March 2006

Since last month's entry was a little paltry i thought id write early this month and tell you about my weekend-

A foolish thing

Apparently there is a saying in Sri Lanka that states that you are a fool if you haven’t climbed Adam’s Peak once and a fool if you’ve done it twice. This reverberated through my head as I paused for breath at about 3am on Saturday night looking up at a trail of lights that seemed to ascend into the dark starry night.
Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada is a mountain that rises 2243m in the southern hill ranges of Sri Lanka. It is a pilgrimage point for the devout and the somewhat devout of the variety of faiths that you find in this country. Buddhism initially laid claim to the mountain, together with a little mythology, when one of our protective divinities asked Buddha to leave his footprint upon the summit. Muslims, Hindus and Christians have also laid claim on the foot-long foot shaped depression atop the mountain- apparently, Buddha, Adam, Shiva and/or St Thomas had really big feet.
So, I decided to climb the roughly 4800 stairs for the second time to witness what millions of others have witnessed over the centuries that this place has been a holy sight; Sunrise.
During the ‘dry’ season in Sri Lanka thousands ascend to the temple at the top to view what can possibly be the most arduously attained sunrise this country has to offer. So with some friends, I decided to try for the peak again since the last time I came it was off-season and I was only able to see about a foot in front of my hand let alone the sunrise. So with cameras and jackets in hand we started the 7km climb at about 2 am.
The thing that makes this place so different from the other numerous pilgrimage sites in this country is its decidedly festival atmosphere about it. Surrounding the base of the mountain are a variety of makeshift shops selling everything from towels and blankets to soft toys and cigars(?). All the way up the mountain (the trail is mostly cement stepped) are brightly lit, little tea shops that welcome the weary climber with extremely sweet, extremely black coffee and freshly made rotis (flatbread).
So we climbed with multi-generational families, young couples, religious groups and tourists to reach the summit and worship the Sun as it rose over the surrounding ridges.
And yet, (start background new-age inspirational music) I felt that it was not necessarily the destination that all the young and old were trying to achieve. This time I actually felt that doing the climb was more important than seeing the beautiful views and just getting to the top. The journey itself was what made the whole experience meaningful...
Or, maybe it was just the grainy coffee. (stop background new-age inspirational music) .
So, perhaps I am a fool, but I will keep climbing Sri Pada.
In any case, I didn’t see the shadow this time so I will just have to go again-