LITTLE ADAM'S PEAK IN ELLA

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Day 6: SHE - LITTLE ADAM 'S PEAK - DOWA TEMPLE

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Today we wake up in She, that city to which we arrived yesterday and that only in a few hours has managed to fall in love. We slept like kings and shortly before 7 in the morning, we were already in the breakfast room, where Cristina, the owner of the hotel, has welcomed us with her family, allowing us to charge the batteries to face Little Adam's Peak in her.

Having breakfast before we go to Little Adam's Peak in Ella

Cristina is one of those people that we automatically associate with a destination. Cristina has the sweetest voice we have ever heard and wastes peace as soon as she appears. Cristina will always come to our head every time we think of She. This city, with a woman's name, that caught us as soon as we arrived.

After a morning talk with her and filling our stomachs, we hang our backpacks, leaving the Sunnyside Holiday Bungalow to reach the last street of the city, following Main Street, which will take us, at the moment we turn left to Little Adam's Peak in Ella.
We find a market that makes us entertain ourselves for a while before returning to the road.

Market, path of Little Adam's Peak in Ella

We haven't been ascending for 5 minutes and we have already begun to see the first tea fields. Those so famous that we have read so much and we wanted to know so much.

Way of Little Adam's Peak in Ella

This tour up Little Adam's Peak in Ella It is about 5 kilometers, round trip and takes about 2 hours on the way, although we, who have just started, already intuit that we will need some more time, why do we just stop at all places to take photos .
We continue ascending and when we are halfway there, we realize that we do not carry what we would most need on this route and we had been advised not to forget: the water !!

And we follow the road to Little Adam's Peak in Ella

After a few minutes of indecision, considering whether to go back down to look or not, seeing that the morning does not appear very hot and the sun does not greet us with much enthusiasm, we decided to follow the path until we reach the top.

Cartel signaling Little Adam's Peak in Ella

The truth is that the road from She until Little Adam's Peak It is not difficult to follow and in the town you can ask for a map at the hotel or at a bar…
For us the only point where we get disoriented, although we have to confess that we are one of the people who give us two laps and we have already lost ourselves, was at the end of everything, when we arrived at the door of one of the most beautiful hotels in the area , 98 Acres, with stunning views of the tea plantations and instead of turning right, where after we saw the sign that perfectly indicated the direction of the march, after a green fence, we followed the wrong path ...
Until after 10 minutes, we sensed that we were doing something wrong and asked some workers who were on the road and told us that we had passed the detour.

We follow the ascent to Little Adam's Peak in Ella

At the end of the ascent, we reach the last leg, this time of stairs, which will take us to the top of Little Adam's Peak in Ella.

Last leg of the ascent to Little Adam's Peak in Ella

Once we reach the top of Little Adam's Peak in Ella We cannot do anything else, like so many other times in our travels, than to sit down and admire the landscape in front of us.

Enjoying Little Adam's Peak in Ella

On the entire route of She until Little Adam's Peak We have crossed paths with no tourists and now, just when we reach the top, we see a couple in the distance, just like us, but at a distance, enjoy unbeatable views.
From here we see Rawana Falls, where yesterday we were with Sudu, the road where we reached She and we understand "the truth" of the statement, when they say that from here, on a clear day, you can see the sea.

Views from Little Adam's Peak in Ella

Top of Little Adam's Peak in Ella

We cannot assure how long we are in Little Adam's Peak, because I think we have not looked at the clock once.
There is not much land where you can move and more if you have some vertigo, since in parts of the ascent, especially in the last flight of stairs and at the top, we do not find any protection and we must walk with a certain watch out.

Happiness in Little Adam's Peak in Ella

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Views from Little Adam's Peak in Ella

Once we are satisfied with today's excursion, we retrace our steps, knowing that we have been in a privileged place.
On the way down we meet some Tamil women picking tea, but seeing that we stand by their side, they offer to pose for a photo. We intuit that tourism has already arrived here offering money for photos ... too bad!

Between tea fields. Little Adam's Peak in Ella

Descending from Little Adam's Peak in Ella

It took us a little more than 30 minutes to reach the road that a few hours ago we were taking in the opposite direction and now, almost touching midday, we met a lot of people, who, as happened to us in previous days, do nothing but greet and smile at us ... love this city !! We love She!!

Going back to her

Once we get to She, we stop at a stand to buy some cookies and water and stop for a while in the market to take pictures and enjoy the atmosphere that is breathed at this time in the city.

We return to Ella's market!

After this, we stop at Ella Holiday Inn for a couple of lemonades with lime that refresh us in the morning and the lack of water in these last hours!
Here we buy a map of Ella Rock for tomorrow, for 100 rupees and after this well-deserved rest, we chose to take a tuk tuk, before eating, to take us to the Dowa Temple, which is 6 kilometers from She, in the direction of Badulla.
We have to haggle a little and in the end, we reach an agreement for 600 rupees.
Round trip to Dowa Temple, which will be about 15 kilometers or so and wait. We believe it is a fairly fair price.

Tuk Tuk in Ella

Dowa Temple Road from Ella

We arrived at Dowa Temple in just over 15 minutes, and as soon as the tuk tuk leaves us we can see some stairs that will take us to one of the most beautiful places we have been since we arrived ... Well, we will not lie, one of the many places we have been ... what have been many!

Entering Dowa Temple

After going down the stairs, we take off our shoes and enter a cave, with incredible Buddha carvings, that keep us with our mouths open during the minutes we are there.

Dowa Temple

Dowa Temple details

After visiting the cave, we go outside and go up a rock, where we find a Buddha carved in the stone equal to or more impressive than what we just saw inside the cave.
A 4-meter-tall Buddha watches us, with one of the most beautiful faces we have ever seen.

Buddha in Dowa Temple

Dowa Temple Buddha Details

As the minutes pass in front of the Dowa Buddha, we find it more incredible that we have not found information on the internet or in the guides about this place.
A Temple that is a few kilometers from She and for us, it is an essential visit in this trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Dowa Temple

When we see that it is almost 1 noon, we return to the tuk tuk, to return to She and we stopped to eat at Pasla Café because we see that they have a sign that announces free Wi-Fi ... Although after a while we see that they don't have it. And although we ask several times and they all tell us that there is, we can't connect.
We ordered a nasi goreng, which for a few minutes takes us back to our trip through Indonesia.
At Nasi Goreng, we add a pasta dish plus a beer and coke that cost us 1650 rupees.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Sri Lanka
- 10 essential places to visit in Sri Lanka
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Sri Lanka

The truth is that the food was not too good. The pasta had too much sauce and the Nasi Goreng, despite ordering it without spicy, little more and we left burning!
I think this site has all the points to not return the rest of the days we have left in She.

Eating at Pasla Café in Ella

After filling the stomach, worse or better, we decided that it is time to return to our accommodation for a while, to rest for a while, that we are on vacation for that!
At 5 in the afternoon, we return to Main Street and after having a drink in a bar on the main street, we return to Chilli Café, yesterday's site and have a pizza, a plate of meat, water, tea and 2 lemonades for 2500 rupees ...

Taking something in her

When we finish it is after 9 pm, so we can not think of anything other than the bed that awaits us at the Sunnyside Holiday Bungalow a few minutes from here. We are going to rest that tomorrow it's time to go to Ella Rock !!!