Jungleist massive

1st October 2013  

An early start to our last day of adventure in Sri Lanka was met with a full chorus of cockerels, call to prayer, birds, and dogs. The view out of our little cottage was beautiful in the early morning light.  

We sat down to a breakfast of fruit, toast, marmalade, boiled eggs (for me), and Ceylon tea and re-checked the plan:  
Morning - Up Little Adams Peak  
Afternoon - Along the railway to the waterfall and up Ella Rock if we still had the energy.  

We left at about 8am and took a very leisurely stroll up through the lush tea plantations (which make the famous and delicious, refreshing Ceylon Tea) that surround the base of Little Adams Peak.  

After walking past loads of fields and no tea pickers, we noticed plaques that dated when the tea was last harvested and when it was due to be picked again. Shortly, we found a 2013 fresh-for-picking field with lots of hard-working women all carrying huge sacks full of leaves, with the weight being mainly supported by their heads.  

We made a slight diversion from the trek path to talk to the ladies. They work 8 hours a day solidly, picking the tea with their bare hands and carrying their heavy load.  

Jamie asked them if we could possibly have a photo, and they were very happy. A group of ladies gathered together... inevitably came the "Money? Money?" request, which we happily obliged, only to be shouted at for not giving enough.  

We quickly ducked out of the field, back onto our path for the peak.  

After taking a wrong turn and walking up to an absolutely stunning hotel, we once again got back on track, only to be distracted by a helipad (for the posh hotel) on the top of a little hillock, which I had to pose on before continuing.  

The little stroll was easy-going. The scenery became more and more breathtaking the higher we got, and then came the steps.  

The hike suddenly got hard, but after a lot of huffing and puffing, we made it to the peak.  

We could see right down to the little village of Ella where we were staying (the houses so far away they looked like little flecks of salt in the lush green valley).  

We had an excellent view of the "death road" and could just about make out the buses overtaking buses.  

The huge Ella Rock dominated the landscape and looked even more challenging a climb from this angle.  

After a few photos and being brave close to the edge, we made the descent. Just about to turn up the hill to our guesthouse, we saw Mike and Diana, who were also off to scale the peak.  

We had a lovely catch-up and decided to meet for dinner later on.  

At the train station, where we needed to book a seat for our departing journey, we bumped into our neighbour from Forest Paradise, who was about to trek out to the 9-arch bridge.  

We had mistakenly thought the bridge was en route to Ella Rock, but it was the opposite direction.  

I was really keen to walk along the train tracks and see this beautiful bridge, so we joined Dave and his Israeli friend (whose name I’ve completely forgotten... sorry).  

The walk was lovely, with even more stunning views around each bend, but I spent most of the time staring at my feet, trying not to miss my footing on the sleepers, and listening carefully for the train.  

It was a really odd feeling. Since childhood, we’ve all been told to stay well away from train tracks, but here it’s daily routine for most.  

We were greeted by a few Sri Lankans walking towards Ella, all balancing something on their heads.  

We started to approach a tunnel, and my heart started racing as the fear that a train could come set in. But we had a clear walk through, with the noise of the bats above us.  

On the other side of the tunnel was the bridge.  

Before we could take it in, the rain started to pour, and a little Sri Lankan boy came running over to say there was a train coming.  

This boy had the biggest smile, but it soon became evident that he wasn’t all there behind it.  

We darted under some trees for shelter from the rain and to be well clear of the approaching train. The boy followed excitedly, shouting "Train coming, train coming" over and over.  

We heard the toot, and sure enough, the train emerged from the other side of the bridge.  

We managed to catch a few snaps just before it plunged into the tunnel.  

Getting bitten by all kinds of weird bugs under the trees, we continued to wait until the rain subsided and then headed to the bridge, where Dave set the challenge of standing up on the ledge and looking over the edge.  

The thought was terrifying.  

The bridge was so high, maybe 350 ft from the valley below, and the ledge of the bridge had a significant angle downwards, adding to the danger.  

A few declines and the peer pressure set in, forcing Jamie to stand up on the precarious ledge. I didn’t muster up enough balls to stand but perched on the ledge (not even facing the direction of the potential fall).  

The smiley boy, who became ever more irritating, continued to have excited outbursts and insisted we come to his house and take a photo (inevitably resulting in an exchange of rupees).  

We managed to lose him just as he was about to bring his brother, no doubt doubling the harassment.  

We decided to continue the trek with Dave and took a small path through the lush jungle.  

It was a little slippery from the rain but looked so beautiful with all of the colours more vibrant and the mountains all surrounded in a light mist.  

The scene was truly magical.  

We continued the ascent past little houses set into the hillside and past a little Hindu temple before popping out on the main road to Ella.  

Back at the pad, we managed to watch the beginnings of Chris and Russ’ rise to fame in the premiere of *Four in a Bed*.  

They were both fantastic and left us eager for the next instalment!  

We booked our first night’s accommodation in Mumbai, started the re-packing of our backpacks (for what feels like the millionth time), and headed out for our last night in Sri Lanka.  

Mike and Diana brought a Dutch couple that they’d met on their snorkel trip in Uppavelli. Again, I’ve forgotten names (remembering names is definitely something I need to work on!), but they were both lovely.  

We had what may have been our most successful meal in Sri Lanka.  

We shared a club sandwich and garlic chicken, and it was all really tasty, filling, and super satisfying.  

The conversation was excellent, and Mike and Diana shared exciting stories of their trips and gave some top tips for India.  

We’re both so very sad to leave Sri Lanka.  

It has surprised us both massively and exceeded all expectations.  

The people are so friendly and happy. The scenery is stunning.  

The country itself is so diverse.

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