Enchanting Ella; tea plantations and lush jungles & secret waterfalls

Farewelling Hikkaduwa, we jumped onto a packed public bus and headed the half hour journey to Matara, surfing the corners and clutching the bars. We arrived to a chaotic cluster of busses and people; waiting and watching us as we searched for the bus towards Ella. Working out that in fact, we had to catch one to Wellawaya and change, we found the right one and jumped on board, even scoring ourselves some seats. Right before departing, within 15 minutes the bus became manic and some people stood in the isles the entire 4 hour bumpy, rough and noisey ride. 

The busy bus pulled into Wellawaya station around 3:45, and before we even hit the ground we were surrounded by tuk tuk drivers and poaches hassling us. A revolting, paid toilet experience later we found the correct Ella bound bus to jump on. Already pretty full we asked a few people could we sit beside them and were refused. I finally found a lady willing and Sean stood the next hour journey up into the windy hills. It was better to have Sean leaning over me than the many men before he claimed the area. The bus was extremely uncomfortable, so cramped I was completely drenched in the lady beside me’s sweat and basically spent the trip eating another’s smelly armpits. It seems that no matter how full the bus, he will still try to fit more! The other strange bus etiquette we noticed was new passengers would literally chuck their belongings on others who were lucky enough to have a seat, no words were passed nor even a simple smile for thanks! 
Not before time we arrived into Ella and could barely squeeze our bodies off the tight bus. Wow. 6 hours on buses in Sri Lanka is not a walk in the park. Exhausted and dirty we swaggered up the hill to find somewhere to call home for a few nights! Sean decided on a left turn, up a little path and through a tea plantation. Over another road and around a corner…all up hill! We came to ‘Ella’s highest Inn’ and were greeted by a friendly chap who quoted us 2000 rupee for a clean enough room with a beautiful leafy view (this sold me) so we claimed it!

Only after a long shower did we finally relax into Ella, and appreciate that is was about 10 degrees cooler than South! The fields were lush and vibrant green, the town was quaint and friendly and there was lots to see! Having not eaten since brekky we treated ourselves to a ‘fancy’ meal at AK Ristoro (#1 on trip adviser.) The two cold beers served in chilled pottery mugs were by far the highlight of the dining experience, the 5 x tapas plates we received were underwhelming and small potions, and the puttanesca pasta was a very average spag bol. We followed this with two glasses of stock standard red table wine…coming in at a grand total of $45 Aussie, it was the most expensive and unimpressive meal we had in Sri Lanka thus far!

Near defeated, & a wee bit drunk, we started to make what would be a short journey back to the Inn, if it wasn’t for the expedition-like climb up the pitch black, rocky, ‘shortcut.’ Amazingly, with our slight inebriation, we rose to the challenge, & managed to not lose our footing! Back inside, we clambered into bed & drifted off to sleep with help from the nocturnal sounds of the crisp evening.

The next morning, we slowly arose to the sounds of chanting from the valley. The sun drenched our room, & the birds chirped gleefully away. Well rested & ravenous, we descended our way back down to the once sleepy village. We settled on the ‘Ella Curd Shop,’ featured in the trusty Lonely Planet that was attached to our sides. For breakfast we ordered two coffees with milk, I ordered a fruit salad, & Sean ordered a mixed omelette. After sipping at our slightly funky tasting coffee, my fruit salad appeared, contained in a glass resembling something you’d find in a typical 70’s kitchen. Funky in a different context! Sean’s omelette looked, & tasted sub-par & had to be drenched in tomato sauce to be fit for devouring. We quickly paid up & set off to find waterfalls road, where many guesthouses allegedly lied, all boasting the best views of Ella. Another ascending climb up the road, we came across the first accommodation of interest, ‘Float 2 Ella.’ Wow… The view was spectacular. The owner lady showed us the top floor room & we were left breathless. The towering Ella Rock just there, the Rawana Falls crashing down the mountainside to the left, the room itself even had a private balcony & mini fridge! We were offered the space for 5000 rupees, & I’m sure if we hadn’t already paid for our current sleeping arrangement, we would’ve snapped it up, then & there. With a polite ‘we’ll come back tomorrow,’ we walked further down the road & investigated a few more hotels with rivalling views & rooms.

As it was Vesahk, the Buddist holiday celebrating the life, death & awakening of Buddha in sync with the full moon; (a religious new year), not too many places were open, so in an eventually unanimous decision, we strolled back in to the Dream Café! The restaurant looked superb at night, soft lighting & candles on every table set the mood well. We took a seat at the most romantic of tables & asked for a nice, cold beer. ‘Sorry sir, madam, no alcohol during Vesahk.’ Ouch. Not to worry, we stuck to water & lemonade. Feeling like something healthy, I ordered the lemon chicken breast with sautéed vegetables & rice. Sean not so much, ordered a good old fashioned beef fillet hamburger with wedges & salad. My chicken was a little dry, but seasoned well. The vegetables needed a kick of seasoning, & were okay. Sean’s burger was hearty, & the accompanying wedges were crispy & tasty. We finished our meals & began playing our new favourite past time, last card. Ordering a green tea to finish up, we ended the night refreshed, full & ready for an early adventure tomorrow.

The alarm sounded what felt like in the middle of the night, we both groaned and reached for it. 5:15am was our wake up time, and we were beating the smiling sun. In a sleepy dance we pivoted into our walking shoes and out of the comfort of bed. We clambered slowly back down the tea plantation and through the town locating signs for ‘Little Adams Peak’. Following that road up hill we seemed to have befriended a few stray dogs, each time we looked around they multiplied and before we knew it we had a wolf pack…counting 9 dogs! After taking a wrong dirt track for about 10 minutes we returned to find the right one and began our up hill climb. At the bottom there was a cross road; the stairs which take you almost directly there after about 20 minutes, or the dirt track which wraps around the peak through grass and over rocks to gets more authentic venture and aesthetically pleasing views of the tea plantations and Ella rock. We chose the later and took the hounds with us! A little fat of 15 minutes later we had reached the ‘peak’ but that wasn’t enough for ‘explorer Sean’ who decided to track over the web of the attached mountain to see some more views of the south whilst I sat with my loyal pup and took in the incredible views of rock scratched mountains, clear skies and a rising sun. Once a huge group of Russian tourists took their nose back down the hill we found rock to meditate on. To breath in the new awakening day, the fresh crisp air and feel the sun warm our skin.. It was breathtaking.

It was a short, easy climb down the stairs and we took a right to head to 98 acres, a neighbouring high end resort which served us brekky, and was still high enough to enjoy the mountain ranges. We relaxed into pool side beanbags and sipped on a pot of coffee until the food started to come; first we received a small but tasty fruit plate, then a basket of breads, pastries and cake escorted with jam and butter. Following this was a plate of waffles and pancakes, and last but not least Sean was served a full English brekky. Bursting at the seams with full bellies, we slowed staggered home. What an enchanting morning in Ella!

Feeling rejuvenated, & a little spiritually awakened, we asked our friendly host what we should do for the rest of the day, which was still heating up! He made a few phone calls to friends asking who would be willing to accompany us to the top secret ‘Jungle Waterfall’ with their Tuk Tuk for a discounted price. A young man obliged, & within the hour he showed up out the front, rearing to take us on an adventure. And what an adventure it was! He hardly spoke a word of English, but he was extremely friendly & patient. He took us to the overcrowded Rawana Falls, crawling with bathing locals. He stopped so we could take several snaps of the cheeky monkeys.

He also showed us his home, & we met his father. Shortly after that, we turned onto an unassuming road & followed it towards the promised paradise. Paradise soon turned to panic as the road became slightly treacherous, bumpy, muddy, uneven & slithered across a river! Relieved, we pulled up in a property & began walking through the jungle. Clambering over mossy rocks, through caverns & across branches, we came to a clearing. A massive amount of water rushed over a cliffside & into a deep pool. It reminded me a lot of Paddy’s Rivers Falls in Tumbarumba! Aside from four young, soapy men bathing in their underwear, the place was empty. Without hesitation, we dove right in & soaked up the serenity of the magical place, while our driver kept Sean’s bag safe on his back. As soon as we retired towards the riverbank, the jungle became a rainforest & the heavens opened above. 

The rain continued to pour once we seeked refuge in the back of the Tuk Tuk, the driver made sure we were in, & took off. The road became more muddy & slippery as the weather continued to challenge us, however our driver skillfully dodged & weaved on. Relief literally washed over our faces as we made it back onto the main road, we were ready for home & a hot shower. However, it wasn’t too be a smooth journey home either. The driver pulled over & brought us hot coffee after we politely refused. Still, a lovely gesture, so we chucked ‘em down & the warm ridiculously sugary beverage warmed us up! On the road again, we got a few kilometres before the Tuk Tuk started to struggle, & eventually conk out. ‘Petrol..’ The driver said, clearly embarrassed. ‘You wait ten minutes, I go Ella.’ He jumped on the next crammed bus towards Ella in search of fuel. Twenty minutes of cards & slight shivering, he returned, petrol in hand, to finally get us home. We raced up into our room & into the bathroom for boiling hot showers. Now warm & stoked with how much we had already accomplished in our last day, we relaxed.

Heading down through our lush green tea plantation in search of our final supper, we were left with not much choice than to return to dream cafe as all others still remained closed! One average fish curry and a pretty tasty trusted Fishermans pizza later we took our bloated bellies back up the hill to catch some shut eye! 
We woke just after half 6 to the sound of our alarm, and in a dazed slumber we packed up our bags and hitched a ride with our friendly host to meet a tuk tuk. We waited by a local cafe where our host insisted we try rotti with coconut sambol. I was passed a small round rotti topped with the vibrant orrange sambol, not sure what to expect for my $0.15 investment, I was more than pleasantly surprised! It was a delicious coconutty spicey goodness that had me going back to counter for two more (for the train). Just on time we farewelled our host/(not before Sean gave him a ‘sex cocktail recipe’ as requested!) and our friendly little tuk tuk driver took us up a steep hill through to Halpewatte Tea Plantation! We paid for a tour of the factory knowing that Sri Lanka is the biggest tea export country in the world! The tour was really informative and interesting but because of their long weekend a lot of the ‘first process’ machines were not on yet! Most intriguing I found that they supply all of the big name tea brands like Lipton their bags of tea and the average big sack of tea auctions for $250USD! After a brief tea taste we decided to sip on an apple tea and soak up the delicious views of Ella and the morning Rays! 

Ready to hit the road we climbed back down the four floors of stairs leaving the view and empty cups behind us! Jumping in the tuk tuk and heading for the train station! With still an hour to spare we stopped for breaky across the road from the tidy station at a cafe. A horrible egg and banana rotti later, we left our full glasses off smelly milk which apparently had coffee in it and boarded the train for Kandy! Excited at scoring seats this time we sat back as the horn sounded and the wheels stared stated to spiral around! Before too long the enchanting Ella was behind us and we were lost in the beauty of the lush forest/tea plantation and small villages. However, sad and disappointed at the amount of rubbish that littered the incredible environment. The train is set to take anywhere between 6-10 hours so anyone’s guess was as good as mine at this point!