WEEK WITHOUT WALLS 2023 – Trip to Highlands

Day 1

Before the trip, yoosuf and I decided to stay at the back of the group and go slowly with the hike to try and maximize the views and also to make sure that we are not too tired. We went slow and we were able to help some of the people at the back. The only problem was that we were walking on a small mud path only wide enough for one foot and after everyone had walked on it, the path became much narrower and much more fragile which meant that Yoosuf and I took a few tumbles on the way. At this point, I also realized that I had bought too many snacks and it was taking up too much space in my backpack so my goal for the next day was to finish some of the snacks. Overall, the hike was pretty cool, and the daypack I had made me feel like I was in the special operations in the army. This was a recurring topic of conversation for Yoosuf and we would have long talks about joining the special task force. Before this trip, I had one goal to make it out without any serious injuries because I always seem to get injured on trips like this. I ended day one with a few small cuts on my arm but nothing too serious. 

Day 2 

The best part of day 2 was when we went to the Bamaranada waterfall. After we visited the falls and took many group photos, we hiked further up where we got to see some great views and ended up at a small waterfall. The waterfall was tucked inside the forest making the water very cold but jumping in was worth the hike up. I managed to get up to the side of the waterfall where there was a small ledge to jump off from which was a lot of fun. From there, we went to Adisham which is a monastery in Haputale. We went for a small walk around the monastery to observe nature outside the manicured gardens of the monastery but, it started to rain and the Yoosuf and I decided to run back to the monastery which was good because that was the first time I had run in a while and it wasn’t too bad. 

Day 3 

We visited Horton Plains which was an eye-opening experience because the vast land that we drove through was something that I saw for the first time in Sri Lanka. We hiked up World’s End which was initially covered in a thick mist. Akash, Yoosuf, Ben, and I went a bit higher where we took some photos against the pure white background that the mist created. However, after a couple of minutes, the mist started to clear and the scary drop to the bottom revealed itself. We took more group photos and went back, we stopped off at mini worlds end which is a smaller version of world’s end. The best part about day 3 was the conversation that Darius, Yoosuf, and I had on the hike back. After coming back, we had some good tea and at the end of the day, I was glad that I still hadn’t got any serious injuries and I was looking forward to the brownie from Jagro that I was going to get the following day. 

Day 4 

We started the day with a hike around a tea plantation and after we got semi-lost, I decided to go up by myself to the top to try and find a path and when I went up I heard Ben, Darius, and Akash on the top as well which was a moment of relief because, at the top, I couldn’t see anyone and the path that I took seemed to have disappeared. However, the climb down was scary because of the loose soil and the traction on my shoes wearing off but we all got down very slowly but safely. After the hike, we packed up and made our way to Jagro where I had one of the best brownies of my life. This day was great as the food we got was so good. We arrived at St. Andrews and were greeted with a mega lunch which left me stuffed. The rooms were also very nice and had a two-story layout and when Yoosuf got chosen to sleep upstairs we were a bit loud and may have gotten in trouble. In the evening Yoosuf and I had a nice cup of tea and then we went on a frog walk. I didn’t particularly enjoy the frog walk but there was a photograph from the company Lime Light photography which was doing some work to promote tourism in Sri Lanka. I helped with his camera equipment and spoke to him about Gecko Network and he followed us on Instagram as well. He is also a photographer on the Asian Tour so it was interesting to talk golf with him as well. 

Day 5 

We visited the Piduruthalagala airforce base early in the morning and it was an interesting experience. Yoosuf and I talk a lot about the special forces and joining the army so seeing an actual airforce base and talking to the commander was very interesting. After we visited the airforce base and some failed attempts at doing some muscle-ups, we returned back home.