Memorable jungle excursions

by C.G. Uragoda

Ever since my first camping trip to Hendikema in 1953, I have paid regular visits to the jungles. At first these were few and far between, but in later years they became more frequent, reaching two or three a year. Many a time have I camped out in the jungle, with nearby running water that makes the stay a very pleasant and comfortable one. Some of these trips are etched in my memory on account of experiences I have had in the jungle. In the past 20 years or so, due to the war, I have not been able to visit the north and the east, but with peace prevailing in the country in 2002, I have renewed my trips to these parts.

First camping trip

My first camping trip to the jungles of Sri Lanka was in 1953 when I was a house officer at the General Hospital, Colombo. My first substantive appointment in the then Department of Medical and Sanitary Services was as District Medical Officer at Pallebedde, a place unheard of by me till then. As was usually the case in such situations at that time, I tried to get the appointment altered to a better known station, but having had no influence with the powers-that-be, I failed in my attempt. In three months, however, I was transferred to General Hospital, Colombo under strange circumstances when conventional methods did not bear fruit.

The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Mr Somasunderam, paid a surprise visit to Pallebedde Hospital on his way back after inspecting the new Chest Hospital at Wirawila due to be opened shortly. He found the hospital replete with flies swarming on the floor, patients’ beds and almost everywhere else. He strongly objected to this situation, and told me that I should have gone up the ladder by first becoming a House Officer, then a District Medical Assistant and finally a District Medical Officer.

He asked me for my name in writing. Secretly rejoicing at the sudden turn of events, I wrote my name in block capitals on a sheet of paper and handed it to him. Just 11 days had passed when I received a telegram requesting me to report immediately at the Thoracic Unit of the General Hospital Colombo. Without wasting unnecessary time, lest the transfer be canceled, I left Pallebedde the very next day.

The Unit had two House Officers, one of whom was Dr H D Goonetilleke who in later life became an excellent surgeon. The other was a relief House Officer. I was asked to act for HD who had taken two weeks leave for a jungle trip where he and a couple of his friends walked from Buttala to Kumana along Kumbukkan Oya. When HD returned to work after his leave, I was appointed second House Officer to the unit.

A few weeks after his return, he screened a cine film he had made on the trip. It was very interesting and had scenes that included views of animals, cooking of meals in the jungle and walking along the dry riverbed. This film impressed me greatly, and when HD arranged another trip to the jungle a few months later, I joined him. This time the destination was the area around Galge in the North Intermediate Zone of Ruhuna National Park, and the objective was to shoot a leopard. He had obtained permits to shoot both leopard and deer, for the latter had to be provided as bait for the leopard. At that time, however, no permit was required to shoot leopard, as well as bear, in areas outside the Intermediate Zones as these animals were classed as vermin. I had no intention of shooting any animal, for never have I shot one. My only interest was to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the jungle.

Our party, consisting of HD, two of his friends, a tracker whose home was in Kataragama and myself, left Colombo in a four-wheel drive vehicle. We had an unforgettable onward journey. Heavy rain which we experienced in Colombo, fell unabated till we reached Kataragama in the night. We spent the night sleeping on the floor in a vacant hut at Kataragama.

When we woke up next morning, we found that the heavy overnight rain had turned Menik Ganga into a turbulent and muddy river. In the absence of a motorable bridge the vehicle had to be driven across the rough waters in order to reach our destination, but finding this an impossible task we decided to bide time till the water level went down.

At that time, pedestrians crossed the river using a narrow suspension bridge that would just allow two people to pass each other. Most of the time, when the water level was low, people would wade across the river instead of using the bridge.

That morning, as our party crossed the river along the bridge, we viewed with concern the state of the river which was turbulent and swollen. On the opposite side was the then small town containing boutiques, some of which were in the process of baking hoppers for breakfast. They were being made in the classical style where the pan was heated from below by a naked fire and above by a pot containing burning embers. We went to one of these stalls and helped ourselves to a fine repast of hot hoppers as each was taken off the pan. Eaten with a sambol containing a dash of Maldive fish, the hoppers tasted really delicious. The circumstances under which we ate the meal makes me remember it with nostalgia.

There being no rain since early morning, the level of water in the river had gone down sufficiently by noon to make us attempt a crossing. The vehicle was slowly driven into the water. The front wheels became submerged first, followed by the rear wheels. It moved forward another yard or two when the engine started to splutter and then stop altogether. In our predicament we were wondering what we should do, when a crowd of about 50 men collected on the opposite bank. They commissioned two lengths of tough rope, tethered each to the vehicle and pulled it to dry land. It did not take more than a few minutes for the crowd to accomplish the task.

At this stage, we failed, however, to start the engine. The reason was that the sump had got filled with water when the exhaust was submerged under water. Fortunately we had brought with us a can of engine oil from Colombo, for none was available at Kataragama at that time. We emptied the watery contents of the sump, which consisted of a mixture of water and oil, and poured in the new oil. The engine then started and we were on our way to Veddange Vadiya, which is the name of a place derived from the fact that Veddhas once lived there.

The road was a cart track, and the vehicle found it extremely difficult to negotiate it at places where the road had burrowed through hillocks. The track was so narrow at these spots that the hood of the vehicle almost touched the sides of the hillock as it swayed from side to side on the uneven road. Finally, after negotiating these narrow stretches, at some of which we had to get down from the vehicle and walk behind it, we reached Hendikema, which was three miles from Veddange Vadiya.

Just past Hendikema long stretches of road were inundated with water from overnight rain. The vehicle managed to go through these flooded areas and turn left a short distance from Hendikema towards Veddange Vadiya. With difficulty the vehicle was able to negotiate the muddy, slippery track till we came to a stream that ran across it. When attempting to cross it, the vehicle got stuck in the mud and the engine stalled. Repeated attempts to restart it failed despite all the mechanical knowledge we could muster. As it was then late evening. we decided to spend the night at the spot.

Hammocks

I was thrilled to sleep in a hammock for the first time in my life. The hammocks we had brought with us were sold by pavement hawkers in the Pettah at the end of the war in 1945. These, along with other items that were sold, such as gas masks, were part of the equipment that was used by the Eighth Army in Burma. They were sold as redundant material once the war ended.

These hammocks, which one does not come across now, were very comfortable and insect- and rain-proof. They had a canvas awning as the roof. Between this roof and the canvas was nylon netting about 18 inches high which encircled the entire hammock. It kept away all insects, including mosquitoes. The prospective occupant entered the hammock through a long opening in the netting, and once inside a zip was available to close the opening. These hammocks were safe and comfortable for sleeping in the jungle, as they did not permit disturbance of the occupant by rain and insects, and even tree snakes.

After dinner, HD together with one of his friends and the tracker took their guns and went hunting, leaving me and the other friend in the camp. I got into the hammock and dozed off. Later I heard a couple of gunshots in the distance and knew our friends had succeeded in shooting some animal, which we found out in the morning to be a deer. We also heard the sawing of leopard, indicating that these animals were quite common in the area, and justified HD’s decision to come to the Intermediate Zone around Galge to bag one.

Veddange Vadiya

The next morning we returned to the vehicle to try to revive it. The engine, which refused to start in spite of valiant efforts the previous evening, suddenly responded to the self-starter. We were once again on our way to Veddange Vadiya, but after proceeding a few hundred yards we found that we could not go further as the wheels were getting bogged in the mud. We then decided to leave the vehicle behind and make a quick visit to Veddange Vadiya on foot. The distance was about two miles through thick jungle in which we only saw a sambhur. Finally we reached the place which was a very quiet spot on the Menik Ganga..

At the time it puzzled me how an uninhabited jungle scenario, far away from all human habitations, could bear a name. Subsequently, to add to the problem, I came across several such places in thickly forested areas which bore various names. It is possible that centuries ago these were inhabited villages with their own names in the then populated dry zone, but centuries of neglect brought on by internecine wars and diseases, such as malaria, would have wiped off their existence, leaving only the names. As some evidence in support of this, one may mention the named sites in the thick jungle, which show evidence of monastic life centuries ago, such as caves with inscriptions and waterholes. It is conceivable that names lingered on, while other evidence of habitation disappeared.

Our original intention was to camp at Veddange Vadiya, but on inspecting the muddy terrain, we decided against it. After spending a couple of hours there, during which we enjoyed a pleasant bath in the Menik Ganga, we returned to the vehicle. Having now decided to camp at Hendikema, we got into the vehicle and went back along the same route.

Hendikema

Hendikema too was an uninhabited place, but the name bears a linkage to a known fact. It has a water-hole which bears the name, Hendi (spoon) kema (water-hole). At the time we camped there, the water-hole had an opening, which was very small and would just admit a ladle made with coconut shell. The sheet of water in the hole was not visible as it was fully covered by the rock.

Hendikema was on the Buttala-Kataragama jungle track, which was used by pilgrims on their visits to and from the sylvan shrine. It provided them with a regular source of water. In order to draw water, pilgrims used to keep a coconut shell ladle at the spot. From time to time, when worn off, it was replaced by succeeding pilgrims over the years.

One of the reasons given for the presence of a large number of leopards around Galge at the time, was the appearance of pilgrims during the season. Many devotees from the plantation districts used to flock along this jungle track. Some of them were children in arms, while there were decrepit old men and women tottering on their walking sticks. Lack of proper meals would have sapped their strength, while diseases, such as cholera, would take their toll. In other words, there was no lack of prospective victims for leopards on the prowl. It is said that in 1945 a man-eating leopard accounted for 15 victims on this road before it was shot by a man in the employ of the Forest Department. In addition, leopards would have feasted on bodies of pilgrims who had died of starvation and disease.

(To be continued next week)

(Excerpted from Jungle Journeys in Sri Lanka compiled by CG Uragoda)