While in Sri Lanka we were told about a place that was sacred to multiple religions so we decided to do the Adam’s Peak pilgrimage. Note that there are two routes to the summit. We followed the “easier” route and that was hard enough.
Adam’s Peak
We had the motorbike for another day and a wake up so I figured it would ideal for reaching base of Adam’s Peak , a 2,243m summit that climbs out of the surrounding sub-tropical forest at a dramatic angle. 
It is best know for Sri Pada (meaning sacred footprint), a rock formation near the summit with a footprint indentation. The Buddhists believe it to be the footprint of Buddha; the Hindus believe it to be Shiva’s, while the Coptic Christians and Muslims believe it to be Adam’s.
Map of Sri Lanka
We rode hard for the remainder of the day and reached the village, at the base of the mountain, by early evening. We checked into the Green Guesthouse for a hearty meal and then went to sleep immediately. By 3:30am we were up and out the door. The plan was to climb the thousands of steps in darkness in order to reach the summit at sunrise. But it was obvious very quickly that sunrise would be a non-event. The trail was illuminated in lights all the way to the summit that glowed in a halo of clouds. We decided to take our time since the sunrise was sure to be obscured by those clouds and because the going was very tiring anyway.
By 5:30 am we were within reach of the summit and the low ceiling of clouds had risen above the summit but still blocked out the sun. It made for a compelling climb; we were climbing below the clouds but above the lowland fog and could hear the changing of pilgrims and the ringing of a bell in the distance.
By 6am we had made it. It was freezing cold on the top and Cristina was exhausted and grumpy. We sat among the pilgrims for a while to eat our chocolate bars, drink some Pepsi, and warm up. Given the altitude and the gusty winds, warming up was out of the question so we decided to make our offerings of gratitude and hightail it off the mountain ASAP. Scratch another pilgrimage off my to-do list. We wanted to get out of Dodge before it started to rain again.
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And rain it did. All the way back to Kandy. We took a more direct route, but that didn’t mean the road was at all straight. It simply meant more buses as the tropical strength rains chased us all the way back.
It seemed as though another round of monsoon rains had found us but rumor was that the south was still rain free so that was our next objective.
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Accommodation in Sri Lanka
|
City/Location
|
Name of Guest House |
Rating
|
Price Per Night |
|
Colombo
|
Mrs Marie Barbana Settupathy’s (Bahbalapitiya) |
**
|
2500R – $25
|
|
Sigiriya
|
Green Palace, remote private part of package |
**
|
Ruins Package
|
|
Kandy
|
Gem Inn II (outside of center) |
**
|
1200R – $12
|
|
Kandy
|
Lakshmi GH (central with wifi) |
***
|
1500-1700R – $15-$17
|
|
Nuwara Eliya
|
Hunting Cottage (on main rd edge of center) |
*
|
1200R – $12
|
|
Trincolmalee
|
French Garden – Uppuveli (on beach) |
*
|
1000R – $10
|
|
Ella
|
Soorya GH |
**
|
1000R – $10
|
|
Adam’s Peak
|
Green House |
**
|
800R – $8
|
|
Galle
|
Mrs Wijenayake’s GH |
**
|
1000R – $10
|
|
Tangalla
|
King Fisher GH (on beach) |
*
|
800R – $8
|
|
Tangalla
|
Sandhika GH (off beach but family run) |
**
|
800R – $8
|
|
Tangalla
|
Breeze GH (on beach family run) |
***
|
800R – $8
|
|
Unawatuna
|
Homestay -family front room |
*
|
500R – $5
|
|
Negombo
|
Sunnyside GH (off beach outside center) |
**
|
$1500R – $15
|
Business Cards & Contacts in Sri Lanka
Surathura Spice Gardens No 3
Athula Delpearachchi, Managing Director
Thotagamuwa, Palapathwala, Matale
94.66.222.4522
94.77.559.7417
surathura_herbs@yahoo.com
salcatel@yahoo.com
Gem Inn-II
102/90 Hewaheta Rd, Talwatta, Kandy
2.5 km from Tooth Temple
081.222.04239
weeraabey_1936@yahoo.com
Lakshmi Guest House, Plam Garden 2
Gopal Kanna Fathima, Mgr
Siththi Fathima, Cook
57/1/1 Saranankara Rd, Kandy
94 (0) 81.222.2154
94 (0) 81.223.3903
www.lakshmipg2.lkguide.lk
maliktsl@yahoo.com
Hotel Shalini, (opposite the water tower)
41/388 Harichandra Mawatha, Anuradhapura
94.25.222.2425
info@hotelshalini.lk
www.hotelshalini.lk
Place to stay Thailand, Koh Pha ngan
High Life Haad Yao
Suratthani 84280, Thailand
077.349.114
Place in Rome
Hotel Des Artistes
via Villafranca 20
Roma (3-4 blocks east of Termini)
+39.064.454.365
info@hoteldesartistes.com
www.hoteldesartestes.com
Click the big yellow button to become a patron!
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