Rating:
 ( 4.9 ) ( 54
votes )
Ella, Sri Lanka
Nov 19, 2003 18:50
Pros
: friendly locals, gorgeous British style houses, many waterfalls,
and beautiful scenery
Cons : none
We headed south east from Kandy to see more of the beautiful hill
country in Sri Lanka's interior. We stayed a night in the hill station
town of Nuwara Eliya, but unfortunately it was really rainy so we
didn't get to go an any walks. Regardless, the town had gorgeous
British style houses and gardens in the area, and there were many
waterfalls dotting the tea plantation covered hills.
From there we caught the train to Ella which was a great trip -
there were really nice Sri Lankan families with cute kids, and we
saw really beautiful scenery (including lots of waterfalls!). Ella
itself is gorgeous, it's a fairly small village and the main thing
to do there is to go on walks. We're staying at Lizzie Villa Guesthouse
in a section that's a family home with a few rooms for guests. It
feels a bit intrusive at first staying in these places, but you
get to sample home cooking, and it's a really friendly, relaxing
atmosphere. There are fruit trees and spice gardens surrounging
the house which is an added bonus.
Yesterday we walked to Ella Rock, a huge rock faced mountain with
views looking down on villages, hills, and tea plantations. We got
a bit lost at first and ended up in a tomato farm and a few peoples
backyards (!) and then ended up going up the really hard way. It
took about 2 hours to reach the top but the amazing view of the
whole area made the hard slog well worth it. We didn't realise the
area was leech infested until we met a guy at the top with blood
dripping down his legs, thankfully we didn't get any on us but now
we know to look out for them!
This morning we walked the opposite way out of town to a hilltop
called Little Adam's Peak. It was a much easier walk but was also
very beautiful. Tomorrow we're leaving the mountains behind! |
