Where
angels fear to tread
Wednesday,
February 5, 2020 - 01:00
TITLE: Adventure Tours in Sri Lanka-Part Two
(Sri Lankawe Kriyadama
Charika)
AUTHOR: SHAMINDA RANSHAN FERNANDO
The magnum opus
entitled: Adventure Tours in Sri Lanka (Sri Lankawe Kriyadama Charika) written
in Sinhalese, published by the author Shaminda Ranshan Fernando was released
recently.
The book is replete with
hundred and eighty pages in the glossy paper of pure bliss. These ‘Daredevil’
adventures comprise trekking of about forty waterfalls, fifty peaks and few
caves and more hidden attractions experienced by the author an intrepid nature
enthusiast and four of his adventurist colleagues. The book is dedicated to the
sensitive environmentalist who loves and protects flora, rivers and waterfalls,
peaks, and valleys, tunnels and caves.
Once you read this book
you will not leave it aside. You are bound to re-read it! The book is a nature
adventurist enthusiast’s miscellany. I am always reminded of the fascinated
colonial writers often quoted epithet: “Ceylon the Adam’s Garden,” when I got
engrossed in reading this thought-provoking book.
Reading Adventure Tours
in Sri Lanka -Sri Lankawe Kriyadama Charika is neither another reclined
armchair adventure episode that any traveller could experience and a wayfarer
could observe nor a fascinating story like Jungle Tide by John Still; ‘Seeing
Ceylon’ - ‘Discovering Ceylon’ by Dr R. L. Brohier that lingers with a sense of
nostalgia - they are all unremitting expeditions persevered by these three
youth. The writer Shaminda Ranshan Fernando’s sensitive eye has envisioned what
‘angels fear to tread’ and has explored the unseen, unheard and has carved a
niche in the annals of nature adventure explorations.
In my quest for reading
his adventure’s what I could glean is that all fifty articles experience the
author Shaminda and two of his adventurist friends have ‘dared’ except the Hot
Air Ballooning tour experience in the area of Kandalama Lake located in the
islet jutted out to the equipped tour all are upcountry caves, peak and
waterfall adventure trekking. Once I perused his preface and some chapters only
I could realize that these adventures of the ‘daredevil’ adventurist ‘were not
gained in a sudden flight’, but was in nine years. Because there were few
newest findings such as the highest peak of Uva province, Kirigalpotta peak in
Knuckles, virgin Bumara Fall chain and Haritha Kanda.
Shaminda Ranshan’s
travelogue is not fiction like Jules Verne’s ‘4000 leagues under the sea’. This
compendium contains secret tips, snippets for an adventurist that would crave
to encounter and quench once thirst for adventure sans any risks in once life.
I commend author Shaminda Ranshan Fernando altruism for imparting his knowledge
for the guidance of the future adventurist explorations.’
This handy opus would
serve as a vade mecum for the nature lover who would seek recourse to spend
once leisure in the salubrious climes to the true sense of the word: “Pearl of
the Indian Ocean.” Shaminda Ranshan Fernando’s book entitled: “Adventure Tours
in Sri Lanka – Part Two (Sri Lankawe Kriyadama Charika)” in an adventurists
enthusiasts guide for Sri Lanka’s exploration of nature’s true spectacle”.
This amazing guide book
printed in art paper full colour with including comprehensive articles about
adventure attractions for more than 100 in Sri Lanka. Those articles are
including of all the information about the trek, guide details, special
landmarks, GPS coordination and Google digital map with many colour photos.
Further, this book also has special articles about the dozens of Mini World’s
Ends in Sri Lanka and the GPS coordination for 180 waterfalls with dividing to
15 major routes and an article about handling offline Google maps for
navigating purposes.
Reviewed by Hemantha
Situge
