Escapades in Sri Lanka

16th of March 2019, designed by a group called “Art of Travel,” my son and I embarked on a venture to conquer the sixth highest mountain of Sri Lanka as a part of a quest to fulfil our objective of achieving the task of climbing the ten highest mountains of this beautiful island that we so cherish to call home. Peaking at an elevation of 2212 meters “Great western” has nothing significantly or remotely related to any western film but situated amidst the tea plantations in Talawakelle named the Great-western tea estate rather perplexingly. One must take a left turn at the Talawakelle town to a point that has only a walking path to the GW railway station at the foothills of this mammoth massif. The access from the town consists of a 14 kilometres drive plus 1.5 kilometres walk to the station and is the last place to fill up on your non-elaborate essentials for the hike. A two-kilometre walk along the railway track took us to a methodically paved Kovil stairway on to our l...

“Cycling is a blissful diversion; one would realize its pleasures only through indulgence and not otherwise.”   The big fellow was a muscle builder not ridden for 12 years. Two more purchased their push-bikes the day before, and a few found rusting two-wheelers from some sort of refuge.   As confusing as it may sound, the four ladies and the five guys were gearing for a never before accomplished adventure in their lives. The bikers, from ages of 17 to 50 years, capitalized on an opportunity to cycle from Nuwara Eliya to Gampola on machines they were not too comfortable with. A new venture for this team.   At three in the morning on the 7th of August, expressing enthusiasm, the bikers left Colombo in a minibus to Nuwara Eliya whilst the bicycles were dispatched carefully stacked onto a lorry. On the way, breakfast heavy and yummy was at Pussellawa rest house and the presumable riders reached Nuwara Eliya at nine thirty. The weather chilly at 12 degrees Celsius, breez...