Divided between Two Giants and a Million Petals

Year and Month	07 & 08 Nov, 2013
Number of Days	1.5 Days
Crew	5 (Sheham, Athula, Kasun, Prasanna and Me)
Accommodation	Supipi Guest, Nuwara Eliya (052-2222674, 0772-902287)
Transport	By Car
Activities	Nelu Flower Hunting, Hiking, Scenic Driving, Photography, etc…
Weather	Excellent
Route	Dehiwala->Kaduwela->Peradeniya->Nuwara Eliya->Horton Plains->Nuwara Eliya->Walapane->Nuwara Eliya->Piduruthalagala.
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Supipi Rest is a very good place to stay. Affordable and they serve meals too. You need prior permission from MoD to visit Piduruthalagala. You’re not supposed to stop and get down during the drive to the summit from the security gate at Piduruthalagala. There are restrictions when taking pics at the summit so check with the Air Force Personnel before you do. It was the season for Nelu Flowers, so if you’re to see them, it might be a bit tricky as they don’t bloom very often. (According to what we heard, it’s between 5-12 years). Hatton-Nuwara Eliya road is still under construction and very difficult to travel. So check the condition before you attempt on that road. Don’t litter or harm the Nature. Carry some water with you.
Author	SriAbey
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Divided between Two Giants and a Million Petals

“Weather is changing. Seems like it’s gonna rain on Saturday heavily.” – Kasun had texted me.
“What to do buddy, we’ll take our chances.” – Replied me with a heavy heart.
“Yeah, still Friday is good. Think of any alternatives for Sat.” – He was really worried.

That’s the conversation Kasun and I had after planning our Nelu Flower hunting trip on 06 Nov. Typically it rains heavily to the upcountry along with Uva and Eastern Provinces but it didn’t scare me enough to postpone or change our plans for the weekend. It was all gang-ho as a result of Nelu Flowers blooming after so many years and everyone was yearning to go see them and we were no different.

So I sat down heavily on my chair and started to write a letter:

At Office
06 Nov 2013

My Dear Nuwara Eliya,

How are you doing? I’m doing great and can’t wait to see you again. I’m sorry it was a very brief visit last month and I couldn’t be with you long enough and hope you weren’t upset that I left very abruptly even without a proper goodbye.

Apparently, you’d been busy since then coz everyone’s talking about your newest creation, the Nelu Flowers. I too want to come and see them and be with you a bit longer too. I’ve been visiting you each year for the last 14 years and it’s gonna be two times in this year then. You know that you’re my favorite no matter what happens, don’t you?

The weather seems to keep us apart with her dark clouds and unending rains threatening to unleash her wrath. My friends are very hesitant to come as a result. Would you be able to chase her away on 08 and 09 Nov, please? You’ve always kept her at bay when I come to you and ask her to stay away from us this time too. Tell her that I promise not to hang around long and she can come back on the 9th afternoon.

I’ll be seeing you on the wee hours of 08th and till then take care.
Yours

It’s not a good idea for you to read my personal letters is it? But now you’ve read it, it doesn’t matter. I had to send this letter coz the rain kept threating to ruin our reunion and I was pretty sure she’d keep those dark clouds away. (Eventually that’s exactly what happened)

Sheham suggested we do the Nelu Flower hunt and I voted with both my feet and Kasun too, amid a very heavy workload, wanted to tag along. Athula, the ever-promising hiker, too joined willingly with Prasanna along with him. We were set for another majestic journey and decided to leave in the night to save us some time. My plan was to visit Horton Plains on 07 and do something else in the evening coz the whole day Saturday was reserved for the 3rd stage of my rail hikes.

Sheham too said that he was long overdue for a rail hike and gladly approved of the plan. However, the ever-changing weather patterns kept us on our toes right along during the planning stage. I wanted to do this no matter the weather and everybody else jumped in willingly coz they all are very seasoned hardcore hikers.

I happened to come by the Supipi Rest on Lakdasun Forums and they gave us a very reasonable rate and made the booking without second thought. On impulse, I suggested Kasun that we go see Kurundu Oya Falls as we failed to see her in the last month’s journey and we had the whole evening for us on the 8th Nov.

Day 01

Having planned everything to the last possible letter, Sheham left Dehiwala around 12.30am and picked Kasun, me, Athula and Prasa on the way and we were soon driving towards Peradeniya. We didn’t wanna take our chances on the Hatton-N’Eliya road due to its bad condition and stuck with the good old Peradeniya-N’Eliya road.

Tour Highlights:

Thotupola Hike
Nelu Flowers
Kande Ela
N’Eliya
Piduruthalagala Peak
Summary of Panos

The moment we passed Gampola, the road got winding like a giant snake and I felt giddy coz I’d had no sleep and neither had Kasun. We stopped around Pussellawa for some fresh air and the sky was cluttered with millions of different-size stars. It was as if a net attached with hundreds of glittering diamonds was draped right across the sky and we were simply fascinated. However the break wouldn’t work and I wanted to throw up very badly and soon it was a contest between me and Kasun.

Finally after all the hustle-bustle we reached N’Eliya around 5.30am and topped up our fuel reserves. Sheham had brought us all breakfast so we didn’t have to stop anywhere else and headed straight towards Horton Plains. We stopped at Pattipola for some coffee and the surrounding was as usual eye-catching. On the way from Pattipola the view kept making us want to stop at every now and then for picture taking and Sheham had a hard time containing us.

Finally we reached the ticket counter around 7.00am and bought our tickets. Passing the gate we reached Thotupola Trail in no time and the whole area was covered in Pink, Purple and White due to various colors of Nelu. We were simply amazed by the number of flowers, must have been about millions of them covering the whole area like a silk cloth draped over the trees. The morning dew added to the beauty of the flowers and they kept making artistic lines along the petals and leaves. What a sight for our strained eyes.

“Apparently there are 30 different kinds of Nelu and 24 of which are endemic to Sri Lanka”

We jumped out and headed towards the summit of Thotupola with an elevation about 200ft over 2km stretch. It was a sight to treasure for the rest of our lives. We were simply speechless and kept walking through dense forest patches till we reached a bit open area and the sight was simply outstanding. So many mountains were visible and Adam’s Peak was standing tall and majestic in the horizon with her distinct shape. Kirigalpoththa and the undocumented Agra-Bopath were standing next to each other.

We could see the Ambewela farm and its windmills almost 20km away. Along the path it was all about Nelu in vivid colors. All of a sudden Sheham and Atha were bending down very inquisitively and to our surprise it turned out to be a heap of freshly unloaded leopard scat. It had so many firs that the Sambar Deers have. Further along we saw hoof marks of Sambar Deers and possibly the Leopard’s too. It looked as if the leopard had been chasing the fellow from the top of the mountain and we saw a few marks where apparently the deer had skidded.

All of a sudden, Prasa was pretty scared. He kept looking back and forth and wondering when the leopard would pounce on him. We reached the first summit of the Thotupola and headed further uphill to the grand summit. There were many flowers waiting to welcome us to this wonderful creation of the Mother Nature. We reached the summit and it had that signature pit with rocks bordering and we could see they had even put up some solar panels for the telecommunication tower at the top.

It was a 360 degree panoramic view and rising sun kept us looking towards the eastern with her fierce rays. We saw the Ohiya temple and the Kovil where they had built when the 18th tunnel had collapsed and couldn’t be repaired. You can read more about it here. We spent about half hour savoring the freshness of the mountain air and gorgeous view and felt very hungry. The food was still in the car waiting for us and we hurried down and reached the road in no time.

Then we took the road further towards the Farr Inn where Thomas Farr had built it in 1900 and the entrances to the Kirigalpoththa and World’s End are located. Along the way just passing Maha Eliya bungalow we came across a Sambar Deer nibbling at the grass. We jumped out and started snapping away. We reached the Farr Inn around 10.00am and laid the mat Sheham had brought with him and spread out our breakfast which is long overdue.

Sliced bread with tempered onions and boiled eggs washed down with fruit juice was just what the doctor ordered. We rested a bit and saw the visitor center too giving out information and have replicas of animals such as leopard, snakes and owl. It was so horrendous to see a bunch of people playing cards inside a van coz there was so much beautiful sceneries to keep you occupied but those guys chose to ignore it. What a pity and a waste of a journey.

Around 10.30am we were back on our way and just passing the Farr Inn, Sheham noticed a Deer far away and wanted to take a pic and see what it really is. To see, it was not just one, but a whole gang of them sitting sunbathing about a km away. We managed to get a decent size pic with our long zoom and left them for it.

Passing Kande Ela, I wanted to get down and take a few pics. The boat service has resumed at Kande Ela and I was horror stricken to see the damage is done by the people around the area. The mountain is being invaded at a rapid rate, clearing and building apparently hotels. The way it goes, they’ll soon put up a hotel at the top of Kande Ela hill. Feeling down we reached the town and went to the hotel.

Towards Haggala in the wee hours

Windmills at Ambewela dancing in the morning

Getting ready

“Anything to eat?”

“Please driver uncle, give me a bun”

Towards Ambewela on the way to Horton Plains

They are mesmerized

One of many wows

Maha Rathmala

Couldn’t take our eyes away

Near the ticket counter

Well done

The isolated road

Here we are

One of a million

“Hi there!”

Ready to get going

Making patterns

Blooming like there’s no tomorrow

Different varieties of plants

Many different colors too

Morning dew making it sexy

Ravana Ravul collecting and preserving water

Shady bit

What color is this?

Gorgeous

More flowers bordering the path

Too high

Bunch of them

Through the trees

Standing tall

Getting towards open ground

Sheham with his gigantic 50-500mm lens

Out in the open

Not many like these

Everywhere is like this

Royal blue

Like snow flakes

Path is snowed with flowers

Guardian of the flowers?

Faraway mountains looking at us

The view is never ending

Different angle

Couldn’t get enough of this

Nicely done

The biggest beard?

Another different one

Tiny fella

According to Kasun, the Dhal Tree

Just disgorged?

Sight to treasure

Holding onto the droplets

The smile says it all

Bowitiya plant turned out to be the Dhal tree

The Adam’s peak in the middle

Another kind of orchid

Done the preliminary work

Feel like kissing them all

Many more

Where the Sambar deer apparently skidded

Top of the tree with loving red

Lone tree

The clouds kept disappearing

An old pile

Can’t get over this

Camouflage

Brightening our day

“Hey, are you stuck up there?”

“No silly, I’m having my breakfast”

Searching for more

The solar panels, we cleaned the plates brushing the leaves and flowers away

Lone comms towers

The path towards World’s end

The Famous Five at the summit

No idea what this is

Holding on to the water

A bee?

Cluster of Bowitiya

Another bee lost among the flowers

Almost stepped on the fellow

Time to say bye

Atha learning to walk on his all fours

Kirigalpoththa and Agra-Bopath

Endless plains

The road to the infinity

Maha Eliya Bungalow

Posing for the pics

“Enough of posing, I’m hungry”

“Just go away, will you?”

I simply love the blue of the sky

The Farr Inn

Where we had our breakfast

Hopefully you can get an idea

The Farr Inn

Tomas Farr, 1900

The replica of the trails

The map in details

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Hambawa

Atu Bakamuna

Running freely

Sambar deers’ resting place

The four having fresh milk

Lovely

Ambewela farm

Kande Ela

The hill being invaded

Those cables are always destroying good pics

The water gets down

Kissable

Macro

Not missing this one

The next in line of the agenda was Kurundu Oya falls but it turned out to be a wasted journey and we were very much misled by the villagers and tuk-tuk drivers at Walapane. We left N’Eliya around 1.30pm and didn’t wanna visit Piduruthalagala coz the mist and clouds might obscure our view. Took the Ragala road which is under construction and in a very bad shape. We were thankful to the AC in the car coz we could keep the shutters closed without inhaling all the dust and poisonous smoke belching from the laboring vehicles.

Having reached Walapane around 3.00pm, we decided to ask the way from villagers to be on the safe side. Niroshan had done this before and unfortunately we couldn’t figure out the path that easily. The villagers kept giving us different directions and we went all around without success and eventually went to the Walapane town to get the help from tuk-tuk drivers but they were very unhelpful and we decided to abandon it and got back coz it’s a tedious task to drive on that road in the dark.

We should’ve taken the path through the entrance to the peace pagoda but we tried to go as far as in our car coz it was evening and didn’t wanna have to walk till the dark. So if you’re attempting this, do read Niroshan’s report and get an idea and we should’ve done the same but the luck wasn’t with us that time. Came back to N’Eliya around 5.30pm and were feeling ravenous coz we had no lunch.

There was a nice place in front of the Gregory Lake Park and we had a sumptuous meal and decided to take a walk in the dusk but the rain drops started coming down reminding us to get back to the hotel and turn in early as we had a very long day ahead the following day. We came to the hotel and embraced the sleeping beauty till morning without batting an eyelid.

Getting towards Walapane

Towards Randenigala

Randenigala up close

Helmalu system

We should’ve gone up the steps

Gigantic rock boulders

The path we were shown

Savoring the evening snack

Nice landscapes but where’s the falls?

Rocks and rocks

It turned out to be a wild goose chase

Evening sun on the Magastota

Towards Kikiliyamana

Piduruthalagala is covered in mist

Gigantic cloud hovering above the lake

Flowers, the theme of the day

What a freedom

Showing off his skills

Not giving up

Wolfed down

What a place to be one’s house

Day 02 – Piduruthalagala

The morning brought with her so much promise and there wasn’t even a hint of mist and it was the perfect morning to visit the top of Sri Lanka and get a view all around. We woke up around 5.30am and were ready to leave by 6.00am and drove up to the security gate at the Piduruthalagala. We were waved away having checked our permission and there were 6km to go till we reached the summit.

The view sent us crazy and we had to bite our camera straps to keep us from getting down and walk. It’s important that you abide by the rules stipulated and not get down. There’s the threat of the leopard too and the soldier who showed us around told us that he’d once seen a leopard so big and he got very scared and rode the bike till the summit without even looking back.

Virtually all the mountains of SL were visible and the Mother Nature kept all the obstacles away from us and we must’ve got the best view one can imagine. We reached the summit well before 7.00am and were warmly greeted by the Air Force personnel. The officer who introduced himself was one of the most professional soldiers I’ve ever seen.

We toured all around and took pics. We reached the summit point and it was an unforgettable experience one could have in their entire life time. We felt honored and privileged to be there at the summit embracing the surroundings. No one felt like going any time soon. However, we had our rail hike to do so with so much hesitation, we bid our farewell to the friendly AF soldiers and Army ones too. Leaving Piduruthalagala was not at all easy as we felt as if we were dragged back towards us by some magnetic force. Let me tell you this, none of the pics in this report or in any other report for that matter, will tell you the true story. You gotta see them with your own eyes and feel it.

Ok folks, that is the story of the Two Giants and the Million Petals. Will soon bring you the tale of our Rail hike. This was one of the most memorable journeys I’d ever had and will treasure it deep down my heart forever. Beloved N’Eliya kept us safe and free from rain as usual listening to my humble request.

Take care and do check the pics, specially the summary of Panos.