Reaching for the skies

One step at a time. One step at a time and I'll be there, I told myself.

Refusing to look anywhere except on the iron steps foundered on the mountain face, I climbed higher and higher.

Mercifully, it was early evening, the sky was overcast and a pleasant breeze cooled my heated cheeks.

One step at a time, I chanted to myself, huffing, till Sampath grabbed my hand and in true film-y style, pulled me up the last few steps to the summit.

It had been an adventurous day, our second in Sri Lanka. We had arrived the previous day in Colombo on a trip organised by the country's national carrier, SriLankan.

The tranquillity of the island country was broken by fear of the LTTE. Gun-toting soldiers welcomed us at the airport itself.

Fortunately for us, the situation was peaceful while we were there.

Feeling hungry

We had boarded our minibus outside the Hilton Colombo just shy of 7am and were half way through the city when Sampath, the guide assigned to our group of six journalists, realised he had forgotten our breakfast packs at the reception.

We debated whether we should go back to the hotel and pick them up. By popular vote, it was vetoed. A decision we would later regret.

We were on our way to Kandy with our next stop some three hours away at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage.

If the guide had not been with us, we would have driven past it, as the orphanage looks like any other gate from the road.

It was just after 9am but the sun was strong. We were in time to catch the jumbos having breakfast.

While we watched them being fed, we missed our own left-behind packs, consoling ourselves that this sight was much more pleasing.

As a young one gulped down bottles full of watery milk, an older sibling went searching for food from the tourists.

The all-purpose trunk of one not-so-small elephant found its way towards me while I focused my camera on the younger one, giving me a start.

She was friendly, holding out her trunk to all, even scaring a toddler.

Ready for fun

The elephants here roam free, though the mahouts and keepers stay with them, offering to take photos of the beasts.

Though they seemed gentle enough, the elephants were scary.

The orphanage also houses a tusker blinded by farmers and a three-legged female named Sama who stepped on a landmine when she was three years old. She is now 12.

It was getting warmer by the minute and the jumbos were raring for their daily dip in the Maha Oya river, 400 metres from the orphanage.

We took up seats in one of the restaurants on the riverbank.

Sipping cold drinks (I am sure most of us wanted to be the elephants at the time), we had the opportunity to watch some 40 elephants bathing and frolicking in the water.

An adventurous little one stepped away from the group to go hunting, just below where we sat, to find the untold wonders of “modern-day garbage''.

Having found a bright blue bottle cap and sampling it, he decided it wasn't tasty enough and spat it out immediately.

His next quest was the small gutter running beside our restaurant — to sample some paper and other ‘goodies'.

The shops on the way to the river stocked leather goods, not unlike Thailand or India.

The sun was getting hotter and we felt it was worth investing Rs200 (Dh7) in the wide-brimmed hats on sale. Otherwise, it was just too hot to shop.

The best for the last

It was almost midday when we left the elephants lazing in the cool river. Almost lunch time and we were a good hour and a half from our lunch stop.

By this time, we were pretty hungry after the early dinner we had, so we could catch a bit of rest before our very early start.

After the hearty lunch, we boarded the bus (I think we spent more hours on this bus than in any one place!) towards our next stop, which wasn't too far.

Within an hour, we reached the Vil Uyana, a hotel constructed in the lap of natural luxury.

We stepped out again, soon after checking-in, for our big adventure — climbing the Sigiriya or Lion's Rock to see 5th century BC frescoes.

I was already tired after the day's rush but didn't realise my biggest adventure was yet to come.

Now, who in his right mind would make a fortress on a 370-metre high tabletop rock!

Strategically and from the point of view of safety, it was a good idea, but did not King Kasyapa, the creator of the fort, consider the plight of the number of tourists who would visit the place after so many centuries?

I need not have worried, for there are so many “guides'' who offer to help you walk up the face of the rock.

But we decided we needed no help. Each step I took, Sampath said: “This is the toughest part ... after that everything will become easy.''

“Ya right!'' I thought to myself, as I huffed and puffed up the innumerable worn-out stairs, expecting the clouds to burst any minute, which would then make it dangerous to climb down.

The frescoes were a sight not to be missed. At this point, I thought our sojourn had come to an end. But, boy, was I wrong.

Sampath then showed us the almost invisible ancient graffiti under the newer version scribbled by lovers visiting Sigiriya.

Not unlike most heritage sites around the world.
Almost there!

OK, maybe now we'll begin our downward journey ... but we were still climbing till we reached the Lion's Paw.

Wow, I thought, made it in single piece. Only to be told there was more climbing to do. I can't make it, I said. It's too high and I'm too tired.

As the company started its last lap, I thought, what the heck, I have climbed up so far and it's just another couple of hundred steps.

How difficult can it be? I set off ... one step at a time.

As Sampath pulled me on to the summit, I knew I would have regretted it forever had I decided to stay down.

King Kasyapa did know what he was doing. A huge palace and pool on top of a rock? What a view! Twilight had begun to set in as we screamed and jumped like children.

Maybe it was the exhilaration of having climbed so high that the way back seemed really short and quick.

As we got into the bus, aching, the cloud decided it had waited long enough.

It came down in a rush, proving no amount of fear can overshadow the natural wonders of this pearl in the Indian Ocean.

History: Sigiriya

Fact file: Jumbo haven

Pinnawela elephant orphanage is situated northwest of the town Kegalla, halfway between the present capital Colombo and the ancient royal residence of Kandy, in the hills of central Sri Lanka.

The orphanage was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Department on a 25-acre coconut property on the Maha Oya river at Rambukkana.

The orphanage is also a breeding centre for elephants. Twenty elephants have been born since 1984, and it has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world.

The orphanage was designed to afford care and protection to orphaned baby elephants found in the jungle.

Initially, the orphanage was at the Wilpattu National Park. It was shifted to the tourist complex at Bentota and then to the Dehiwala Zoo. From there, it was shifted to Pinnawela.

— Information courtesy: www.elephant.se

Eco-friendly: Natural paper

On the way from the orphanage to the river, in the shops lining the street, we came across an interesting thing — paper made from elephant dung (immediately christened “poopier'' by the group).

A tall illustration depicting exactly how it was made was seen outside one of the shops. I wondered what the job of an elephant “poo'' collector would be like, especially trying to collect all the droppings they left behind in the river.

Go there ...

Sri Lanka: From the UAE

From Dubai

Package includes return Economy class ticket on Srilankan Airlines; four nights stay in a fortress double room on a double sharing basis at The Fortress Hotel in Galle; daily breakfast; return airport transfers.
Fare from Dh2,830

— Information courtesy: Dnata Holidays. Ph: 8008118