The pig swore. Part 5.
Initially, I planned to limit myself to a tour of the beaches south of Unawatuna, because last time I took the train ride. And I swore and swore that I would never go to the center of the island again. But, first, the idea of climbing a mountain higher is firmly rooted in the brains. I even wanted to repeat the ascent of Mount Moses. But, since the trip did not take place in Egi, but in the Champions League, the mountain was chosen differently, although no less sacred. Adam's Peak! It is necessary to take advantage of Verka's temporary absence and do it!
But how inconvenient to get there! I canceled the option to go immediately upon arrival. To have time to dawn at the peak, you need to go out at 3 nights maximum. After not the easiest flight and a sleepless night, without resting properly, scratching at 2200 m was not the best idea. Riding here and there from the coast is also not a thrill.
There was an option to ascend before returning home.
But still, getting to Hutton from the coast, and going up the mountain that night, was not possible. An intermediate stop is needed. And where? Well, of course, in Ella. Last time I really liked it there. Also, I forgot the hair band there. This is the second time. And a sign is a sign. I forgot something, I will definitely have to come back. And, thirdly, Ella-rock remained in Ella, unconquered by us. Even this reason, in principle, is enough to visit this picturesque place.
At first I wanted to leave Ella for one night, but I didn't know for sure how long we would get there. The hike to Ella Rock takes 4 hours. You can not have time until dark. To go there at night to meet the dawn, then go back down in soap to catch the train, and the next night to go to a more serious mountain again, it's also an idea.
So, hardening her heart, she spent three whole nights by the ocean, sacrificing them to the mountains. Two in Ella and one in the village of Delhuzi at the foot of Adam's Peak.
When we left, the mistress of the villa asked where we were going next? I told her to go to Ella. I don't think she even knew where it was. But her daughter explained something to her emotionally. Like, I got it.
Went to the bus station. It was Monday. The children were brought to a school and kindergarten located on the street leading from Hiriketiya to Dickwell. It looks like summer. Why children at school? Ah, yes! Eternal summer is here, so now, don't go to school? And the classes, as I understand it, were located in this school at the top of the building, in the open air under the roof. Beauty! No need to sit for half a day in a stuffy room. And I liked the poster hanging on the school fence.
“Yes… We are still educating our youth badly! " (with). Here's how!
Went on the track.
A Colombo-Nuwara-Elia bus rushed past to take us straight to Ella. Here, damn it! Itching for a long time. Now you have to roar on the transfer. At the bus station, for a start, they boarded the Dikvella-Tangalle bus, as no one was going on. Tangalle is quite a big city and there should be more options to leave.
The bus, it turns out, stops in the village where the Howling Hole is located. There was no special need to stomp to the track. But who knew?
In Tangalle, after spending 3 minutes, we boarded a bus pointed out to me by the girl I asked. And this bus, it turns out, went through Dickwell. That is, we could safely sit on it there. But who knew?
The bus was full. There were only two seats left in the front row on opposite sides of the aisle. We sat down. And things will be under surveillance.
The conductor knocked out a ticket for 190 rupees.
But only one. And she paid for two. Another way to divorce. But much more humane for me. He cheated, in fact, not me, but the state. Well, or the owner of the bus. I don't know who it belongs to. In general, the pricing of tickets in the Champions League is a mystery behind the seven seals. If the curtains were hung in a normal school bus and the TV was turned up at full volume, it is already listed in the "seven-luxury" category! I saw without curtains, with the TV off, the journey in which was similar. Some of the conductors had cash registers, others gave out pieces of paper on which they drew some dwarfs - not the numbers, not their signature. Rarely came across honest. But came across. One gave me a penny. And so, at least for two rupees, but cheats. So, I've come to terms with that. Still, there are no controllers there. The conductor is king and god. And more. As far as I noticed, there are no pension certificates in the Champions League. Everyone pays, except the monks.
The bus was already moving when a guy with a cane climbed into it. Blind. I wanted to give him a seat, but the uncle sitting next to me held me back. The guy is not behind this. Folding his cane, he pulled out a tambourine. And it started! He sang, of course, beautifully. And he knocked on the tambourine, hitting the beat. Only all this was happening above my head. Being a listener in the front row is not always fun.
I broke in and gave the artist 10 rupees, which he immediately gave to the conductor as a fare. That is, the disabled do not drown in them either.
After spending 3 hours on the road, we reached Velavaya, where we boarded a bus to Ella. But if last year we left immediately, now we had to wait half an hour for other passengers to catch up. Another hour - and we're there. On the way they saw an excavator raking a landslide. We slipped, and the oncoming flow passed us. Good luck.
It was quite sunny. My fears that it would rain were in vain.
And, if on the coast it can still be somehow survived, then in the mountains - it's just a disaster and an ambition for all plans.
Getting off the bus and returning five meters back, we turned onto Vodopadnaya Street. Almost the first gesture seemed vaguely familiar to me from the photos on the booking. Without hesitation, that's where we went. We were shown a room next to the reception, which we rented for 3.000 rupees per night. Breakfast was not included. Well, you don't have to.
After beating up my grandmother, I realized that we still have a lot of rupees. We can afford to rent a room without a kitchen. All the same there are no fish here and there is nothing to cook. You can eat in a cafe. That's why we went there. Going into the first thing I came across, we ordered soup and one cotta for two. We entered Ella at ten past two, and at three we were already eating our soup. Vadik is my favorite tomato, and I am a tom tomato. Oh, what a charm! Tears welled up and snot flowed, he was so hot and sharp!
Two plates with hot sauces were brought to the cotta, but compared to the soup, they were nothing, and we poured them completely into the dish.
Paid 1700 rupees. That's a pound of shrimp and two bottles of beer. Or half a kilo of shrimp and 6 bottles of beer.
Reinforced, we went for an easy walk - climbing a small peak of Adam. A year ago we went up here in the morning, so the sky was absolutely clear. It was getting dark now, and it was a little foggy. This is the peculiarity of these places. Well, though, there was still no rain. The nebula gave the mountains a certain mystery.
And the red dog at the top changed its location a bit in a year. Last time she lay down under the Buddha.
A girl took out a chocolate bar and whispered.
The dog woke up immediately and moved to the sound source. But the girl, either out of greed or scared of the dog, quickly shoved the bar in her mouth, and the dog, not eating salty, returned to the starting position and immediately fell asleep again.
What can I tell you? You get used to beauty, as well as to everything else. We've been here before, so we weren't thrilled last year. After taking a couple of shots, we went down. We wanted to have time to visit the 9-arched bridge before sunset, which, however, we have already seen. We need to do something!
At the edge of the path sat a foreign man with a huge camera and fixed something hard. She began to look closely at what exactly. Something green. Butterfly, or what? I ask him - "Butterfly? ». No, he says, chameleon! Wow! I have never seen such a beast live in the wild. And she took a picture of herself.
The war aunt tried to explain something to me in her imported language. If I understand correctly, you need to wait eleven minutes for it to change color. Come on! I will wait! It would be easier to hit him to make it purple with a dot, but I can't hurt the animals.
And we left. It turns out that to get to the bridge, you do not need to go down to the track. Before reaching the bottom, we saw a sign with an arrow indicating the desired direction.
On the way we came across a hotel consisting of very attractive huts.
We saw them from the top.
It was called "98 acres". On the sign I forgot to take a picture was an inscription like "Only for residents. " Oh how! MI-7? Mossad? Or was it meant only for the citizens of the Champions League?
Already at home I looked at the booking. Yes, nothing like a hotel!
We rented a room for 500 hryvnias, and a room in "98 acres" cost 5500 per night! Only residents can afford it. But the views from the panoramic windows there are truly stunning. And there is a swimming pool. So, girls with Verka syndrome would love it here.
There were also such cottages.
Asked the guys standing next to you, how much is a night here? It turned out to be $ 50 a night.
And here is the bridge.
The path led through private courtyards. The residents did not object at all. But it's not just people who live here.
We went down to the bridge and went home on sleepers.
Dinner. We had a good walk and really wanted a beer. On the way we came across a bar, where we turned. The situation was original and uncomplicated.
The cheapest local beer cost as much as 500 rupees. Paaaadumaesh! Money burns the thigh. We can afford it, although we know where to find it cheaper. The waiter brought a bottle of Lyon, two glasses from the freezer and 4 laser disks as stands.
Original! Although, after last year's cable reels fitted to the tables, I was no longer surprised. Sharp bullshit, such as our straws, was also brought to the beer.
It was getting dark when we got out of the bar.
It's time to have dinner. And what kind of dinner without Calypso? We went to the only place in Ella that sells alcohol. There were no price tags here. I tell the opium dealer for the Red Calypso people and shove 2.500 through the bars. He tells me 3.350! I poke my finger at the price indicated on the bottle. He begins to say something emotional.
I didn't even try to understand. Apparently, he was crying about the high markup. And figs with him! The money is immeasurable!
The next goal is a supermarket. In Ella it is incomparably worse than on the coast. There was the Food City chain. And her tentacles have not yet reached here. Pichalka! Neither the fish department nor the alcohol department. Although the Kurd was available. But some completely unfamiliar brand.
In Dickwell, we first bought a Kurd (or Kurd, whichever you prefer) in a clay pot that I was so praised for. There were buffalo and cows. We bought cows in a supermarket in plastic packaging, so we decided to try buffalo.
And I didn't like him. It differed from the store in texture and taste. The top was like a crust, which tasted burnt, though absolutely snow-white, greasy to the point of ugliness, sticking to the palate.
The consistency was nostrils in contrast to the store, absolutely homogeneous and delicate. And the taste of the natural product was sour, without palm syrup it would be impossible to eat it at all. I realized that in terms of cooking technology, it is similar to our aryan (not to be confused with ayran). Only ours is just a reunion.
But here we finally found incense sticks. I did not meet them in Halle or Dickwell. Of course, we didn't go to Hikkaduwa to follow them. Bought, happily, as many as 7 boxes.
Having bought mangoes and bananas on a tray, they returned home and settled down to dine on the balcony. It was, of course, cooler than on the coast. Well, nothing! Coming home soon and need to re-acclimatize a bit.
Our balcony was very conditional.
In front of the door is a platform with a balustrade, behind which is another larger area, with a couple of tables.
And only then - a break to the track. And so the neighbors from other free-standing rooms began to pull up for these tables. Apparently, their wifi is weaker, because further from the reception. They had their own balconies. We'd better sit there. Of course, they didn't bother us, we just wanted to be bullies. Relaxing them with a sweet Scorpio, smoothly moving to Kipelov, they cut our "Voyage" without warning. No, not Desireless. The cord.
After that, with a sense of accomplishment, they left the cradle. In the morning we have a training climb to Ella Rock.
