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Published: September 14th 2017
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No sleep in today as Marie, Chris and I are off to conquer Little Adams Peak.
Taking Marie a good idea as insurance against another navigational issue. Set off at 6.30am and sun just rising but the valley full of cloud. We're above the cloud and can look straight across it to LAP, a spectacular view.
The walk takes us down the hill to town then up the other side on the road before it branches off on a small track. Easy to see how McVet got lost yesterday as signage is pretty minimal and for some strange reason largely orientated away from the direction you are going?!
The "climb" (sounds better than "walk") finishes with a few flights of stairs to ensure we all arrive suitable puffed. The view from the top was spectacular, 360deg through the valley and hills surrounding Ela.
Breakfast at the guest house, eggs for the sensible people and more bloody vegetable curry for me! We then had a few hours before our van was organised to take us to Udawalawe so wandered into town for another look around a coffee.
Having had a sore neck for a couple of days
(hard beds and overstuffed pillows) I decided to get a massage while the others were in the cafe.
Massage was good and neck felt much improved. The most notable aspect was the copious amount of cinnamon scented oil used and the fact that at the end the residue was not wipe off. Hence I arrived back at the cafe smelling like an over spiced hot cross bun! A certain part of me was hoping that later in the day we would find ourselves trapped in a small dungeon with bars at the window, then just like the movies I could strip off and already pre-oiled could slither on out and save the day. Alas no such scenario occurred!
Donna felt the name cinna-man (or was it sinner-man) was an appropriate moniker!
Into van for ride to Udawalawe. Started out somewhat inauspiciously when at the bottom of the hill below the guest house the driver stopped and asked us all to disembark and walk up the next hill as he was unsure the van could do it with four passengers aboard! Fortunately this was the steepest hill of the journey so the only time this was required.
Marie and Donna with guest house owner/matriarch
Note the coconut shell necklaces presented to them by this lady. They have Laura etched on them so if your name is Laura expect one for Christmas! Once back in the van the journey was largely uneventful and forgettable except Donna's fretting about what the accomodation would be like she really is concerned that $20 per night may be below our station especially after the Ferncliffe experience.
Arrived at Splendid Lake View Safari Lodge and while basic was fabulous. Friendly people, clean rooms and food was great. Not sure if Donna is pleased or disappointed?!
Now one small aside, prior to leaving NZ we all researched power points for Sri Lanka and to our dismay discovered the standard plug is the same as an obscure South African one. That is an extremely large three pin plug with round pins. So, after going through our assortment of adapters to no avail, both McVet and I rushed out and purchased the correct adapter.
When we arrived in Colombo they had every plug (NZ/AU, large English with rectangular pins and European round pin) known to mankind but alas no "Sri Lankan" one. Thinking this was an aberration and perhaps due to the newness of the building in Colombo we have spent the journey looking for these large plugs, spotted a couple in Ferncliff but only in the
dining room and hallway so not much use to us. Finally Splendid Lake View Safari Lodge delivered. They had one high on the wall in each room. To his credit McVet used his too, hanging his devices from the charger, just to be able to say he did!
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