Sri Paadaya

We did it, we climbed Adam's Peak! It is said that the 2243m high mountain was the landmark of the ancient sea-faring Arabs, who came to Sri Lanka to trade in gems, spices, and ivory, and could be sighted from miles offshore. As well as being a majestic natural formation, Sri Paadaya is revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims alike. Pilgrims traditionally climb during the night with the aim of reaching the summit in time for Ira Sevaya, the sunrise above the sea, high season being from December to April when the weather is optimal.

After graduation on Sunday, we invited four students to stay for the night as their families wouldn't let them travel by themselves at such a late hour and it would be easier for everyone. James and Beth had moved out of the accommodation into the visitor's room at school and taken most of the furniture with them, leaving Aisling and I with a coffee table, two beds and two plastic chairs. All we had to make a meal were a toaster and a mini oven and the girls were a little taken aback when we served toast, a huge pot of dhal from the guesthouse next door, raw tomatoes and leftover peanut biscuits. I had warned them that our current living situation was out of the ordinary but I think they enjoyed themselves, sitting on yoga mats on the floor, sipping on tea we had to go and make at school. We took a few polaroid pictures, sung some Tamil songs, tried to clarify that "this is not how we usually live" and laughed a lot, mostly because of our ridiculous hosting, although I think that went over their heads.

The plan was to fit in five hours of sleep before the van would come to pick us up at 1, so Aisling and I went to bed after checking that the girls had everything they needed. They were giggling when we turned the lights off and they were still giggling when the alarm went off at 00:40. The news that we were climbing Adam's Peak that night had spread like wildfire at graduation so I had no idea how many students would turn up on the bridge wanting to share our van. Three boys came, including one I didn't recognise. There were nine of us, nine seats in the van, so off we drove into the darkness and the mist, full of anticipation. When we got to Delhouse it was drizzling. The steps became steeper and more uneven the higher we climbed, but the whole experience was exhilarating. Had we not done it in pitch black, I would have given up or collapsed halfway, so vertical were the stairs. The only things my mind had to focus on during those three hours were lifting my foot onto the next step and controlling my breathing. Having no set expectations of how long or steep what to come was, the only choice was to power on into the night sky.

There were huts along the way selling all kinds of crisps, biscuits and fizzy drinks where we stopped off every 45 minutes or so to catch our breaths and cool down. We were drenched in sweat and drizzle so it was not long before we were shivering and had to set off again. The others were lagging behind so 500 steps from the summit, Aisling and I decided to treat ourselves to a cup of fuming tea and wait for them. It was a large tent with Tamil music playing in the background and a bubbly atmosphere created by the simple joy of having nearly reached the top. Even the young man making the tea seemed content, although I can’t even imagine what it must be like to climb Adam’s Peak night after night, probably carrying the water or gas, to make tea until the early hours of the morning. When they finally dragged themselves up the last steps we bought them tea, unpacked the coconut biscuits and celebrated by taking many sweaty selfies.

Twenty minutes later we were up there in the bitter cold wind with an hour to wait and nothing to shield ourselves so we huddled together and the boys took a nap. Sri Paadaya is most famous and indeed holy for the boulder at its summit believed by Buddhists to carry Buddha’s footprint set in jewels beneath the visible rock. Other faiths have also laid claim to the mysterious indentation: Hindus believe it to be the footprint of Lord Siva, Christians that of St. Thomas and Muslims that of Adam as he stepped down from the Garden of Eden (hence the name Adam’s Peak). Instead of a magnificent sunrise, we gazed at fog for half an hour before deciding that there was definitely not going to be even a glimmer of pink light and it wasn’t worth getting a cold for. Here is what we could have hoped to see, had the weather been clear.

Going down was harder than coming up. Beth had warned me that our legs would be shaking going down but that’s not exactly how I would describe it. Neither would I describe it as being painful because the ache only kicked in the next day, so I think the word I’m looking for is graceless. My knees were bending in all directions, my face contorting in all kinds of grimaces, my hands gripping onto the railing for dear life. Skipping down was the easiest and least awkward way I found of getting down, and soon there were hoards of tourists galloping down the stairs behind us so we found some Spanish lads to race with.

It was a memorable and thrilling experience and I could go into much more detail about how dishevelled we were when we finally reached the bottom, how we reeked of sweat and damp, and how marvellous the little bag of peanuts we bought after all this was. However, what I retain is how serene I felt coming down the last steps.

Sascha xx