Tantalizing Virgins of Uva – Tour de Waterfalls 18…

I woke up one fine morning having spent the previous night at the base of Maragala Mountain Range that is probably one of the longest ranges in Sri Lanka, in Monaragala. I know you must be wondering how on earth I ended up in Monaragala, especially at the base of a mountain range. It’s because I’ve started my story in the middle. I can hear you groan with disappointment wondering what on earth is going on here. “What this mad wonderer is up to now?” you are asking yourselves, aren’t you? Well, just take it easy coz I’m not gonna keep you out of this wonderful experience.

I started my journey the previous day morning, around 3am and after a mixed bag of a day, ended up here at Monaragala sleeping off the weariness of the journey. Well, that’s all about the previous day for now. You can read more about it and the next day in the next report. For now, let’s concentrate on the present and see where I’m gonna take you this time. Waterfalls – one of the sweetest words in English. My heart starts beating faster and leaps with joy every time I hear that word. “You look like the cat that got the milk”, my friends say when they see me. It’s something beyond a passion for me.

It was first week of Jan 2015 when I did my last waterfall hunt and since then there was nothing much when it comes to waterfalls. I had to be content with other attractions while the rains played havoc with all of us. The patterns of the rains have shot to hell making it extremely unreliable and unpredictable. Is it the El Nino or the Global Warming to be blamed? I’ve no idea but I can feel we are heading towards the hell if anything like that exists. If you don’t know what a hell really is, just listen to the Red Indian Leader Seattle for a second.

I’ve shared this before but going to share it again. This quote from Chief Seattle is so good and relevant for the present that it should be put up in big bold letters on every notice board, every household and every office building.

“Only when the last tree has been cut down,

Only when the last river has been poisoned,

Only when the last fish has been caught,

Only then you will realize that money can’t be eaten.”

It is so good and I’ve put it up here for you in bold letters. Hopefully the powers that be will realize this bitter truth before it’s too late, before we are in a position where there would be no turning back.

While I was pondering over the day’s prospects I could hear Ashan shuffling about in the dark. Time was just past 5am and I remembered we agreed to make an early start. So with an effort managed to drag myself out of the reverie and get ready in a very short time. Our plan was to cover the Bibila-Passara stretch of the A5 which is full of waterfalls thanks to Ibban Oya, Kumbukkan Oya and many other waterways. Well I guess, I don’t have to introduce my guide for the day to you, do I? Ashan must’ve been a one of those surveyors in his last life especially in Uva Province. There’s very little that has escaped his tentacles. So what better person than him to be my guide?

I will tell more about the significance of this journey for Ashan in the next journey. Right now, we’re hungry and thirsty so must go find something to eat in Bibila which is about another 20km away. Thankfully the roads were in good condition save for the causeways that brought our intestines to our mouths when the vehicle jumped over them. Ashan knows nothing about ‘slow-and-steady-method’ when it comes to travelling and it’s no different in driving either. We covered the distance in a short time and my stopped for one of the lousiest breakfasts I’ve ever had during my travels. Oh dear, what would I have given for those egg sandwiches, fish cutlets, boiled cassava with hot chilies, etc. we had during our travels to HP with Ana and Co.?

Tour Highlights: 

1. Pahanawala aka Panawala Ella, Bibila.
2. Mudiyala Kandura, Mudiyala.
3. Naya Kandura Ella aka 32 Ella, Malaputuwala, Alawaththagoda.
4. Arawakumbura Dunhinda Ella, Arawakumbura.
5. Besamwala Bathing Place and Cascades, Yapamma, Hopton.
6. Rodakadanguwa Ella, Peessagama.
7. Peessa Ella, Peessagama.
8. Adi 60 Wala Ella, Hopton.

Ok, are you ready? Let’s head along Bibila-Passara Road aka A5 which is one of the longest and key highways in Sri Lanka but probably one of the worst A Grade roads as well, especially the stretch we’re gonna cover today. We’ve got the best mode of transport for the road, a Mitsubishi Jeep which is known among Ashan’s friends as the CTB Bus. Ok, hop in and hold tight.

Pahanawala Ella aka Panawala Ella.

We drove towards the Unagolla RMV where Hitihami Mudiyanselage Rate Raala killed the then British Agent of Uva Province, Sylvester Douglas Wilson on 16 Sep 1817 during the Kandyan Rebellion. Even today you can see the memorial placed just before the temple right by the road and a statue of Rate Raala at the entrance to the temple grounds. There’s so much history buried in Uva-Wellassa area. In fact Wellassa means Wel Lakshaya or One Hundred Thousand Paddy Fields where they supplied the whole country during the fights against Elara by our King Dutugemunu the Great. Would you like to see a few pictures?

Here’s the memorial

Close up

Some note in Sinhala too

We then reached the point where we had to get downhill to the left about 50m to reach the top of Pahanawala Ella. This is located just before the 185^th km post and about 4-5km from Bibila. Pahanawala Ella has got her name due to the shape of her base pool as it is similar to a lamp. Some even call it Panawala Ella too. She’s being fed by the Ibban Oya which is a main tributary to the mighty Gal Oya that ends at Senanayake Samudraya having travelled through the Gal Oya National Park and creating a mysterious rocky formation popularly known as “Makare”.

There’s another gorgeous lady created by Ibban Oya some way upstream in Arawakumbura Village known as Arawakumbura Dunhinda Ella. Oh hold it right there coz don’t get too excited and start wondering about her now. Right now, let’s go see this sexy lass known as Pahanawala Ella and I promise I’ll take you to the Arawakumbura Dunhinda Ella little later. So be patient folks and be careful when you get down as the path is slippery and keep an eye out for the tiniest surveyors in the whole world. Ok, for those who don’t know about the smallest surveyors in the world, they’re known as Leeches where they keep coming to you measuring the distance between you and them. You don’t trust me, do you? Wait till you see them if you haven’t already.

We arrived at the top of this beauty whose beauty is somewhat tarnished by an irrigation canal by diverting water. I couldn’t be cross with that coz these areas get very little water by rain and the farmers need every drop they can get hold of to grow their plants and feed the 20+ million hungry mouths in the mango-shaped island. She was falling in two sections on either side with a space about 10ft between them. From where we stood we could see the right hand side but not the left hand one so Ashan kept going slowly towards the left parallel to the water stream to get a better look.

In the meantime I was busy taking this beauty in the early morning while sun bathed the green leaves slick with water from the previous night. The smell of the wet earth carried by the soft wind went through my nostrils all the way to the brain and it made my hair sit on their roots. Not that I have a lot of hair though. After a few pictures and admiring this beauty I headed along the general direction where Ashan went but found him already snapping from the downstream about 20m from the falls. Before I go off my head and run towards him, see a few pictures of her.

Here we are

She’s cute, isn’t she?

Water overflowing from the irrigation canal

Need to go down for a better look

The main part falling to the base and look at the rock formations

If only we could get there

Better view

Time to get down

I felt elated and hurried along the slippery rocky surface before finding a rope knotted to a huge wine to get down to the water about 12ft below. It was just an ordinary coconut mat rope but had held Ashan’s weight. So I knew it’d hold me just fine as Ashan was probably one and half times heavier than I am. I was for the first time glad that Hari wasn’t with us coz he’s easily three times my weight and the rope would’ve broken like a dry twig had he put even the weight of his arms.

I managed to get down with no incident and joined Ashan. “Oh my my” was the first thing that came to my mind and I’d spoken it out loud coz Ashan looked at me bewildered wondering if I might have injured myself. She looked absolutely sensational and even Ashan who’s roamed around Uva as if in a trance not leaving any stone unturned, hadn’t been to the base before. So we both enjoyed like a pair of cats that got the milk. The overhanging branches of a tree added a great mixture of green to the white of the falls and the muddy greenish river with metal grey stones doing the finishing touches.

A picture painted in heaven and sent down to the earth in a wet canvas. Oh baby, such beauty is unheard of and unseen before. We spent as long as time permitted, even though could easily have stayed the rest of the day, and got back on the path uphill maneuvering with a difficulty up the rope which is strictly off limits to Hariya. Ok, while we get back to the road and get going, you folks enjoy this beauty. I’ve been very liberal with the pictures and don’t forget to enjoy the videos as well coz you’ll find Ashan doing a commentary (probably for the first time in his one and half centuries travels) as well.

There a better view

Close up

Base pool and see the garbage collected at the end

Where we had to climb down

Greenish tinge to the water

Look, she’s trying to hide

No hiding from us baby

I’m afraid these pictures don’t do enough justice to her beauty

See both sections?

There goes Ibban Oya in search of Gal Oya

Time to go

Ready for it

There he goes

Mudiyala Kandura Cascades

This is something where I needed the expertise of my guide and he knew where to go without me having to waste so much of time asking here and there. We travelled for about 1km from Pahanawala Ella and turned to the right at the 184/4 Bokkuwa (Don’t I just love these signs coz it’d simply be impossible for you to find your way in the future when you go to see these beauties). This is the road that goes to Kotagama where there’s another famous bathing place but we didn’t attempt to go there as our primary target was the silken beauties of Uva.

We travelled until we came to a paddy field to the left. There was also a narrow road adjoining it to the left with a rudimentary bus stop right by the main road. We stopped the Jeep and started walking and the lush greenery of the paddy fields were to our right and in the far distance appeared the mountain range of Madolsima beyond which lies Kohonawala where I’ve seen my quota of share. You will see the notice of Mudiyala Grama Niladhari’s on your way and keep going for about 600m on this road till you reach a mega site of a gem mine at the end of the paddy fields across the stream.

There was a small dam built to diver the water towards the village and we walked along it and hit the stream. Oh on our way along the cement wall there came a dog running from the mine and met me in the middle. The wall was so narrow and there was no way he could’ve walked past me so without stopping to slow he jumped right into the water and swam past me and got back on the cement wall. Gosh what a sight it was and we both couldn’t stop laughing.

We then walked along the stream and despite heavy rains it was easy to walk without getting my shoes wet. The mine to our right has been working for a long time and the workers were just getting up for the day’s work. The rocks were slippery and we sang “Hickery Dickery Dock – Slippery Slippery Rocks” as we went along.

We walked upstream for about 400m till we reached the first cascade of Mudiyala Kandura. She was small and falling into a tiny base pool. Had I come alone or with someone else, we’d have turned around here but Ashan said the main cascade is about a short distance upstream so we climbed more rocky boulders before arriving at the main one that fell in two sections.

However the lighting was not so great due to the thick roof cover so after a short stay we retraced our steps. On the way we found several pits which had been abandoned carelessly after digging for gems. The destruction they’ve done to the environment is so much I wonder why no authorities take any action against them. Gosh, we need to free our government organizations from the clutches of the corrupt and ignorant politicians as soon as possible before we fall below South Sudan’s levels. Ok, here are the pictures.

Paddy fields I told you about

Another sign post

Well, some sort of typical village thing I guess

Towards the edge of Madolsima

Not ready yet

No walls to put up notices

The path goes on

Here’s the water stream

Just near the first cascade

There she is and I’m sorry about the quality of the pics due to poor lighting

Closer look

Here the elder sisters

Even she looks better in real life

Base pool

Portrait

Time to go and we later heard that there are bigger ones upstream but very difficult to reach them

Back on the path

Their life goes on

Naya Kandura Ella aka 32 Ella

We got back to the A5 and drove up towards Alawaththagoda. At the 182/6 Bridge which is located in Malaputuwala Village we stopped the Jeep and went to the water stream to the right. This bridge is one of the few newly done bridges on this road with ready-made materials and located between 31^st and 32^nd Mile Posts. As a result this falls is also known as 32 Ella in addition to her real name Naya Kandura Ella.

As soon as you get to the stream, you will see the dam built to collect the water and then divert it to Bibila using a huge and long pipeline. Please be kind enough not to litter around this area or relieve yourselves as we shouldn’t be making the people in Bibila sick with diarrhea or hepatitis. Ashan said that Monaragala suffered a major outbreak of Hepatitis as a result of a few line houses scattered closer to the water supply of the city. So be extra careful not only when you go along the rocky path but also with the things you do. About 100m from the road you’ll find this sensual girl so close to the main road but cleverly hidden from the prying eyes.

She was in full flow and we managed to get closer without slipping on the rocks (remember our song, Hickery Dickery Dock – Slippery Slippery Rocks). Nobody travelling on the road would know such beauty existed so closer to them unless they knew about her. I fell in love with the moment I saw her. The base pool looked deep and was large but you’re requested not to attempt to bathe here. Well, you should not attempt to bathe at any such places unless you’re absolutely sure they are safe or villagers use them. Remember, your safety comes first and you must get back in one piece to tell your story of glory not a tragedy.

We stayed looking her over until Ashan nudged me and reminded that we have a long way to go and the rains will come around 2pm. Gosh he should’ve joined the Met Dept. instead of choosing medicine coz as it turned out the rains came exactly at 2pm. So we have to go see them before it rains and jeopardize our chances of seeing the ladies in their new costumes. Until then, you guys enjoy the pictures.

The bridge I told you about

Just got to the stream and the path to the falls is to the left from here

There she is all dressed up

So beautiful

Wide angle

Portrait

The top of her

The mid-section

And the base pool

No bathing please

Time to go sweet heart

But one pic with me

If you can make out why I took this pic, please let me know

Where we had some tea

View towards the East

Arawakumbura Dunhinda Ella

We had a cup of plain tea and some roti from the shop near the bridge before starting our journey. After a short distance we passed the district boundary of Monaragala and Badulla. Just as you pass you’ll see a signage put up by the Uva Provincial Tourism Ministry to the left saying Arawakumbura Ella. It looks like the Uva PC had taken some trouble to promote these beauties to the visitors even building some paths and observation points. So thank you for whoever initiated these and hopefully they will continue to improve on them. However, please make sure you leave the nature unharmed in the process and try to curb illegal activities such as logging and mining.

No. 180/2 Bokkuwa is located here as well so you simply can’t miss this beauty even if you wanted to. From the sign, take the path downhill which goes through a private property of Pepper Creepers and Areca Nut Trees but the owners won’t mind so long as you behaved yourselves. You can see the falls in the distance about 300m away. Despite the distance, it offers a full portrait view of the falls and there’s a road about 500m from the signage that goes to the left where you can use to go to the top of the falls.

We even saw a lady drying her clothes on the top so had to take extra precautions to avoid the bright red and yellow clothes playing silly with the pictures. Hope you can remember I told you before at Pahanawala Ella that this lass is also borne by the Ibban Oya before joining with Gal Oya. Well, this is some fall coz she’s tall and beautiful.  There was ample water thanks to the rains and we enjoyed her to the fullest except the clothes drying at the top of her. Look at these and tell me what you think. Isn’t she adorable and kissable?

The signposting, thanks a lot Uva PC

Just there is this

Oh look at her

Such beauty!

See the lady on top in red?

The head and shoulders

Lower body

She was majestic and just imagine when she’s in her full flow

Another look at the top

Time to go baby

Besamwala Bathing Place and Cascades

Our next stop was at Besamwala which is one of the many bathing places in Uva where one can enjoy a cool dip in safety. When coming from Bibila, you’ll find a notice (thanks to the Uva PC) announcing the place to the right. This is about 3-4km before Lunugala Town. Travel this road for about 2km before arriving at a bridge where you need to stop the vehicle (if you come by one) and take the steps just passing the bridge to the right.

The road is in good condition but extremely narrow. There’s hardly any point where two vehicles can go past each other and we were lucky to have not come across any. The water levels were healthy and there were two cascades formed by the stream. The bathing spot is on top of the first one and at the base of the second cascade. The water levels of the pool had risen making it probably more than 5ft in depth but still it looked a safe place for a bath.

You will feel the cool water inviting you to shed the clothes and jump right in but we resisted the temptation. There was nobody there leaving the whole place for us completely and we got to enjoy this beauty to the fullest. The good thing was even Ashan hadn’t seen such healthy water levels before so this was an unforgettable journey for him as well. I know you’re getting impatient to see this place so here are the pictures. Now don’t start blaming us for not having a dip in such a grandeur place. We still have a long way to go and the time is catching up with us. We could see the black clouds coming from the mountains in Madolsima threatening to break open the sky.

It is a very safe place

Where we parked the vehicle

This is across the bridge

What are those?

Read carefully

Lower base pool, note not here where you can have a bath

Lower cascade with a canoe-shaped base

Portrait

Narrow pool

Going up to the main bathing place

The lower cascade from the top

The top cascade

Closer look

Another angle

Here’s the pool, large and about 5ft deep towards the falls

Time we went

Rodakadanguwa Ella

Now I know what’s going in your mind. What a weird name for a waterfall, isn’t it? I’ll tell you what a villager said about how the name came about. Apparently one of the estate managers, an Englishman had fallen off his horse cart near this place giving it the name and we just followed suit and called her the Rodakadanguwa Ella. In fact she’s a series of cascades that fall in majestically on her way. She’s borne by the Kumbukkan River and further downhill makes the mighty Peessa Ella. As soon as I heard the name I remembered my grandmother using the names “Padanguwa”. The old folks used this word to describe clothes which had been used many times and are at the verge of falling apart. They used the same thing for old rope sacks “Goni Padanguwa”.

Having resumed our journey we came to the junction where there’s a prominent sign board announcing Peessa Ella is 5km away to the left. Without a second thought we turned to the well carpeted road. Driving downhill we saw a waterfall in the distance to the left and Ashan exclaimed that she could be the Yodakadanguwa or something as he’d heard about her during his previous visit but not got the time to pay a visit.

So we stopped by the main bridge across Kumbukkan Oya to ask one of the villagers what it was. He confirmed it was the Yodakadanguwa (well it can be misheard as Yodakadanguwa when in fact it is Rodakadanguwa) and showed us the road. One needs to travel for about 2.5km along the road and take a left uphill concrete paved road in front of a transformer. You then have to travel for another 2km along this road (just note that there are odd patches where no concrete is available which can be awkward for low clearance vehicles) till the Peessagama Grama Niladhari Office with a small playing ground.

Unless yours is a 4WD or 3WD, this is where you gotta leave your vehicle and start walking along the wide but typical estate road full of jutting out rocks and pot holes. We got the directions from one of the villagers who said it’s about 500m and then we’ll have to get to the water through the Mana bushes which can be very vicious and scrape you so bad you’d wish you were dead. Always make sure to cover your body with long cargo pants and long-sleeved T-shirts if you travel through the Mana bushes. Also keeping a thick stick about 4ft in length in front of you as a shield to bend the plants as you move forward is a good idea.

We first of all lost the way as we went too far and had to turn around. So let’s not get into that now. About 500m from the playground you will come to a small drain across the road and your best bet is to follow the tree patch along the stream to the main water body which is about 150m downhill but can feel like half a km. However we made the mistake of approaching it a bit farther away through the Mana and managed to have a few dozens of the thorns embedded in our exposed skin. They hurt like hell but finally we walked across instead of downhill and met the tiny stream and followed the slippery rocks.

With a greater difficulty we reached the water and were mesmerized by what we saw. All the pain and trouble we took was worth it. The whole river flowed down through the rocks making a huge roar as if a Boeing 747 was taking off in full throttle. Unfortunately we got to the top of the falls and there was no way down to the base. If there was slightest the opportunity, we would’ve attempted it but the risks were enormous. So we took a few pictures and turned around. Here are some of the pictures for you to see but they don’t say half the story.

The signage just by the A5

Granite walls where we asked for directions

The place where we reversed and got back

Ok, if you can make out the place in future

Butterfly

Where we got to the water and note the diversion

Beginning to fall down

There she goes

The river goes on to make Peessa Ella

The best view we could get of the upper cascades

She is tall and has many cascades, need to come from along the river

Rocky outcrop made it difficult to get to the base

Let’s get going

Mushrooms among leeches

Lonely road

Already looking gloomy

In the distance

Close up

Peessa Ella

We got back into the vehicle and drove slowly and saw the mountains to the right rising with clouds covering them. We wanted to see if we could get a proper view of the whole set of cascades and stopped about 200m away and got down. The view was ok but not satisfactory so Ashan got on top the Jeep and took a few decent pictures. Here are some pictures of the opportunity.

He couldn’t resist it any longer

There a better vantage point

One of the pics he took with my camera

See the tiny cascades falling beautifully

Zoomed in view

Another

Time to get down and go

We then got back on the main road and drove towards the falls. Like Rodakadanguwa Peessa Bride originates thanks to the raging Kumbukkan Oya and falls almost 100m right down to the base. About 5.5km from the A5 we arrived at the point but you can easily miss it coz there’s no sign near the steps. There’s a U bend after 5.5km and this is where you gotta stop and look for the steps to the right. Keep your eyes peeled off so that you won’t miss it. Someone had made an attempt to carve a sign in Sinhala on the bark of the tree at the head of the steps. The steps had been recently done and in good condition. You have to climb down for about 300-400m before arriving at the viewing point.

I remembered the path to Sera Ella and then Kirindi Ella. However this was well maintained compared to the Kirindi Ella and I always wonder why the relevant local government bodies introduce a ticketing system to enter these places. The money earned from the visitors could be used to pay the wages of the people employed and maintain the paths. However, it’s not an easy task as the person working at the ticket counter can easily charge the visitors without issuing tickets (very much like public car parks in Colombo) making the whole project collapse.

We walked and found the Hydro Power Plant about halfway down. Well, I’m not gonna talk about my hatred to these things now coz it serves no purpose. The water stream which had been diverted to the power house was gushing through the concrete channel at such speeds I was scared it would blast the whole canal into million pieces. Passing that we came to the point where the concrete canal has been sloped to get the water from the top and here it was another rich waterfall even though she was artificial. Ashan named her Peessa Canal Falls.

From here the path downhill was steeper very much like Kirindi Ella and whoever built it had done a superb job trying to keep the nature around it intact. It was a pleasure to walk on and we could hear the Peessa Manamali (Bride) falling down with a huge roar. I was beginning to lose patience and my heart started doing summersaults beating faster than a Concorde Jet. We got down to find another group of people waiting at the platform and I ran past them and stopped dead the moment I saw this tantalizingly beautiful Mother Nature’s creation.

“Oh my gosh, how on earth I stayed all this time without coming to see this one?” I asked myself. She was falling in one long jump sending millions of tiny water droplets spraying the surrounding. I wish I could hug her. The color of her was like the milk drawn in the morning from a young cow after her calf had had his share. Ok, now you would want to know how on earth you’re supposed to know the color of that. Me and my idioms just don’t worry. She was pure white and this long white silken cloth fell seamlessly over the rocky wall and scattered on the ground like a glass.

This is not a sight to be missed so folks, you gotta make the journey especially during the rainy season and go see the beauty of our country has in store for us. There’s no such place on earth like this tiny island where you can practically experience anything worth having. We madly took pictures all over and did another documentary. Ashan is improving I can tell  you in his narrations but not quite in the class of Hari and Tony but he’s getting there and needs more practice. Ashan pointed out a rocky cave about one third from the top behind the water and said that it could be accessed from a different path. Maybe another day and time I decided. So I’m not gonna keep you guessing anymore. Here’s the beauty of the Mother Nature.

The scratching on the tree bark

The steps built

View towards Monaragala, can see the falls towards the right among the greenery

Close up

The water flow after the power house

In the middle you see is the Maragala Range in Monaragala and I stayed near the base towards the left

We followed the trail

Just after the power house

There it is, and the water gushing through that narrow gorge was ferocious

“Peessa Canal Falls” according to Ashan, this is diverted from the top

It was fearsome

Getting down along the path which is well maintained

Looking back, reminds me of Sera Ella

Keeping the natural beauty intact

The cave complex

See the falls

Close up

Platform

We are here

Oh beauty!

Her little sister to the right

The top

Below

Rocky base

Milky way

Simply stunning

Tree branches across making it more beautiful

If it wasn’t for the railing, we’d have fallen over

You can’t get enough of her

Here we are

Trying to lean on her

Ashan the Caveman inspecting a prospective shelter

There he goes

Likens and moss

Going up was very exhausting

Was waiting for us

Old signs still along the road

Adi 60 Wala Ella

We then got back to our vehicle and uphill journey was really tiring and we were battered by the strenuous hike to see the Rodakadanguwa and as Ashan wisely pointed out if we had done the Peessa first we wouldn’t have dared going downhill to see the Rodakadanguwa. So if you’re faced with two difficult situations, it’s advisable to choose the most difficult first coz the less difficult one will look more appealing after the strenuous one.

We then drove towards the 19^th Mile Post Junction in Hopton along A5. There’s a tuk-tuk park and a shop on the left side with the name, “Ayingaran Stores?” (I got the spelling right so don’t worry about it). From this junction, take the concrete paved road to the right and go about 1.5km before coming to a point where you can see the upper section of the falls in the distance and then start walking. Ashan has sweet memories of this place where he’d been crawling along the stream to the waterfall about 1km when he should’ve taken this road. What to do, you sometimes learn the lessons in the hard way. If you wonder why I picked Ashan as my guide, you now know why. Where he’d had to work like a slave to get to the falls, I was going in the comfort of the front seat of a Mitsubishi driven by my driver cum guide.

Unfortunately about 1km up, we came across an obstacle where the road was blocked by the lorry unloading sand. So we left the Jeep and started walking. The clouds looked menacingly down at us as if to warn us. We walked fast and found a group of kids hanging around and as we passed one of them called out “Photo”. So we stopped and got them to pose for a picture and promised to publish it on the newspaper.

Afterwards, we walked the last bit to the base of the upper part of the falls. Ashan had reached the bottom before but we could get a decent view of the bottom section from the path itself. On the other hand we were exhausted and hard pressed for time to go see her from the base. Instead having pictured her we reached the base of the top half.

If you wonder why she’s called Adi 60 Wala Ella, it’s coz of the depth of the base pool which is according to the folklore about 60ft in depth. This hasn’t been verified by anyone so you’d have to go with the flow. Ok, enough of my ranting about, here are the pictures. Hurry up coz we need to get back before the heavens open up and drench us.

The boys who asked to be photographed

Pink and Blue houses

Now the sky is really angry with us

The falls in the distance

Lower part where Ashan had crawled up to last time

Zoomed in view

Surrounding

Surrounding

The top where we could easily get to

Portrait

The top

Base

Sensual, ain’t she?

Do you think the depth is 60ft?

Another angle

Goes downstream to create the lower section

Time to go sweet heart

Rare beauties

50:50 Goat, black and white – In fact Ashan had to imitate their sound of “Bahhhhhhhhhhh” to get the bugger to pose

Ancient signs still on the road

Started raining just as we called it a day

As soon as we were safely inside the Jeep, the rain started and kept up till we got to Passara where according to Ashan harbors the highest number of Piaggio tuk-tuks. Oh Passara is Ashan’t most favorite town as well. He simply loves it and even when he hears the name Passara, he looks very eager and hopeful. Remember to ask him why he loves Passara so much if you come across him. I won’t be responsible for the aftershocks though.

We had lunch at Passara and bought some provisions for dinner and headed towards Dewathura, another remote but unbelievably beautiful village in Sri Lanka hidden behind Namunukula. We’d spend our night in this beautiful village before exploring what she has to offer. Well it’s gonna be the next report when I’ll be telling you about my Day 1 and Day 3.

Well, folks, I hope you like the story I told you. It felt so good to be back with the veiled princesses and I enjoyed it to no end. Wait for the next report where I’ll bring more of them to you and some of them only seen through Ashan’s eyes before. Thanks to my guide, I managed to make a grand tour in Monaragala and Badulla.

Well, I’ll see you soon and until then take care and keep travelling. This is Sri saying good bye for now.