The Unlimited Possibilities – Knuckles Episode 1 (NKPS)…

Something which has always puzzled me is figuring out the difference between Trekking and Hiking. Well you might say that it is like the difference between Complete and Finished. However one professor had given a proper explanation as to what the difference between Complete and Finished and I’m sure you know what it is. For those who don’t know, here’s the explanation given by that professor.

“When you marry the right woman, you’re complete.

If you marry the wrong woman, you’re finished.

And if the right woman catches you with the wrong one, then you’re completely finished.”

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Ok, jokes aside, I’ve tried to find the difference between hiking and trekking and from what I gathered; Trekking is a long journey which you do along unpaved paths whereas Hiking is done on paved paths and not so long in terms of the distance and the time. Further it’s said that Trekking is more strenuous than Hiking. Some say that Hiking is the old word and Trekking is a modern word which has the same meaning. Also, in certain countries they use different terms such as Hiking (Canada & US), Trekking (Britain & Ireland), Backpacking, Hillwalking (Britain), Tramping (New Zealand), Bushwalking, etc. Here’s what the Wikipedia has to say about it. If you know better, please let us know.

If you wonder what on earth I was talking about Hiking and Trekking, it’s because the next story is going to be all about vigorous trekking through one of the most scenic and unique forest reserves in the whole world, Knuckles Mountain Range. She’s also known as Dumbara Kanduvetiya and often robed in thick layers of clouds. This is one of the richest rain forests in terms of biodiversity. Not only the lush greenery and pristine white clouds make it so glamorous, but also the legendary stories related to Ravana the Great.

So I’m gonna take you on a long trek through another area of Knuckles starting from probably the most beautiful village in the world, Meemure. I’ll be accompanied by the best person when it comes to guide you in the Knuckles, Nava Mama and Uncle Tony. I hope you’re ready for yet another roller-coaster journey through many obstacles. So fasten your seat belts and hold tightly. Here we go.

It’s been two years since I first visited Meemure and ever since I’ve visited Meemure a few more times. The pinnacle of all the journeys was climbing the Lakegala last year. Every now and then I get this longing to go see Meemure and the first thing I do is call Nava Mama and ask what we could do. Well, it looks there’s enough to do in Knuckles for a lifetime. When I called this time, he suggested we do the Kalupahana area which is popularly known among the villagers as the Leech Headquarters. After a half a dozen calls, we had a workable plan and fixed the dates at the last minute as the weather was so unpredictable. Meanwhile Uncle Tony managed to get leave and join me for this exclusive journey.

I met Tony at Fort Railway Station at 1pm on a hot and humid Saturday. We got into an already crowded AC bus and found those shaky jump seats in the middle. It was really tough sitting in them but we had no choice as we needed to get to Kandy as soon as possible. We reached there just after 4.30pm and went shopping. Now don’t get alarmed coz we didn’t go hunting for clothes but for the dry rations we’d need for the 3-day camping trip. Well to be honest, I’m not an experienced camper either so we all had to think carefully as to what we were going to eat and take with us. It was essential we carried the bare minimum without overloading our backpacks which would hamper our progress during the course of the hike.

After the shopping and a snack lunch, we got back to Good Shed looking for a bus to Hunnasgiriya. Time had gone past 6pm and our best bet was to squeeze into an overflowing Ampara bus. Fortunately Nava Mama had fixed a tuk-tuk for us at Hunnasgiriya and we called Ramesh telling him of our late arrival at Hunnasgiriya. We finally arrived at Hunnasgiriya around 7.45pm and got into Ramesh’s bus (don’t worry it’s the bus he uses to transport staff to a garment factory. His house is between Loolwatte and Deanston and the tuk-tuk was at there) and settled down. The road up to Deanston is carpeted mostly but there are patches still not completed yet. It looks as if the construction is halted due to some unknown reason.

We reached Loolwatte and transferred our luggage to the tuk-tuk and braced against the bone-chilling cold. The wind bit into our exposed skin sending a chill all the way from the toes to the roots of our hair. The road after Corbet’s Gap was so much deteriorated and I wonder how even a van manages to travel back and forth. The concrete had come off in chunks making it deadly dangerous and difficult for the vehicles. After a long and tiring ride, we finally arrived at Nava Mama’s place around 10pm for a warm welcome by him. This was a different person with a long beard very much like Robinson Crusoe.

After a brief chit-chat, Tony started searching for his wallet which was left apparently inside either Ramesh’s bus or the tuk-tuk. Unfortunately Ramesh had already left and there’s no mobile reception on the way to Meemure. So while waiting anxiously for Ramesh to get back home, we took a shower and then dinner. We waited till midnight trying his number again and again with no luck before giving up and hitting the sack. I don’t think Tony slept well in the night but I slept like a log. Well, I’ll see you in the morning and hopefully we’ll have better luck with Tony’s wallet. There’s still so much to prepare for the journey and we’d need every minute of the precious sleep we could get on a cozy mattress before sleeping under the stars enveloped by the gushing winds.

Good News & Preparation for the Hike

I heard Tony shuffling and got up to find it was just gone 4.30am. Apparently he’s had a pitiful night worrying over the wallet so I got up and started calling Ramesh having woken the whole household. Thankfully he answered the phone and when I told him what had happened he said he’d go to the bus and tuk-tuk and take a look. After about 10 mins which felt like an eternity, he came on the line to say the wallet was found in the bus and I heard Tony heaved a sigh of relief. He promised to send the wallet with the van that evening. Finally we could get on with the packing in peace.

We had to be ready for 7 main meals. So we got things together and planned accordingly. The breakfast and lunch were on this day were going to be easy as we would have our breakfast before leaving and take some lunch packs with us leaving only five more meals to be prepared on the go. I’ll just give you a list of the things we carried with us and hope it’ll help you figure out how to be ready when you do camping.

List of Things:

• Two 2-man Tents
• Two Small Pots
• Spoons, Cups and Paper Plates
• Paper Tissues
• Kerosene and a Lamp
• Soap & Toothpaste
• A Rope (about 30ft in Length)
• Clothes, Blankets, Mats & Sleeping Bags
• A Machete
• A Box of Matches and a Lighter
• Couple of Torches

Food Items:

• Instant Noodles (8 Small Packs for Two Meals)
• Packet of Pasta (for One Meal)
• Two Loaves of Slicked Bread (for Two Meals)
• Packet of Cheese
• 3 Packets of Biscuits
• 3 Chocolates
• 1 Can of Pre-cooked Polos
• 1 Can of Chicken Meat Balls
• 1 Can of Tuna & Vegetable Paste
• 20 Sachets of Nescafe 3 in 1
• 6 Packets of Jeewani
• 4 Bottles of Water (1 liter each)
• Some Salt, Chilies & Onions

I guess that’s all we carried except ourselves. Everyone at the household was giving bits and pieces of advice making it even more complex. What they didn’t know was that it was us who had to carry all those through the untouched and hazardous jungle with no trails whatsoever. Finally we managed to pack everything into our sacks and be ready for the longest trail I’ve done so far at a stretch. Are you ready to follow? See these few pics before you join.

Our collection

Labuketaya where the people in the past carried water

Typical item in the old village kitchens

Things made from the resources of jungle

Nava mama’s son helping him

The three-man team

Meemure to the Top of Navarathna Ella (aka Diyakerella Ella)

We got a ride from Nava Mama’s son in his Bolero Cab (he’s in the middle of getting this prepared with benches and the back covered so that if there’s a larger group that comes by bus can get to Meemure in this) all the way up to the paddy field near the historical Bo tree. However before that we stopped at the village shop to buy some incense sticks to light at the Devalaya invoke blessings. I guess you can remember we did the same when we were climbing the Lakegala. So we got down at the paddy field and bid farewell to Nava Mama’s son and Chanaka (remember he too joined us for the Lakegala Adventure).

After a short video documentary elaborating our planned journey, we started to walk parallel to the Meemure Oya aka Theembigolla Oya at 10am, a bit later than we would’ve liked but we needed to make sure we covered everything before doing it hastily and find us in trouble. After about 200m, we arrived at the Devalaya and lit our incense sticks and worshipped the statue placed there. This was gonna be a long and tough journey so we needed all the blessings of these unseen powers to make it a success and get back in one piece. We walked along the edge of the paddy field until it ended at the buffer zone between the village and the reserve. Well, this was the same path to the Navarathna Ella via Daluggolla Ella. We’ll be screened by the tree cover from the burning sun. Why don’t you take a look at while we get on the trail?

My beloved Lakegala and the brown paddy fields after the harvests

Closer look

Towards Gala Muduna

Our target area. Kalupahana is to the left and Rehena Ketu Pathana to the top right

Invoking blessings

Statue of the God

Still her sexy pointy look

Wish they were nice and green

Before we entered into the jungle path

The shady path looked really appealing and kept us nice and cool. We kept going with Nava Mama leading from the front. It’s always important to let the people who know the area go in front wherever you go as it’ll help you stay safe as they know where the troubles are. This path was familiar to me somewhat coz this was the first trail I took when I came to Meemure for the first time two years ago and it’s etched in my memory like a stone inscription. Walking through we met another group of people walking ahead of us with another villager. They were a family group and were going to see the Navarathna Ella. They all stared at us the back-packers bewildered wondering what on earth we were carrying such heavy loads if we were going to see the same place. Nava Mama stopped and explained to them of our target but it made little difference coz most of the names he used sounded like Greek to them.

We both arrived at the Daluggolla Ella at the same time. I’ve been here before and kind of responsible for naming her but unfortunately couldn’t get a video of her. So this presented a better opportunity for me to fulfill that need. Unfortunately the water levels were very low which means I’ll have to come back again. After a short break and a couple of sips of water and Jeewani, we hit the road while the other group stayed behind enjoying the typical beauty of the village. Just before we go further, do you know how this area came to know as Daluggolla? It’s because of the Daluk Trees in the area. So the area full of Daluk Trees came to be called as Dalukgolla or Daluggolla. This is also the further most paddy field from Meemure and closest to the conservation.

Nava mama and Tony with all smiles

Away goes Tony behind Nava mama

Meemure Oya dried up dramatically

Shady path

Crossing a few open areas as well

It was a relief to have this shade

Artistic Nuga Trees all over

Daluggolla paddy fields beyond this

There is Lakegala with her shape changed into a box

Daluggolla Ella is here

There she is with very little water

Mid base pool

Towards the bottom

We continued on passing a beautifully decorated vine where we took a few pictures. After a short while, we arrived at the place called Ice Wala. This is a pond like place in the Meemure Oya and the village boys have named it Ice Wala for some reason not known. Nonetheless the water in this is really cold and might be the reason for the name. this is where we had to cross the Meemure Oya and go uphill along the path. We saw a Common Kingfisher trying to catch some fish at Ice Wala before crossing. The path was shady but got steeper as we went. After a while we had to re-cross the Meemure Oya. This was where the poisonous Maussa Plants were in large numbers and Nava Mama kept a closer eye out for them.

A little while later we came to a turn off where the right hand path branched to the base of Navarathna Ella and the left one towards Pethangolla and the top of Navarathna Ella. We went on along the left hand path without bothering to go to the base of the falls. Now the trail was a steady climb uphill and it was testing our stamina to the limits. However little did we know that this was just the beginning and there’d be many more testing times waiting for us in the next 48 hours. After a steady climb we arrived at a place called Pethangolla. This got its name thanks to the Pethan Plants (tiny plant with purple flowers that bloom in bunches).

We took a short detour to the right where we could visit the Navarathna Ella from the top. This was a little dangerous as we had to maneuver closer to the edge of the rock where the water falls making this beautiful falls. We finally arrived at the top of the falls and felt a sensational feeling. Reaching the top carefully we got to the edge with the help of Nava Mama holding onto the nearby trees and looked down. Remember safety comes first no matter what. Looking down we saw a few colorful ants below near the base pool. Looking closer through the camera lens, we figured them to be the group followed us not some strange ants.

Well you can imagine how tall this falls is, can’t you? At a guess, I’m sure it’s something around 300-400ft tall if not more. The water levels were very low and the people in the base pool finally noticed us waving from the top. They kept waving at us and we finally got to a safer place and took a much needed break. We ate a packet of biscuits and washed it down with fresh and cool water. Well from here it’s gonna be even more difficult and the backpacks threatened to wear us down faster than we liked. However, we weren’t not gonna give in and accept defeat that easily. If the backpacks thought we’d bow down that easily, they had another think coming. While we plan the rest of the journey, you can enjoy the pictures.

Gigantic creepers

Artistic too

See the size?

Here’s the Robinson Crusoe like Nava mama

Found him at Ice Wala

Looking at us

Ice Wala

A close-up

This had been left behind

Nice forest patch to walk on

Hard work

Crossing the Meemure Oya again

We left it and headed uphill

Pethan plants and their flowers used by a butterfly

Distant mountains towards Gala Mudunua

Top of Navarathna Ella

The base, can you see those colorful ants?

Well no ants

Finally spotted us

Very little water

Having a bath

Where we rested

From here she jumps out

Time to move on

From the Top of Navarathna Ella to Kalupahana

We kept up the uphill journey with very few breaks in between. After laboring about for half hour we arrived at a flat area with stones marking the perimeter in an oval shape. Nava Mama explained that this was called the Udawannimana Ruppa. It’s not clear as to when this was used in the past. However according to folklore this could go as far back as King Ravana the Great. There are four entrances to Meemure which are from Kalugala, Dandenikumbura (from Galamuduna & Kahatagahawela), Narangamuwa and Kalupahana. There are four places like this at the entrance to Meemure from all four trails. You must’ve seen one such a place in Suriya Arana Movie which is closer to Suriya Arana Ella and it leads to Dandenikumbura.

This could also have been used in the way back when Ravana was defending his strongholds of Lakegala and nearby from the invading forces led by Hanuman and Rama. In the recent past, those who plucked Cardamom in Kalupahana area had used this as a resting place on their way back and forth from Meemure. It must’ve been really tough task for those people to have walked all the way to and from Kalupahana. Nava Mama said even village women used to do the same leaving Meemure around 5am and returning around 6pm.

Another historic event was when King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe was captured at Bombure off Medamahanuwara on his way fleeing from the English soldiers in search of a hiding place in the Knuckles. If only he’d been able to reach Rangala, then he could’ve easily avoided capture and the whole of our history must’ve been upside down. However the King managed to send two of his daughters to Meemure where they lived until death. The well they bathed is located closer to the historic Bo tree in the paddy fields.

Ok, time we moved on and Nava Mama plucked a branch of a tree and hung it at the place invoking blessing from the gods. There were a couple of very dry branches marking that there had been no one on this path for the last couple of years at least. The time had gone past 12.30pm and we were feeling hungry. Nava mama suggested a place near Kirindiketiya for us to have lunch. He said there should be a spring that doesn’t get dried even during the severest of droughts. Have I told you before that Nava mama hadn’t been on this trail since 2001? Do you expect someone to remember such trivialities even after nearly one and half a decade?

Well, he’s an exceptional human being when it comes to locating places inside this mysterious forest reserve. We veered off the trail (well there was no trail after the Udawannimana Ruppa as it’d overgrown due to the lack of human intervention) and went into the deep forest and as if by magic came upon a cluster of rocks. There was no sign of a water stream but Nava mama found it hidden underneath the rocks. Having cleared around he cut a tree bark and made a few inches long half a tube to collect water. There were leeches despite no rains in the recent past. We unpacked our lunch packs and settled on a rock to savor the last meal of rice and curry for the next 3 days. Enjoy some pictures while we eat.

At Udawannimana Ruppa

The artistic Nuga trees

Kala Veddha’s (Polecat)

It was very steep and back-breaking

Here the leopard pooh

Mummified cricket

Shaped like a leopard paw

Nice cave

With nice rain cover

Oh, found a Hermit

Nava mama improvising

There

Pilot run

Crystal clear

Tony digging in

Here’s the poor lunch

After the lunch, we decided to go look for an even taller waterfall hidden inside the Knuckles but found it’d completely dried out due to lack of rains. However, it’d be a crazy to come during the rains here as it’d be swarming with leeches. Feeling a bit disappointed, we carried on and Nava mama showed us a tree hole where he’d found a bees’ honey in 1988 for his niece. We found it still to be an empty hole and apparently the bees hadn’t bothered to make yet another honeycomb afterwards.

Then we had to walk along a narrow path with a deep ravine to our right. We almost bent in half and held onto the ground and tiny plants to our right so as not to fall. This is called Heerala Ella named after Heerala who used to stay here and tap toddy. Passing that Nava mama pointed at a caved to our left at a higher ground and said that was where a giant tusker stayed. It’s called “Atha Lagapu Gallena”. Passing that we arrived at a place called Oyabokka where Nava mama’s grandfather had a 105-acre cardamom plantation from 1964 till early 90s. He’d been one of the first people who had come to this area just below Kalupahana to pluck cardamoms.

We then climbed up to the Kalupahana area where the terrain was flat and full of cardamom plants among huge trees. Nava mama’s cardamom hut had been destroyed either by the jumbos or the wind and rain. We stayed there for a few minutes and even found an old kettle among the debris. There were trees such as Rukaththana, Pihimbiya and some flowery shrubs which don’t grow in the Knuckles around the hut. Nava mama said that his grandfather was an indigenous doctor and had planted some of the medicinal trees such as Rukaththana to treat the snake bites. Gombaniya and Kudagala were towering above us beyond a clump of trees and I felt elated as she’s one of my targets. My beloved Lakegala could also be seen from here but not in her majestic pyramidal shape. She was more like a stretched squared from the side and this is where we climbed her. While we sort out our next steps, enjoy these pictures.

Gigantic trees in the thick forest

And wider

Taller

The Mama & Bena

Mushy mushroom

This is where Nava mama had found a bees’ honeycomb so long ago

Ideal opening area to rest and have a meal but we didn’t

Not sure what this was, like grapes

Lakegala in the distance

Heerala Ella

More	Must be a huge waterfall during the rainy season

Some flowers blossomed in the middle of it

Well, no water now

Another cave at the base

Not sure what it is

Had been used by the toddy tappers

Cardamom plants marking the edge of the estate

Signs of human intervention

Rabbit’s?

Where his garden used to be

Fallen down hut

Must be very old

Lakegala seen from the land

Now the terrain is flat

Sun going down fast

Good for firewood

Ready to continue

Rehena Ketu Pathana

We were in a dilemma whether to bunk down for the day or keep on going. Rehena Ketu Pathana was close by so decided to go and see if we could camp there and Nava mama said that there’s a spring but not sure about the water levels. In addition to that, we saw many Kithul trees had been fallen by the jumbos in search of its inner core. If there were elephants, it’d be deadly dangerous for us to camp at Rehena Ketu Pathana. We decided to go see and walked along the cardamom plants and arrived at the Kandy-Matale District Boundary in the middle of the jungle. There had been a person called Ankumubura who had his cardamom plantation in the Matale side of the jungle whereas Nava mama’s grandfather had his in Kandy side.

We walked cautiously keeping the noise to a minimum and stopping every now and then to listen for jumbos. Fortunately there was none and we didn’t even find their dung signaling they hadn’t arrived yet. After a while, we came out of the jungle into an opening which was the gorgeous Rehena Ketu Pathana. It looked nice and green with endless views towards the east. From here we could clearly see the three separate rocks of Lakegala (Komalewe Gala, Meeriyagolle Gala and Labulesse Gala aka Lakegala) and then moving on Kehelpathdoruwa, Galamuduna and then Andirigala, Gombaniya and Kudagala.

We got rid of our laden backpacks and enjoyed these superb views. Tony wanted to jump up and down and I managed to take a picture of him in the process. Nava mama helped do a short documentary which is included in the video journey for your reference. The time was around 4pm and we had to walk across to the other end to find the spring. However before that, you’d like to see some pictures, wouldn’t you?

GPS Location of Rehana Ketu Pathana

Lat: 7.45333 / Lon: 80.81310

Altitude: 1238m

The path is in good condition through the cardamom plants

Huge trees to complement

Some of these as well

This was a very complicated tree

Nava mama climbed to observe the surroundings

So wide like a wall

Hurray, at Rehena Ketu Pathana at last

Towards Kehelpathdoruwa and Galamuduna

Can you see the Lakegala?

There, now a completely different shape

Appalla Pathana in the foreground and Belumgala to the right

You can see the tiny patch in the middle which is Meemure paddy fields

Gombaniya

Clear view towards Meemure

Gombaniya and Kudagala

Nava mama enjoying the scenery after many years

Tony feeling the heat

Here’s the blackedn Rehena Ketu Pathana

We walked along the plains to the other end and could see the Riverston Mountain Range in the distance. There was a huge pile of rocks marking the district boundary on the plains itself. It was so nice for being able to jump from one district to the other in a fraction of a second. I enjoyed the scenery while Tony and Nava mama got busy with the spring hunting. The Riverston area was covered with a thick layer of mist making it impossible to take a decent picture and the setting sun made it even tougher. For a fraction of a second we saw the Riverston Telecommunications Towers but then got completely covered.

There was no sign of Tony and Nava mama so I ventured into the edge of the tree line and found them lying on a rocky slope exhausted.

“Is there a spring?” I asked.

“Nope” answered Tony.

“Then what on earth are we waiting here for? Let’s make a move and try to reach a shelter soon” I wondered out loud.

So we hurriedly got back on the path and bid farewell to this wonderful place on earth. Nava mama suggested we go to the Diya Nilla where Meemure Oya starts and replenish our water bottles and have a bath and then decide as to where to camp for the day. While we gear up for that, enjoy some pictures.

Tony walking towards the other end

Gombaniya and Kudagala side by side

What’s the rocky pile?

District division between Kandy and Matale

Towards Riverston, completely blocked

The slope towards Riverton

Knuckles peaks to the left

Zoomed

Look at the rays of the sinking sun

Life on the rocks

Rabbit’s probably

Taking a much needed break

Time to go towards Hunugallena

Can you make out the path?

Looking back before leaving her

Tony and Nava mama entering back into the jungle path

An orchid found

Settling for the Night at Hunugallena

We crossed the forest patch once again and gave up the idea of camping at Nava mama’s abandoned and destroyed cardamom hut and carried on towards Diya Nilla. By now the leeches had openly declared war on us and we had to keep going to avoid being bitten by them. There was a path among the cardamom plants and Nava mama said that there are people from Laggala and Narangamuwa who come here to pluck cardamom even now. They stay at one of the other cardamom huts which used to belong to Nava mama and dry the cardamom before taking them home. Can you guess the price of a dried cardamom kilo? It’s something over Rs. 3000/-, no wonder people dare all the difficulties to get at them.

We finally arrived at the Diya Nilla where Theembigolla aka Meemure Oya started her journey downwards before joining with Heen Ganga beyond Dandenikumbura. The water was so cold as if straight out of the fridge but we had to have a bath and fill our containers as there was no other water source for the next 1km or so before getting into the Hunugallena. So we got under the water flow wincing under the pain the icy cold water caused on our bare skin. However it did help to get the crampedness out of our over-worked muscles.

After a cold bath, we filled our cartons and carried on until we came to the cardamom hut which was in a very good state and occupied by some people. However nobody was at home so we explored inside. There were two rooms inside. One was dedicated for drying the cardamom while the other served as the kitchen cum living quarters. There was another part which had crumbled down over time. We decided it’d be not wise to stay here with others as it’s gonna be a tight fit inside the house. So we left it behind and started our way towards the Hunugallena. It must be noted that the people who come here have caused a lot of damage to the nearby forest by cutting down the trees for firewood. I hope the forest officials would take a look at these places and make sure they kept the forest intact.

One of the better conditioned cardamom huts

Nobody home

One side is in ruins

Inside

It’s occupied alright

This is the drying room of cardamom

Freshly plucked ones

This is where they are being dried

To the rear

Full frame from the rear

They use plant like these for firewood

We carried on and the time had just reached 6pm and the winds had picked up dramatically swaying the trees inside the jungle dangerously. We had to hurry and took the downhill journey near the Belumgala (we’ll go there tomorrow). It was very dark now as we were in the thick jungle and we had to find our way with difficulty. Nava mama kept going and we didn’t wanna light the torches as it’d mean stopping and having to rummage through the contents. Our eyes still could see quite well so we pushed on. Tony kept slipping from one rock to the other and used his back to get down most of the time. Unfortunately Nava mama hit his knee after slipping on a rock cutting it open.

I was scared but finally we made it to the cave and sat down on the rocky surface with a deep sigh. Gosh it had been a roller coaster journey and finally we made it to the cave in one piece except for a few dozen cuts and bruises. The cave was not spacious like the Alugallena but sufficient to spend a night. Nava mama said this was used by the poachers to rest and dry their game meat in the past. There was no water source anywhere near but we had enough to get by. So we started making a hearth and then boiled some water and made coffee. Gosh it tasted heavenly after an exhausting day. We then made the dinner which was noodles and sat down to enjoy the meal. In the meantime Nava mama lit the lamp we had brought with us with kerosene and kept it at the edge of the cave.

It helped to conserve the power of our torches. Then we pitched our tents on the slightly sloping rocky surface. It found to be very difficult as we kept sliding along the surface inside the tents. As a result we slept very little during the night. We’d fall asleep and in a short while will find ourselves at the edge of the tent feeling very uncomfortable and had to get back into position once again. This had to be repeated over and over again making it hard to grab some decent amount of sleep. We kept chatting from one tent to the other and recalling the day’s events. The wind kept howling throughout the night making it rattle our tents. We were wondering if the wind would take us off the ground and throw into the ravine below. I didn’t think it could blow so strongly. We waited impatiently for the morning amid all the confusion. Just remember to have a nice and flat surface to camp as it’ll help you get a good night’s sleep. Well why don’t you check out the last set of pictures for the day?

GPS Location of Hunugallena

Lat: 7.44165 / Lon: 80.81709

Altitude: 1209m

Tony separating the noodles from the water

Sloping terrain

Cooking is over and we’re ready to sleep

There he’s about to go in

Ok folks, we spent a pitiful night inside the tent and in the morning we’ll have plenty of ground to cover if we were to achieve the targets set before the journey. It was a super-duper hike and there would be plenty to do tomorrow. Here are some Panos I’ve taken during the course of the day.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

It’s time I said good-bye to you all. Be sure to join me in the morning for the Episode 2.

This is Sri signing off for now.

Take care and keep traveling.