Ella Rock

25/10/10  From Ella, took the small climb up to Ella rock, involving train tracks, trees and getting lost...

Hill Country Train

24/10/10  Continued our journey east through the hills towards Ella :)

Sri Pada

23/10/10  Sri Pada or Adam's Peak is a big Pilgrimage for Buddhist, Christians, Hindus....they all tweak the story to fit!  We climbed the 5200ish steps at 2am to get up for the most incredible sunrise!

We climbed under a full moon, with low clouds and lots of stars:) The Peak is 2243m

Things got spooky as we climbed into the clouds.  Lots of abandoned stalls and shrines, that only come alive during pilgrimage season.  A little Spirited Away...

Finally arrived at the freeeeezing top.  Full moon above the clouds.

Here comes the sun, ditty ditty...

Even if you weren't allowed to, it would be impossible not to right? Ring it! ...Apparently you ring it for how many times you have climbed the peak and its like giving God a ring so he knows you made the pilgrimage?! So I guess we're in his little black book now. A bit like Father Christmas' naughty or nice list! Oooerr.

Delhousie

22/10/10  Pronounced del-house.  It's the main starting place for the pilgrimage up Adam's Peak.  Although there is a pilgrimage season and it's not now, so the village had tumble weed!  Stayed at a really nice guest house - White House.  They had a river to swim in.  We also washed ourselves and clothes in it like the natives :)

To Delhousie

22/10/10 Traveled to Delhousie on a busy, holiday Friday as it was a Poya (full Moon) day.  No seats left on the train, barely any standing room either!  But the snack guys still moved up and down and the local holiday folk kept us entertained with songs and drums all the way :)  And the views from the bus we took into the hills after were unreal...

Kandy

21/10/10 Whoops. The camera was set to RAW so we don't have many photos of here to show! Nice city though. We missioned it up to a giant Buddha on the hillside, saw a great sunset and ate some lush (and new) food!

Miscellaneous but attractive photo. A small point of interest though: Kandy has a temple that houses the Sacred tooth of the
Buddha. These flowers were offerings for said temple. We didn't quite make into the temple to see Buddha's dental records!

Colombo

20/10/10 Sri Lanka! Time to feel a bit dum again. New Rupees to play with, new languages and new levels of spice - YOUCH. One night in Colombo before moving on. We only have 2 weeks here so its all Go Go GO! And we're heading East.

Stayed in the YWCA. Which felt a bit like being in the girl guides. Bell for bedtime and for breakfast! Nice though, and woke up to sweet(?) melody of the bin man in Taiwan... turned out to be a bakery tuktuk!

Taking the Colombo commuter route up the coast to catch our train into the hills!

Chowara

18/10/10 Grace and Macdonald rendezvous with Momma & Poppa Bendle at superdouper Manultheeram Beach Village - wowsers. Super spoilt for our last stop in India. Thankyou!!!!

Our best beach in India. No restaurants or shops, just fishermen doing their fishing :)

Namaste India!

Indian Coffee House

18/10/10 Indian Coffee House serves tea, coffee and darn good food, for cheap! Doasas, Wada, Masala Omlette, Bombay Toast were some of our favourites. This one, in Trivandrum, has tables on a non stop spiral (no stairs) Very cool.

India Surf

17/10/10 Yeah! Surfed India:)  Possibly a fake JC board, with only 2 fins left and little wax...but the waves were fun, the sea was warm, and just me and the dolphin out (see fig. 3).

Varkala Beach

13/10/10 4 days of beach.... seafood, a lil' sunburn (oooerr), swimming and sunset watching :) The beach was the best early evening when the locals came to watch the waves. Life guards shut the sea the second the sun has set, and shut the beach when its past our bedtime!

Varkala Government Guest House

13/10/10 Arrived in Varkala and managed to score a cheap room at the government guest house Rs 220/night! Huge room in an old building up on the hill.  Unfortunately, 2 nights in we were moved on, water issues/government officials needing a room, and ended up in teeny roachville :( still cheap and closer to the sea though :)

Secret Beach

11/10/10  Hired a Moped for the day to go in search of the "secret beach".

Found it!

Chilling after first driving experience in India...sheesh.

Just us and the Fishermen

Alleppey Backwaters

10/10/10 (International Cowboy Day)  Paddled a canoe into the backwaters and villages around Alleppey.

Our Boatman (competes in the boat race in August for his village in the 101 strong canoe team)

 We paddled too

Lotus Flower

Herding ducks for Christmas!

Stopped for a Toddy in a Toddy Shack.  Palm beer, 5%, tastes a bit like rank, home brew wheat beer.

John got to swim, Grace didn't cause she's a girl errrrrrrrrrrgh.

We were invited to eat at Boatman's house.  The most chilis ever in one meal, and lil' teeny weeny fishes. Fire!