From 24th January to 28th January, 19 students consisting of 13 DP1 students and 6 G10 students went onto the Down South trip for the Week Without Wall program. Mr.Lockwood, Ms. Tondeur and Ms. Desline supervised us throughout the trip, during which we went to the southern coast and rainforest area of Sri Lanka. The goal of the trip is to use photo or journal documentation to record and reflect our learnings of ecology as well as cultural heritage in wet and dry zones of Sri Lanka. During the trip, we specifically focused on wildlife watching in the Back of Beyond Kahandamodara Site and Rainforest Ecolodge.
Day 1:
At around 9:30 am on 24th January 2022, we officially started our “last WWW”. I was very excited for this trip because I expected myself to really understand the rich biodiversity in Sri Lanka, and I believe this experience can enhance my knowledge in ESS. After around 3 hours of bus ride, we arrived at Back of Beyond, where we spent time arranging rooms, collecting luggage and having lunch. In the afternoon, we set off towards the beach. At the beach, we did many activities with our friends, such as jumping at the waves, building sand sculptures, and picking up shells. I especially enjoyed the process of selecting the shells, because I have foreseen many art projects that allows me to work on shells. I filled my pocket with some carefully selected ones that were especially visually pleasing. I knew that seashells are natural detritus deposited along strand lines on beaches by the tides, but I did not expect to see so many of them on this beach – though tiny, they were everywhere! After spending around 2 hours by the sea, we decided to go back to camp. We had to abort our original plan of turtle watching after dinner because of the raised water level. However, the alternative plan was even more meaningful and enjoyable – we went on for a frog watching tour where we saw termites, a mantis preyed by a spider, centipedes, small snake, some fireflies and some colorful green beetles. Those who had cameras were busy capturing the moments while the rest of us listened to Mr.Lockwood explaining. After experimenting Mr.L’s tricks with Eleez’s camera, we turned off our flashlights and looked up into the starry sky. Some of us were able to identify the several brightest stars, and many fireflies started emerging from the dark. The scene was so beautiful that everyone was silent in awe. It was at that moment when we truly appreciated nature that was undisturbed by human society – it was definitely an unforgettable beautiful scene that showcased what nature can offer, and something that is slowly being eroded by the expanding human territory (LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance). We meditated for a few minutes under the stars before going back to the camp, ending the day at around 11pm.
Whole group listening to the explanation of historical significance of the site. Photo taken by Mr.Lockwood
Day 2:
Photo taken by Mr.Lockwood during bird safari
Bee eater photo taken by a peer
Personally, I think Day 2 was the most fun and memorable day of the trip, because I was able to expand my knowledge on ecology, learn about ancient culture, do some workout, and develop photography skills: Waking up at around 7 in the morning, we quickly had tea and breakfast and left for Situlpawa. The nature scenes by the mountain was very visually pleasant, except the sunlight was a little bit intense. As soon as we arrived at the feet of the heritage site, we were greeted by some wild boars and an elephant, it was quite fascinating for me to see wild boars, and they smell worse than expected. We hiked up the mountain in order to reach the temples. On the way up there, we saw the protected area of national park that was not open to public in almost a bird view perspective. Mr.Lockwood has also introduced to us that some of the small temples were built in cave because the sharp rocks at the cave opening can prevent rainwater from falling and eroding the sculptures. Once we arrived at the stupa, a staff from the temple taught us the history and significance of the whole site – it was a place for disciples to meditate that lasted for centuries. There was a stone slab that records the written words of past kings, showing the importance of this place. Then we hiked up even more, it was a very exhausting journey, but I successfully made it to the stupa first together with 3 other peers. It was challenging my physical limit, but I was overjoyed when I was able to handle all the scary steps and the ascending route, and made it before everyone else (LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process). After a quick sandwich lunch, we went on a safari trip. It was the first time of me trying the bumpy jeep, but I soon became attracted to the animals, and completely forgot my fear. I was able to spot a few birds at first, such as painted storks and green bee eaters, but soon I became lost in the constant changing views, and everything looked like a bird to me. But thanks to the collaborative work of the team – Trying our best looking for animals for those taking pictures, and explaining knowledge to those who were not an expert at birds – we eventually were able to capture most of the animals on camera, and understand all of them well. (LO
Removed invasive specie photo taken by me
5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively ). Apart from seeing birds and crocodile, I had a huge takeaway from this trip: The discussion with Mr.Lockwood on the Floral Restoration Project of Bundala. The natural wealth is under threat from invasive non-native species. Hardy pest species such as Prosopsis cineraria and Opuntia dillenii, grew rapidly and competed vigorously, pushing out native species and altering ecosystems. So the project is established to remove the invasive plant species and facilitate the growth of native ones. Throughout the safari trip, we saw huge amount of cut, dead branches mounted up together. It was the effort paid by the project, in order to reduce the growth of the invasive species while building more habitats for the birds to nest. (LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance)
Day 3 & Day 4:
Day 3 was quite a relaxing day because we were mostly traveling. After having breakfast, we departed from Back of Beyond to Rainforest Ecolodge in Sinharaja, Deniyaya. After a bus trip, we hopped onto safari jeeps. Even though this time the journey was even more scary than yesterday, I did not feel any fear but was thrilled to see the mysterious rainforest in person. (which we called the Jurassic Park). The accommodation at the Rainforest Ecolodge was absolutely enjoyable. After a brief rest, we went off into the rainforest. It was very exciting because I’ve never stepped into a rainforest before. We walked for around 15 minutes and arrived at the stream where we had fish massage on our feet. Everyone changed from crying out loud to genuinely enjoying the sensation after a few minutes. Once we headed back, we went onto another frog watching trip with our guide Jagath. He was very passionate about all the creatures, driving us curious too. Everyone was exhausted because we all wanted our dinner, and we were allowed to go back since most people were complaining…I felt the cold that I missed for 5 years at night, and I enjoyed the feeling of hugging a thick blanket and drinking hot coffee before bed.
Pitcher plant photo taken by Mr.Lockwood
Day 4 was much more fun and active, because we got to explore the deeper part of the rainforest. We walked for a long time in the dim forest, with people occasionally scream for help form leeches. It was very slippery and we had to put all of our attention on our steps instead of on the leeches. During our 10 minutes break in between, we stopped at a rock to look for frogs and, most importantly, pitcher plants. It was very fascinating to see so many pitcher plants in real life, and our guide’s explanation was very helpful. We finally arrived at the waterfall after a long endless journey, and enjoyed a fish massage. We took a big group picture together before heading back to Ecolodge. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore on this ascending, slippery, and full-of-leech (mentally exhausting) hike back, but I still managed to keep up at the front line with Mr.Jagath because he was explaining about buttress roots and the small creatures passing by. It was a fair deal to trade my legs for some environmental knowledge I guess. (LO2 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process) I had also learnt from Mr.Jagath about the 5 layers of rainforest, which are the overstory, the canopy, the understory, the shrub layer, and the forest floor. It was something that I didn’t know before, and learning it helped my understanding in ESS.
Day 5:
Day 4 group photo taken at the waterfall by Mr.Lockwood
This was the last day of the trip, we set off early in the morning because of the long distance we had to cover from Sinharaja to Colombo. We went with the combined jeep and bus trip again, and said good bye to the great rainforest that fostered biodiversity and productivity of the area. Our last WWW has come to an end. Being it the last Week Without Wall, we did try to feel and enjoy the trip to the greatest extent, and that brought us huge amount of learning outcome, and a great memory. Not only did I acquire huge amount of knowledge on human and the environment, but I have also become a more resilient and strong person. The biggest takeaway was not the sight of animals, or the hikes, but the joy of being fully surrounded by nature, and the understanding of earth.