More From Sri Lanka - The Hill Country

Sunrise over Ella

Ella is a small village in Sri Lanka's Hill Country, surrounded by forests, tea plantations, waterfalls, and terraced farm fields and rice paddies.  It's a quiet and friendly place, with stellar views when it's not draped in mist.

On the way to Ella from the coast, we stopped at an elephant orphanage to look at some baby pachyderms (they're cute, but they're not small), and then we drove alongside Udawalawe National Park to catch a glimpse of the big guys.  Once in Ella, we went on several very rewarding hikes (including along Ella's not-so-busy railroad tracks), toured a tea plantation, and visited an ancient Buddhist temple with beautiful murals and a 2,000-year old Buddha carved from a rock face.  But the real highlight was relaxing on our balcony, hanging out with our new friends from Austria (Mike, Tanja and Ipi, whom we met in Mirissa), eating tropical fruit and drinking beer, while watching the mists and afternoon thunderstorms come and go. 

After a few days in Ella, we took the train to Kandy, a circuitous 7-hour ride, covering only about 200 kilometers or so, through the mountains in the center of the country.  It's a very scenic ride, but be sure to stock up on peanuts, cream crackers and plenty of little bananas.  Enjoy the pictures and we'll see you soon in Kandy, Sri Lanka's former capital and second largest city.

Here are the pictures from Ella

Jeremy took my Giants cap

Got my cap back!

Our friend Mike

 

Rush hour at Ella's train station

Hiking with Mike

Talia and Ipi about to hop a train to nowhere

Mike with Jeremy on the railroad tracks

Tanja, Talia and Ipi

Mike likes tea

View from our balcony (when it's clear)

Wildlife in Ella

At the elephant orphanage, on the way to Ella

Udawalawe National Park

Don't worry - there's an electrified fence separating them

Tanja, with water buffaloes and an elephant

Dowa Buddhist Temple, just outside Ella

Getting ready to tour the tea factory (sterile procedures required and no photos allowed inside)

Here are some shots from the long, slow train ride from Ella to Kandy

Tea plantations (along with farm fields) dominate the landscape

Buddhist temple

Hindu temple

Another Hindu temple

Waiting (and sleeping) at the train station

Good bye meal in Ella - see you in Austria!  (Jeremy was too hungry to wait for the picture)