From misty monsters to offroad races - Part I

It's time for an epic! This is all about the trip to Wasgamuwa I had with my former colleagues.. and all the wonderful moments we shared, hopefully I remember half of it least, and the enchanting places we visited en route and of course the many surprising encounters we had.

We passed some tea estates on our way to Riverstone

I'll fast forward the months of dreaming and weeks of planning and days of finalizing and come to the 14th of June 2011.. the day of the excursion.

Me and one colleague, waited at the bus halt in the Matale junction. I arrived half an hour before her, and we both waited for another 1 + hour for the bus to pick us up! The time was before 8 am so there were lots of school kids and office workers commuting to and fro passing us. Time to time whenever a bus or a school van stopped, people stared at us in a funny way. You see.. early in the morning seeing 2 strange folks dressed up for a safari and standing in the middle of a town.. is indeed is amusing.  ^__^

Exquisitely designed plush carpet exclusively made of pure Ceylon Tea!

So the hours long chat ended when our bus finally arrived to pick us. Many rounds of songs and a fun quiz round added music, laughter and fun to our trip. And so were the beautiful lush sceneries all around. Felt so blessed to be living in a country full of greenery. We had a quick breakfast while the bus was still speeding through misty winding roads. And then we came to the Riverstone Gap, where we first stopped.

 The welcome board at Riverstone Gap in Knuckles Conservation Forest

Now.. brace yourself.. for what you're about to see.. is the birth of a new phenomenon - the existence of 'The Misty Monster and The Vanishing Point'.

Ever believed in broad daylight UFO abductions? or the phenomenon behind Bermuda Triangle? Well.. this beats the rest as it happened right in front of our eyes.. and within few seconds of time to boot.

 9.53 am

 9.53 am

Yeah, as you see.. they simply vanished.. and I have no idea why the path before us seemed a bit warped too! O__O (Un)Luckily they were more mischievous than our Misty Monster so they had pulverized the poor fellow and had escaped from the vanishing point.

This shrub covered rocky wall ran alongside our path

After climbing 2-3km uphill we heard there would be another 10 km or so to reach the target = Illukkumbura Transmission Tower! The nature's pristine beauty, 100% oxygen dose, cool fresh breeze, rolling blue hills, mystical misty monsters or calorie burning workout no longer seemed worth dying for! So instantly we turned about and raced to the bus.

Contd. in Part II... await more encounters and delectable tidbits.

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I'll add the links once I finish uploading all the photos. ^__^

Kelaniya - A fountain of Art

Yesterday was a very special day for me. After 10 months, I parted from my teaching life. Many asked me why, but I just feel I'm fated to follow the writer's path... until my journey ends. And so from today on.. I'm back to being the freelancer I once was.

BTW I just noticed.. I've passed the 4000 milestone in my visitor counter! :D Thanks for all those who dropped by regularly, irregularly, accidentally, mysteriously, frequently and occasionally, unwillingly and willingly, from islets to continents and solar system as well as beyond the endless universe..! Thanks so much for keeping this blog alive.. even during its hibernating days. :D A sweeping big thank you for all! ^__^

So back to the topic.. Art.. is something that won't miss my eager eyes.. or should I say eagle eyes? lol Don't know why but art in all forms just attract me, though I have very little theoretical know-how to back it up. So.. the last time we visited the famous Kelaniya temple.. I sure didn't miss all the wonderful art the place flaunted.

Art is... a universally cherished... fondly reminisced.. wonderful wee moments... brimming with life!

Sit back and enjoy your virtual tour!
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They are not mere fillers..

those square faced motifs on the golden brown pillars.

"Let's play hide and seek!", said the blue flip-flop to the brown sandal,

and so they played hours on end, until their owners returned.

As the 6 swans and 4 lil demons eagerly gazed down,

the pageant of 4 tuskers marched on.

 

I may be a tusker of stone or cement, for which I do not care

just hold on to me and watch your step, when you climb up the stair

 

They say they are sweetly fragrant, soft and vivid in color

but we born on the rough cement, aren't we beautiful like no other?

 

And so we stand together and guard 24/7

as we are the elites summoned, straight from the heaven

Meet the clan of cobra, the vigilant and shrewd

strong, wise and daring, now in a peaceful mood

Oh! the ripples of water, how did thou become so square?

 thy ripples have no curves, or life.. indeed I think how rare

 

You look me in the eye and utter aloud, 'daddy, an elephant with whiskers!'

but look sonny, am so different, am one of the noble Indian tuskers.

The twin dragons, so white and bright

kindly watches the devotees till they're out of sight

 

Those soaring pillars so stalwart and gracious

are bathed in reliefs so enchanting and precious

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Art is... beautiful... Art is... reverential.. Art is... timeless... Art is... priceless!

Click here and here to see more photos captured at the Kelaniya temple.

Sun, Sea, Sand

.... and Sirocco.

{borrowed the dusty hot wind - sirocco from the Sahara, to match the rhyme} =D


My sis told about this secret spot (let's call it so) when we visited her on 25th March 2011. And so on our return trip we took a detour and went there.

The first thing that caught my eyes was this fine silhouette of a mangrove... I think. I was so excited to see the surrounding coastal beauty and almost missed the heartbreaking sight right next to it.

See all the paper and polythene lying on the beach? And I thought this was a secluded one. Despite the sight I inched forward.

There's still more. Did they get washed ashore, or did people toss them carelessly? No one knows.. except the poor mangrove.

The sound of the waves or the wind couldn't hide the painful whimper, "Please save me from these slithering polythene monsters. They are strangling me!"

I looked straight ahead. The blue ocean is silently listening in a pensive mood. Calm and quiet, yet twinkling under the lazy evening sun.

I looked to my right. Some folks have marked their presence all over. The smooth tawny sand was in total disorder. Could they be the perpetrators who accompanied the polythene monsters?

The waves began to rise.. tangled in anxious and tensed emotions.

I wanted to move forward, embrace the vast ocean and become a milky white surf.. so these fine waves could carry me far away from these fearful monsters. 

The salty surface glittered like a silvery mirror and the waves slowly rose high. In fear I stepped back.

But the sea was very kind. It only sent a gentle wave to greet me.. with a smile.

I stepped back more. And the sea followed. 

In the distance the waves roared. But at my feet the pearly ripples smiled. I smiled back at the vast blue ocean who is kind to all alike.

I'm back!

Hi everyone! How have you been? I know it's been ages since I last wrote something. Work kept me busy and even though I found a bit of time, I was still worrying whether I'll get to visit all the blogs in my blogroll or not. So kept procrastinating.(I know, wrong excuse!) =D

So to update about me, well... I started teaching at this institute since late January and been dealing with the tantrums and mischief of these big kids = 16+. =D They are cute sometimes, and that I only feel when they are about to leave us after their courses end. Partings are really hard to deal with but that's life I guess.

I've had loads of awesome experiences, exciting and adventurous as much as inspiring, touching, annoying, stressing and depressing moments too.. and the list goes on. -__- Eight plus months just flew by and here I am counting the odds of whether I can live with it or without it. =D

Just yesterday we had a lunch party, where each lecturer chipped in a curry and another brought rice. The smell was irresistible and so many homely tastes mixed in, so the meal was fantabulous! And we even asked for seconds! =D Oh and it was followed by an awesomely delicious Watalappan! lol Anyhow this was in fact our 3rd time having a lunch party at our department. I wonder if it's the power of food that makes me feel like it's my 2nd home. =D

Anyhow coming back to the present.. to compensate my long.. much felt... absence (what? you didn't even notice I wasn't around? =P) I have updated my albums and added dozens of new pics! The stories for them will come eventually, and for some... I'll let the pics themselves do the talking. =D

There's lots of stories to share, and I hope I'll get to tell them before I forget. So here's my first story... after a lapse of almost one year!

* CTRL + Click to view the photos in their original sizes.

Mr. Caterpillar

This alien looking puppet caterpillar greeted us one morning, 9th December 2010 to be precise. I was sure it was no living thing from Earth. But defying all rules of physics the puppet started moving on its own.

Such big round innocent puppy eyes, no way this fellow is a caterpillar.. is what I kept telling myself but.. I was indeed proven wrong.

The rubbery quilted body crawled lazily here and there on dozens of microscopic legs. It looked around from time to time with those pitiable puppy eyes.

I gave it food.. um.. these delicious looking flowers and leaves. And was eagerly waiting for it to grow wings, turn into a beautiful apple green butterfly and fly away.. well.. this always happen in alien movies and cartoons, don't they? So.. I waited and waited and waited and.. when I was about to give up.. something totally unexpected happened.

This cute Mr. Caterpillar from Uranus began to metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly... Not.. even close... but a weird looking caterpillar! O__O (a tune from your scariest horror movie is played in the background)

The cutesy face was no more to be found. Instead it grew an elephantine snout. And then only I realized that those big round puppy eyes were.. well.. actually they were distractions! If ever a predator gets close, the eyes could scare away them. Yep, in other words a trick of nature. Indeed it tricked me too! =D And who'd dare to gobble anything that stares at you with such cute puppy eyes?

So.. the poor li'l thing actually had no eyes, I suppose, and maybe it was finding its way through smell or sun light. These fake eyes were located on either sides of its longish chubby tummy. As it won't transform anymore, and now that I knew it was a terrestrial being, I released it back to mother nature.. with a smile. ^__^

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That's all for today folks. Have a great week! ^__^