Month: February 2022

Day 3 started with a hot shower (finally) at the hotel. Today we were going to conquer the longest hike of our trip. We were journeying through Horton Plains today. The hike up was tough and it was about 4 hours of hiking to get there but the view was worth it. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my lunch back at the hotel and had to share food with some of the others. The trip back was far less gruelling as we had already made a path through the bushes on the way over there.

The view from the top (Photo Courtesy Mr. Ravi)

Us at the top of World’s End. (photo courtesy Mr. Ravi)

Us on the way back down (Photo Courtesy Mr. Ravi)

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was dark outside. Everyone was complaining about how tired they were. We all ate dinner together and then went back to our rooms for an early night.

Learning Objective – #3 Demonstrate how to Initiate and Plan a CAS Experience

In order to make as much headway through the hike and reach World’s end, we had to plan out and move on a schedule.

Day 2 began with me waking up at 5:30 out of my own volition and taking a cold shower. I would have opted for hot water but that would turn out to be a luxury on this trip. We ate breakfast, and packed our bags into the back of the vans that drove us up here. We drove an hour further up into the mountain range on tiny roads with steep drops when we arrived at a dead end with a path next to it. From here we started on my favorite hike of the trip. We traversed upwards into the mountains on a path accompanied by the non-native evergreen trees and the crisp moist air until we arrived at a stream attached to a waterfall. The other members of the group chose to swim but after my first run in with cold water on the trip I chose to hold back. Coming from Colombo, It was surprisingly cold up there. As we moved back we chucked pinecones  down the hills as laughter moved throughout our line.

Beginning our hike to Bambarakanda Falls on Day 2 of Week Without Walls (photo courtesy Mr. Ravi)

Bambarakanda Falls (photo courtesy Mr. Ravi)

Our Journey to Bambarakanda Falls

We got back in the vans and drove to our new accommodation where we would be staying for the next two nights. We dropped our bags off and had another traditional Sri Lankan meal. From there we got back in the vans and drove up to the tea plantations where we would begin a walk to visit Lipton’s Seat. The view from Liptons Seat was spectacular and probably my favorite on the trip. We ate samosas and roti at the top as monkeys jumped around in front of us as an attempt to barter for any leftovers. We got back to the hotel and separated into our rooms. I was finally able to take a hot shower and the day was capped off with dinner and a game of pool.

Learning objective – #5 Demonstrate the Skills and Recognize the Benefits of Working Collaboratively

Our group had to navigate across the uneven hills by calling out directions.

Our trip began with an early rise and us all meeting up at the school and us being grouped up by our grades and huddled into a set of three vans. We drove for what felt like days and stopped midway for a snack break. Our break from the road was shortlived as we soon got back into the busses and headed further through the greenery. Finally, after nearly 6 hours of driving, we had arrived and we were greeted by a spread of traditional Sri Lankan food for lunch.

After we all had our stomachs filled with good food we made our way along our first hike to camp. The hike was the most treacherous of the trip with it involving us crossing muddy rivers and manuevering across wet rocks and through the mud. Screams echoed along the single file line we moved as whenever someone had fallen or someone had seen a new bug. We only traveled around 3 or 4 kilometers over the course of 4 hours because the terrain was so intense. After a long day of sitting on the bus, we arrived at our camp and split into groups to share tents with.

*No Photos from first day hike*

The view from our campsite (photo courtesy Lucca Brown)

Learning Objective – 4. Show Commitment To and Perserverence in CAS Experiences

Because this was the first hike of the trip and also the hardest it left me expecting future hikes to be harder. My main motivation for carrying on with the hike was that I wasn’t doing it on my own. The whole group was struggling through it. The banter along the way allowed me to come out of my shell more and also helped everyone deal with the difficult trek more effectively.