These photos were taken as we went from Kandy to Ampara across the Knuckles mountain range. Home of 17 hairpin bends, that’s what it says on the sign, they are on the way down on the Ampara side, and 17 is what you get. The bends all have numbers and are all hairpins, no ‘not quite’ a hairpin here. The views are amazing but we were in a hurry it took nine and a half hours as it was. There are lots of monkeys who seem to like sitting on the mile posts watching the fun. As you climb the road gets narrower and the surface has less tarmac, in the end its one lane and a bit broken up. Alas if you get the speed and turn wrong you end up like this unfortunate driver, think he was alright.
It took nine and a half hours to get here, Ampara, what a journey! First the drive to Kandy, done that before, it’s just a manic ride in heavy traffic, one lane each way and the usual hairy moments whilst overtaking or just meeting a bus head on, but usually room for all in the end, average speed about 25kph, so not that dangerous. After Kandy climbed into the mountains, roads got steeper and narrower the higher we went. Then the roads got less like roads and more sort of tracks, however the volume of traffic, buses, heavy lorries, trishaws and motorbikes, remained constant. I took some photos through the windscreen we daren’t stop to compose photos, no room. It was amazing in the end a one lane track with two way traffic and once at the top a sign saying 17 hairpin bends, yes there are that many and all numbered to save you counting, every one a hairpin too, no half measures. As you go down there are monkeys sitting on the mile posts at the side of the road watching you, tried to get a photo but had to keep moving and the delay on my digital shutter is a bloody nuisance. Anyway did get a shot of a lorry which had toppled over. Some of the views across the plain to Ampara are spectacular, you have to see them to appreciate it. Once down we ended up on a straight, lightly trafficked road with army forts built on rocks, the whole thing was a bit Wild West, we then had boys on bicycles with rifles balanced on the handlebars, evidently they are civilians helping the police! So as we sped across the plain with our VSO flag flying it was a bit like a cavalry charge. Would have loved to get photos of the forts but it’s asking for trouble, same with the boys on bikes, pity really.
