The students who were selected for the Down South trip had to be at school by 9.00 am, which was good. I got up at 7.15 and left my house at 7.45 and headed to school. We reached OSC at 8.45am and by 9.30am we were off to Kahandamodara.

Everybody was excited and ready to start this 5 day trip to the South of Sri Lanka. The ride to Kahandamodara was smooth mainly because we took the expressway and the scenery was spectacular.

It took us about 3 hours to reach Kahandamodara. We were staying at Back of Beyond which was paradise for anyone who wanted to immerse themselves in nature and experience what it had to offer.

Day 1- Back of Beyond.

We took the first day easy and stayed at Back of Beyond for the day. We had a classic Sri Lankan lunch with red rice, parippu (Dhal), red beetroot, greens,

and chicken flavored with countless spices which makes it quite a dish. After lunch, we waited till our food was digested and then jumped into the pool for a swim. This was the best part of the day, it was fun and we enjoyed it a lot. Yangki brought a volleyball and we played some games in the swimming pool. After the swim, we went straight to the Kahandamodara beach. It was a 10-minute walk from the wellness retreat to the beach. The weather was perfect for a swim but since the currents were too strong we decided not to jump into the water.

 

 

We were at the beach for about 1 and half hours- taking pictures of the sea, collecting seashells and playing some games as well. The most rewarding part of this small excursion was the sunset at about 6.00 pm. We decided to head back before it got too dark to get ready for dinner.

After dinner, we walked around the area to look for insects and look at the stars. The stars in the sky were much more visible than in Colombo, because of less air pollution in the area. It was incredible. The number of stars we saw. It’s

honestly so sad that you don’t get to see half of the stars you see out of Colombo than in Colombo. After enjoying the scenery we decided to call it a day. We were tired but the day was well spent.

 

 

 

 

Day 2- Hiking, wild bores, a monkey jumping on me:)

The day started at 6.15 am with a warm cup of tea and a good breakfast. We headed down to Situlpawwa through Yala National park. Situlpawwa temple is a Buddhist site built by King Kavantissa in the 2nd century.

In Sri Lanka, there is a practice of removing your shoes when walking on sacred ground. So, the sun wasn’t really on our side that day, because we had to walk without our shoes Situlpawwa and our feet were burning:,) But, we did see a lot of wildlife- elephants, wild bores, eagles, and some lizards as well.

 

 

 

 

After about 2 hours in Situlpawwa, we headed to Bundala a bird sanctuary. We saw a lot of animals.

Peacocks, peahens, crocodiles. This is where a monkey decided to get on my leg. We were all looking at it, and it started coming towards us. It looked at me and started following me and suddenly it jumped onto my leg:,) I managed to stay calm and not move. It didn’t bite me but it was a close call. I was slightly cautious about the monkeys around the sanctuary after that experience.

   

 

Day 3- Travelling to Sinharaja Rainforest Ecolodge, and our first hike in the forest.

We traveled from Kahandamodara to Sinharaja forest, this took about 4 hours. After having our lunch with a beautiful view of the mountains, we decided to hike deep into Sinharaja Forest. The forests were filled with a countless number of species- and most of all, leeches. Nevertheless, we came prepared. We were all geared up with leech socks, raincoats, cameras, and energy to hike into the forests of Sinharaja and explore what this ecosystem had to offer. Halfway into the forests, we stopped by a stream where fish swim and suck your feet. That was a memorable experience, especially the sudden screams coming from people as they feel fish nibbling on their toes and feet. After spending about 15 to 20 minutes at the stream, a slight drizzle kicked in and we headed back to the hotel. It was a day well spent.

 

Day 4- River baths, Pitcher plants, survival

We woke up to the beautiful view of green mountains and the forest surrounding us. The air was colder than we all anticipated. With a good breakfast, we started everything we planned for this day. On day 3, we found ourselves back amidst the trees and the leeches and all the other insects, frogs, and birds. Our goal was to find pitcher plants that can be found in a part of the Sinharaja Forest. After an hour’s worth of climbing uphill and traveling downhill, we finally found the ‘pitcher plants.’

These plants are carnivorous and have modified leaves known as pitfall traps which help catch insects. After examining these pitcher plants, we rested for about 30 minutes where we regained our breath, soaked in the sun, and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the mountains.

Afterward, we went to a waterfall where some of us treated ourselves to natural fish therapy all over again and some of us jumped in the water for a swim. Afterward, we headed back to the hotel. We were exhausted and hungry. Some of us were soaked, all of us were muddy. The leeches were irrelevant at this point. They kept on coming, we kept on flicking them away.

 

Day 5- Back to Colombo

We were up by 7.15 am. We headed for breakfast and later on went to pack our bags. The last few days had been challenging but adventurous as well. We departed from Sinharaja at 11.30 pm and reached Colombo at 4.30 pm. This had been a memorable few days and refreshing as well. I had learned much more about Sri Lanka than I ever thought I’ll learn. The experiences and fun memories will always be with me for years to come:)

 

 

 

LO2-Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

LO4-Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.

 

 

 

 

Photo credits- Eleez Omar, Shared Google drive- Mr. Lockwood and library camera.