Saturday, August 29, 2015

I Went On An Open Sea Motor Boat Ride!

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This was the boat by which we were taken to the Lighthouse island via the open sea!
Beautiful beach but the sea here has got rocks underneath...
Click on the picture and you can see, or can you?:) our boat with 3 women near the horizon! My friend, Shail, had taken this picture from the shore!
Just one day before we left Srilanka, my friend and her daughter decided to go for an open boat ride to the Lighthouse Island...15 to 20 mts. distance from our Hotel, Taprospa Footprints, Beruwala.  This is called Barberyn Lighthouse. This lighthouse tower is situated in the Beruwala/Barberyn island. This is an island inside the Srilankan island (link).

We enquired at the hotel and they said that the boatmen were experienced and we will be safe to go on this boat ride.  You can see the fibreglass boat in the first picture.   The boatman who took us is in a green shirt! He assured us that we will be safe in his boat! The boat didn't have chairs unlike the one we rode earlier in the river Madhuganga...and the river was smooth...not even ripples were there! We, 3 women, dared to go on the high waves, just sitting on the benches with nothing except the side plain board to hold on to! When I noticed that we didn't have anything solid to hold on to, I became a bit nervous for a second...once the boat started, I forgot about it and just focused on not falling into the water! The boat was going above the waves and nosediving down and some 'thud' sound was coming! The boat was hitting the rocks which were on the sea bed at some places! But there was no time to worry about it! The boatman was going in 'S' shaped routes to avoid high waves and rocks...he said so! Thank god, we had life jackets! Then, we reached the island!

The beach was full of rocks but inside, we saw coconut trees, mostly and looked green everywhere.  No touch of us bad humans! We walked on a crude footpath which led us to the lighthouse.  On the way we saw a warehouse-like shed and two barrels which were used to store diesel, it seems.  The lighthouse structure looked new (it was painted recently, we were told).  It didn't have the sign of an old building.  It was built in 1928 by the British with stones and glasses shipped from England.  Wiki says:

'The lighthouse is a 34 m (112 ft) high round white conical granite tower. The lighthouse was completed in November 1889 and operated by the Imperial Lighthouse Service. In 1969 it was upgraded with the replacement of the old dioptric apparatus and with a pedestal rotating beacon (Pharos Marine PRB-21 sealed beam optic and drive pedestal). It was further modernised in 2000, with the introduction of a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and is computer linked to the other major lighthouses around the country.

The boatman simply said that this tower was 135 years old and not a single glass (window) cracked with so much strong wind around in all these years.  I forgot to ask about the Tsunami stage.

Well, then we started climbing the 140 steps.  The tower is well ventilated and was not suffocating.  On top, it was a breathtaking view all around! With strong breeze pushing us, we walked around and enjoyed the view of the sea and the far off islands.
The Barberyn lighthouse island (Beruwala, Srilanka)...full of coconut trees! Small island (8 Km) but very beautiful! The lighthouse is visible in between the trees.  You can notice the raw greenery! Humans have not yet invaded this place! Only the lighthouse employees live here. Yes, visitors do come and go!
The spiral staircase which lead to the top of the lighthouse...140 steps! The windows in the tower give us enough light to climb up.  The steps narrowed at the top but was not suffocating.

The lights inside the lighthouse.  They rotate at night!

A close up of the 110 ft. tall lighthouse tower.  The green growth is not good for the structure, I feel.
View from the top of the Lighthouse...wind was hitting us...you can notice the coconut trees bending to the force of the wind.
Another view from the top, but this is a view through a glass window! The glass panes are the originals which were brought from England in 1928.
We saw some peacocks and mynas, that is all.  It was very early in the morning, around 7 am then.  We returned back...with all the going up and down the waves, tilting on the sides, the bottom of the boat hitting the rocks and worrying if all of us were going into the water...but no, we returned safely back to write this post! This was a great adventure, really! Try sometime!


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22 comments :

Ramakrishnan said...

Roller coaster boat ride to the enchanting island ! Breathtaking views ! Must say you were brave to venture into the rough seas !

Destination Infinity said...

Andha boatman S-turn edukkum pothu neenga yaaravathu thanni-la vizhundirunda, life jacket work aghudha illeya nu test pannirukkalam. Chance miss pannitingale maami!! :P :P

Destination Infinity

Anonymous said...

Much like the places i love to go out to...i have been to 10 beaches this year already (most of them with Lighthouse) :)

Sandhya said...

RAMAKRISHNAN RAMANATHAN: Yes, it is a roller coaster boat ride! I went for it without knowing how exactly it will be! I wonder if I would do it again!


DESTINATION INFINITY: Appuram inda kadai solla aalillaama irukkume, marumaane!


SINGHALOK: That is nice! Have you seen our Chennai Marina beach? And it is without any rocks...plain sand and water! It is beautiful! Beaches are always beautiful!

Usha basker said...

Very nice pictures. Adventurous boat ride. The picture of bent coconut trees due to force of wind is an excellent click. I think with nervousness only u would have enjoyed the boat ride. Thrilling experience. Nice share Sandya Kumar. Nice camera u have.

Jeevan said...

Wow! You are really daring to take this boat ride against sea waves... but I sure u feel great about the visit to lighthouse and coming across wonderful views from there.

I love lighthouses and this place/island seems to be awesome through its untouched yet scenic and serene. Superb shots!

Shail said...

Kudos, brave lady. I loved the quiet time I spent on the beach while you guys were on your adventure trip.
The view is awesome. Lovely pictures taken from the top of the lighthouse. I only wish I had the camera in my hand instead of the phone to take your picture while you were on the boat to the island!
:)

Rachna said...

Wow! I am actually quite scared of taking a boat ride in the sea. The pictures are lovely too.

Sandhya said...

JEEVAN: Thank you, Jeevan! The best part in our trip is this adventure and our visit to the Elephant orphanage! For scenery, Nuwara Elia! Awed by seeing the huge Dutch Fort remains and the old town inside with court, post office etc. This was a good trip.


SHAIL MOHAN: Shall we do another trip here, just to take many more photographs, Shail? This was a memorable trip!


RACHNA: Thank you, Rachna!

Shail said...

Sandhya, next time we'll go to Sigiriya and do the balloon ride too! Also go to Polonnaruwa! Oh yes, I am ready! :D

Emman said...

What an adventure! I love the sea and he waters, as well as the boats. These are the reasons I am dreaming to buy a motor boat for sale someday and enjoy the sea every time I want to.

Bikram said...

you did not take me noooooooooooooo :(

he he he .. what an adventure ...

Helloooooooooooooo how are you long time no see ..

Bikram's

rudraprayaga said...

Beautiful! Sandhya.

Sandhya said...

SHAIL MOHAN: It will be fun, Shail! Let us see! Ballooning is tempting me!


BIKRAM: Let me inform you before planning next time, Bikram!

We don't see you much nowadays!


RUDRAPRAYAGA: Thank you, Rudraprayaga!




Anonymous said...

Fabulous Sandhya...I really envy you girls who took the dare-devil boat without any side railings or any protection and venture into open sea !!
And love the view and the beautiful coconut trees...awesome !
On the whole, your trip has been a feast to the eyes and you all have come back losing some years off your age - I love that feeling...hugs

Bikram said...

I know been missing but trying ot get back .. :) and yessssssssss I will make sure I turn up he he he he he

Locomente said...

Looks like lots of fun... Pictures are awesome!!!

Sai Charan said...

Absolutely enjoyed reading this post and following the pictures - your detailed description takes the reader through the trip, so I felt like I've almost visited the lighthouse :)

The surroundings look beautiful and very brave of you to have taken the boat ride, well done :) Although climbing 140 steps sounds like a tiring activity, the view from the top looks amazing and is worth it. And I thought we have similar number of steps to visit some temple shrines, so it isn't that difficult.

Your pictures suggest the sky was cloudy when you visited the lighthouse but considering that it was around 7 am, there wouldn't be a bright sun in the sky anyway.

Thank you Sandhyaji for this beautiful post!! I can imagine how much you must've enjoyed the trip :)

Take Care,
Sai :)

Renu said...

Climbing 140 steps..impossible for me..and then I am so scared of water...yours was a nice trip.

Sandhya said...

UMSREFLECTIONS: This trip was like a booster for me! Now, I know I can go for adventures like this! I have never toured inside India or abroad until a few years back. Because of my son, we went to the U.S. Then the bug caught on for both my husband and me! I can risk to take adventures when my husband is not near me, though!

Thank you, Uma!


BIKRAM: Write more, Bikram, we are waiting to read!


LOCO MENTE: Thank you, Loco Mente!


SAI CHARAN: It was drizzling sometimes, when we stayed there but not on that morning, though! We enjoyed the serene surrounding, which is rare to see nowadays!

Thank you, Sai!

Sandhya said...

RENU: I loved going on a cruise last year and now in a boat! This is different! But I don't know how I climbed the 140 steps!

Rama Ananth said...

Such beautiful pictures. I know sometimes we have take risks, otherwise we would miss so many interesting things that life has to offer. I am glad you had the guts to take this boat trip and enjoyed every bit of the adventure.

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