v ;ѴѴĺ "oom -[;u ; _-7 ;mo ]_ o= |_; Cv_ feel, we clambered back onto our boat and was back on our journey to the island.
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The island was almost concealed by a thick growth of mangroves, along the trail there were countless wild flowers and colourful birds soaring above our heads in every direction.
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Illustration of the little stone well, mentioned in the novel Madol Duwa
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); Cm-ѴѴ‹ -uubˆ;7 m;-u |_; -7oŃ´7†‰- -m7 o†u ]†b7; া;7 |_; 0o-| om |o - Ń´b|ĹŠ tle elevated dock and beckoned us to ];| o@ |_; 0o-|Äş The island was almost concealed by a thick growth of mangroves, amongst ‰_b1_ ‰-v - Ń´b‚Ѵ; ˆbvb0Ń´; uo-7 |_-| Ń´;7 into the middle of the island. Along the trail there were countless ‰bŃ´7 Yo‰;uv -m7 oˆ;u]uo‰m 1u;;r;uv on trees. It was evident that Madol Duwa had a rich bio diversity as I saw a variety of plants that I had never seen before. We could see the mornĹŠ ing dew on the leaves and smell the scents of the wild earth in the air. Amidst all this, countless colourful birds were soaring above our heads bm ;ˆ;u‹ 7bu;1াom Ĺ?-m‹ 0bu7‰-|1_;uÄ˝v dream). All the sights and the sounds were so breath taking that the island v;;l;7 Ń´bh; - াm‹ r-u-7bv; o= b|v o‰mÄş
No wonder, Mr. Wickramasinghe based his book on MadolDuwa! m |_; ‰-‹ ‰; 1-l; -1uovv - Ń´b‚Ѵ; stone well, which could have been another ordinary well, except for the =-1| |_-| |_bv ğѴb‚Ѵ; v|om; ‰;Ń´Ń´Ä˝ ‰-v l;mাom;7 0‹ |_; ‰ub|;u bm _bv 0ooh and was later featured in the movie on MadolDuwa that was shot on the island itself. Around half an hour later, we had come to the end of the trail and were back on the shore of the island. We returned to the boat and were soon back on the banks of the Koggala Lake. As, I gazed back at the lake that spread out like a shiny green blanket in front of me and knew at that moĹŠ ment that this would be a journey that I wouldn’t easily forget.
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Nothing quite takes my breath away , than the beauty of yet another sunset.
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3. Southern Roadtrip
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Sub -mh- bv =-lo v =ou b|v 0;- ঞ= Ѵ
beaches, which surrounds the island. The Southern beaches are some of the best and in the hope of seeing and 1-r| ubm] om 1-l;u- vol; bm|;u;vঞm] r_o|o]u-r_v v;| o@ =uol oѴol0o to go down South. I traveled on Galle
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Road, which is parallel to the coastal belt mostly where I could view the sea. The skies were gloomy and the sea was rather rough for my liking. But it so happened those couple of days v;;l;7 |_; omѴ ঞl; 1o Ѵ7 vr-u; -v Ѵ;bv u; ঞl;ĺ
‹ Cuv| v|or ‰-v bm ov]o7- ‰b|_ - 0;-Â†ŕŚž=†Ѵ v|u;|1_ o= 0;-1_ ‰b|_ -m †m†Ŋ sual rock. I spoke to the person who Ń´oohv -[;u |_; 0;-1_Äş ; ]†b7;7 l; |o the top of the rock where I had a specĹŠ tacular view of the surrounding area. It was quite an adventure climbing up. It was a tough journey with my camera around my neck, slung on my back, -v Cuv| Ć‘Ć? =;;| ou vo ‰-v f†v| - =oo|ĹŠ path with having to use both hands to support the climb. Beyond a point a
constructor who wishes to build a hoŊ tel up there had made cemented steps, which made the climb simpler. I was awestruck for a while looking around the countryside from the summit. I was forced to commence on my tour. I wanted to reach Weligama before dark to my grandmother’s to windup for the day since I wished to start early the following day on my mission.
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Street Art en route to Kosgoda
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While passing Ambalangoda I stopped at a place displaying street art to capture them on camera. These two, which I captured was seen in many places right through the journey to Weligama. Another place I stopped at was opposite the Tsunami Museum in
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Hikkaduwa. These three boats were rescued and brought ashore from the Tsunami were reconstructed and kept on display as monuments on the beach side. When looking closer at a boat the r-bmাm] 7;rb1|v - =-1;ĺ
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The following day I started my day at Weligama beach. Driving on the beach road I came to a place with a 0o-u7ġ ‰_b1_ v-b7 Äž"†uCm] v1_ooѴĿĺ $_; |u-bm;u ‰-v ];মm] ou]-mĹŠ ized busily to coach young surfĹŠ ers who would arrive very soon. I introduced my self to him who was Sanjeewa. I requested him to spare a moment to know more about his career. He said he had a passion to surf and later he thought he would make it his career to coach those bm|;u;v|;7Äş m; 7-‹ ‰_bŃ´; v†uCm] - =ou;b]m Ń´-7‹ ‰_o ‰-v v†uCm] _-7
v†@;u;7 - 1†| bmf†u‹ -m7 b| ‰-v _; who took her to the hospital and took care of her. This built a friendĹŠ ship and opened the door for the opportunity Sanjeewa dreamed to have. This lady had got him 8 surfĹŠ ing boards, and necessary infraĹŠ v|u†1|†u;ġ ‰_b1_ u;v†Ѵ|;7 bm v|-uাm] †r |_; "†uCm] v1_ooŃ´Äş uol - Ń´o1-Ń´ v|†7;m| _; ‰o†Ѵ7 1_-u]; !vÄş Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ć? per hour, as there are those who are interested, especially during school holidays.
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He related the tragedy he faced ‰_;m $v†m-lb v|u†1h bm Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ć“Äş ; _-7 0;;m o†| bm |_; v;- v†uCm] -m7 u;-Ń´bÂŒ;7 |_;u; ‰-v - 7b@;u;m1; bm |_; waves out at sea. He had run home to his parents and sister to take them |o - v-=; Ń´o1-াomġ 0†| ‰_;m _; ‰;m| to his grandmother’s house there ‰-v mo|_bm] Ń´;[ o= b| ‰b|_ _bv ]u-m7ĹŠ mother too washed away. Nothing ‰-v Ń´;[ o= _bv o‰m _o†v; -m7 0†vbĹŠ ness premises. With assistance from his foreign friend, Sanjeewa and his family had built up their lives from scratch. He and another close friend had teamed up to carry out the busiĹŠ
m;vv 7obm] t†b|; ‰;Ń´Ń´ ‰b|_ v†uCm] ]-bmbm] - u;r†|-াomÄş | ‰-v -l-ÂŒbm] |o v;; |_; v†u>o-u7v 0;;m |u-mvrou|;7 on the hood of a trishaw. Very soon I _-7 |o 1†| v_ou| om l‹ 1omˆ;uv-াom -v =ou;b]m;uv -uubˆ;7 -| |_; v†uCm] school. It was a lovely site to watch them glide into the sea and I watched |_;l =ou vol; াl;Äş $_; া7; ‰-v Ń´o‰ and the sun was out, which tempted me to take a dip in the sea there. I bid goodbye to Sanjeewa and drove down |o |_; 0;-1_ 0‹ |_; Cv_ v|-Ń´Ń´Äş
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| -v -Ѵu;-7 0 v b|_ |_; Cv_;u =oѴh who had returned with the catch of Cv_ķ |;m7bm] |o |_;bu ;u 1oѴo u= Ѵ boats and busy selling their catch. I sat down for a chat, took some pictures -m7 Ѵ;[ |_; rѴ-1;ĺ Next was a drive to the Midigama beach where there was a long stretch o= 0;- ঞ= Ѵ 0;-1_ b|_ |_; =-lo v vro| =ou vঞѴ| Cv_;u =oѴhĺ 1-r| u;7 |_;l om 1-l;u- -m7 Ѵ;[ |_; rѴ-1;ĺ | -v -Ѵu;-7 0 v b|_ |_; Cv_;u =oѴh
who had returned with the catch of Cv_ķ |;m7bm] |o |_;bu ;u 1oѴo u= Ѵ boats and busy selling their catch. I sat down for a chat, took some pictures -m7 Ѵ;[ |_; rѴ-1;ĺ Next was a drive to the Midigama beach where there was a long stretch o= 0;- ঞ= Ѵ 0;-1_ b|_ |_; =-lo v vro| =ou vঞѴ| Cv_;u =oѴhĺ 1-r| u;7 |_;l om 1-l;u- -m7 Ѵ;[ |_; rѴ-1;ĺ
Midigama beach
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u;-1_;7 -ѴѴ; ;-uѴ‹ -[;umoom -m7 headed straight to the famous GalŊ le Fort. I was awestruck seeing the Dutch Fort built in 1966, primarily built by the Portuguese in 1588. It is preserved and maintained by the Archeological Department of Sri Lanka. It is a UNESCO world heritŊ
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age site declared in 1988. Many monuments from the glorious colonial era are embedded within the crisscrossing streets. To do a 1olrŃ´;|; |o†u o= |_bv Ń´b‚Ѵ; -u;- o= -‰; |_o†]_ Ń´oˆ;7 |oġ াl; 7b7mÄ˝| permit me to.
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To experience the glamour of this unique place as much as I could for |_; াl; 0;bm] ]o| o@ l‹ ˆ;_b1Ń´; near the courthouse and took a walk down to the lighthouse and got onto the ramparts with its thick stone built walls, dropping down to the ocean beĹŠ low. Passing the New Oriental Hotel, a few shops, restaurants and houses to get there I got a glimpse of how busy the Fort could get during the day and how entertaining it could get. I walked along the rampart viewing the Indian 1;-m om l‹ Ń´;[ -m7 om l‹ ub]_| |_; mosque, a few houses, the Buddhist temple and the Army camp. I further climbed up the rampart, which led me to the clock tower. On my walk back towards the lightĹŠ house rain started to pelt down and
became windy. I was privileged to see a maestro take a dive in spite of the rain from the rampart straight down to the ocean below. I consider him brave, as the sea was quite rough. It ‰-v 7bL1†Ѵ| =ou l; |o |-h; - rb1|†u; -v the crowd that gathered in the evenŊ ing to the place ran for shelter inconŊ siderately knocking on me. It was a treat to capture the glorious sunset on camera. The opened out mouth of the harbor was captured on camera while photographing the lighthouse from the same point. I wowed to myself I should come back to enjoy a leisure day to take a walk through the streets, within the Fort premises and see the many monuments of the colonial era.
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-ัดัด; "|ย ัดo $-bัดouv -m7 $;ย เฆ ัด; 64 VINURI
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4. A WEEKEND IN COLOMBO
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M Cuv| v|;r o | o= |_; rѴ-m;ķ blŊ
mediately the warm humid climate o= "ub -mh- ]u-vrv l 0o7 -m7 CѴѴv b| b|_ -ul|_ķ _- ; -uub ;7ĺ [;u four and a half hours from Hamburg to Dubai and six and a half more from |_;u;ķ -l _;u;ĺ | bv - 0;- ঞ= Ѵ v mm Saturday morning as expected and the excitement within me to explore this city rose with every minute walking out of the airport on my way to catch a cab. I even made myself eat what Emirates calls food so I could directly make my way to the Gangaramaya Temple,
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which I heard about from my Mother and was eager to see. At the exit there was already crowd of r;orѴ; ]u;;ঞm] l;ķ -vhbm] _;|_;u am in need of a Taxi. I went with one of them and was quite surprised how well he was able to communicate in English, quite a young chap going by the name Deelika. So no hassle there I was able to exchange my currency at a shop the driver knew of and got - rѴ;-v-m| ;-v ub7; |o l 7;vঞm-ঞom alongside a bit of non intrusive delightŊ ful small talk.
Map of Colombo city
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Stunning! I am standing in front of the temple and just let my eyes wanŊ 7;u -uo m7 bm ;vঞ]-ঞm] |_; _oѴ; Structure from the outside. It takes me l- 0; Ƒ lbm |;v |o v|-u| lo bm] -]-bm I start walking around the Temple to ];| - 0; ;u r;uvr;1ঞ ; om |_; vb ; and complete appearance. Now it was ঞl; =ou l; |o ]o bmvb7; -m7 ; rѴou; this spiritual place. I enter the premises and get stopped by a swell Sri Lankan asking me whether I want to see the Temple, he takes me to the counter I was already walking towards anyway. The Tickets -u; rub1;7 -| ƒƏƏ u r;;vķ _b1_ 1omŊ ;u|v |o f v| -0o | m7;u Ƒ ; uo vo 7;Cmb|;Ѵ 1-m mo| 1olrѴ-bm -0o | |_-|ĺ The gentleman tells me to take my v_o;v -m7 vo1hv o@ -m7 rѴ-1; |_;l bm 0-vh;|v |_; _-7 Ѵ- bm] om |_; Yoou ub]_| bm =uom| o= |_; 1o m|;uĺ ľ o o 1-m -Ѵh -uo m7Ŀ _; vroh;ķ vo |_-| bv exactly what I started doing. $_; Cuv| v|ubhbm] |_bm] |o r;-h l bmŊ terest was this big open chamber with a huge white Buddha Statue inside of it. This complex was constructed by Mr. Huang Yuping of the city of Fujian
-m _o bm _bm- -m7 ]b[;7 |o |_bv temple quite recently in December ƑƏƐƔĺ -m r;orѴ; -u; -Ѵhbm] -uo m7 praying and I see the next thing I have to inspect. It is a huge Tree, I take two Yb]_|v o= "|-buv -m7 v|-m7 bm =uom| o= b|ĺ ľ b|; - =; ;orѴ; _;u;Ŀ |_bmh |o l v;Ѵ=ķ |_;u; -u; Ѵb Ѵ; v|ooѴv |o vb| placed on the side of the tree, it seems like a gathering place. I take a seat and look at the Tree, although it is placed inside of a Structure it has complete =u;;7ol -v |_; bѴ7bm] _-v C ;7 holes and dents wherever the branchŊ es of the tree decided to go, I get a feeling of Harmony. vl-ѴѴ oѴ7 l-m -Ѵvo vbমm] v|-u|v vr;-hbm] -m7 o@;uv |o v_o l; around and tell me something about the temple. I happily agree and the man almost jumps up and signals me to follow him. The huge Tree I am seeing is actually a boo tree, accordŊ ing to faith Buddha sat underneath a Boo tree during his enlightenment and every Temple on this island has a boo tree.
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There is a small table with about twenty small silver jugs on it, he inŊ structs me to take one and we walk up -mo|_;u | o Yb]_|v o= v|-buv |o -u7v - r-bu o= vbmhvĺ CѴѴ l vbѴ ;u f ] b|_ -Ŋ ter and go back down to the tree, the |;lrѴ; _-v t b|; - =; 7b@;u;m| u ]v -m7 vol; -uঞC1b-Ѵ ]u-v r-7v v1- ;u;7 -1uovv |_; _oѴ; Yoouķ _b1_ ]b ; o u =;;| - Ѵo| o= 7b@;u;m| =;;Ѵbm]v 0 | maybe that is just me as I never walk around barefoot usually. We water the tree and the man gives l; - vl-ѴѴ bm|uo7 1ঞom bm|o 77_bvl while walking around. ); ];| |o |_; v; lķ - 1oѴѴ;1ঞom o= -l- bm]Ѵ 0;- ঞ= Ѵ -m1b;m| -u|;Ŋ facts related to Buddhism all gathŊ ered in one place and put on display. There is one freakishly cool looking Cobra oil lamp that catches my eye. A _oѴ; v;1ঞom o= |_; uool bv 0;_bm7 bars where you can spot a staggering amount of other probably more treasŊ ured items. Next he takes me to a wide open room CѴѴ;7 b|_ 1_-buv -ѴѴ m;-|Ѵ v|-1h;7
together and another one with a desk in the middle. Here People are taught about Buddhism, get to hear Poems and basically meet up. As we make our way down again the l-m robm|v o | vol; 0-vh;|v - -1_;7 to a branch of the tree. He tells me |_; -u; CѴѴ;7 b|_ =oo7 =ou |_; 0bu7vĺ ); |-h; o u Cuv| v|;rv bm|o |_; _;-u| of the temple a big room almost glowŊ ing inside. There is so much colour and everything seems to have a golden glow. I am astonished by everything I see here. The huge statue of Buddha b|_ Ѵo-7v o= Yo ;uv bm =uom| o= b| -m7 there where more big statues I am only emphasising this because it is standing out by quite a bit size wise. The old man starts praying and I keep looking around in silence. I thank him for showing me around and slowly make my way out again. The GangaŊ ramaya Temple is a gorgeous sight to have seen.
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First food stop of the trip was at a place called café Kumbuk. I had seen their delicious looking treats on my InŊ v|-]u-l -rrѴb1-ঞom -m7 7b7 vol; 7b]Ŋ ging. From the pictures I had seen and |_; ];m;u-Ѵ 7;v1ubrঞom o= |_; v_or had to try it out for myself. Their Ingredients are locally sourced and it is very apparent how much they -Ѵ ; _;-Ѵ|_ bm |;ulv o= _-| o CѴѴ your empty stomach with. I had a refreshing extremely tasteŊ ful iced tea alongside with a Chicken
burger, which came with Crisps and a small Salad. I truly enjoyed the meal I _-7 |_;u;ķ -Ѵ|_o ]_ r মm] bm;-rrѴ; om - u];u 7o;v mo| t b|; C| l |-v|; or maybe I am just not open enough to 1ol0bm-ঞomv Ѵbh; |_-|ĺ I sat on the gorgeous Veranda directly - -1_;7 |o |_; -=࣐ -m7 |ooh bm |_bv 7;Ѵb]_ Ѵ lol;m| v 1hbm] b| r Ѵbh; - sponge. Perfect meal with a great amŊ bience what can you want more?
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_-7 l Cuv| $ h ub7; -[;u |_; |;lrѴ; on the way to get some lunch. I absoŊ lutely loved those vehicles, to me they o@;u;7 - rѴ;-v-m| ub7; b|_ vol; bm7 cooling me down actually a perfect |_-| orঞom ]- ; l; vo l 1_ lo0bѴb| during my stay. | _om;v|Ѵ =;Ѵ| =-v1bm-ঞm] |_; ;u; everywhere around the whole city and mo l- ;u _;u; bm oѴol0o f v| ]o |o
a road and hold your arm out and will _- ; - $ h| hņ$ubv_- ņ$_u;;Ŋ _;;Ѵ;u within two minutes ready to take you where you wish to go. $_bv -v l - |o ];মm] -uo m7ķ other than the cab I took on my way back to the airport and I enjoyed every second of those drives.
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