In life, we face many challenges, some obstacles, losses are permanent. This is a story of a beautiful solve who has been challenged the challenges of his life.
Let us brief you a little about him before, the Croatian national Slaven Strobot met with a serious accident in 2009, and thereafter he decides not not for his life to be confined just in a wheelchair. In 2019, Slaven visiting in Sri Lanka to create a tour of his own. With the help of Sri Lankan youths he managed to climb the mountain “Pidurangala”, this is his story of a pidurangala mountain hike in his own words.
While I was doing my research for Sri Lanka, I’ve came across Sirigiya and at that moment I knew I wanted to get on top of it. Being 100% disabled and in a wheelchair that was a big problem for me. Knowing myself and how stubborn I was, I had to make the best plan possible. We were three travel buddies so I tried to find more people through my facebook page but no one serious enough answered.
Three of us would never make it so I discussed about the possibillities with our guide Manoj from Travel Shouters agency.He told me about the idea to take some local people from the near village and try to do it. Sounded like a good plan to me even they were total strangers and didnt know how to handle a person in a situation like mine.
A couple of weeks before our trip I randomly came across a photo which was shot from some rock and had a Sirigiya rock in the back. Instantlly I startet to research and I found out the name of the rock was Pidurangala. At that point I forgot about Sirigiya and Pidurangala became a priority. I was ready to risk it all and try getting on top of it.
I told Manoj about my idea and he gathered six locals including our acommodation owner Gamage.
The day we came to our acommodation close to the rock, we had an appointment with Gamage and two other people that were supposed to carry me. I told them about my Idea to carry me in a special bag and they liked it. The appointment and the fact that the one carrier (Bandara) was from the army and was looking very strong, made me more confident.
The climb
On the day of the climb we woke up at 07:00, had our breakfast and drove to Pidurangala temple beneath the rock. As we came, carriers brought two big and thick wooden branches and startet putting them on my wheelchair. When I asked them, they said they think it will be easier like that. I liked that they actually thought about it and that they were serious about it, gave me even more confidence.
When they lifted me up I felt both scared and like some king. The fact that I cant control my upper body made it very unsecure for me so I asked them to lower it down abit which they did so I was able to hold myself better.
As soon as passed the first stairs and reached first rocks, I knew it will be alot harder than my friend that was here two weeks before me, showed me.
I’ve climbed some stuff, did some crazy things before, like climbed the Monastery in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan ( took us 5.5 hours to the top) but I’ve never experienced anything brutal like this before. I was actually scared for my life on some places. One wrong move and that would be it!
It took us like 1.5 hours of brutal hike, effort, sweat and risk to get to the top but we did it! All together! Five carriers (Bandara. Erranda. Asanga. Sadu. Kumara), our acommodation owner (Gamage), our driver/guide (Manoj), my friends (Goga & Matej) and me were the dream team! The team that carried me to the top of Pidurangala and made me the first pirson in the world todo this!
The hike down was even worse because they carried me so my face was facing the rock so I wasnt able to see anything.
In the end we made it safely down and it was all worth it, especially because this crazy experience and breathtaking view
