Kitulgala, Sri Lanka

Kitulgala is a small town found in the west of Sri Lanka.Much of the townspeople are directly influenced by the tourism in the region which is centered around the Kelani river and the adjoining rain forest. Their livelihoods are largely connected to the areas environment ranging from tour guides to raftsmen . However at present two large dams are being constructed across the Kelani river under the Broadlands hydropower project which could have a large impact on the economy of the region as it restricts activities such as whitewater rafting and canoeing thereby affecting the tourist influx and thus the income of the locals.

Day 1

The day began with a 3 hour long drive from Battaramulla to Kitulgala one which was much enjoyed. Upon arrival after a brief break we started our hike up to the canyon. walking through the water sodden barely there tracks was at time challenging but the beauty of the rainforest definitely compensated for it.The jumps into the canyon were one of the highlights of the day but rafting down the rapids had more to learn from. It thought me the importance of collaboration and communication as we were force to work, cooperate and listen to each other to reach our destination.

Day 2

Day two began with more hiking the destination being the the kitulgala bellilena where we had a short theory of knowledge lesson where we were asked to map out our journey’s to the cave ,it was an insightful session and it was Interesting to compare the different landmarks we thought were important to include in our illustrations . We also had a lesson on Plato’s allegory of the cave .However the most memorable event the day was abseiling down the sandun ella.It tested our ability to keep calm which was a task with the gallons of water pouring down on us but it taught me push my self out of my comfort zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3

Day three was the least physically challenging day of the trip but was enriching in terms of getting to better know the lives of the villagers of Kitulgala. On day three our class separated into several groups to interview people in the area. Being a sinhala speaker I played the role of the translator ,translating the questions we had prepared to the night before.Our group interviewed a tuktuk driver and our questions included inquiries on his daily life,livelihood and the possible impact the broadlands project would have on him. As suspected we found that he believed that the project would negatively affect his job due to the reduced number of tourists entering the area.The day ended with our journey back home

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all years orientation trip taught me a multitude of valuable skills while also bringing me closer to my classmates which was much needed this being my first year at the overseas school.I learnt so much especially in the lines lines of team work and communication and hope develop those skills in the years to come.