Slum Dong Millionaires

From Yala National Park we journeyed north to Ella. Ella is incredibly green and lush, right in the middle of tea plantations, surrounded by mountains some around 2000 meters high. It used to be a sleepy village with fantastic scenery, but now it's a happening place with good food, good hotels and still the great scenery. We went for hikes in the mountains, climbed little Adams peak, visited the water falls, ate and drank in some of the best pubs on earth and visited one of the many tea factories and plantations that dot the hillsides.

Tea pickers at work. For some reason only women are allowed to pick the

delicate leaves.

The climb up to little Adam's Peak near Ella

Alta Vista

Ella Rock

Coffee plants on the side of the road

One of many waterfalls near Ella

Harvest time

The above mentioned scenery in Ella is incredible but again we enjoyed the making of new friends as much as the place itself. We made new Aussie friends with whom we shared drinks in the afternoon after our hike in the mountains. Enjoyed an amazing dinner at Chill and went to the neatest bar called One Love. A small Rasta bar where the waiters all wear dreads and Bob Marley is king, there are mattresses and pillows on the rooftop and a fire pit where we lingered over Mojitos long into the night. Next time I'm going to print up badges that say, "Please help; stuck in the sixties."

Vito and Natalie new friends from OZ. But miss the old ones who'll

we'll meet up with again later in our travels.

I shot the sheriff but I did not shoot the tequila.

There are a group of us travellers sitting around the fire on the rooftop.

A real kumbaya moment.

We took the train from Ella to Kandy. This is reputed to be one of the world's most scenic rides and it lived up to its billing. One word; spectacular.

Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and certainly the loveliest. We especially enjoyed the botanical gardens and the herbalists. Enjoyed a great meal at the Garden Café on a rooftop overlooking the city. If you're wondering where all the old hippies have gone, they're sitting with grey ponytails enjoying happy hour at the Garden Café in Kandy.

Kandy is built around a small lake in the mountains.

View from the Garden Cafe

Old colonial architecture

Had a riot at a cultural dance event

After the fire walk I went down and tested the heat.

I couldn't hold my hand three feet from the coals they were so hot.

Monkeys watched us eat breakfast every day, it was like

we were in the zoo

Another view from the rooftop restaurant

Enormous trees dot the landscape spreading their roots

Dianne held in suspension

Some new Australian friends. I don't generally like Aussies but

they are so cute when they're young.

Fruit bats in my bell tree. Wonderful! but wait there's more.

Florotica

This is a fascinating fountain where the water overflows the top

flora to irrigate the water lilies.

Reportedly the largest tree in all of Sri Lanka

Dianne get down before you fall down!!!!

No John you come up here!!!

Climbed to the summit of the 600ft high rock next to Sigiryia

Much harder climb but much less touristy with a great view.

It gets dicey near the top and we were by far the oldest ones on the mountain.

A reclining Buddha built into an overhang about two thirds up the climb

These mounds are all over and they are built by lizards

Sigiryia the ancient capital with the ruins on top

The nearby sister rock which we climbed

When the going gets tough

The tough get going
We had to get through that narrow little gap at the top

On the summit

A boost now and then by some young climbers helped us reach the plateau

A jam packed bus on the way to Trincomalee, this is the gentlemen who got up and gave his seat to Dianne

From Sigiryia we took the local bus to Trincomalee a port town that is in the north of Sri Lanka. It's in the Tamil region and has lost a lot of its business because of the civil war which only ended in 2009. The Tamil Tigers lost the war and the retribution was swift and vicious. The north is just now starting to recover. We stayed in a small beach town near the city.

A funeral procession that parallels the beach. Only men can go to a man's funeral.

The women all have to stay home to mourn.

The hut we rented right on the beach.

The Dutch built beautiful forts all around Sri Lanka. This is the one in Jaffna.

During the civil war it was reduced to rubble, with money from Holland efforts

are underway to restore it.

The hotel we stayed at in Jaffna advertised we were close to the beach.

What a mess.

Trincomalee from the Buddhist temple above the fort.

Lover's leap. Seriously!!!

Craptacular Jaffna at the far north of the island.

Not a restaurant in site. Believe it or not we were delighted to find a Pizza Hut.

Don't tell anyone.

So many buildings reduced to rubble by the war. Bullet holes everywhere.

Met this family from the back country in Sri Lanka. They were all

excited to have there pictures taken with real tourists from away.

Almost had my head bitten off trying to get this photo.

Finally we took the train from Jaffna to the town of Negombo which is close to the airport in Colombo. A great hotel, good food, nice beach and pleasant friendly people. One of the best beaches in Sri Lanka.