After the visit to the Practical Action site, we headed off for the final 30km leg to Point Pedro, the northernmost town in Sri Lanka. It is a very small town and we rode through it together.

As we reached the endpoint, the sun had started to set. It had truly been an incredible journey, starting with a sunrise at the southernmost point and finishing as the sun set at the northernmost point!  

It was a very emotional moment getting to the end of the cycling distance. In total we had cycled 780km over 9 days of cycling. We had cycled an extra 80km and still finished 1 day ahead of schedule!

We jumped into the sea for a celebratory swim to mark the completion of the distance. The cycle may be over but the adventure continues. We've still got 5 days of visiting Practical Action offices, exploring the eastern coastline, climbing the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and then some shopping in Colombo. =)

View pictures of the war memorials and Point Pedro on facebook: Cycle on Ceylon - Day 11

Team Gone Adventurin'

We visited Practical Action’s project called A New Beginning – Rehabilitating Irrigation Infrastructure and Initialising Market Development. It was an insightful visit as we witnessed the team's two pronged approach to improving the livelihoods of the agricultural community - 1) rehabilitating the irrigation infrastructure and 2) ensuring that in-demand crops are cultivated.

1) Rehabilitating the irrigation infrastructure
The water tanks are little more than natural bowls, each around half a kilometre in length and width. The natural edges of the bowls are raised with soil covered in grass, and strategic channels and gates are installed to allow locals to control the flow of water. Maintenance of the banks and the irrigation gates is traditionally carried out by the communities living around the tanks. Rain water is captured and stored during the monsoon and channelled into fields during the dry season. The bowls also raise the surrounding water table, keeping wells filled higher and for longer and create an oasis for wildlife. 

2) Ensuring that in-demand crops are cultivated
Practical Action is working with the farmers and other people who work in agriculture to think about the demand for crops in the end markets: local ones, those in Jaffna up north, and those down south and identify what can be done to meet this demand. The team is facilitating a process that enables poor returnees to produce in-demand fruit and vegetables in an environmentally sustainable way and sell them for reliable prices into the markets that want them. 

We met with chilli farmers and had a long interview with them. They are very grateful for the work done by Practical Action. With the improvement in agriculture and knowledge of what crops are in-demand, they have been able to derive sufficient income to send their children to school and universities. 

The impact of the project renewed our motivation to raise funds to ensure that Practical Action can continue its amazing work in Sri Lanka. And with this renewed motivation, we pedaled towards Point Pedro - the final leg of our bike adventure!

Content for this post was taken from an article written by Alexis Morcrette at  http://practicalaction.org/blog/category/sri-lanka/

Team Gone Adventurin'

Having spent the last few days experiencing the beauty of the Sri Lankan coastline and the cool clime of its breathtaking hills, the North feels like a complete different country. The terrain, the people and the landscape are a stark contrast from the rest of Sri Lanka. The landscape has mainly been dry, scrubby and barren. 

Kilinochchi used to be the administrative centre and de facto capital of the  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This city witnessed the Battle of Kilinochchi between the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE during the Sri Lankan civil war between November 2008 and January 2009.  It was a fiercely fought battle with the Sri Lankan army recapturing the city in January 2009.

The landmine clearing operations is one of the several grim reminders of the war. Bullet-riddled buildings are commonplace. It has been a surreal experiencing cycling through Kilinochchi. 

Team Gone Adventurin'

We spent last night at a pilgrims hostel within the grounds of the Sri Sarananda Buddhist Temple, Anuradhapura. We befriended a few teenaged monks from Nepal who shared their experiences with us. Interestingly, they can all speak at least 5 different languages. Somehow the conversation sparked an idea in us that we should shave our heads for charity. And that's exactly what happened this morning!
We had made a change in the route schedule. Instead of cycling 60km to Vavuniya and then 80km to Kilinochchi the following day, we planned to cover the entire distance of 140km today. 

We were about to enter the North of the country proper. Despite all the readings and research we have done before the trip, we are still unsure as to what to expect.  

As we approached Vavuniya, we felt a marked change in the atmosphere of the place. Maybe it was because we were burdened by the knowledge of the war that had recently concluded. There was a greater police presence in this part with a lot more police checkpoints. 

After a short break at Vavuniya, we crossed our first military checkpoint. 

The first sight to greet us was a remote-controlled machine. It was a United Nations - owned machine used for clearing land mines. Areas that remained uncleared were barricaded by yellow barriers.

We finished the ride in Kilinochchi and had completed 150km. It was the most intense day of cycling today both physically and mentally. Witnessing the grim reminders of the war added to the mental exhaustion. 

We spent the night in the outskirts of Kilinochchi under the thatched roof of a farmer's hut. Read about the significance of Kilinochchi and our first impressions of the North at this blogpost. We may have almost completed the cycling distance but the adventure is far from over!

Team Gone Adventurin'

We're in Kandy! Kandy is definitely one of the most scenic cities we have visited thus far. In fact, they have ALL been jaw-droppingly scenic. Beside its scenic beauty, Kandy is famous for being the home of "The Temple of the Tooth Relic". This temple is one of the most venerable places for the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka. It is also a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Last night, we were inspired by the promise of the biogas projects that we had heard about from the staff of Practical Action. We were excited to witness the biogas project in action and that was our first stop for the day - the ayurvedic hospital benefitting from the biogas unit. 

Biogas plants can provide 75% of household cooking needs, run lights and heat up irons - with a by-product of enriched fertiliser for farmers' fields. More importantly. the energy generated is sustainable, renewable and locally sourced. The way the unit works is by converting fermenting organic waste material into energy.  The fermentation process combines to produce gas that is 65 per cent methane. It is collected in a storage tank and can be piped to where its needed. 

We met the Director of the Ayurveda hospital using the biogas unit. Ayurvedic hospitals use ancient knowledge of herbs and plants in their treatments. The used herbs and plants are fed into the fermentation units. And the gas that is generated is used by the hospital to prepare medications. The hospital is grateful for the biogas unit installed with the help of Practical Action. They have now gained the knowledge and expertise to build more biogas units for their need. We were just blown away by the power of this technology to create a sustainable future for our planet. Awesome work by Practical Action! 

After the enriching experience with the director, it was time for an experience of an another kind - a spiritual experience within the historic Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.  

The temple is housed within the vast royal palace complex. This is because it was the duty of the monarch to safeguard the relic. And hence for centuries, the custodianship of the relic came to symbolize the right to rule. 
The vastness of the complex and the intricacies of each pavilion, each column and painting require more than a day of viewing. However, we did'nt have the luxury of time to do so. We had cycling to do!

We started off in the blistering heat. The fact that we were cycling between two bustling cities that are major tourist attractions meant dealing with insane amounts of traffic. We had to dodge tourist buses and weaving tuk tuks. 

We were hoping to visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress on the way to Dambulla. Unfortunately, the fortress is located within a national park whose gates close at 5pm. We had to give it a miss and visit tomorrow.

The consolation was that were going to complete our ride for the day at another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dambulla Cave Temple. The templex complex has been a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries!! It is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. It was a perfect place to complete the tough 72km ride for the day. 

Today marked another amazing day in Sri Lanka. We witnessed the simplicity and power of renewable energy, were touched by the calming environment of the tooth temple and were humbled by the craftmanship and dedication of the people who shaped the ancient cave temple. Sri Lanka has more surprises in store for us tomorrow as we explore the famed Kandalama Hotel and the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Stay tuned for more adventure!

View more pictures of the team at the two world heritage sites on facebook: Cycle on Ceylon - Day 8

Team Gone Adventurin'

We got up at 4 am this morning so that we could squeeze in a visit to World's End at Horton Plains National Park before cycling down to the centre of Sri Lanka, Kandy. World's End is a sheer precipice with a 870 m drop located at the southern boundary of the park. It is an absolutely must to get World's End before 9am to catch the amazing view over the tips of the mountains. The view disappears under a thick fog after 9am as fog envelops the mountains.

We started off at Pattipola Railway Station, the highest train station in Sri Lanka. It was a chilly morning with temperatures at approximately 15 degrees celsius. A monstrous 6km climb awaited us enroute to the Horton Plains National Park. Its definitely the toughest terrain we've encountered with an incline at slightly more than 30 degrees. We did a mini race to see who could get to the top of the hill fastest. 

Five minutes into the race and Lauren's bike chain gave way cycling up the intense climb. Ashwin and Debbie encountered a problem with their gears and stopped not far ahead from Laurens. This 6km incline is probably too much of a punishment for the bikes! This left Kimble and Navin to fight it out for the first position. 

Kimble zipped ahead of Navin and finished first. A 6km climb with a 30 degree incline completed in less than 30 minutes. The entire team was in high spirits as we had just hit the highest elevation of the adventure at 2196m. After this, it was going to be an easy downhill ride all the way back to the coast!

Horton Plains National Park has a beautiful landscape of rolling hills marked by forest interrupted by vast grasslands. We were excited to see that the view from World's End was yet to be obscured by thick fog. We had made it on time!

We were running behind schedule and had to leave the park with a heavy heart. All of us were definitely planning to make a visit again sometime in the future. 

The easy downhill riding began. We were starting from an elevation of 2196m and completing today's ride at an elevation of 400m. A massive change of elevation within one day. Riding downhill requires occassional pedalling and a lot of braking especially when going around corners. The speed at which you go downhill is entirely up to the rider and the rider's confidence in handling his bike. Our first-placed cyclist from the earlier race lost control of his bike and damaged the front wheel. Thankfully, he endured minor scratches. It took us an hour to receive the new wheel and we were soon on the move again. 

It was an uneventful ride as we zipped into the scenic city of Kandy. We had an appointment with the staff from Practical Action. They briefed us on the biogas project and the impact it has had in Sri Lanka. It was an educational discussion and we look forward to a practical application of this project tomorrow. In fact, we were spending the night at the site where the biogas project was being implemented - Pallekele Provincial Ayurvedic Hospital.  Turned in early for the night as we had been up since 4am!

View more pictures of Horton Plains National Park on facebook: Cycle on Ceylon - Day 7

Team Gone Adventurin'

Our rest day. We spent the day learning how tea is made. All of us gained a heightened appreciation for our daily tea. 


Team Gone Adventurin'

After spending the past few nights in the outdoors, we are being treated to a stay at the 123 year old Nuwara Eliya Golf Club! Its an old colonial building nestled between the town and the surrounding forested hills. Nuwara Eliya has an amazingly picturesque landscape and a temperate climate to boot. We love this place! 

Team Gone Adventurin'

The initial plan was to cycle 43km from Ratnapura to the town of Balangoda. However, we got done so early that we decided to cycle another 32km to the town of Belihuloya! Boy, we sure are getting faster on our bamboo bikes!We have now gotten used to the early mornings. We woke up earlier than the business operating hours of the restaurant in the hotel. Thankfully, our driver got us a breakfast of delicious pratas.  

Laurens had to wear his yellow LIVESTRONG jersey as his blue team jersey could'nt dry on time. This is why we took a dig at him in the album. =)

The biggest road hazard for cycling in Sri Lanka...no its not the buses with their blaring horns, not the trucks with their incessant honking, not even the tuktuks that pop out from nowhere...its the cows!

Since we were already in hill country, pedalling uphill and leisurely letting gravity do its job downhill - we would gain a lot of speed on the downhill sections. We encountered a herd of cows on the road during one of the downhill sections. Coming to a complete stop when you were just cruising at 51km/h is a big challenge. Ashwin tried to rush around the herd but was not able to manoeuvre his way around them and had to break suddenly. Kimble who was following closely behind knocked into Ashwin's bike. Thankfully neither of them got hurt. We laughed it off and continued on our way.

We completed our 43km at about 11am and took a break in Balangoda. Balangoda is famed for its prehistoric archaeological sites dating from 34,000BP. The name for the first anatomically modern human who first appeared in Sri Lanka is Balangoda Man. We had to give Balangoda Man a miss as his archaelogical site was an 80km roundtrip from where we were. It would've delayed us significantly. Since we still had so much of the day left, we decided to push on till the hillside town of Belihuloya. Belihuloya is one of the richest bio-diversity spots in the country and is reknowned for as an eco-adventure destination.

We made it to the town just before lunch time. Ivan had discovered a tiny hotel, Jungle Rest Belihuloya, nestled amongst the beautiful jungle covered hills. It was going to be the filming crew's hotel for tonight.  The hotel is a hidden gem with friendly staff, awesome food, low prices and tranquil surroundings. We had pitched out tents next to the paddy fields as its not rice growing season yet. After lunch, we headed off for a trek to the Bambarakanda Falls which is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. The trek was just amazing. We could see the transition of the vegetation as the altitude changed. We started out through semi-evergreen forests and completed the trek in a montane temperate forest. The pine forest was simply breathtaking. With the pine trees all around, it did'nt feel that we were in Sri Lanka. The change in the forest type seemed to have an impact on the size of the plants as well. The flowers and other plants around the waterfall were supersized! For example the chrysanthemum flowers were double the size of the ones we usually see. 

The ride today had been short but intense. It was a demanding route on a costant incline. The winding road added to the challenge. Its a huge difference to be sleeping within the forest tonight. No more sounds of traffic lulling us to sleep. Tonight, its just the sound of the jungle. 

Tomorrow, we'll be meeting the Tea Tang team and be heading to "Little England". The adventure keeps getting better. =)

View more pictures of today's adventure on facebook: Cycle on Ceylon - Day 4

Team Gone Adventurin'

Day Two of our bike adventure. We will be leaving the city of Bentota for the city of gems, Ratnapura, covering a distance of 92km. Ratnapura literally means "City of Gems" coming from the Sinhala words, "ratna" meaning gems and "pura" meaning city. “I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams comes rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethyst and garnet.” - Marco Polo. This anecdote got us all the more excited about our destination.

The day got started at 0700hrs with breakfast by the beach. We set off for the scenic beaches of Aluthgama which is a few kilometres away from Bentota. Aluthgama's white sandy beaches and clear blue waters make it a popular destination for travellers. Unfortunately , we missed the turn by 3km! 

We took a break for some proper breakfast before Matugama. The delicious egg and cheese parathas together with the samosas made us forget the disappointment of not getting to Aluthgama. =)

We made a visit to a kindergarten on the outskirts of Matugama. The kids were excited to see a bunch of foreigners on strange looking bicycles. Their teachers explained our purpose in Sri Lanka and also where we were from (in simple terms of course!). Soon, there were high fives all around. We joined them in a song of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" before continuing on our journey. The kids saw us off till the school gates. We were really touched by the gesture. The kids are definitely going to remember the day where a group of cyclists came to their class for a long time to come. 

Cycling along the coast had been easy as the terrain was flat. As we moved further inland, the terrain got hillier. We officially entered the start of hill country after Matugama. An ice cream vendor on a rusty old bicycle cycled alongside us for quite a distance. He did'nt speak any English and was curious about our strange bikes. Relying on our hand gestures, we managed to convince him that the bikes were made for bamboo. He lent us his bicycle horns and we were soon honking away. He was greatly amused. His presence and interactions with us made this section of the ride really fun. 

After about 50km of hills, we finally arrived in Ratnapura. We found a retro-looking hotel (The Nilani Hotel) that allowed us to pitch our tents on their grounds (Above Right). They gave us a good deal for using their facilities and camping there. Ivan had found a gem mine that we could visit. We hurried over to the mine so that we could witness the process ourselves and get some footage before darkness fell (Above Left). 

The team has completed a total of 197km over the past two days. To reward ourselves for our efforts, we tucked into Chinese food at a run down, once famous restaurant. 

To learn about the gem mining process and see pictures of the open gem mine: Cycle on Ceylon - Day 3 on facebook

Team Gone Adventurin'