Robgill Log cabin

It’s been a while since I met my batch mate buddies and went on at least an outing with them. It’s a good thing that the only married guy of the lot, was cool enough to actually organize a whole trip, for all of us. I actually got to know about it even pretty late in the process. Anyway I was excited, more than I care to admit. I didn’t even inquire about the destination. It was some cabin in the hills, is all I knew. Anyway I signed up, because why the hell not.

Prelude - The Night

The weekend of October 18^th and 19^th was marked off in my calendar for the trip. The NBQSA award ceremony night fell on the 17^th. I wasn’t alarmed, coz I was under the impression that we are gonna leave on the 18^th. But to my immense dismay I found out that the guys were leaving on the 17^th night on the train to Hatton. Friends suggested that I probably won’t be able to go with them and will have to come by bus. What a bummer.  But I wasn’t ready to let that come in the way of this escapade. I said Ok, I will take the bus. But it was easier said than done.

The award, that pink hue though :/

What a night that was. Clearly a night to remember with all the victories, and some other happenstances. A realization that I have now is, that I haven’t been to an award ceremony like that in which I represented something that could win that big. So it was a special night, no doubt. The project that I contributed, Televisionary , won the Gold award in the category of Media and Entertainment and won the Silver in the overall competition in all the apps. That means the second best software of 2014 in all of Sri Lanka, according to NBQSA. Also we got selected to represent Sri Lanka in APICTA 2014. Woot woot. I was psyched, and was not gonna let a pouring rain stop me from going to my next immediate destination : Hatton. And the fact that my phone battery was below 15% just added to the barriers that played in my mind to drop the trip right then and there. But, thankful to my will, I just decided to go, and once the decision was made, it was easy.

Took a tuk tuk to Pettah private bus stand. It was pouring. The small umbrella I was carrying was barely enough to cover both me and the huge backpack I was carrying. Needless to say the back pack was soaked before long. I traveled between the platforms asking other sorry souls like me for information on a Hatton bus. When all else failed, had to go with the phone a friend option. This guy Hirantha  apparently knew about all the bus stuff. Mind you this with the precious little battery life, that I had to save until I reach there. So short phone calls, and turned off the phone. Hirantha said my best bet would be to try for the CTB bus that is due in 12.00. This was at like 11.30. So enduring the unforgiving rain, rushed to the CTB bus stand.

The environs there was even worse, what with all the hygiene government focuses on. Asked around for the Hatton bus, and I was lead to this long line. What they said was I couldn’t hope to get a seat now, so close to the deadline, because they reckoned that all the seats were booked. What to do, I was determined to try anything. Because who knows when I will get a chance to go on a trip like this again.

I went to the end of the line and there were some dudes who asked around where did I wanna go. I said Hatton and they said to follow them. Maybe it was the doubt that I had in my mind that the line I was in was the wrong line, or due to my determination, I forgot all heed and just followed them. And they lead me to a van parked right outside the bus stop. They told me to get in. It was fully crowded and only one seat was left. I asked them what is the price and they said 500 and I said Ok and got in, because there was a freaking seat I could take to Hatton. Maybe that was the only thing that worked in my mind, because I was tired and soaked. Now narrating this, and with how things played out, I blame my self, what the hell was I thinking!? But slowly sense started to come to my mind, because after the dudes closed the door, it was steamy inside and dude in the back started complaining in Tamil, as far as I could tell. I was lucky that the van didn’t leave immediately, because the dudes went in search for other desperate souls I think. I couldn’t take it anymore, I asked them to let me get down the van. And they did. I ran to the bus stand again without looking back.

But I’m sure going in that van wouldn’t have been that bad. It was hot and humid in there, but I’m sure it would reach the destination nonetheless. But with my amusing luck, I am glad that I made the decision to get off that van then. Back at the bus stand, I was lead back and forth between two places where the bus was supposed to be. Finally, with just 5 mins to 12 o’clock, I asked the bus conductor, if there are any seats available to Hatton, for this was a bus to Nuwaraeliya through Hatton. His cold shrug only drove me away. There was another bus due at 1 am, and people said I could book a seat in that.  Well I thought screw that and got on the bus anyway, and just passed the conductor and other passengers hanging around the door and went on my way inside the bus. Due to my surprise there were few seats left. I didn’t have clear idea about how the booking system works, so I thought these might be booked seats which are left. With a  wavering mind, I just sat down in a seat anyway,  sure that I would be asked to give the seat to a person who booked shortly. But no, the conductor came, and I just bought a ticket, easy as that. 

What’s with all this hocus pocus with the booking and all. I found a seat to Hatton, in a jiffy. So with satisfaction, I sought sleep until I reached there. But that wasn’t so easy as well, because I was stuck between a wide shoulder and a hard steel bar that you can find in those buses. My right shoulder kept pressing on the bar and I had to sort of wrap my hand around the bar to get a bit of sleep. And THAT WAS NOT ALL...

Finally reached Hatton at 4 am, Got off the bus and started looking around and there was my friend walking down the road! They lead me to the van they were waiting in for 30 mins . Immediately got blamed for turning off my phone, because I only turned on the phone then. No worries now, coz I finally reached  my pals.

 Destination

The van lead through a road that can be only described as a footpath. No asphalt in that road and it was a bumpy ride. People had to get off the van too in several occasions to let the van ascend. But finally around 5 am we reached the destination Robgill Log Cabin , in Bogawantalawa.  Jokes of Cabin in the woods was abundant.

The place is only powered by a generator, which I found out to my immense disappointment. The first things I searched for was a way to charge my phone, because I had to call... people. But no, with dawn, the generator was turned off. But my brave phone hung on for like another 5 hours or so.

The cabin was all of wood. Literally a log cabin. It got two stories with 4 rooms with 8 beds, a dining area and a kitchen. The cabin can house 15 people at most. There were only 12 of us so some of us had beds to themselves even. The beds were quite cozy with fresh sheets. Nothing wrong there.  But the sanitation was kind of bad. It got me down a bit. With the lack of power and all I wasn’t that much excited to be there at first, but all of that changed. Finally the lack of power and everything lead to a much needed 2 days off from everything, fulfilled with relaxation and peace.

Woods adjoining

 Some of us didn’t have much sleep that morning. Before breakfast we went on a hike to the hill in the back of the cabin. Later on, all of us took the foot path through the Tea plantations down stream to the cabin to a little rocky fall. The flora around the path was pleasant. The little journeys and hikes established that my favorite place on Sri Lanka is the hill country. Just loved the cool breezes and misty greenish fields and picturesque mountains all around. Something that I needed very much after a long time.

View from the cabin balcony

We returned to the cabin and contemplated the idea on having a bath in the natural pool associated with the cabin. At first I was not sure about the whole thing, because it seemed muddy and it was said people has actually died there. But that wasn’t like me to think like that, this was another thing that I must try, I thought. One by one we went to the calm waters, and was shocked by how frigging cold it was. We were like howling from the immense cold. The immersed parts were made numb, and splashing water hit the skin it was like cold steel needles. How the hell those crazy fucks who take nude baths in icy pools in Iceland doing that!? It was definitely an important experience of the whole trip.

The food was fantastic. We gave the supplies to the attendants who were stationed there, and they cook the food we ask of them. That night, we had a BBQ and it was magnificent. The food was spicy and we had an appetite always due to the cold. Ate too much though.

Moth on the door

I must say that I went with the best guys I could think of. During all my life, I have come to the realization that these guys are the best bunch there is. There is no prejudice, no pretentiousness, no deception and no hidden intentions, no showing off, just enjoying and having fun. I mean, I have laughed during that time, more than I have laughed all year. Also, I think, that we just maybe the only group of adults who went there and not had a single drink, lol. I just regret not having the chance to spend more time with these guys.

It was definitely the highlight of the year for me, those 2 nights and 2 days. A bumpy and exciting ride from even before the start to finish. That’s not all, even after it all, it finally even gave this much needed long blog post to me. We returned via train back home, surrounded by beautiful sights all around. Surely glad to went through all that, a brief real retreat from the dull, monotonous reality.