From the humid beaches in the south of Sri Lanka we slowly make our way up to the highlands. On the long drive we all fell asleep. At some point the driver stopped and showed us a waterfall as we were winding up the steep streets of the mountains. To be more precise we were headed to Ella.

Many people come here to watch a spectacular sunrise and we planned to do the same. Everyone starts the pilgrimage to the Little Adams Peak early in the morning. The alarm was ringing at 4:30 a.m. and we woke up in agony and got ready. We were walking through the night guided by the stars. It was nice and quiet until a thousand Tuk Tuks were racing through the night so some tourists had to walk a little bit less. The Tuk Tuks even drove past on a small dirt road, right to the entrance. We walked instead and a lot of other people were walking, too. We were a bit annoyed by all the tourists, but in the end we came to the realization, that we were part of the problem so we let the thought go and tried to enjoy the sunrise. We also found a quiet spot to enjoy the sunrise with only a few people.

After this sunrise we went back down slowly through the tea plantation until we spotted something weird. A Sri Lankan person was sitting on the road with a weird container. He started to play the flute and a cobra was dancing to it. We only noticed after we walked past, because we were still a bit tired. When the realization kicked in we jumped a few steps away from it. The Sri Lankan laughed and the cobra hissed and tried to attack the Sri Lankan. Without any words we walked past it. What a weird morning experience… Another famous tourist attraction is the Nine Arch bridge. This bridge was constructed in 1921 by the British to export more tea. Construction was stopped soon after, because the steel was needed in the European war during that time and was later finished. Today many people come to watch the architecture. You can also walk on the tracks as there are only a few trains coming. We were watching the turmoil from above as a local shop owner approached us. He told us, that the morning train was late and we were in luck, because the train would soon arrive. We agreed on some coffee and tea and sat down at his place. We were waiting for the train to arrive as we sipped on our refreshing morning drinks. The said train never came. We have a feeling that the local is telling this story often to gain a few customers. It worked this time. I’m not complaining, though, the view was stunning nonetheless and we were the only ones up here!

We went down to walk on the tracks ourselves. We took some more pictures and crossed the bridge. Here we saw a shelter for protection against bees. Apparently there are massive bee hives under the bridge. These seem to attack everyone once they get threatened, which happens quite often. A lot of tourists fly drones to get a nice shot of the bridge. When they come to close to the hives the bees feel threatened and attack everyone. Luckily we didn’t experience this. We also saw the timetable on the other side of the bridge and decided to wait a bit more, because the next train would arrive soon. Low and behold the train actually arrived and it was the most unspectacular thing ever. I don’t know what we expected, but it literally was just a train passing through…

We wanted to check out a temple in the mountains close to Ella. For this we chartered a Tuk tuk and bargained the price again. The Tuk Tuk driver raced through the mountains. We were cruising left and right and up and down until we only went up. The road turned into a dirt road with a lot of pot holes. We were surprised just how durable and how off road a Tuk Tuk can be. Thirty minutes later we arrived at the peak. Just in time for the sunset. The vast green mountains turned into shades of blue and then finally in different kinds of grey. Mist was creeping up the mountain, which was creating a mythical experience, while the sky turned orange. We heard chanting from the temple. A few monks hurried to the ceremony. It didn’t even stop the monks, that the temple was still under construction. Sally and I were used to the Buddhist temples of Thailand, which are one of the most beautiful of all times. In this temple you could see that it is going to be beautiful in the future, since this one was unfinished. For Marvin it must have been an amazing experience. We listened to the chanting for half an hour and the sun was completely gone. It was time to head back to Ella.

We left this unfinished, but still amazing place, with no doubt in our minds. This temple will shine in the future! On our way back we encountered a wild bore. Our heart stopped a bit as these creatures can be quite aggressive. The Tuk Tuk driver took our shock as curiosity and plainly stopped. Luckily the bore was not bothered to much and just went back into the bushes.

From Ella we took the train to Nuwara Eliya. This train is one of the most famous in Sri Lanka. It cruises through the highlands along of waterfalls and tea plantations. Basically the whole ride there is a lot to see. This time we made sure to enter the right wagon. The train was also on time! We bought a chai on board enjoyed the open doors.

When we arrived in Nuwara Elyia we were struck by the climate. This is the highest town of Sri Lanka and it was cold. At least compared to the rest, which would be best described as scorching hot. Nuwara Eliya seems to be the favorite amongst Sri Lankans as well, for the same reason. Everyone we asked said this was his favorite place.

Marvin didn’t feel good this day so Sally and I went out alone. We took a short walk to the nearest park to find some absolute insanity. Apparently the locals have a week off and they all came here to enjoy the place. We find Jet skis and boats on the small lake cruising around like maniacs. The park is full of people, getting snacks and everything. We spotted some colorful busses, as we walked passed the park. I wanted to take some nice pictures so we came closer. We started to hear music blasting and our curiosity was evoked.

I took a few pictures with the camera and we were spotted by the locals soon enough. When they saw our camera they all wanted pictures taken. We started another commotion. After a while they were also taking pictures with us and their own phone camera again. This reminded me a bit of Sumatra. At some point they just dragged us into the crowd. We danced with them happy as ever. We love these random situations. Especially if the locals are so interested in strangers. We danced a bit in the dust of the parking lot and then went back to the accommodation.

We also visited a tea factory, which to our surprise was completely held in German. The sweet lady tried her best with the pronunciation. We will never forget how she pronounced all those words. The tea process is quite simple. The black tea is dried for one day, the green tea for two weeks and the white tea for a whole month. They also only use the tips for the white tea, which makes it the most exquisite, but also the most expensive.

Thanks for reading and until next time!