Blogs from Ella, Central Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 3

Day 7 We were expecting to be woken by other travellers getting up to go on the trek to Hortons Plains, and whilst we heard some movement, it wasn't the expected stampede. What did wake us however was the staff stood under our window nattering from 7.00 onwards, which when you are on a lazy morning isn't what you want to hear. When we did get up, and go for breakfast, we were the only guests down there, and it was a set menu. To be fair they actually tried more than most with juice, toast, coffee that was drinkable, and the offer of poached eggs. Russ's toenail flakes weren't upto much, and we had opted for the cheese and meat platter - this consisted of 6 slices of processed cheese, and the meat plate was ... read more

Geo: 6.61611, 80.7171On day 3 we set off for a trip round a tea estate and then on to Nureya Ella. We wandered through the busy town and colourful vegtable market, trying to recognize the produce, including the betel nut wrapped in a leaf with lime, like chalk, that turns red when mixed with saliva and stains the pavements when spat out. We finally recognized something from our visit 35 yrs ago -the Hill House club, now a hotel. The doorman was very welcoming and gave us a brief guided tour and invited us to become a day member to be able to buy a beer.After 2 more hours of twisty roads, lined with tea bushes, we arrived at Ella. The small town was surprisingly full of Europeans, young backpackers and family groups with young children. ... read more

I could not stop singing Rihanna’s song whilst we were in Ella - hence the name of this blog. Apologies. We thought the train from Colombo to Hatton was pretty - the train journey from Hatton to Ella was unforgettable. It was a 4 hour journey that I spent with my head permanently hanging out of the window, staring at the stunning Sri Lankan hill country. We were on the left side of the 2nd class cabin and I would say the views are better from this side. We arrived in Ella and were met at the train station by a frenzy of tuk tuk drivers and guesthouse promoters. Most people come out of the station and turn left to head into "town" where most of the accommodation is located, but these offer none of the ... read more

Most of the day, there’s not much happening at the Peradeniya Train station. The station master dozes over his desk, stray dogs seek out shade under the benches, and pigeons roost above the platform. Peradeniya is about five kilometers from Kandy, past the botanical garden. We arrived early and lounged around, watching the platform gradually fill with eager, chattering tourists. There were groups of older Europeans, backpacking couples, and large swarms of Chinese. We outnumbered the locals 100 to 1. I wondered what they thought about the sudden influx of foreigners swamping their trains, drawn by the attraction of what has been dubbed as one of the most beautiful rides in the world. We were taking the train to Ella, a popular town on the southern edge of tea country. As mentioned previously, we were traveling ... read more

We walked out of the train and into a mist so fine it felt like we were walking around in a cloud. Our reason for coming north was to see the spectacular views and do some of the hikes the area is famous for. Our big goal is Adam's Peak but it's supposed to be quite a climb, and since we've been doing nothing but lounging on beaches for a few weeks, we thought it would be a good idea to warm up with some easier hikes. The town of Ella itself isn't much to see. It is a popular starting off point for hikes so there are many tourists - once again mostly Germans and Russians - and the town clearly caters to foreign backpackers. It does, however, have great food. In the central highlands ... read more