Blogs from Adam's Peak, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 2

Hi everyone, well last weekend what can I say, the White Water was fantastic, really enjoyed that but I have to admit after bashing my head on the jeep door and giving myself whiplash (still haver a stiff neck) and concussion I decided not to climb the 4000+ steps to the top of Adam's Peak, well can you blame me, the others left at 2.15am to get there to see the sun rise and yes from their photos it did look amazing, but hey seen one sunrise seen'm all that's what I say hahahahaha. So it's Monday and I pop out to buy more paint and post some parcels back to the UK, should've known it was a bad idea when they made me open the packages in the postoffice incase they were bombs!!! Well I ... read more

We hobbled into town, our shaky legs responding like jelly, refusing to carry us forward with any dignity. We must've looked closer to 80 years of age instead of 30 years, and our state engendered amused looks from the locals. Most were sympathetic - like they'd seen people in this condition a thousand times before, and a few laughed, and the rest tried to to sell us cool drinks or offer us a place to rest and a cup of tea. Adam's Peak or Sri Pada (sacred footprint) as it is variously known, is thought to be the place where Adam first set foot on earth, or the site where buddha left his footprint on the way to paradise depending on which legend you believe. The 2243m peak soars above the valleys and mountains below and ... read more

SINHALA & TAMIL NEW YEAR Religious festivals in Sri Lanka converge around the full moon period in April. Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate the Holy Prophet’s Birthday, Buddhists celebrate Bak Full Moon Poya Day, together with Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day celebrations. The country slows down and the temperature heats up as the nation enters the summer holiday period. Things don’t really kick back into life until after May Day and Wesak festival of light celebrations in mid May. Children’s Sinhalese New Years Celebrations. Activities include a pillow fight on a high beam, a slicked up coconut tree climb, clay pot bashing while blind folded, and a marathon (which saw many children collapsing - very dramatically). Other interesting traditions were milk boiling; sweet making and swinging while singing folk tunes (see pictures). Miriam got to ... read more

So…Adam’s peak. The guide books describe it as a stunning climb up a pilgrims mountain (apparently it’s the place where Buddha first stepped on earth). We decided to give it a go…sounded like fun. Oh boy ! Talk about hard work !! It turns out Adam’s peak is a 2,500 meter tall perfect 45 degree mountain peak. The nice people of Sri Lanka have built steps all the way up…but that basically means a stiff climb up over a vertical kilometer…stairway to hell more like !! Oh..and just to cap it, it turns out the best thing is to see sunrise - so that means a 3am start. Perfect. Anyway…it was great fun (once complete) and the sunrise and views are simply stunning.. hopefully from the pictures you can see how cone perfect the peak is ... read more