Sri Lanka I — The stories behind my photographs
The tear of India, or better known by its former name during British colonization - Ceylon - is an island country in the Bay of Bengal. This country, now called Sri Lanka, of 65,000 km2 (the equivalent of the State of Nuevo León and smaller than the Autonomous Community of Castilla La Mancha) is as small as it is beautiful and varied. One is truly surprised that, in a few kilometers away, you can admire mountains, lakes, tea fields, colonial cities, spiritual places of pilgrimage, surf beaches and traditional fishing beaches. Here I gladly share with you some stories behind the images of one of the most sacred places on the island: Adam's Peak. And a recommendation: travel to this jewel of the country in the dry season and rent a car, you'll have a great time.
In April 2013, I was lucky enough to visit Sri Lanka, camera in hand, ready to portray any beauty or singularity that came my way.
I had read about Adam's Peak as a sacred place of pilgrimage and one of the highest mountains on the island (2,243 meters high, I know it's not that high mountaineers, but you'd like it for other reasons). Tradition says that the ascension must begin at night. This way we can admire the beauty of the sunrise and above all make the pilgrimage sacrifice that involves a sleepless night climbing a mountain. Prepared with cameras, backpack and tripod (or tripod as they say in my dear Mexico) I am about to start the ascent at 1am. Half an hour later, the thoughts of “who told me to climb with 10 kg on my back between cameras, lenses, tripod, etc.?” , but seeing hundreds of Buddhists of all ages, some climbing with children in their arms and others, I decide that I better enjoy it and go on my pilgrimage with equipment and everything so happy. Along the way you will find small stalls where you can buy snacks and drinks, the best thing: traveling friends with whom to climb the 8 kilometers to the top. A lot of people ask me how long it takes, it really depends on what you stop and how fast you drive, but between 4 and 5 hours for all audiences is reasonable. Mountaineers and athletes can do it in less than 3 hours, even 2.
At 5:30am I reached the top, where I could see the beautiful view of lakes, layers of hills, vegetation, which seemed all painted on a canvas, surrounded by that morning mist. I took non-stop photos and this one from 6:30am is my favorite. It's really worth climbing at night and being able to take these images, so those extra 10kg were, as always, worth it.
At the summit where you bask in the views, you can also visit the small Buddhist temple, where 3 monks bless you. In addition, every day at dawn they ring the bells and share some Buddhist songs with the pilgrims who manage to climb that day.
Going up was a sensory experience at all levels and one of the stages of this trip that I enjoyed the most. Adam's Peak, because they say that was the first place where Adam set foot when he was expelled from Eden. Without knowing what paradise is like, if I tell you, this place is beautiful, so Adam wouldn't be so bad...
And after the climb to one of the highest mountains on the island, what better way to spend the day in tea fields, see dolphins or visit the fishermen of the southern shores. Here are some of the images of those unexpected places on this small island.
