Sri Lanka - Back to The Hill Country

Monday 23^rd March 2015

Today was a bit of a hellish journey I needed to get to Adams Peak which from Thalpe by road should take about 4 hours according to google maps but there is no direct public transport and so I had to get a 15min but to Galle a two and a half hour train to Colombo (where there were no seats and I had to stand the entire way!) a five minute walk to the bus station a four hour bus to Hatton and then another bus to Dalhousie.

When I arrived in Hatton a rickshaw driver was trying to get me to come to Dalhousie in his rickshaw for 1500 rupees (NZD $15) but I wasn’t having a bar of him, he told me that the bus from the bus station where I was wasn’t direct and that it would take three hours to get there and that he could take me to the train station where I could get the direct bus which only takes an hour.

I asked the bus guy and he told me it was a direct bus and that it was about an hour but actually he was a massive liar. Here in Sri Lanka (as well as India) touts and driver and paid more the more people are on their buses so I should have known he was a cheater!

About 30mins into the journey the conductor came and I told him where I was going to which he replied I would have to change buses and that it was going to take about three hours. I could have cried.

When we finally got to the tiny little town where I had to change buses the next bus to Dalhousie wasn’t leaving for an hour so that added even more time onto the journey. Eventually I arrived at Adams Peak at a little after 6pm almost 12 hours after I left Thalpe this morning!

Apart from being horrendously long and hot (People have no idea about personal space here there will lean on you put their bags on your lap and constantly touch which makes it even hotter!) the journey wasn’t too bad and I found a guest house right at the bottom of the path up.

I checked in and had a delicious Sri Lankan vegetarian spread of curry and rice. I sat chatting to another girl for a while before trying to get a few hours’ sleep before he 2am start and the hike up for sunrise.

Tuesday 24^th March 2015

When my alarm went off at 2am I was already half awake and ready to go. I was up and ready to climb Adams Peak! The climb is 7km up and 7km down and is mostly stairs (about 5200 of them!) As always when I have to be up for something I can barely sleep in case I don’t wake up! I had everything ready to go last night so it was just a matter of getting dressed and brushing my teeth.

I let myself out of the guesthouse and walked out into the darkness it was about 2.20am and there wasn’t a soul about. The stars were out in force and the lights along the path made the trail seem even more deserted.

It wasn’t long before I caught up to groups of people it was all foreigners going up and locals coming down. The bottom of the path was easy it was long stretched of flat or only slightly uphill path with little staircases dotted here and there.

I went through the temple and got a blessing from a monk and gave a small donation before trudging on. From the bottom looking up it seemed that the twinkling lights of the path melting into the stars like looking at a stairway to heaven it was really rather romantic. (But also a bit off putting that you could see how far up it was)

I powered up passing heaps of people along the way and it was soon clear that unless I slowed down I was going to have to wait for hours at the top. The path started getting steeper with long periods of steep steps the only way to keep going was not to stop but each time I got to a landing I allowed myself time to catch my breath and have some water.

About 4.30am I had made it to the last tea house. Knowing that sunrise wouldn’t start until about 6am and already feeling cold I decided to wait there before continuing up. I had a cup of tea, put on layers and rested my eyes.

The last 100m were the steepest part yet with handrails either side to pull yourself up. Towards the top there was a policeman who warned about pickpockets and thieves. The top was rammed and there was almost no shelter from the wind. Along one side of the temple was stadium like seating and it would have been perfect to sit and watch the sunrise but of course one dickhead had to stand up and set up his tripod in front of people and so they stood up and then more people couldn’t see and pretty soon even standing I could see a thing so gave up.

I took off my shoes and checked out the temple where the footprint of Adam or Buddha or Shiva (depending on your religion or belief) is located (not that you can see it as it is covered by cloth and gold and money) after seeing the temple I started to make my way down in the semi darkness. A few hundred metres down the view was much better and I was alone to enjoy the sunrise in peace.

The other great thing about leaving the top early was that I walked down alone instead of surrounded by throngs of people. I made pretty good time heading down and was so in the stride I almost walked right past my guesthouse.

The day hadn’t warmed up quite yet so the owner let me shower in one of the more expensive rooms that had hot water which was a treat. Feeling fresh I packed up my stuff and headed into town to the bus stand. His time I didn’t fall for the lies of the bus tout and waited for the later direct bus to Hatton (sucks to be all the idiots who didn’t listen to me and all got on that bus and missed their trains!)

The bus arrived at the train station in Hatton and it was just a 20min wait for the train to Ella. The ride was the most beautiful train ride I have ever been on but I barely managed to take any photos as I was too tired to move.

I dozed off for a bit and was awoken by a guy shaking me telling me I was about to miss my stop I flew off the train only to realise that it wasn’t my stop and just managed to get back on before the train pulled away.

It was another few hours to my stop and despite feeling the need for sleep I forced myself to stay awake and watch the view (a huge feat as usually trains rock me to sleep like a baby even when I’m not tired!)

I arrived at Ella and there were touts everywhere I had arranged to meet one of the guys I met in Colombo at a guesthouse in town so was walking in that general direction when I spotted him. We went to the accommodation and I dropped off my bag he had been planning to climb little Adams Peak for sunset so I figured I’d join him and get both peaks and both the sunrise and sunset in on one day!

The climb up to little Adams Peak is fairly easy going its quite beautiful with tea plantations on either side and stunning views of the mountains. We sat at the top and watched the sun go down and the tiny cars and people walking about on the road so far below us.

Back in town we grabbed dinner at a pretty lively restaurant and then had a pot of tea and the worst pancake ever made by anyone anywhere which I couldn’t actually even force myself to eat (and you all know how much I hate to waste food even when it is below average)

It had cooled down by the time I got back to the guesthouse so I was pretty pleased that there was hot water I tried to read for a bit but my eyes just weren’t having it and pretty soon I was fast asleep.

Wednesday 25^th March 2015

Today was a day of relaxation and chill time. I woke up about 9am and disappointingly didn’t really have sore legs at all! We headed for some breakfast where I abused the free Wi-Fi. Jared had to catch a train and so I was alone again. I chilled for a while then went on a mission to find a cheap massage.

Some of the places in town were an absolute rip off but I found a cute little place on the top of a hill I ended up having a full body ayurvedic massage for 90mins 20mins of Shiroarda (this weird treatment where they pour hot oil all over your forehead and then give you the most amazing head neck and shoulder massage) a 10min herbal steam bath in one of the weird coffin like steamers! And a 20min herbal sauna which was awesome it was filled with all sorts of herbs and crystals and I came out feeling amazing and energized.

I walked back up to the guesthouse and sat on the veranda overlooking the town and read my book for a few hours.

In the afternoon when it had cooled off a bit I had a quick shower to get off the oil form the massage and then took a walk up through the tea plantations to a green tea factory. The walk was about 2km and was a gentle incline most of the way. The factory is set in a stunning location and I had hoped that they would have a café where I could sit and drink some tea but all they offered was a tour of the factory and since I’ve already seen one in action I decided to pass.

On the way back down I walked along the road looking out for a café as I got to a corner I could hear a bit of commotion and as I turned I saw a snake in the middle of the rod and a bunch of men throwing rocks at it. They were determined to kill it and I was determined to stop them but they just wouldn’t see sense. Their argument was that it was dangerous, it kept hissing and lunging at passing rickshaws and at the rocks they threw which to them proved their point. I tried to convince them that it was only acting that way because it was scared and under attack but they wouldn’t see reason. In the end nothing I could say was going to stop them and I had to leave before they actually killed it.

Feeling pretty sad about life I stopped off in a cafe with a beautiful view of the mountains and had a pot of tea, watched the sunset and hoped that the little guy managed to get away.

By the time I left it was dark so I walked quickly back into town. I found somewhere to eat and had dinner tucked away in a corner while reading my book.

Back at the guesthouse I packed up my stuff ready to leave in the morning and went to bed.

Thursday 26^th March 2015

After reading that the bus to Galle was 8am and then reading somewhere else it was 7.30am I was finally told it could be any time between 7am and 7.30am so was glad I was ready and waiting at the bus stop when it came barrelling through town at a little after 7.15am.

The bus was already rammed with people and it was hard to keep any sort of balance on the winding hill roads let alone get money out to pay for a ticket so when a passenger heard I was going all the way to Galle and kindly gave up his seat (who says chivalry is dead) I gratefully accepted

I had only been standing for about 10mins but had been thrown around enough to feel quite motion sick so I sat back put my music on and tried to sleep. I managed to doze for most of the morning only waking when the sun started to stream in at me and slowly cook me.

The ride wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated and by 1pm I was pulling into Unawatuna after a scenic drive along the coast. I set about finding a guesthouse in the extreme heat and wound up with the cutest room on the fourth floor of a guesthouse with a four poster bed equipped with mozzie net and a disproportionately large bathroom. The room is the top of the building o I have my own stairs and a high pointy ceiling of exposed wood. Oh and did I mention it has a sea view?

After settling into my room I was starving since all I had eaten all day was coconut cookies but I couldn’t face going out in the heat again so I settled on the veranda and read my book for a few hours until it cooled down enough to head out.

I walked along the beach trailing my bare feet in the sand and then cut in onto the main road. There was a veggie/vegan place in town I had wanted to try out but it was closed until dinner time so instead I ended up on the beach staring out into the waves eating a bean burrito of all things.

I paddled my feet in the sea and then headed back to the guesthouse I was just about to park my arse once again when a message came through from Verity that she had finished diving for the day. I walked up to the dive centre and when she was ready we got the bus to Thalpe, where she is staying to get my bag.

Her guesthouse is right on the sea front so we sat on the porch chatting and watching the waves crash onto the tiny stretch of beach for a while before getting back on the bus to Unawatuna. I dumped my bag and we headed out to find some food. We walked to town down this unlit scary path and almost walked into a sleeping cow as well as upsetting a vicious sounding dog that was thankfully tied up. The only upside to the path of terror was the tiny fireflies dotting the way.

We settled on an Italian restaurant run by real Italians so the food actually tasted amazing! We relaxed there for a few hours enjoying the food before walking back along the beach to the main road where Verity got the bus and I walked back to my accommodation.

I was pretty shattered but decided to get some laundry down so that it would be all clean and dry by tomorrow. Then showered and climbed into my princess bed.