As this trip was arranged in a hurry there were only 3 of us committed. From the information we got from some of our friends, and Lakdasun we knew that transportation from Hunnasgiriya to Meemure is the critical part of our journey. The only transportation was two vans leaving from Hunnasgiriya between 1.30-2.00 pm. So we had to plan our trip to match with that. Two of us arrived to Kandy at 10.15 am and the other joined there. We did some last minute shopping to buy some stuff like noodles, Siddhalepa’s, and left Kandy at 11.00 am in a Mahiyanganaya bus

It was about 1pm when the bus stopped for tea at Hunnasgiriya. The petrol shed where the Meemure Van is halted was about 1 halt from there, so we decided to walk. Surprisingly when we got there the van was fully loaded and about to leave. Later we got to know that 1 of the vans being unavailable on that day was the reason. We learned our first lesson to not to take risks in timing in these kind of trips using public transport (Fortunately not by the hard way).

So we three hang on to the door which was already occupied by one person. The hilly road from Hunnasgiriya seemed quite a hard drive but the experienced driver was up to that. With the van speeding through the bends we had the toughest time of our life hanging in there with our big and heavy backpacks. We had to duck to prevent the branches of the trees and even had to ask the driver to pause to let some blood into our exhausted arms. Unfortunately we were in no condition to take pictures of this unforgettable journey.

At about 2pm the van stopped at Loole Watta and we had tea with rotty and lunu-miris there. We resumed the journey after a break of 15 minutes and we were passing Cobert’s Gap (Also called Attala Muttuwa) few kilometers later. It was one of the most scenic places in Sri Lanka where a beautiful panoramic view of Dumbara valley can be observed. But unfortunately for us all we could do was to enjoy the view hanging on the door of a moving van. At Attala Muttuwa few passengers got off and we finally had some respite.

The journey ended at about 3.30pm somewhere between Kaikawala and Meemure due to road problems and we started walking down the road towards Meemure. It was a refreshing walk due to the mild whether (no rain at that time) and we passed a plenty of streams on our way.

Obstacles along the road…

We saw Lakegala on our way

On our way we saw the village temple and decided to meet Hamuduruwo there. It was a useful discussion as we found a place to stay. The house was near the temple towards where we came from. We met Susantha aiya who is staying at the house and his younger brother Athula and had a little chat to make plans.

The house we stayed

As it was late in the evening we decided to walk towards the Meemure Oya and have a bath. That again was a pleasant walk passing paddy fields surrounded by mountains.

Mee tree and the Meemure village center

On the way towards Meemure Oya

The Bo tree by the road

Breathtaking…

It was getting dark when we came back to the House where we were served a nice cup of tea. We had Bread and Rice for the dinner later in the night. We met a relation of Susantha aiya with whom we were chatting with till midnight about various things and we got to know the history and some folk stories about Meemure.

Next day it was rainy throughout but not very heavy, so we decided to go downstream of Meemure Oya towards the famous Sooriya Arana waterfall. We had brought umbrellas but it would have been easier if we had rain coats. We had Athula to our company so it was easier. There is a road to the right from the main road which goes behind the Meemure Kanishta Vidyalaya and then goes parallel to the river through scenic paddy fields. After walking quite a distance we arrived at the place which was used as the butcher’s shop in Sooriya Arana film. The place is an open area by the river and looks to be a perfect camping site.

Do you remember this place?

After taking a break there we resumed the hike. The trail now goes through the jungle and bit tougher than previous, still it was easier as there was not much of an under growth. We first got to the top of the waterfall and it was flowing rapidly. We heard that this is quite a dangerous place and few have drowned here. We proceed into the jungle to go to the bottom of the waterfall. The trail disappears now and it is a steep drop to the river, and slippery too. However we got there with the help trees and bushes.

The Sooriya Arana waterfall

After enjoying the beauty of the waterfall for some time we returned through the same route to the “butcher’s shop” mentioned earlier. By the time we all were drenched and exhausted.

We decided to cook our lunch there (We had brought few packs of instant noodles and a pot). We knew it would be a tough task just to get a fire going on in this pouring rain but we badly needed that challenge. There was no dry firewood around so we used the inner parts of the wood and some news paper pages we had bought. It took almost an hour to get this fire going and it was a memorable experience. We had our lunch on Kanda leaves which was a pleasing experience for all of us. Once we finished we didn’t forget to restore the place as it was and didn’t leave any polythene there.

Cooking in the rain…

Food as tasty as ever….

Cleaning the kitchen

After the lunch we had a good bath in the nearby river and left to the village. Once we got to the village we decided to go sightseeing around the village. We crossed the small bridge to the other side of the Meemure Oya and walked further into the village. It was a nice walk through the paddy fields and we met few friendly villagers on our way. And for the first time of the day Lakegala came out of mist making a gorgeous scene.

Lakegala in its glory…

Scenes we never forget

Meemure Oya

At about 5’o clock we had a snack by the river and had a bath again. We returned to our place and went to sleep straight after the dinner as we have to wake up early morning to catch the van.

In the next morning we woke up at 4am and left the place at 4.30 as we have to walk about half an hour to where the van starts. This time did not want to take any risk in timing. We walked to Pusse Ela and got into the van at about 6am. There were two vans on that day so not much of a rush. It was quite an enjoyable ride this time around through the misty mountains and we arrived at Hunnasgiriya at 8am. We had the breakfast there and arrived at Kandy at 10am. Then we got the 10.40 am train from Kandy. This was our first trip of this kind and definitely not the last. However due to the rainy season we missed the opportunity to climb Lakegala but we hope to go again in the dry season to fulfill that dream.