Ella

I was dragging my feet and procrastinating, I don’t want to leave Haputale yet and was trying to convince myself that I need another extension day! Hahaha Eventually I moved out after breakfast and went to the train station to catch the 11:27am train. As usual, it was delayed and arrived late at 12:50pm. We left the station at about 1:20pm!

The train ride to Ella is over an hour of majestic scenery, it was midday but the beauty of the place is just so amazing. I mean, normally I would prefer sunrises and sunsets as the colors are more vivid but here it’s just perfection all the way and in all different angles!

The guesthouse owner, Martin, was there to pick me up. If you call ahead and let them know what time you will be arriving they will pick you up from the train station. So gracious of them!

I stayed at the Waterfalls Homestay, for me the best ever guesthouse I have stayed at in Sri Lanka in all of my years of travelling in this country. It’s just the place you need if you want a real holiday! You know, the type of holiday where you just let time pass you by. I just love this guesthouse!

I love the interiors! So kitschy and country chic with the traditional Srilankan twist. I can just go on and on about this place. The owners, Karen and Martin, are transplanted Aussies who initially came here to visit and fell in love with the place and decided to leave their life behind in Australia and come here to stay for good.

What they have done with the place is just amazing! My favorite part of the house is the outdoor veranda where I had my breakfast (I forgot to take a photo! I was guzzling my food with nary a thought of capturing the moment for posterity) with the sound of the monkeys and birds in the background and the music coming from the crashing waters of the Little Rawana Falls in the distance.

I want to live here now! Hahaha Too bad they were fully booked so they can accommodate me only for a night. Awwww! Even my roommate (I have to share the room coz it was really booked) had to also leave the following day. They only have 3 rooms in the house and it’s the most popular guesthouse in Ella so you really have to book in advance if you want to secure your booking.

I made the most of my short time in Ella. The afternoon after I arrived, I immediately went looking for the waterfall that I can see from the guesthouse, the Little Rawana Falls. You will have to walk through the train tracks until the metal bridge. Right after the bridge, you will see a small white altar and there is a small path going down and you will pass by a vegetable farm and from there you can hear the sound of rushing water from the waterfalls.

I went down the rocky cliff area and almost slipped. Ouch! Fallen flat on my bum but at least I did not slipped right through and fallen over. Although it did gave me a fright! I really thought (with my eyes closed and praying!) that I will fall over the cliff.

There was a couple staying at the guesthouse that night who just got engaged --- they did it at the top of Ella Rock. How romantic! We toasted them over champagne and dinner was just superlative! A great production of traditional Srilankan cuisine. I finished off the night with a shot of the local arrack. Hahahahaha Still the best way to ensure a good night’s sleep!

The following day I was up for more hikes before I leave for the night train back to Colombo. I walked from my guesthouse down to town for about 2kms and from the junction (I think it was market day coz a lot of vendors were there selling vegetables in the street) it’s another 2kms hike towards the entrance to the tea plantation and the base for the hike to Little Adam’s Peak.

It was noontime so I meet a lot of Tamil tea pickers on their way back to their houses for lunch. They were so nice and even indulged my request for a photo op with them.

Being fit for hiking is now only in my mind. My body keeps on screaming NO to me. Since I was doing the climb on my own, I don’t have anyone to hold my hand or keep me entertained while I slowly trudge on to the top. I stopped numerous times (it was also a bad time to go up coz the noontime sun is really draining me out!) and debated with myself whether to still go on but the view at the top is really amazing. I also felt good that I was able to do this on my own.

I did not stay long at the top coz it was blindingly hot. I came down and had a cool drink in a café just near the entrance gate. I need to cool off before I do the return hike back towards the town center.

I went back to the guesthouse to say my farewells. I was lucky to meet quite an interesting bunch of people, from the owners, to my fellow guests. Swapping stories over a cold Tiger beer with people from different countries, from different work backgrounds, is just so priceless. This guesthouse invites people to interact with each other. They just exude friendliness and warmth.

Well, time to go……. I do hope I’ll be able to come back and visit Haputale/Ella once again.