I’m sure you might have come across theories by many pundits claiming the usefulness of Ulex in many of their theories. Most of these pundits (as Ana rightly put armchair critics) haven’t even been to HP to see the real danger posed by the Ulex. It was as if fighting the terrorists from AC rooms in Colombo. The biggest theory is that Rhino Horned Lizards take shelter in these plants and nest in them. Well how did they survive before these were introduced? HP is not the only place where they live so how do they survive where there is no Ulex? Why the wildlife department is so anxious to get rid of them if they were that useful? So we decided to leave all the theories behind and take some action instead. As Sash rightly put in the forum under the Video Journey, “It’s better to light a single candle than blaming the dark” which is exactly what we had in mind.

It was during one of those casual chit-chats that this idea of doing something about Ulex came up. By then I had climbed Kirigalpoththa 3 times (KGP) within 18 months and had seen the fast and furious spread of Ulex covering the path at many places. So Ana as usual spotted the benefit this would give to the HP and pursued it further exploring ideas. Finally after a few dozen emails and hours of phone conversations we managed to find the best possible way.

Previously I did hike from Kalupahana to Ohiya on foot and I wanted to do this on my jeep but I never planned to attempt this in 2015. All started when my friend Dharshana called me and said “machan must go somewhere because I haven’t been anywhere in 8 months”. He had been stuck with his PG degree so was desperate and this was the main reason why we did this plus Amila also joined us on the last moment.

The long weekend at the end of July was long awaited as it’s the only long weekend for 2015 until Christmas. We planned a train trip to up-country with cousins, an annual event during August school holidays. However for the 31st the train was fully booked so we had to reserve the train for the 30th – which gave us a bonus day to enjoy the cool climes.

Rathnapura-Wewalwaththa-Balangoda road is 43km in distance and you can enjoy 13+ waterfalls in one day. This is my experience of waterfall hunting along this road. Enjoy it.
You can view following waterfalls along this road (order from Rathnapura to Balangoda)

I haven’t been doing any hiking recently and I was starting to see leeches in my dreams too and finally it seemed like my dreams were converting into a reality. Krishani called me and asked for some information of a guide in Thangappuwa to do the Kota ganga trail. I asked her whether I could join them because this hike was in my long list and my request was accepted gladly by Krishani.

The historical legend of Sri Lanka starts from Vijaya, who was the eldest son of King Sinhabahu and queen Sinhasivali of Lata deshaya of India (Identified as present Rarh region of West Bengal) who landed at Thambapanni in 543BC with 700 followers. He became the ruler of the country starting the genealogy of kings of Sri Lanka. His administration was from Thambapanni, the area where he landed.

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.

As there was a long week end and (earlier months we were mostly abroad), we decided to explore the vicinities of Ranapura. We like many have been passing the town many times but not seen its historical and other important places. With my wife and son and daughter joining us with her husband and two kids we started off towards Ratnapura on 30July afternoon after lunch. We booked the Deer Park inn close to town to stay the night over.

Matale district is blessed with number of beautiful waterfalls. Waterfalls in Bambaralla and Riverstone are most popular. Following waterfalls are situated closer to Matale town, still have got less attention.

This is kind of an old story but I thought to note down my experience.
We wanted to get an experience of these small waterfalls in Bulathkohupitiya and Yatiyanthota area after rainy season. Ashan has been there before with Harinda and Sri. That report was our guide. I met Anupama (who came by bike from Kurunegala) at Awissawella and we headed towards Yatiyanthota via Awissawella-Hatton (A-7) road. Then we drove along Yatiyanthota-See forth road.

After reading few Lakdasun trip reports we were tempted to go on this hike. We knew it’s hard but going to be a lifetime experience. I was checking the weather situation frequently with Wasantha(Pitawala) and finally decided it’s going to be 5th to 7th June 🙂 Duwili Eli can be reached through few roads. The routes I heard are Rambukoluwa, Walpolamulla, Ranamure, Meemure and Bambarella.

Knuckles range is the all rounder in Nature sites. Why I am telling this because of its vast variation in climates, flora, fauna, geography etc…..Also there are hundreds of trails which can be categorized from easy to strenuous. Dangerous Lakagala, Tough Duwili Eli at Kalupahana, Strenuous Knuckles peaks, Moderate Manigala and easy Deanston are some examples….So you can satisfy any of your friends or loved ones at knuckles. Irrespective of their age, fitness level or other parameters ,Knuckles consist of one or more suitable trails for any of them. That’s why I called it as “THE ALL ROUNDER “