Ella

After a week resting (more or less) in Arugam Bay I was starting to feel like I was getting some energy back, but months of travel was never going to be undone in a week. I decided another week in one place would be good for me, and decided the slightly cooler temperatures of Ella would be ideal after daily roastings at the beach. As soon as I arrived I felt I’d made a good choice - nestled in the mountains, there are dramatic views in all directions, some pretty hilly backstreets, and I’d picked a hostel far enough away from the town centre to be quiet and peaceful. 

I purposefully didn’t do too much, spending a lot of time on a laptop working out what life might look like when I return home in less than a month, but I did make it to some of Ella’s highlights while here. I walked to nine arches bridge and waited with the rest of the tourists for a train to pass over it - it did eventually, but a couple of minutes beforehand fog descended, so we could only just make out the lights of the train behind the cloud! I also climbed Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak with friends I’d met in the hostel, however I had to go carefully after injuring my hamstring having a late night race with someone. A delicate reminder from my body that I’m no longer in my early twenties. The views from the top of Ella Rock in particular were spectacular - a carpet of different lush greens and mountains sticking out of otherwise flat land. 

There was an odd episode where a couple of people independently had things stolen from the hostel, with evidence suggesting it was the staff. It was dealt with strangely (some might say guiltily) by the manager, who we all agreed had given us an odd vibe from the start. The upshot was a group of us demanded to be reimbursed for future nights we’d paid for and left for a different hostel. Not a nice thing to have to deal with, but as a silver lining it really bonded the group. In a less silvery lining, the hostel chosen (not by me) was called “Hangover Hostel” and as a result I didn’t get a lot of sleep, although only the first night due to my own behaviour. Fittingly I spent the next day hungover.

A week in Ella was another step towards recovery from what has been a long and tiring journey. I’m still in need of much more rest (to be honest I’m still doing plenty to tire myself out), but I can feel my body thanking me for slowing down just a little, even if it’s a little upset I thought competitive sprinting at night would be a good idea.