It
was about 5.15 early in the morning when Nisal was banging the door of
Kasthuri’s boarding place. The trip was scheduled to begin at 5.00am, thus the
van had reached University of Kelaniya by that time. Shakya and Nisal had to do
an immense job to wake up Kasthuri, brush her teeth, make her get dressed and
accompany her to the van (well, that’s what we were told by the boys themselves
later on that day, and please note that this story has got several points of views
:P lol…). Finally the van left the university with the three of them along with
Gayan Ayya, and started the journey on the Colombo-Kandy road. Our driving
partner was Chanaka, a friend of Gayan Ayya. Darsha and I got in from Mahara and Kadawatha
and our final passenger, Sandamali, also known as Miss.Selfie, was awaiting at
Miriswaththa. After everybody had got in and was seated and sound, our trip to
Mandaramnuwara officially commenced together with the sounds of music and the cool breeze
in the morning.
Our
first stop was a temple around Ambepussa. With the blessings of the Triple Gem
we moved on until the next immediate stop, a kovil. Kasthu gave us a new
experience by placing a Bindi (Pottu)
on each of our foreheads. Although nobody knew an exact meaning of the three
coloured Bindis, everyone was eager to involve in that opportunity. Nisal was
so excited that he had accidentally placed a part of that Bindi on his nose as
well. With cheers and selfies we started our journey again.
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| At the rock tunnel |
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| Gayya's Place |
We
passed towns and villages of
Kegalle,
Uthuwankanda,
Mawanalla and reached
Kadugannawa. The rock tunnel is usually a main spot for photography by any traveler. We also didn’t miss that chance. Thus everybody very enthusiastically
got out from the vehicle to pose for a set of photographs taken by almost every
member of the crew. Our main photographers however were Nisal, Shakya and Gayan
Ayya. Our journey continued till
Peradeniya and then to
Mahakanda, where a
mouth-watering breakfast was awaiting to quench our hunger at Gayan Ayya’s
place, officially known as
Gayya’s Place. His house stood on top of a hill-like
area where we had to walk a bit on a steep path. This served as a miniature
practice for the upcoming hiking event. The environment was cool, calm and
fresh. The delicious milk rice along with
Sambal and roast bread paired with
the famous
Parippu curry felt like a heavenly dish. Thanks to Gayya’s parents,
we stuffed ourselves and the hunger was totally terminated.
We
bayed adieu to Gayya’s sister and parents and set course to our destination,
the misty Mandaramnuwara. On the way we did a one final stop at the View Point
in Kandy. The usual photos and selfies were taken at the place and the course
continued. From Kandy to Hanguranketha then to Rikillagaskada and through
Padiyapalalla, our vehicle drove towards Mandaramnuwara. Every crew member,
except Chanaka who drived, was eagerly showing their singing talents on the
way. Starting a new song was the most difficult thing to do. Later on we
wondered how patience Chanaka must have been, to drive upwards along the
winding roads surrounded with the sound of our so called songs. However, it was
fun, and having fun was one of the major targets of the trip.
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| At the View Point |
 |
| On the way |
The
sun shone brightly above us when we approached to
Mandaramnuwara. Either side
of the road had a mesmerizing view of mountains and valleys of vegetable
plantation and paddy fields. The atmosphere was cool and ideal. Small
waterfalls fell from here and there, creating miniature ponds beside the road.
Carpets of plantations resembling a variety of green colors covered the
mountains. Without even blinking, we tried our best to experience the
breath-taking view of the surroundings. The name
Mandaramnuwara itself
resembled the misty atmosphere of the village. The sky here is usually cloudy
and the climate, foggy. Since the village is surrounded by the
Piduruthalagala
mountain range, usually there is a late sunrise in the morning and the evening
sun sets early. As we came to know, mist and cold, shivering and rain is
customary in this area.
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| Greenish Carpets of fields |
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| Heavenly view |
We
slowly emerged to our boarding location, Ajith Ayya’s place. It was arranged by
our beloved guide, Gayya. The lodge was located in a valley, thus we had to
park our vehicle and descend on foot one after another through the narrow
pathway. After a warm welcome by Ajith and the crew, we settled our belongings
in the rooms reserved for us and set course for the hike to
Kolapathana Falls.
Hidden
deep inside the jungles, the name Kolapathana has it’s own wonderful folklore.
Legend says that Prince Malsara had come to the foot of this breath-taking
waterfall with his beloved princess. For that journey they had brought food
wrapped in a Palmyra leaf, in Sinhala known as “Kolapatha”. Probably due to the
enchantment of the fall, after eating, they had forgotten to take the wrapping
back with them. Thus it remained at that place, and since the Kolapatha was
left behind, later on the fall was named as Kolapathana Alla. Evidence exists
about Prince Malsara, since there is a village named Malsaranuwara nearby.
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| From rock to rock |
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| A walk to heaven |
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| A walk to heaven |
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| Kolapathana falls |
We
climbed from rock to rock, walked along plain grasslands, crossed small streams
of cold water, traveled through bushes and plants and finally came face to
face with the majestic looking waterfall. The surroundings were covered in mist
formed of small water drops which raised when the fall hit the bottom. We
embraced the serenity of the view and spent quiet a time for taking photographs
and posing for them. Although we could have awaited there for another long
time, we had no choice but to return to our boarding place, since we had to get
ready for the next adventure – the camping event on top of a mountain.
All
of the necessary things were gathered and divided among each crewmember. Then
our hike began in search of an ideal spot for our camp, bonfire and the BBQ. Up
and up we climbed. Darkness was swallowing us, thus we had to hurry. The wind
was cold. It became colder and stronger as we climbed higher up the maontain. Bindu, a friendly
dog also came with us for the journey upwards. Finally a spot was selected to
build the tent. The boys did a great job by rapidly constructing the tent. Next
the bonfire and the BBQ oven was lighted and the party officially began. Gayya
leaded the BBQ where the chicken, sausages and bread slices gave a wonderful
aroma, which enlightened our taste buds. The pleasure was highlighted by a can
of Wild Apple. Shakya struggled with a Manioc since he and Darsha were
vegetarian. Little by little the heat enhanced and small giggles turned into
loud laughter. Even an incorrect pronunciation or an odd sound was sufficient
to start a whole hearty howling. We all agreed later that the effect of the
smoke caused by burning barks of tea plants in the bonfire played a major role
in reasoning this situation. Gayya and Chanaka sometimes tripped themselves due
to heavy laughter. Nisal was meek as a mouse but never gave up laughing for
every word we talked. He had only one major question, "Who on earth suggested to build a camp...?". This was because he never got a chance to enter the tent during the whole journey. Darsha’s laughter was automatically available anytime. So
was mine. My stomach was hurting due to severe chuckles. Listening to
Sandamali’s snorts started a totally new chapter of laughter. Kasthu shivered,
but enthusiastically participated in every meaningful and meaningless words we
talked. It was obvious that Shakya was affected by cyanide of the Manioc and he
was the reason for the sudden rise of flames in the burning bonfire.
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| Serenity |
 |
| The camp |
The
songs we sang mixed with the air and was carried away by the wind, which was
becoming colder and stronger by the time. Our dinner was served to the spot by
Ajith and the crew. Even though our stomachs didn’t had any space for eating, yet
we stuffed ourselves. Bindu had his own share of a delicious BBQ and dinner. Our
previous plan was to spend the night in the tent and descend early in the
morning. But the rapid increase of cold in the air made us change that plan. At
about 1.30 early in the morning, when the world was sleeping soundly, we started climbing down the mountain. Our
bodies clenching tighter into our jerseys and ice caps pulled down to cover the
ears from the icy wind, one after another, we slowly descended. One or two
leaches hook up time by time, but it wasn’t much of a burden. We all reached
safe and sound to Ajith Ayya’s place and very soon after having a hot water
bath, everybody fell fast asleep, dreaming and reminding about the wonderful unforgettable experiences of the day.
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| At the lodge |
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| With Bindu |
It
was a wet morning the next day. Rain was pouring continuously. Mountain tops
were covered in mist. We had
Roti along with a very spicy
Katta Sambal, which
was the best breakfast for a rainy day. Although we had many plans for this
day, the non-stopping pouring changed them all. Bathing in the
Kalu Wala seemed
impossible due to the freeing climate. Having another hike was also dangerous
and difficult in such a rainy day. Thus we sadly made up our minds to say good
bye to the misty Mandaramnuwara and head back home. Our van slowly drove past
the misty roads, the colourful fields of vegetables into the world of concrete
and noise.
Note : photo courtesy goes to Nisal, Gayan and Shakya
