Trekking

This October, I set out to trek another seven stages of the 22-stage Pekoe Trail. I’d already completed eight back in February, so now just seven more to go before I can say I’ve done the whole thing – from Hanthana, in the hills north of Kandy, all the way to the Pedro Estate in Nuwara Eliya. That’s over 300 km in total.

This leg of the journey was especially memorable because many of the sections were very remote – we didn’t come across any other trekkers until we reached the trail to Ella and then just two or three. The monsoon season had just started, which meant one thing: leeches. Lots of them. But honestly, they’re not nearly as bad as they sound. As long as you’ve got leech socks on, keep your arms covered when walking through the jungle sections, and do a quick check every now and then, they’re manageable.

The real secret is not to stop. Just keep moving and they won’t get much chance to climb up your legs – much better than constantly stopping to flick them off and getting freaked out by them.

Stopovers – An Elder Home, a Boys’ School and a Monastery

We stopped off at three places where we stayed at each for two nights. This was great as it meant spending time with local communities and engaging in activities with them rather than being constantly on the move.

At the Elder Home we volunteered for a couple of days which was just amazing and the pictures I think speak for themselves. If this is something that interests you in terms of supporting check my Linked-in post and how I hope to continue to be involved here.

The Boys’ school has an interesting history with its first headmaster an English man who’d been working as a teacher in Sri Lanka during the British Colonial era. If you’re interested in the back story to this check my Linkedin-post and how you might get involved.

St. Benedict’s Monastery was the coolest place – not just temperature wise with its chilly misty mornings but for its spiritual vibe and for our getting to make marmalade in the largest of cauldrons.

Cauldron  Movie

Other highlights included

• Handing over spectacle donations to WDC, Elder Home and a Buddhist community
• Delivering to WDC more baby clothes and educational games for children
• Raising more funds through Just-giving, and from the sales of ‘Trekking Sri Lanka: More Than a Travel Guide’ as we trekked – with all profits going to support grassroots projects in Sri Lanka
• Meeting new people and making new plans

Fundraising

If you have any ideas for fundraising events please get in touch. This month and next we have wreath-making and granny-square crocheting 🙂

Or, if you’d like to donate with the confidence that all funds will go directly to support grassroots projects in Sri Lanka, then please follow the link below:

Marcia Summers is fundraising for Their Future Today

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