Bridge On The River Kwickie

I've now been up in the hills of Sri Lanka for over a week, mostly undertaking hikes to various scenic vistas at painful hours of the morning and then returning to slump in my bed soaked in rain and sweat. It's in this state of fatigue that I only recently mustered the strength to start penning my thoughts on this region, which began with a detour so brief and devoid of lunacy that I almost forgot about it entirely, but recount now for the benefit of those who wish to know about such places.

My first trip in the hill country actually involved riding a bus halfway out of the hills, down the winding highway to the west coast, and stopping in the not-so-remarkable village of Kitulgala. There's a handful of tourist joints there where people go to arrange whitewater rafting trips on the river that flows by, but that's really it as far as the village goes, unless you have a peculiar interest in hens. The reason I spent an afternoon trudging around half-obscured footpaths in that forgettable hamlet was my mild curiosity to see the famous scenery at one particular point on the riverside, known to cinema fanatics as the place where they shot the scenes featuring the titular span in the classic film Bridge On The River Kwai. So, yeah, you can go around and peer at familiar-looking mountains and even stand on a boulder where some jutting steel bars are all that remains of the movie's celebrated bridge. Of course, one wouldn't actually expect to be able to see the bridge standing there, because if you've seen the movie you'll know [SPOILER] it gets blown to shit at the end.

Anyways, it's a pleasantly scenic place, though rather annoyingly wet in the afternoon, and the river levels made approaching the banks hard and obscured many of the clusters of low rocks on which certain key scenes take place. However, I was to find that "pleasantly scenic though annoyingly wet" is, though understated, an apt description for just about anywhere in upcountry Sri Lanka. I warn you, bitching about rain is going to be a recurring feature in upcoming Ghostface Buddha featurettes, so get your raincoats and galoshes and keep your mouse hovering above the "Close Tab" button, because you're gonna need it.

-GFB