Trip to heaven and back

News from the east of Sri Lanka is not always pleasant, but tucked away amid all the strife is a paradise called Trincomalee, says V. Abhishek

EXPERIENCE : I wake up with a start to hear the phone ring. I pick it up with a half-awake “hello”, and then realise it is the alarm I have set. It is 4.30 a.m. and I am just 30 minutes away from being picked up en route to Trincomalee, better known as Trinco.

I doze off for the first quarter of the journey from Colombo to Trinco and wake up to catch glimpses of lush paddy fields and the clear blue sky. I watch the scenes whiz past and feel the calming impact on Nature on my strained city nerves.

Having been in Sri Lanka for a year now and having travelled extensively, the country’s natural beauty has never failed to fascinate me. I have waited for this day. The day when I get a weekend in the strife-torn east of Sri Lanka, which is known for its unspoilt beauty.

Wildlife

Driving through Kaudulla National Park is refreshing. The wildlife is spectacular. Suddenly there is a shout: “Look left.” I swing my neck 180 degrees and what I see is worth a thousand snapshots - a serene blue lake. The van slows down. Ralph, my Dutch friend, is busy clicking away with his camera, while I soak it all in.

The whole point of this trip is to donate a maternity bed and trolley to a hospital in Gomarankadawela, a village desperately in need of help. My van follows the truck carrying the beds.

The movement is stop and go, thanks to the numerous checkpoints. But I appreciate it. It gives me more time to drink in the surroundings. We get to Trinco around 2 p.m. and what’s that near the urban council? Stray dogs? Nah, they have spots on them and antlers! It is spotted deer. I click away with Ralph’s camera while everyone admires the herd from the other side.

We have got to get to the village soon. It is 40 km away from Trinco. There is only enough time to cross a few checkpoints and reach our hotel on Inner Harbour Road. We drop our bags off and head out only to be stopped at the same checkpoints all over again.

The road to Gomarankdawela winds through miles and miles of dense jungle with no sign of human habitation, except for soldiers in combat fatigues. They smile at you in unison as you drive past. Sri Lankans always have infectious smiles to greet you.

The whole village seems from a different era, thanks to the total absence of signs of commercialisation. We park at the hospital. The staff are thrilled to see the beds. After donating the beds, we head to a school where my friends are planning to donate bicycles.

We learn from the headmaster that there are students who travel from as far as 12 km to study. We step out from the headmaster’s room to see all the children lined up with baskets of fresh flowers. It is Saturday evening and time to pray.

Dusk is nearing and we head back to Trinco. The sun is setting at a distance and the sky is running riot with all the colours you can conjure up. Not far away, cutting their way through tall grass, weary soldiers return from a patrol. Loaded guns in hand, watching each other’s backs, they head towards the road. It looks like a scene right out of “Apocalypse Now”.

The next day, we have a guest over for breakfast, a young Sri Lankan Army Major. He’s the one who identified the needy village and gave us the opportunity to help them. He offers to join us to Koneshwaram Kovil, a Hindu temple perched atop Swami Rock, a 130m high cliff with a breath-taking view of the sea. The often talked about Lover’s Leap is nearby.

The tag comes from the tale of a Dutch official’s daughter who, watching her finance sail away, decided to make the fatal leap. People say death is guaranteed if you fall off that point. Either the sheer drop or there are the electric eels to finish the job. I walk over, look down, and see a school of fish just under the surface of the water.

Peek at history

The Major takes us to the Officers’ Mess at Fort Frederick. There’s a whole wall documenting the history of how the Fort had been taken over by various European colonisers.

In fact, Lonely Planet says: “Trinco has the most convoluted colonial history.” The Major points to the harbour, considered Asia’s best natural deep harbour. It has the capacity to conceal some 300 ships and thus is strategically vital.

We walk out towards the beach and see a sign saying “for officers only”. But the Major says: “Go ahead and soak yourselves in the sea.”

The water is so clear that even without any snorkelling gear, Ralph spots a stingray around him.

I make my way into the water. Head above the turquoise water, feet sunk in the grainy white sand, I look around at all the natural splendour Trinco is blessed with and ponder over what could have been.

Courtesy: The Hindu