The Highlands Part 2

On the next day, we could sleep in because we only took the train to Ella in the afternoon. An amazing train ride was waiting for us. We booked the second class for €2.50. A mistake as it turned out. The second and first class were closed off. To make matters worse, all the doors in the first and second class were locked. We asked if we could also go to the third class, but no, that's not possible because otherwise locals would illegally occupy the first or second class, but we want to go to the worse one? So what do we do? Get off at the next stop and get back on two carriages further back. Finally, we were able to sit by the open door and enjoy the panorama.

After 3 hours of travel, we reached Ella and went to little Adams Peak. As everywhere, there were no fences and the view was fantastic.

The next morning, we continued to Ella Rock. Of course, we started without any instructions and got lost right away. We didn't let it bother us and then we met two Spaniards who at least had a draft with them.

We made good progress at first until an older gentleman asked us where we were going and if we didn't have a plan with us. Unfortunately, we said no, and the old man immediately tried to take advantage of it by saying this was 'private land' and we were not allowed to go here. We simply took another way, but here too, he blocked our path armed with a stick. He let a group of other tourists pass. As the good man became more and more aggressive, I also looked for a stick just to be safe. Fortunately, I didn't need it because we had found another way. After a very tough climb in over 30 degrees Celsius, we finally reached the top after about 2 hours. Here again, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view. An old man even cooked us a delicious tea on a small fire pit in the middle of nowhere.

Afterwards, we went back to our accommodation because our breakfast was waiting. This was supposed to be the best of the whole trip. It had everything we needed, typical Sri Lankan dishes, but I had to take a panorama because not everything fit in one photo ;-)

After that, we took a taxi with the two Dutch people Saskia and Arian, as well as a Norwegian and an American, and went 150 km towards Arugam Bay. The 4-hour drive passed quickly because someone came up with the idea that everyone should play a song from their country. So the ride was a mix of Dutch, Sri Lankan, American, Norwegian, Spanish, and German music.

When we arrived in Arugam Bay, we stayed with a friend of Tobi's.

Oh, I have to say something about my Chinese and French 'friends'. Are there any worse tourists than the ones mentioned? No! The Chinese are simply rude and disrespectful. They simply take a selfie with monks without asking and push praying believers to the side for a photo, and they don't even consider other people for a corresponding photo. Then there are the French. Normally, it is customary to greet each other with Hello or Hi, so it can happen that you initially talk to Germans in English. The only ones who can't manage that are the French, and I won't say bonjour to them ;-)