Saturday, 12 April 2014 00:00
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After a predawn departure from Weligama we cycled through the commercial hub of Matara to Dondra, Sri Lanka’s most southern point. We passed the palm-fringed bays and picturesque coves of Tangalle and proceeded towards Ambalantota. We were joined by an additional cyclist at the beginning of the day and our entire group was focused on completing the bicycle ride of their lives.
We then rode past Hambantota and proceeded to Kataragama, one of Sri Lanka’s most popular pilgrimage destinations. Yesterday’s ride was particularly challenging as the area we cycled through was immensely hot and arid. Additionally, many of our cyclists have never attempted such a long and gruelling journey before, and are feeling “the burn” from every kilometre.
In order to keep ourselves adequately energised, we consumed high calorie snacks like ‘ana malu’ and peanut butter sandwiches; we also drank lots of water throughout to ensure we remained hydrated.
Yesterday, we conducted our very first WrooM, road safety session in Thisamaharama. We were really touched by the hospitality of the people in the town, who received us warmly and participated in the session with great enthusiasm.
The ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative by ‘Wheels for Wheels’ is a 1,427 km bicycle tour around Sri Lanka which is being conducted by 12 business professionals in an effort to raise awareness about Cerebral Palsy (CP), and raise funds for 1,000 wheelchairs for children suffering from CP.
Cerebral Palsy is known to affect thousands of children in Sri Lanka and a simple tool such as a wheelchair can greatly improve the quality of life for these children. To follow the ‘Around the Pearl’ journey and sponsor the cyclists participating, please log in to www.aroundthepearl.lk.
