Rough roads are always memorable, be it the ride or the destination; they are beautiful. Mandaram Nuwara is one such place that took tremendous efforts to be reached, efforts in the form of research and also to find the commute. A friend mentioned about this village, he said its called a Misty City as it is always covered by Mist. I would like to call it as a Mysterious Village-here is why. I started my research and was mesmerized with the pictures of this Mysterious village, but there were hardly any details on how to reach there. I figured out its closer to Kandy, so decided to reach Kandy first & then flow towards this eye candy. I asked few locals, there was no soul aware of this village. The more it was hard to find out, the more I wanted to go. Finally with some help, I found a blog post that had few details of locals who had visited this village couple of years ago. I couldn’t find any details about the commute so I shut my laptop to hit the road. Perhaps, there are answers on the road!
A traveler friend joined along, we began our hunt towards this mysterious village. We went to Kandy bus stand and figured out the direct bus will leave only in the noon. We did not have much time so decided to go to a nearby town to the village called Padiyapelalla, conductor in the bus was trying to build a conversation, I told him we need to go to Mandaram Nuwara, asking him if there is a bus from Padiyapelalla. He said this bus goes to Mandaram Nuwara, I was literally on Cloud 9; never imagined that road can fulfill your wish so easily. Apparently that was the last bus leaving to Mandaram Nuwara from Padiyapelalla.
The houses were placed like cubes amidst the paddy fields, we were closer to Mandaram Nuwara. This was the first sight we had when we entered the village, the house in the corner was the perfect eye candy. Every house here opens up to a view like this. We were welcomed with loud music, huge speakers were placed on the road, people chilling & playing carom, old men having a chat by the verandah, kids had just finished their school, women shared a startled look at us with a graceful smile. Smile-seems like a common jewelry worn by everyone in this village.
We started to walk around the village listening to Sinhalese music, every few steps we take; we stop to see the view staring at the never ending horizon with a huge floor of paddy fields. I kept thinking how lucky these people are to wake up to such a blissful view. The mountains surrounding the village is called Pidurutalagala (Mount Pedro) which is also the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka. We kept walking and stopped over a house for water, a girl came out & asked where was I from, I said India. She immediately said, “Kohli batting, very good; I like it”. I laughed and said yes, he is good!
The Kohli Girl 😉By the stream in the village 🙂
The kids were all around us, we had a small “body language chat” with them. Like every journey should have an end, this short journey came closer to an end as well. The bus driver & conductor was waiting for almost an hour for us to return to drop us to the town as there were no bus leaving that evening. Both the driver & conductor took us in their Tuk Tuk and showed us a beautiful waterfall, a secret water fall they said! They later dropped us to a nearby town and made sure we got into the right bus to reach Kandy!
Somewhere on the road!
So, the rough roads journey turned out to be one of the most beautiful & memorable events in my life!
Never despair, keep pushing on – Sir Thomas Lipton
I got down from the bus reminiscing incredible views of the forest I had through the journey, I was waiting for a Tuk Tuk & it was drizzling. I got into the Tuk Tuk covered by plastic sheets both the ends blocking the view; I asked him if he can fold it up. He said yes & I am so glad he did, the trees were shining with the dew on them & clouds just clearing up were a treat to watch. That was a ride from Beragala to Haputale, there are lots of abandoned coffee estates too, and coffee was a major crop here until blight made them switch to tea.
Lipton’s Seat
Sir Thomas J. Lipton acquired Dambatenne Tea estate as he was mesmerized by the view & also with the quality of the tea at the estate. He was an entertainer & would serve tea to the tourists when they visit the estate & enjoy the view; later the place was named as Lipton’s Seat. The view opens up to 4 districts: Galle, Udawalawe, Nuwara Eliya & Uva Province. You can either chose to walk through the tea plantations or hire a Tuk Tuk to reach Lipton’s Seat, both ways it’s a treat to eyes.
Colorful rows of houses can be seen after every few meters & there is a temple in each colony amidst the plantations, these are called line rooms built by British for the workers they brought from India. It was enchanting to see the mist covered plantations early morning, tea workers getting ready to start their daily routine with their colorful attire; that almost looks like cherries on the plantation & most importantly ever smiling people that I met on the way.
I met these 3 ladies, Papati, Aarayi & Valarmarai who were preparing tea in a huge pot. I went to them and said I can speak Tamil too, I am from India. They were just so happy to see me and my bangles, haha yes my bangles & my anklets too. They said they feel really nice to see a girl in bangles and anklets. They asked me to wait as they wanted me to taste the tea they were preparing; it was a huge pot that was getting prepared for all their co-workers/friends. They were also kind enough to show how the tea leaves are cut made me wear their hat & taught me how the whole process works. They were saying India is way too developed, you may not be having people working to cut tea leaves; I laughed & said we are as good as siblings who are running at the same pace.
Bambarakanda Falls
That’s the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka, Bambarakanda Falls at the height of 263 meters surrounded by pine forest. Vehicles are allowed only till a certain point; in just a few meters of walk through the pine trees, you can hear the water roaring high up from 263 meters.
Lanka Falls
Hike to this fall was a super short one & still scary through the slippery pine tree leaves. Leaches sucking blood on you, the roots you try to hold to climb up breaks & we finally still made it. As we walked closer to the falls, this pretty much looked like a dream I was walking in. Once you are out of the Pine forest, you will enter into an engraved path through lush green mountains & at a distance, you will see the fall. It is called Lanka falls because of the shape of the pond where the water hits the ground, that is naturally formed through rocks looks like a map of Sri Lanka.
Train from Haputale to Kandy
I keep mentioning this very often, train journeys in Sri Lanka are definitely not worth missing. The most popular one is from Ella to Kandy; I covered this on my first visit to Sri Lanka last year. This time I took a train from Haputale to Kandy; this has been so far the best journeys I have been in. The train passes through Horton plains National park, the dense forest & waterfalls that looks like milk has been poured from the sky, Heaven is all I could say!
Another famous thing to do in Haputale is to go on Tea Tours, I didn’t go on this as I come from a place who is one of the largest producers in itself & have attended many such tours 🙂 Mr. MBC Premalal can take you around, he is a retired postmaster who is now riding a Tuk Tuk to fund his children’s education, he can be reached at 0710594189.
Traveling: It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller-Ibn Battuta
This pretty city Galle situated by the shores of Indian Ocean at the southern most part of Sri Lanka still holds the charm of European styled buildings, cobbled stoned roads, red tiled roofs, flowered pots in the veranda & a fort built by Dutch takes you back to centuries of years when Portuguese & Dutch had stepped to Sri Lanka in 16th & 17th century.
Things to do in Galle
Although there isn’t anything specific or a huge list to be covered, a walk in the fort in itself is on the topmost things to do. Galle has been so far the quietest city I have been to in Sri Lanka, most of the old buildings have now been converted to either cafes or restaurants or a fancy tourist shop. There are high chances to be lost while walking around the fort as most of the buildings look similar, but getting lost will always take you to something better 🙂
I got lost once & this is where I ended up with the colorful Tuk Tuk’s lined up & colorful flowers hanging from the pots looked like they were made for each other.
The Old Dutch Hospital which was built by Dutch as a hospital back then is now used for dining & shopping. Totally worth a visit if you are a foodie & a shopaholic like me 😉
There is a spectacular view of the cricket stadium from the fort, suppose to be one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world.
I also relished walking at the edge of the fort, watching the couples romancing under the umbrellas & hearing the silent waves kiss the shore. Water was as clear as the crystal & as blue as the sky, I sat here staring at the ocean for quite a while listening to all the life lessons they have been teaching.
Waves roar towards the shore,
saying be wild & free.
Wind whispers in my ears,
saying be wild & free.
Sun shines over my spine,
saying be wild & free.
Things to do in Unawatuna
Unawatuna is in the suburbs of Galle, a major tourist spot for its well known beach. I first landed at this sacred hill Rumasalla in Unawatuna where every plant/tree has some medicinal value. Tales of Ramayana flies around every part of this hill as this was one of the broken part fallen when Lord Hanumantha was carrying the Sanjeevani hill from India.
Japanese Peace Pagoda is located at a beautiful spot which has the views of the ocean, it is meant to shred Peace & the oceans across pours more shine to stay peaceful! At the entrance, there is also a statue of Lord Hanumantha as the tale in Rumasalla runs around him.
Jungle beach, this beach reminded me of Leonardo’s movie “The Beach”, from the walk to the beach till I reached the shore; the stills of the movie kept running in my head. It was my first time ever to walk alone in a secluded place & it was totally worth it. I witnessed one of the best sunsets as I was walking back from the beach.
Unawatuna beach is a little too crowded for me, although there are many restaurants if you would like to just go grab a beer & watch the ocean. That’s what I did 😉
Where to stay
Kikili House
Located in Galle & few minutes’ walk away from the fort; It’s a painting by itself, every step you take is filled with colors that tickles all over your body from head to toe, their quirky kitchen and the food served is a treat to your eyes and the stomach. Read the full post here, to stay at Kikili House they can be contacted through their website.
Silva Tree House
Located between Galle & Unawatuna on the sacred hill Rumasalla, a glass house with the view of forest and my favorite is their bathroom with the view of ocean & forest J 15 minutes Tuk Tuk ride from Galle & a few minutes’ walk to Japanese Peace Pagoda, Jungle beach and Unawatuna beach. Read the full post here, to stay at Silva Tree House they can be contacted through Airbnb.
Where to eat
There are plenty of options to eat in the Galle Fort & Dutch Hospital; I ate this yummy brinjal meal served on a leaf at “A minute by Tuk Tuk” & a drink at the “Hammock Café & Pub”. Hammock Café & Pub as the name says, where you swing on a hammock & chill with a drink.
Otherwise, for a cheaper option, there are lots of street foods available at every corner of the road with yummy rolls, vade’s & kothu parathas.
How to reach
Sri Lankan railways are very well connected to all the major cities/towns; there are trains from Negombo/Colombo to Galle. This whole journey is on the coastal route, it feels like train literally is floating on the ocean. Check this link to track the schedule of the trains in Sri Lanka.
If you do not wish to wait for a train, there are plenty of buses as well from Negombo/Colombo to Galle.
Bikes for rent are available too in most of the areas if you would like to travel around by yourself.
If you slow things down, you notice things you had not seen before – Robert Wilson
Dusk had kicked in; I was in Deniyaya bus stand where even the street lights were off. I heard a voice…it was Ranjith, Tuk Tuk driver who had come to pick me up. A relief, but was still not sure if I got into the right Tuk Tuk. He stopped at a point and asked me to get off, it was as dark as black. I could only hear water gushing; I flashed my torch & saw few trees. We had to cross the river with my two big bags to enter the forest. After 20 minutes of hike, I finally saw a light. We entered the gate & he introduced me to Katrina, Hi I said & then took a deep breath that I am safe, sound & alive! Sigh!
Next morning I woke up to the bright sun rays kicking through the window, glared quietly to a view of dense forest, Sinharaja Forest. I knew I was going to stay here for long, when I saw those trees & heard birds chirping, I was sure that I will. Traveling is an experience, once you stay longer in any place all these experiences grows into you spreading around like branches and keeps you grounded like roots. Those experiences are like nutrients that keep you enriched which moulds to be a better person.
Sam & Karina who quit their jobs & came here few years ago to setup their dream home, they also witnessed deforestation at the same time. They have planted around 800 + tress growing their own vegetables & fruits practicing sustainable living, using only solar power: they call it as Natural Mystic Sanctuary. It is heart wrenching to hear the trees that have been cut & was replaced by tea plantations. As most of the forest, Sinharaja Forest is also under threat; they are doing their bit to contribute to the nature.
The farthest white dot seen is Natural Mystic Sanctuary.Open natural shower at their house!
One of the late evenings, Katrina took us for a hike in the forest which is now slowly converting to tea plantations; we watched the sunset through the shimmering leaves & headed back. This is what happens when the need is replaced with greed 😦
My reading spot by the river, also some work for the fish to nibble on my feet.
I have always found coolest places to do yoga and this was one of the best where a place was setup under an old oak tree where apparently a big cobra lives in, the thought of it was even more fun to practice yoga 😉
As curious as always, I had to see the local market where farmers sell their crops, and we all headed to shop. This market was covered by netted clothes as roof which seemed like a colorful path when the sun rays were passing through the net.
Wood fire pizza we made on one of the rainy day!
Renuka from a nearby village comes here to cook, one day she came to me with a plate of Vade and she said India. She meant this is from India; I giggled, nodding yes and she says she watches all cookery shows from India and learns lot of recipes. Next day, a mid aged man says Vanakkam (greeting a person in Tamil), he said he is Renuka’s uncle. She had told him that I am from India; he invited us home sharing his stories that he was brought up here; his older brother (Renuka’s father) speaks better Tamil than him. He also mentioned that many years ago, most of the property in Deniyaya was owned by Chettiyar’s: one of the renowned Tamil families. It rained all day and we couldn’t go to their house, next day Renuka seemed upset that they were all waiting for us with pan cakes, tea and tender coconut 😦
We promised to go with her the same day, Jabba also accompanied us. It was raining all through our walk, locals taking a dip in the water, washing clothes, glittering paddy fields, tall palm trees, cows grazing, tired trees with scorching heat looked all cheered up soaking in the rain!
She lives in a nearby village called Batandura, houses here are painted with bright colors which looks like a painting by itself. We were served with super delicious tea & I was conversing with her father in Tamil. He said his father moved to Sri Lanka many years ago and they later got adapted to Sinhalese culture. Renuka’s husband works in a tea factory which was shut recently as they did not have work due to less rain, Renuka works as a cook to manage the family. Her kids got dressed up in their new clothes & shoes that were purchased for their New Year and we all stood for a group photo! Say cheese!
Why do we travel? To meet such wonderful people and for such experiences that keeps you enriched & also moulds to be a better person.
Our Peace shall stand as far as rocky mountains-William Shakespeare
Ramayana is one of story that we Indian kids grow up hearing to by our grandparents or parents or on a TV series; we all know that Sri Lanka plays a major part in Ramayana. As I got into the Tuk Tuk to go to my next destination, driver Kumara started telling the story about this hill Rumasalla & yes it was part of Ramayana.
When Ravana kidnapped Sita, he hid her around many places in Sri Lanka to avoid the very strong Hanumantha. This is one of the hills where Ravana hid Sita, Laxmana (Rama’s brother) who came looking for Sita was injured and Hanumantha did not find any medicine for the cure, he went looking for it in Himalayas. He carried the hill and came to Sri Lanka, while he was flying pieces of the hill fell in few places and one of them is in Rumasalla. Every plant/tree here is supposed to have some medicinal quality.
As Kumara was sharing the story climbing up the hill, I was gazing at the trees and went back to my childhood imagining all the characters of Ramayana that I remember seeing in the TV series. Noise of the engine of Tuk Tuk stopped and I stepped back to reality, as I got down there were 2 smiling ladies waiting to greet me and there was my destination.
At the first sight when I looked at the house, it looked like a gift wrapped by trees around and tied with branches as a ribbon. I released a branch and stepped into the gift, it appeared like I was in illusion when I walked in. I slowly take steps on wooden floor; I see the reflection of trees & myself on the glass walls. Like a magical gift that I walked into, it took me few minutes to realize I was still in the normal world! John calls this magical gift as Silva Tree House.
Next day morning, I woke up to the peaceful prayers from the nearby Japanese Pagoda, sunlight sneaking through the French windows, not too far away ocean. I open my eyes slowly and stretch my arms as the cool breeze from the trees sneaks in.
Dining Hall & Lounge at the roof top!Traditional Sri Lankan hoppers for breakfastWith a view like this, it was too difficult to come out of the shower!Could capture Silva Tree House on my way back from the short walk!
I always chose to stay in eco-friendly places, I was happy to know that there were no trees cut when this house was built except for one tree that was removed as it was rotten. Water used here is only rain water; they are working on setting up the electricity to be completely solar. It was learning for me and also surprising to know that the sewage here runs through the natural filters like stones & gravels.
As always, on my morning yoga!Japanese Pagoda & statue of Hanumantha on Rumasalla hill!
When asked what is so unique about this hill, John mentioned; Sir. Arthur C Clarke, a renowned British science fiction writer had a holiday house in Rumasalla because of the strong magnetic meridians passing through the headland. Magnetic Meridian is an equivalent imaginary line connecting the magnetic south and north poles and can be taken as the horizontal component of magnetic force lines along the surface of the earth. Therefore, a compass needle will be parallel to the magnetic meridian. Fascinating isn’t it? Of course, even I didn’t know what Magnetic Meridian means; explanation mentioned above is from Wikipedia. Another surprise, this hill also attracts more lightning than anywhere in Sri Lanka.
Walk does seem like how Leonardo finds that secretive island in the movie Beach!Just one of those days when Sun chose to swim 😉
Jungle Beach and Unawatuna Beach are both are at walkable distance from Silva Tree House, although me not being very beachy person; I preferred to walk to Jungle Beach as the walk through jungle sounded exciting. It is about 15 minutes walk and I totally felt safe through the Jungle, it was the first time where I walked through a jungle alone. Fear of not being safe on one side and the noise of waves hitting my ears on the other side kept me walking.
Let this gift be unwrapped with many more surprises all along.
*I was hosted by Silva Tree House; you have to stay here to witness some more surprises.
I love not man the less, but Nature more-Lord Byron
I saw this rugged jeep parked in the side, acting cranky to start. I was walking around checking out the mountains, glancing at the jeep every now & then. He was whispering something to me, I went closer & he said. Take a deep breath, sit up straight, and open up all your senses as you may not be able to do this when I take you for a ride. It was a 10 Kms off road drive through the forest on the rocks, passing the trees, mountains all around. Sunil parked the jeep at one corner and said the white dot up there, which is where we are going to. Right there, at that moment I was just telling to myself, days of research poured in finding a place like this was just more than the worth of my time.
Sunil hails from Bangalore/Bengaluru who found this property few years ago in Sakleshpur after a continuous research & traveling all across south India looking for a place like this. He is a certified River Rafter, Scuba Diver, Sky diver and what not; who has traveled to many places across the world and has immense knowledge of birds, trees and animals. 80 years ago, this place was always spotted by herd of tigers and hence the villagers named it Hulibana (Huli is Tiger and Bana is to meet); Sunil didn’t want the history to be changed and retained the same name; in the interest of travelers to understand it better he named it Hulivana.
Villas here are built by the rocks found in forest, mostly by the water stream. Sunil was explaining on how difficult it was to construct the villas by carving the stone to the right shape and have them fit in the right place. Room in the Villa opens up to two French windows on the side and in the front with the view of trees & water stream, wooden flooring and also a fire place inside. Wash room is one of its kinds with pebble flooring & electricity here is generated with hydro turbine during monsoon when there is more current in the water.
Dining hall overlooking the mountains, a place to also have some coffee & conversations.Heaven for foodies with different varieties of food in every meal I ate, was also served with traditional Malanad Kadubu with chutney and beautifully presented water melon.
Hammocks to read or to take a nap or to gaze at the trees or to just listen to water stream, just on the perfect place.
I had this quest to get into a forest alone, never thought I would have it conquered this soon; all thanks to Hulivana setup here. We took a short walk towards a water stream close by, Sunil mentioned about civet cats & I was all excited to see them. I stayed here alone for some time, finally spotted a civet cat for the first time in India (shy animal I must say, as soon as the cat spotted me; he ran away) I had the place to all myself, to sit, to meditate, to think, to dance, to sleep. Although there was fear of elephants passing by, I was just watching these unique creatures: Water Striders who walk on water continuously creating ripples in water.
Later in the evening, we went for a short trek around Ettina Bhuja (Back bone of a bull as the shape of the hill looks like it), I saw an olive green colored scorpion, and excited again as he was my first visitor too. Mesmerized by the view of 360 degrees of mountains everywhere which was topped with thick dense Kabinala forest, the slopes looked like slides connecting from one to other; I just wish I had the power to slide over from one mountain to other one. We sat down discussing the crazy elephant chase stories that has happened around these places and then spotted this bird called “Shikara” which would hover in one place against the wind for few seconds and then keep flying, hover and fly.
Breeze was churning up my bones, somewhere deep in the forest I could hear water rushing through, Sun was getting prepared to slide through those mountains, it was amazing to see the mix of color change on the sky & the hill top. We headed back where fire flies were throwing the light all around and moon was pouring the light from the top. Coffee & Popcorn was waiting for me in a moon lit sky, I have to mention about the hospitality here. Everything was very well organized; from the day email hit my inbox on the confirmation of availability to me reaching my next destination safely.
Bonfire setup!
Over coffee, Sunil was talking about this drink prepared by locals using Jaggery & a seasonal fruit; I just couldn’t deny tasting it. Later in the night by the bonfire, I took the first sip and I knew this would give some buzz around; we started sharing our travel stories. Sunil shared about his stories from seeing dead bodies floating in Rishikesh to his adventurous trek in Himalayas. With the little buzz in my head, all these stories were circulating around me virtually!
Early morning view through the window!
Woke up with the noise of water stream passing by the room which felt like a virtual massage running through my veins from head to toe, chill breeze sliding through the window which made me snuggle under the blanket gazing at those French windows looking at the trees.
Headed for a trek to Deepada Kallu (Deepa is lamp & Kallu is Stone: as the hill looks like a lamp) and Jenukallu gudda (Jenu is honey, kallu is stone & gudda is hill), seemed like there was a thunder storm coming up and the first step I took, there was a drop on my forehead. Every step I take I had to photograph every corner of this place, sun just didn’t want to come out and was playing around with the clouds and the hills. Looked like an ocean of endless mountains, bed of thick forest on them, I just wanted to float on that bed and snuggle under the rug of those clouds.
Clouds were on a war to pour rain,
I did feel a drop on my brain.
I looked at them & said, not today; pretty please?
They were too nice to me & got into peace.
Instead sun was peeping out shedding the ray,
it was such a memorable day.
Cold war seems to be over in blink of an eye,
People ask me why I travel, and this is why!
These are “Shola”, patches of trees that grow amidst the valleys surrounded by grasslands; they are found in only few specific areas in Western Ghats & nowhere else in the world! When it rains water accumulates in the valley which leads to the growth of these trees, these trees hold the moisture & remains green all through the year!
We then trekked upto Jenukallu gudda which is at the height of 4500 feet, first steeped mountain I have climbed on. Fear of heights to turn back, slippery stones, and grass to hold on which can even come out if you held it harder. Totally worth the entire struggle to be on top to see the view of cone shaped mountains, clouds covering them, sunlight spraying the sprinklers; 2 eyes were just not enough to enjoy this beauty & neither these words are enough to describe them.
Sipping a cup of coffee watching the hills around and the thickest of forest, my lungs were all cleansed with the fresh air that got in. I have said this before in my earlier post on Chikmagalur & will say it again, whenever I come to Western Ghats, I feel there is still lots of hope for nature to remain the way it is and this is what pulls me to come to this place again & again & again.
Deep in a rain forest they say, even deeper into the soul of a forest I would say!
Add this to your list of the place that you need to see before you die, you wouldn’t regret! Trust me.
Some facts about Animals & Insects Sunil shared:
Elephants: Post monsoon elephants go through some hormonal changes which lead to pressure in their brain that gets them disturbed to attack human beings. Mostly seen on male elephants but are common on female as well.
Fireflies: There are many kinds of fire flies which can be distinguished by the pattern of the way they shed the light. Say there were 2 kinds of fire flies with Bigger & Smaller patterns: Bigger one changes themselves to a smaller one and goes near smaller like mating and eats them as prey. Smaller one change themselves to bigger one, goes closer near bigger one & mate. Confused? Read again, Confused again? Keep reading. I had to ask 2 times to understand the process 😉
Cicadas: These insects that make noise in the night, gets all together of more than 100 which almost sounds like somebody is screaming, the noise is so loud they have a membrane in their ear that covers automatically. God’s a little too partial to them, isn’t it 😉
Honey Bee: Since honey bees sting is barbed, when the bee stings a mammal & pulled out it tears its abdomen & causes immediate death.
Water Strider: These unique creatures that walk on water gets attracted to ripples formed on water, when an insect falls and creates a ripple that is when these striders hunt them & eat.
When a Wild Flower spotted another Wild Flower.
*I was hosted by Hulivana; luck was all on my plate!
While the journey to Ella was just so more than beautiful, I was pretty sure this piece of land would be even more beautiful and I was not too surprised. Stayed in a budget hotel and later hiked with another Austrian friend I met for about 7 Kms to Ravana Waterfalls. On the way to the falls, all we could see is valleys and rivers flowing by, green mountains standing up and cheering while we were walking.
Little Adam’s Peak is in Ella and was about 5 Kms walk from where we stayed, the next day morning we went walking up the hill and stopped over a place for a cup of tea and this was the view from there.
Australian friend whom I had met in Kandy joined us too, while we continued to walk through the tea plantations, I still remember an old lady passing by smiles and say Hello! This is one nice thing that I have to mention about people in Sri Lanka, from a young tuk-tuk driver to an old lady who is plucking tea leaves will all have a smile on their face and would not forget to greet you! On my way from Kandy to Ella, I spent most of the journey with a family who was continuously feeding me food all the time 🙂
While we started hiking up, we were mesmerized by the view that we saw everywhere. Clear skies, triangle-shaped hills, lake and waterfalls that was somewhere at a distance. Those clouds moving from one corner to other like they were passing letters from one hill to other. Those few hours I was living in a fairyland.
g
Noise of the waves woke me up like an alarm
little I knew waves would be opening its arm!
I came here in search of something
you made me realize I had all in me that I was looking!
You have been knit by green wool
looking at your beauty my eyes were full!
Mist was kissing the trees
trees were dancing with the chill breeze!
You made me experience Mother Nature’s lullaby
fell asleep on your lap like a baby!
Only in dreams have seen a fairyland
you are much more than a dream to see you this grand!
PS: Thanks to a friend for lending his camera to click this beautiful island!
Sigiriya also called as Lion Rock is one of the world heritage sites. There was a palace earlier on this rock and underneath. It has about 1500 steps as told by one of the locals and took about 2 hours to cover the whole place. On the way when you climb up, you get to see some amazing paintings. Also, the paw of the lion which is on the next phase while climbing up read that head of the lion was collapsed a few years ago.
This is how palace was placed on top of the rock!
Palace underneath the rock!
View from the top of the rock of the pathway leading to climbing up the rock!
While climbing up the rock, wherever you stop to take some breath you get to see trees laid like a bed all around which are surrounded by hills and few lakes. It looks like this island is immersed in a green knitted woolen blanket by spreading the warmth to the eyes.
While I was browsing through Airbnb, found these Capsule sleepers that caught my eye. I had decided that I will stay here when I am in Kandy; Kandy is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka. There were only 2 reasons for me to stay here, 1 was to stay in Capsule Sleeper and the other one was to take the train from Kandy to Ella. Even though it is one of the largest cities, every shop here shuts by 6:30. It turned out to be one of the beautiful nights I have spent so far. That night met these amazing Australians who were strangers then but more than best buddies now who surprised me with the Snickers as a birthday cake.
Here is how these capsule sleeper’s looks like, it has a light, charging point and a small fan. These sleepers are placed on the roof top with this incredible view of the whole city, looks even more amazing in the night when the lights are on, I tried to click the pictures but couldn’t give justice to my eyesight.
As mentioned earlier, I love antique pieces and this fan looked really different which had bulbs instead of wings.
Maulie who owns this beauty purchased land here and have this beautiful setup right in between a jungle, surrounded by a beautiful lake. We had conversations from traveling, politics, religion, food to marriages. I have an inclination towards antique pieces; the kind of art and paint on the walls, interiors in the rooms, open (firewood) kitchen everything formed to be an antique piece which is one of its own kinds.
Being a foodie needless to mention, this is the best vegetarian food I have had till date. Most of the dishes here are cooked on fire wood; every meal/snack I ate was unique and super tasty. They make Jaggery and this sweet syrup (Kitul Pani) out of this Palm tree called Kitul nut. I sipped the coffee and took a bite of the Jaggery, that’s how it is supposed to be had. Later I had this yogurt made of buffalo milk along with the sweet syrup; I just couldn’t get enough of it and requested Maulie to serve me this the next day as well.
These two boys took me around to show this beautiful lake, with the silence all around, literally one of these guys walking in front of me and other one walking behind me. It took me few minutes to get them together for a picture.
I sat by the lake and meditated for a while; peace is what I had around me. Sun was almost wrapping up for the day, birds chirping, gentle wind cooling the lake, trees moving with the flow and their reflection on the water. I was trying to figure out if the tree was moving or it was the water, there was one dry tree amongst all the green trees which dragged my attention while most of the birds were resting on it. Extreme levels of Solitude with only birds, animals, and nature around, Paulo Coelho is right: if you really want something the entire universe will help you to achieve it; yes universe was all around me and this is what I had wished for. While I was relishing on my dreams, could sense someone tickling my stomach. Oh, it was those caterpillars turning into colorful butterflies 🙂
Not all those who WANDER are LOST – J. R. R. Tolkien
This was more of an Instinctive decision to test my guts of traveling solo to an unknown, a place that I had never heard before. It happened on one of the long weekends in March, while I was wondering where to step out my brain reminded me of a cousin who collects articles about off beat travel destinations, there were many options but this place pulled me towards it. I immediately booked a place to stay, packed bags and hit the road!
There were still knots in my stomach, and a little bit of fear in the head as it was my first time alone in an unknown place. From Pollachi which is the nearest town will have to take a bus to Valparai which is about one and a half hour journey in a local bus. Bus climbing up the hill, turning through the hair pin bends, watching the hills as sun was just opening the arms, clouds passing by as they were just waking up in the morning, an island that was like icing on the cake which later I figured out that it was Sholayar dam. As the view was quenching the thirst in my eyes, knots in my stomach were releasing and the fear in my head flew away in the air.
I stayed in River View Homestay and went around seeing the places in an auto. We were driving mostly through tea plantations and these tea plantations are covered by forest, had to walk for about 15 minutes to reach Nallamudi view point which has the rarest view of tea plantations on one side and forest on the other side.
Benny one of the hosts took me for a walk around tea plantations to see if we can spot elephants, they have even spotted leopards sometimes. Hard Luck, we couldn’t see elephants except for their dung but spotted few bison’s. It was a short trek; I have this dream to have snakes as pets. Benny was into Snake preserving and we had a long discussion about different snakes.
They also do offer night jeep safaris, if you are lucky enough you can spot leopards. As I was alone, hosts offered to take me around for a drive to check if we can spot any animals. We packed our food and headed on the road in Ghats again with really cold weather and fog all around. Hard luck again, we didn’t really get to see animals.
The next day, I visited a tea factory. It’s amazing on how different varieties of teas are made from the leaves plucked at different stages of their growth. Not being more of a tea drinker, black tea that I tasted there was one of the best tea’s I have had till now. While my taste buds were dancing with happiness, we headed to see Nirar Dam. The view from the dam surrounded by forests was surreal.
A place like this in Tamil Nadu which I had always assumed to be having hot weather, it is purely a hidden treasure and I am glad that I was able to find! I would really want to visit this place again during monsoon.
Quest in search of unknown bought me here,
with the tiny amount of fear.
I was in Solitude and so were you,
glad that I came to see you out of the blue.
Hidden treasure you are locked in the wood,
bidding adieu with a grin more than I thought I would!
Yours Consciously Sneha 