We needed an Umbr-Ella Ella Ella

On camping holidays as a wee-lad, I remember the song ‘feeling hot hot hot’ being a family favourite. However, over the last week, a more appropriate title would be ‘feeling wet wet wet’. In Sri Lanka, when it rains… it RAINS hard.

30^th November-1^st December (Kandy)

After stumbling trying to chase my water bottle (that had rolled down a hill) I reached out to steady myself, grasping a handily placed tree. However…that tree had the most humongous spikes, which proceeded to impale my thumb (a slight exaggeration but good for the story). In the meantime, Helen was desperately hopping about on one foot, trying to remove the bloodsucking leeches in her shoe. What was supposed to have been a relaxing walk in Udawatta Kele (a nature reserve in Kandy), had descended into chaos. Luckily, that was the low point of an otherwise enjoyable Sunday morning.

After arriving in Kandy by bus, we checked into our accommodation, dropped off some laundry and sorted our train tickets, before setting out to explore. We walked around Kandy Lake (Kiri Muhuda), past the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa), famous for having one of the surviving fragments of Budda’s remains following his cremation in 483 BC (a collarbone and four teeth survived). We also had fun exploring the local food market, where we got some Sri Lankan snacks. Another highlight was visiting a colossal white Buddha statue that is visible from miles around. This took us to about 2 pm. Then it started to rain… and rain… and rain… We ended up abandoning the afternoon and even sacrificed dinner as the downpour was so horrendous, choosing instead to eat porridge in bed (much to Rob’s delight). On Sunday, (excluding the leech disaster) we had a great day, wandering around the city and having a very tasty lunch by the lake. The restaurant was packed with locals and you could wander round and pick different dishes, with a huge range of gluten free options (as they use rice flour and gram flour), including some vegetable pasties and wraps. The afternoon was spent playing cards, eating ice cream and reflecting on a very rainy, but enjoyable weekend in Sri Lanka’s cultural capital.

***An un-Buddha-lievable view of Kandy from the top of the hill***

2^nd December-3^rd December (Adam’s Peak)

Our next adventure was a highlight – climbing Adam’s Peak. The path to the summit is around 6.5 km and includes over 5000 steps and a climb of 1000 metres. To reach the top for sunrise we would have to leave in the middle of the night and climb for around 2-3 hours in complete darkness. So you can see why this appealed to us (well at least to Rob)!! Despite being only the 5^th highest mountain in Sri Lanka, Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) is a pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. In particular, for Buddhists, the site is famous for having Budda’s footprint, which the Buddha is said to have left on one of his three visits to Sri Lanka. It is also extremely beautiful, dominating the surrounding jungle. To reach Adam’s Peak we took a 2 hour train from Kandy to Hatton and two buses which were each about an hour apiece, to finally arrive in the small town of Dalhousie. The journey was a trek, but the train in particular was amazing. We only managed to get 3^rd class tickets and were a bit nervous about this given that reviews suggested we would be crammed into a small carriage, without good seating or air conditioning. However, we had a great experience, with good (basic) seats and a kind gentlemen offered Helen his spot by the window. This was another example of how friendly and welcoming the Sri Lankan people have been.

Getting off the train in Hatton we also had a huge stroke of luck, bumping into Martin and Christina, an Austrian couple who were spending 2-3 weeks in Sri Lanka. We instantly clicked with them and spent the bus rides and dinner getting to know them. A great example of why travelling is so enriching. We set off with our new friends at about 1.45 am, trekking with the aid of our head torches through misty clouds and spitting rain. Fuelled with bananas and our new favourite chocolate (if you are ever in Sri Lanka, make sure you try Rave bars) we reached the summit at around 4 am and then spent some time waiting for the sunrise. It was a truly magical experience and we felt lucky to have shared it with Martin and Christina. On the way back, we stopped off in Hatton for lunch which consisted of yoghurt and bananas, a safe choice, as we were still feeling scarred from a terrible lunch on the way to Dalhousie (comparable only to cold kidney beans and rice that we have previously endured in Norway). We finally finished our travels with a train journey to Nuwara Eliya, another beautiful journey past waterfalls, lush green valleys and beautiful farms.

4^th December-5^th December (Nuwara Eliya)

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka and is often referred to as Little England. This is because, in times gone by, Nuwara Eliya was a favoured settling place for the English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry. The evidence of this is clear today, with colonial-era bungalows and Tudor-style hotels scattered throughout the city. Further evidence of a link to England and Scotland is that it appears to rain ALL the bloody time. Indeed for our two days in Nuwara Eliya, we seemed to permanently exist either inside or under an umbrella. That’s not to say we didn’t have a great time. The highlights including visiting Pedro tea estate for a fascinating tour of a fully-operating factory and tea-tasting, a very soggy stroll up to Lovers Leap waterfall and an even soggier stroll around the beautiful Victoria Park. The surrounding countryside is also stunning, with tea plantations, rolling hills and misty mountains. We also spent a fun 45 minutes in our room drying our shoes with a hair-dryer! On that note, a big shout out to our over-enthusiastic, but extremely accommodating host Dominic.

**A wet but tea-rrific few days in Nuwara Eliya**

6^th December-7^th December (Ella)

Ella has been by far the most touristy-town we have visited: full of cafés, restaurants and hotels and as our new friend Martin stated it was ‘a cool little hipster place’. Unluckily our train from Nuwara Eliya was stopped early due to a landslide so we had to complete the lasts section of the trip by bus. On arrival we set out to see the Nine Arch Bridge (also called the Bridge in the Sky), which is a simply stunning railway bridge. It is one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the country. One thing we loved about Ella is walking on the railway lines and we then had an amazing morning trekking to Ella rock for outrageous panoramic views of the Sri Lankan jungle. After getting a little fed-up of rice over the last few days we also enjoyed a super-tasty lunch of gluten free noodles and Rob had his first (and much needed) haircut of the trip! Also dinner at Matey Hut was WORLD CLASS, very cheap and delicious pumpkin (Rob) and eggplant (Helen) curries. Fair to say there is never a Dhal moment in Sri Lanka!