Thursday, February 11, 2010

climbing sri pada (adam's peak)

Surprisingly, there was only a brief moment when I thought that this was a bad idea. Having a few beers the night before climbing the mountain may have been a contributing factor.

Claire and I slept for a few hours, then the alarm went off at 2am and we started the ascent. Our room was like a shoebox in both size and smell, so we were happy to get going.

There were many pilgrims who were also climbing the 6000 steps, hoping to reach the top by sunrise. I climbed in rapid spurts and quickly became exhausted. Luckily, Claire, the Queen of Endurance, took control and got us to the top well before sunrise. We saw the shards of light cut through the clouds as the monks chanted.

We stopped for a few well-earned rotis after descending, Claire ordered in Singhalese. There is a saying here: If you never climb Sri Pada, you are a fool. If you climb Sri Pada, you are also a fool. If you drink beer before climbing, you are an idiot.

Gaj


At the summit


The mountain casts a perfectly triangular shadow across the clouds.


The start of our descent. Buddhist flags flutter in the breeze.


Sunrise


The summit in the background

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