Unter meinem Regenschirm, ELLA, ELLA, eh, eh....

Our next stop Ella is already in the highlands of Sri Lanka. After a relaxed 3-hour drive with a breakfast break, we arrived in the mountains in the morning, full of anticipation. We marched into our accommodation, where we could leave our backpacks, and set off on our first hike. The targets were the "Nine Arches Bridge" and the mountain "Little Adams Peak". Various internet blogs stated that the hiking trail to the Nine Arches Bridge runs along the railway tracks. Somewhat unbelieving, we reached Ella's main train station. Along the tracks, we saw two signs directly: the first one prohibited hiking on the tracks, the second one warned of thieves along the tracks... Slightly irritated, we looked for reliable information in the train station. We were recommended to wait a few minutes for an oncoming train to pass before starting our hike. After that, walking on the tracks would not be a problem. So we strolled along the tracks after the train passed. The uneasy feeling at the beginning quickly subsided and turned into joy and admiration for our beautiful and unique hiking trail. After about 45 minutes, we reached our first destination after a short tunnel. The Nine Arches Bridge lay before us and was already crowded with numerous tourists. After some time, we continued our hike on normal hiking trails to Little Adams Peak. There we enjoyed a beautiful view all the way to the lowlands. Satisfied and exhausted, we finally arrived at our accommodation in the evening.

Since we had not had enough hiking yet, we took on Ella Rock the next morning. After a balanced breakfast (Rice and Curry ;)) and with an Australian companion we met while shopping, we set off. The route was described in the travel guide, but we relied more on the artistically valuable drawings and descriptions found on Tripadvisor. Again, the path led along the tracks before we hiked through tea plantations and tall plants. The two-hour ascent was exhausting, but we were rewarded with an outstanding view. After a quick descent and a shower, we continued to the cooking class at Ella Spice Garden at five o'clock. There we learned the art of Rice and Curry with two other couples. First, there was a brief introduction to the spices, then armed with an incomplete cookbook and apron, we went to the family's own kitchen, where we just fit in. In addition to dal curry and potato curry, we also prepared garlic curry, which used a whopping 160 cloves of garlic! Other components were coconut sambol and papadam. After three hours and 20 slain mosquitoes, everything was ready and we could eat while the family watched a movie comfortably two meters away. It was all a bit "magic" ;)

We wanted to end our last day in Ella with a scooter tour. Our plan included visiting a tea factory and a waterfall where you could also swim. However, to get rid of three annoying German girls ("I've seen so much of the world already!"), we spontaneously skipped the waterfall and went to the tea factory. There, for a small amount, we were introduced to the process of turning green tea leaves into various black tea blends. Afterwards, we were even allowed to taste about eight different types of tea. In order not to have to return the same way with the scooter, we chose a small inconspicuous road. A stroke of luck, because our drivers Philipp and Sabi enjoyed the hilly and varied roads while passengers Nina and Lukas could enjoy the beautiful view. Back at our accommodation, we learned that in the neighboring village of Ella, there would be a Perahera (a kind of procession with elephants, costumes, and performances) in the evening. Spontaneously, we made our way there and somehow ended up in the midst of a religious ceremony where an elephant was dressed in huge cloths. The special thing there was that on the one hand, we were the only tourists among many locals, and on the other hand, an elephant "trainer" our age allowed us to touch and stroke his elephant.  When it got dark, we positioned ourselves on the street through which the procession would pass. Promptly, residents there invited us to spend the Perahera in their first-floor apartment, which was more like a construction site. Although communication was difficult to impossible, we had free front-row seats, so to speak. The procession was absolutely impressive and diverse. It consisted of three elephants and numerous costumed children who had a lot to show, from fire shows to dances. We immediately made friends with the "peacock girls". ;) Looking back, this day was perfect for us and will always be remembered!

The next morning, we spontaneously joined forces with a Dutch family to be chauffeured to Arugam Bay in a minivan for an extremely cheap price.