RTW ’24: On The Pekoe Trail

This week, my journey along the Pekoe Trail continued on! I had the opportunity to hike the trail with three different guides, each of which gave me valuable insights on Sri Lanka. Further, I was able to make personal connections with each guide, learning more about their backgrounds, experiences, and their “why” to guiding. My heart was happy to be in nature, but the hike didn’t go without challenges– and my body reminded me of them. I was thankful to have a few rest days in-between the rigorous hiking days where I could focus on some travel tasks and relationships with other travelers along the way, but even on the hardest hiking days, my body and spirit were thankful to thrive in the outdoors.

Wednesday’s hike proved to be quite challenging. The hike began with an intensely steep uphill climb at the beginning of the day, and continued on with a multitude of elevation gains and losses throughout the rest of the day. There were incredibly Vista views at the top of our climbs, and all of the effort to trek through was worth it. That feeling of being on top of the world is a feeling of huge accomplishment. I am so thankful that my body got me there, and I feel rewarded when I breathe in the mountain air, hear the birds surrounding me, and see the mountain peaks from the previous day’s hikes. About half way through the hike, Ayesh stopped at a small mountain spring to refill our water bottles. The mountain water was so cool and refreshing! I splashed my face and felt renewed to tackle the rest of our trek down the mountain. In addition to challenging elevation changes, we hiked through the jungle, bushwhacking our way through. Thankfully, Ayesh was in front of me, so I knew where to go, but I was so worried about leeches– especially on my exposed arms as we moved through branches and low hanging leaves. I had no choice: the only way out was through. I love that about through-hiking– the challenge is to put one foot in front of the other. I shared my leech fear with Ayesh and he said he hadn’t seen any, but as we continued on, he said “we’re not stopping until we get through the jungle. If we stop… your leech friends can find you.” That was enough motivation to keep me going! After we made it through the jungle, the rest of the hiking day was spent walking through several tea plantations. It was mostly downhill on rocky and gravel paths. As the afternoon wore on, my feet started hurting from the rocks, but I reminded myself that, again, the only way out was through. The scenery was beautiful, so I did my best to focus on that instead of the ache in my feet. Normally, I love walking downhill, but because the miles were adding up in a single day, my body was fatigued either way. At the end of the very long hike, I was getting rather hangry. We made it to the town of Thawalanthanna, hiking the last mile on a busy paved road. Tuk tuks and buses whizzed by, and I was ready to be done with the day. Ayesh picked up on my mood and suggested that we stop for ice cream. After a few stores, we found one with a freezer, and rewarded ourselves with an ice cream cone! I was so thankful that Ayesh was able to pick up on my vibe and remediate the situation calmly and quickly. I was so thankful that we had so much time together to learn about one another, and that he was able to give me grace when I needed it. The town we landed in was also where we were meeting the next guide that would be leading me on the next two stages. Ayesh arranged my entire itinerary using local guides, guesthouses, and tuk tuk drivers. He said it’s part of the Pekoe Trail sustainability plan, and I was thankful that he was so knowledgeable– and helpful– which made my transition easier.

Thursday was a much needed rest and relaxation day. After a number of miles on Wednesday, one of my toes on my right foot was quite angry– red and swollen– and I thought that I might lose the toenail, so I rested my feet. My shins were also quite sore, though not unbearably so, so I took some Advil for relief. I was thankful to have a rest day, both to rest my body and my spirit. I took some time to look into new travel destinations and book my next steps, catch up on travel notes, and even watched some local TV!

On Friday, however, it was back to business: the Pekoe Trail called! At first, I wasn’t too thrilled to get a new guide. I had become accustomed to Ayesh’s company, and over the time we spent hiking together, we settled into a nice rhythm. Lalith, my new guide, was nice, but it took some time to adjust to a new person. One of the things that I like about spending the day walking with someone is the easy, casual conversations that happen along the way. Lalith is from Kandy, but eventually settled in Nuwara Eliya, where he’s been for 25 years. He’s married with two sons, 12 and 20 years old, and worked in banking for many years. He recently left his career for a change of lifestyle and stop spend more time with his family. He does hiking and tour guiding, and fills the rest of his time with small farming. As we walked, we saw small farms interspersed within the tea plantations. Lalith provided a lot of context about how the tea workers use any open space to farm (potatoes, leeks, carrots, lettuce, hydrangeas and the like), all of which they sell at markets for extra income. As we walked through villages, he said “hi” to the villages in their native language, Tamil. I realized the value of having a guide who had real community ties to this area of the Pekoe Trail. He provided a lot of farming knowledge, including how Citronella plants are used to fertilize the soil when tea bushes reach their end of life after 45 years. At the end of our hike, the tuk tuk drivers brought us to a vegetable warehouse district. Lalith knew many of the business owners because he brought his crops there to sell them. Once sold, the distributors send the produce to cities near and far.

Hiking stage 21 from Kadapola to Uda Pussallawa very well may have been my favorite hike on the Pekoe Trail. There was so much variety of things to see, smell, and feel. Hiking through the Kadapola Forest with its hardwood trees, moss and ferns, felt like being back home. Although I wasn’t feeling homesick, stepping into the forest gave me the feeling of home. There’s a pine forest steps away from my home in Massachusetts, and I had the same feeling in the forest as I did back home when the cool, shaded trees invited me in. Smelling and touching the moss and ferns felt like meeting long lost friends that I hadn’t realized I missed. I knew that I wanted to do a multi-day hike, but I didn’t realize just how much I needed to reconnect with my “home” nature until I walked into the forest in Sri Lanka. Lalith was eager to learn which plants, birds, and wildlife were common to both of our homes. I noticed hydrangeas, sunflowers, and eagles (different types, but the same majesty and beauty in seeing them soar overhead), to name a few. As we walked along, he pointed out several endemic birds and plants along the way– many that I wished were in my Massachusetts biome. He told me that Sri Lanka has over 300 bird species, only 38 of which are endemic. Even birds from around the world are drawn to Sri Lanka!

After two days hiking with Lalith, just as we were getting comfortable with one another, it was time to say goodbye in Uda Pussallawa. We finished the hike in the small but bustling mountain town. We were both hungry after the hike, so we shared some sweet and savory buns with tea at DeSilva Bakery. Bakeries like that one are a carryover from Portuguese time. DeSilvia is a very common Portuguese surname in New Bedford, MA, which was yet another connection to home. After lunch, we said our goodbyes. He arranged a tuk tuk driver to transport me to Haputhule, about a two hour drive through the mountains. Halfway along the twisty edge of the mountain roads, the thunder and rain rolled in. I dropped down the vinyl curtains in the tuk tuk and held on to the handrails as we continued up the mountain to my next accommodation. It was still pouring when I got out at Franky’s hut, a roti shop, up the hill from my home stay. WIth my bags in tow, I quickly took cover in the hut. Franky called down to the guesthouse and Thalia, my new guide, walked up with umbrellas to escort me down the path. We chatted and got acquainted, waiting for a break in the rain before heading down. By the time I got settled into my room, I took a shower to wash off the trail, took a quick nap, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. As fate would have it, the heavens opened up again. There were no umbrellas in my room, so I put on my jacket, grabbed my headlamp, and found my way up the stairs to the main house for dinner, wearing flip flops to keep my hiking shoes dry. At dinner, I met five other guests staying at the house: two young women from the UK, and a family from Germany who were traveling for over a year. Ema, who was only 4, spoke enough English to join in the conversation and stole the show! Though the hike was tiring, and the rain draining, I was very glad to be there!

Sunday was another much needed rest day. My body was thankful for the reprieve, especially after the rain the day before. I spent the day enjoying the mountain views and chatting with other house guests. I had some great conversation with the German family staying at the house and learned that they are also doing slow travel, and for similar reasons as I am– to immerse in the culture and connect with people. They do fly when absolutely necessary, but otherwise, they take trains, buses and tuk tuks. We shared stories and appreciated that all of the guests in the house were long term travelers. It was a nice kinship! I learned that the white flowering plant that I saw just about everywhere is the Elderflower, brought by the Germans. It seemed to me that everyone visited Sri Lanka at some point!

My third guide, Thaila, and I started our time together taking a tuk tuk to the trail head. Since we were so high up in the mountains (over 6000′), the roads were windy and on the edge of cliffs or terraced tea fields. It was around 7:30 a.m.– during the morning rush to school– and tea workers were climbing up to start tea plucking. Although all of the people and vehicles flowed seamlessly, I just wasn’t in the mountain groove yet, and there were a few times when I closed my eyes instead of seeing how close we came to the edge. Our hike started near the Lipton Seat. Yes, that Lipton. He’s another Scotsman that had a tea estate in this region! This time, we didn’t have a Pekoe sign to take a selfie, but we improvised and used the mountains as our backdrop. ALong the way, I learned that Thalia is of Tamil (Hindu) heritage. He’s 23 years old, and his family is from a village 20 kms from where we were hiking. He wasn’t as talkative as my other guides, but I embraced the silence and enjoyed more of a meditative experience in the mountains. We stopped at a small Hindu temple for a break about halfway through our hike where he explained how the high center piece of the temple (where the main God statue is) is where they store seeds for safe keeping in case of a flood or other damage to farms. Every 12 years, the temple is repainted, and the seeds are replaced. It was so interesting to learn these practical details from a person who grew up Hindu. He also told me that there are two separate Tamil groups in Sri Lanka. Some, like himself, have ancestors who were brought to Sri Lanka as slaves during British rule. Others came from southern India on their own by way of a natural bridge. The northern Tamils (Liberation Tigers) were the ones who revolted and started a civil war in the 1980’s. His experience has been that there are two distinctive Tamil culture groups in Sri Lanka, and they don’t necessarily get along. We finished our hike in the town of Haputule and had lunch together in a local cafe. We waited for a storm to pass and then got a tuk tuk back to the guest house. The short rain monsoon season has definitely started!

Tuesday’s hike proved difficult thanks to an evening rain the night before. The ground was wet, especially in the jungle sections of the trail. We bushwhacked for about a mile or so while I fought off the idea of the possibility of leeches crawling on to my skin. I tried not to think about it, but a YouTube video I watched days prior seeped into my brain whether I wanted it to or not. Thaila was in front of me and gave instructions when it was extra slippery or near an edge to avoid, which I was very thankful for. I did my best to keep moving at a safe and steady speed to get past the jungle, thanks to his guidance. Once we were in the clear, he announced that it was time to check for leeches! My anxiety was high, but Thalia was efficient in finding the light worm-like critters on my hiking shoes and socks, spraying them with an alcohol based spray. I wanted to take my shoes and socks off to inspect my feet, but he said it’s better to let all the ones on the outside die first and check the inside later. It made sense, but it also made my skin crawl. We kept walking on the dry, clear path, and after 20 minutes, we stopped again. All of the leeches on the outside were gone, so I cautiously took my shoes off and inspected the inside. Nothing! Then, I took my socks off, holding my breath. Again, no visitors! I exhaled, thankful to be safe from leeches. I was grateful for Thalia’s expertise and help!

We continued past the soggy jungle, onwards through more tea estates and eucalyptus trees, up the mountain towards Ella Rock. Clouds and rain came in around 1:30, so we put our rain jackets and pack covers on, and continued on our way. The clouds were everywhere, preventing us from seeing any views of Ella Rock, but it was okay– I was getting tired, wet, and ready to finish the day’s hike. I wanted to enjoy the last few miles, but between the weather, leeches, and rocky, technical descent, I was getting fatigued. Thalia must have sense my weariness and said ” we’ll be in Ella in 45 minutes if we keep going”. That did help… until we got down the other side of the mountain an hour later. I could tell that we weren’t close to the town yet, so I asked to stop so I could eat a snack I had packed. After a brief reprieve, I was fueled up and ready to finish, so we pressed on, walking the last section along train tracks. Thalia assured me a train would not be coming, and I saw other people– tourists and locals alike– walking the track as well, so I felt good about it. The tracks seemed to go on forever, and after walking a mile or so, we reached the town. We walked together to my hotel, then said a quick goodbye in the pouring rain. I was very happy to get into my room, out of my wet clothes, into a nice shower and finally get some rest!

Hiking through the Pekoe Trail proved to be a daunting, albeit fulfilling, undertaking. Sri Lanka has a rich country carryover– there is such a blend of cultures, and I get the feeling that the Buddhist teaching of coexistence is alive and well. It has been a real treasure being able to connect with so many people along the trails, especially the talented guides that I’ve had the pleasure of walking with. The saying “a reason, a season, a lifetime” has been ringing through my mind as people come and go along the way, and I’m finding myself incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to meet people that fall into each! Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

Nature loves courage.
You make the commitment,
and nature will respond to that commitment
by removing impossible obstacles.
Dream the impossible dream
and the world will not grind you under,
it will lift you up.
-Terrence McKenna