Goodbye Wild Lotus and Hello Ella

Dawn at Wild Lotus

It’s still dark when we get up at 5:40am at our accommodation in Yala at the Wild Lotus Villa. We get dressed and take the stairs up to the top of the villa’s water tower in the predawn light. 

We pass the owner’s father, Jayantha, who is looking at a bird in the trees.

The birds are already twittering and moving around. The world is spread out below us as the sun makes its first appearance and quickly grows into a bright, burning ball.

Hen House Antics

I take John to the hen house to try and recreate for him the fowl excitement when I play my clucking chicken ring tone. One of the staff release the chickens from their house. They all quickly run to a pail of chicken feed and scratch at the ground where the feed has spread.

I try playing my ringtone while John video tapes but the birds reactions are not as dramatic as yesterday because they are distracted by their breakfast. The rooster though is still quite excited by the sound.

Jayantha quickly joins us, partially to ensure that we don’t unintentionally sacrifice ourselves to the crocodiles.

Impromptu Safari

Jayantha offers to take us in his jeep to see fruit bats, crocodiles and other wildlife in the area.

Gladly accepting, we drive past gorgeous fields of rice to trees laden with squeaking, large, fruit bats. Nearby monkeys play in the trees and weaver birds are building their nests in the next tree.

Jayantha points out a number of rosy ringed parrots. There are tons of white and purple water lilies lining the edge of the lake. An open mouthed crocodile lies at the base of a big tree that is heavily laden with cormorants and other water birds. Probably the croc is hoping a birds drops or flies into his mouth.

Look closer at the above picture. The Crocodile is at the base of the tree filled with birds.

Breakfast at Wild Lotus

As soon as we return to Wild Lotus, Roshan and the staff set out our breakfast. I have the local specialty of homemade fresh buffalo curd (which has similar texture and taste to plain yogurt except a bit more tangy), made from Wild Lotus’s own water buffalo paired with sweet kithul treacle (a very sweet syrup made from the sap of the fishtail palm). It is a low glycemic sweetener that tastes like a mix of maple syrup, caramel and dates. I also have some of their delicious homemade granola and fresh fruit. Yum. John has eggs fresh from the hen house and toast.

Visit to Rawena Waterfalls

Too soon it is time to go. A new driver picks us up to take us on a two and a quarter hour drive to Ella. We travel up, up and up into the mountains passing many tea plantations and buildings perched precariously on the hillsides.

We make a fifteen minute stop to see Rawana Falls. Many tourists (both Sri Lankan and foreigners) are also admiring the falls and buying food or souvenirs at the roadside stalls. And the place is crawling with monkeys.

The falls are very pretty but the monkeys steal the scene. They all have unique faces. There is one that has a very angry face. Another yawns, exposing some very lethal looking teeth. One especially stupid male tourist tries to touch a baby monkey and is scratched. Duh. Didn’t see that coming.

Two monkeys are sitting beside my car door and every time I try to open the door, they prepare to jump in. Finally a dog chases them away and I’m able to enter unimpeded.

Main Town Ella

Ella is touted as a laid back town near the top of the mountain. However, I think it’s been discovered and now overrun with tourists and tour groups. I find it rather loud and busy. 

Being on top of a mountain, it’s streets are very steep (reminiscent of La Paz, Bolivia). The steep streets are forcing me to reach deep, yes very, very deep to unleash my inner mountain goat.

Our family run accomodations, Poomaz Peace Palace, are quite spacious. A studio apartment with small kitchen, living room, bathroom and sleeping area with four beds (two Queen and two twin).

After a brief rest, we head up to the train station where John reserves our train tickets to Nuwara Elyia. Then we stop in a cafe for tea and a light snack and figure out what we plan to do here over the next three days. 

We look around at different massage places and they are all priced almost double what they are in other  Sri Lankan towns.

The noise and traffic are starting to get to me. We have supper and head back to our accommodation.