MARCO POLO and MARCO(tte) PAOLO

 POST # 441

 

 

While I was still back in Vancouver, I happened to read the book featured in the above photo. On page 237 which is titled, "Of the Island of Zeilan" part of the opening paragraph reads as follows:

"I am unwilling to pass over certain particulars which I omitted when before speaking of the island of Zeilan, and which I learned when I visited that country in my homeward voyage.  In this island there is a very high mountain, so rocky and precipitous that the ascent to the top is impracticable, as it is said, excepting by the assistance of iron chains employed for that purpose.  By means of these some persons attain the summit, where the tomb of Adam, our first parent, is reported to be found."

 

When I read that passage, I thought to myself, "I've been there."   Reading this inspired me to head over to my storage locker, to try and track down the appropriate journal entry from when I was visiting what is now the island of Sri Lanka.

I was travelling with my friend, Dick at the time, and we arrived at Adam's Peak from the town of Kandy, on this day, in 1980, roughly 700 years after Marco Polo was there.  

The following day was the day we planned to climb to the top of the peak.  Below is a photo of part of that day's journal.  One can note that just to the right of the abbreviation for Friday, there is a selection of dots.  If one looks closely these dots form the Southern Cross, the Big Dipper and the North Star.  All were visible at the same time near the summit, and it would have been worth the journey just to experience that phenomenon.

Here is a transcript from that day's events, forty one years  plus a day ago.

ADAMS PEAK

FEB. 8/80                                                FRI.

When I awoke my alarm had not yet gone off, and I was feeling sick to my stomach.  I thought that for sure I wouldn't be doing any walk.  The room was filled with smoke from the mosquito coil burning, and that probably helped to contribute to my ill feeling.  I got up in a hurry, grabbed the candle and lighter, threw on my sarong and made a quick dash out back to the toilet.  I didn't have much time to spare.  But I felt somewhat better, and because I really wanted to walk Adam's Peak, I decided to go for it.  There was plenty of activity about when we went outside.  It's amazing that since we arrived here yesterday there has been an almost constant stream of people climbing up to the summit.  And now it was our turn.  The sky at 2am was crystal clear which was a good sign.  I noticed almost immediately the Southern Cross, almost vertical in the southern sky.  As we walked farther, and kept gazing at the stars, we were amazed that when we looked up at one point, we saw something that I haven't seen for over two years, and it made me realize that I am getting ever closer to home.  What we saw was-THE BIG DIPPER.  It looked fantastic and produced a smile on my face.  As the walk continued up past the Dago Bar, we passed by a large group of people singing and yelling, "SADU, SADU, SADU".  I don't know what that means but they all were saying it.  Part of the ritual of climbing up, I suppose.  I had to take a break now, because my bowels were acting up.  Back on the track we stopped at one of the many tea shops along the way.  Here we met and chatted with two other Canadians, Chuck and Mary from Kingston Ontario.  We continued the remainder of the way up, with them.  I was really enjoying the climb because the stars were so bright.  Again, an emergency pit stop.  We reached a point only about ten minutes from the top, and as it was warmer here, we had a long stop.  And it was from here, now that we had gained sufficient altitude that we could see the Southern Cross, the Big Dipper and yes, the North Star.  I was awestruck, and couldn't take my eyes off them.  It was really beautiful.  It was now beginning to lighten up in the east, so we made the final ascent to the shrine at the top.  It was bloody cold up at the top, but the climb to see the sunrise was worth every drop of sweat that was produced getting there.  The silhouette of the hill became more prominent as it grew lighter, the sky turning from black to a light blue.  And soon it happened.  The sun poked its nose over the eastern horizon.  The view from here at approximately 7000 feet was marvellous.  The place was packed out with people.  On the west side the peak formed a perfect shadow, pointing to the west coast. 

We spent about an hour up top before making the slow, long descent to the village.  Upon arriving we exchanged addresses with Chuck and Mary, said goodbye and went into the hotel for a bite to eat, and some well deserved sleep.  When I awoke at about 2:30, we went for a shower at the local spot which consists of about 20 pipes extending from a wall, with river water pouring out.  We went for a walk down the road, had a chew on some jaggery, we met some local kids.    We returned to the hotel for some coconut bread and bananas and tea.  The people here just like everywhere else in Sri Lanka are just so friendly, and this location especially, so beautiful.  A short interlude to ready "Trinity" and do some quiet thinking before dinner, of how happy I am here, and how things are running along smoothly every day.  I'm at peace with myself and the world.  We had a fiery curry for dinner, and as an afterthought, I brought my camera down and got a staff photo, of which I will send a copy.  After I took it, the place packed out with all eyes staring in our direction.  The service afterwards was as if they were serving royalty.  We sat outside and talked with the baker for a while, a Tamil.  He told us that people walk up here from December to August, then it's the rainy season, and only tourists climb it then.  We will be getting up awfully early again tomorrow to catch the 4:30am bus to Nuwara Eliya.  As I brushed my teeth in the kitchen, I took a look around the place.  People at home would go nuts if they saw a place like this.  The kitchen, dark and black with soot, wood fires burning, charcoal-ed woks and pans, rice and grease on the floor- but that's Asia.  My stomach is again uneasy.  Maybe tomorrow will show an improvement.  Again we get serenaded to bed with the crackly, low budget, loud stereo outside our window.  I wonder where they dig this music up?                                               25.20 Rupees  $1:65

Well that was certainly a trip down memory lane, at least it was for me.  The dollar/rupee numbers at the end was the total spent on that day.  I got into the habit of making a note of expenditures, as I was travelling on a shoestring budget to beat all shoestring budgets. A few things to note.  The altitude of Adam's peak is actually 7359 feet, and the photo from the top was added to this post, although I took a photo which looks almost identical when I was there. And for all the star gazers out there, I realize that the North Star is out of position in relation to the Big Dipper at the top of my journal, but that was done in order to fit all of the stars on that same line of the page.

There are plenty more journals sitting in my storage locker, and I suppose that some day in the future, I may want to quote from one of them.  Seeing as there aren't any housesits for me until very late this year, perhaps this will be the best way to fill in some space on the blog. Mind you, the Canadian Government seems to be making it even harder to return home from the USA, so who knows when I will be able to get back to my storage locker?  What was the title of that book by Kurt Vonnegut?  Oh ya, "A Man Without a Country."

 

grateful for every breath,

 

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer