The girls and boys were already on the road at a time when I still chased for a Uber tuktuk. It was 6:30am, hardly any traffic and time for me to pick-up the bike. It took 2min and an early bird tuktuk arrived!
Randeer, mechanic with golden hands, handed the bike back to me while Hinni insisted on a photo. Both brake pads and the front derailleur cable got replaced. Excellent job done.
We got a bike again, what a difference.
Fair winds…
After a lazy late breakfast I slowly got back into the saddle. While optimizing my seating position and minimizing the chafing, I rolled throught the centre of Negombo inhealing its maritime atmosphere for some final miles.
For me, the road north of Negombo is more picturesque compared to the southern stretch but nevertheless along the coastline and off the main traffic. The action is full on after passing the Kelani Ganga River. The chaos goes up with each further miles towards the city but everyone taking care of the other.
Hinni was already expecting me back. We agreed during my first visit to service the bike after the tour. Desperately needed now. The nearby living mechanic showed up prombtly and got straight onto the job. The service level in Sri Lanka can be extremly high and paired with a positive ‘yes, we can’ attitude, it makes travelling very easy and pleasant.
A tuktuk I booked via Uber took me and my luggage from Hinni’s place to the hotel. And shortly after I arrived, the first series of photos from the bike job came in on WhatsApp. Not a single screw untouched, cleaned, greased!
A new saddle is on order, otherwise ready for the next adventure!
It will come.
Fair winds…
Madikale Resort was a very special homestay. Not only to mention the unique design and architecture situated in a small well maintained garden but also because of the couple taking care of it on behalf of the creative owner. Mr. Vickrama and his wife are keeping the standard of the house build into the nature at highest level, not easy in this climate.
Today‘s ride through the lowland became quite divers. Still some tea plantations but also cinnamon bushes, banana & coconut trees, paddy fields, etc. to name a few. Sri Lanka has huge variety of aromatic fruits & vegetables.
Papaya remains my favourite and not the first time I kept a sharp look-out during the final miles before my arrival point for the night. It was a simple table standing at the edge of the road, topped with an umbrella to protect the ten papayas under offer from the direct sunshine. For 150LKR a 1kg ready to cut papaya got into my rucksack while we kept chatting. It was suddenly, that he grabbed another papaya and wanted me to take it for free, good for the next day or two. I struggled a moment for words.
Finally, I politely declined and got reminded, that similar generosity was offered to me recently in Morocco. I moved on and gulped down the whole fruit upon arrival at my homestay for the night.
Not enough. While cruising along the road, a little boy in early school age heading towards me with some other family members got excited, which is normal to me by now. In this case he was eating, or better snacking, something from a small tray and suddenly stretched out his hand towards me asking me to try. I kept rolling and it happened all rather quickly. Therefore I am not sure what he offered but the gesture itself got somehow stuck in my throat until I could squeeze out a ‘Thank you” while I kept moving on.
Only seven days left.
Fair winds…
My accommodation in Nallathanniya was very basic, value for money not great. Even for myself, slightly adapted to local standards, there is a limit, which had been crossed. I thus got onto the road early to grab some of the incense sticks smell often around in the morning while riding through smaller villages.
With some pain left in the legs from yesterday’s hike, I was happy that today’s tour took me down from the highlands to the lowlands and almost all of the ride was therefore downhill. About 40km almost constantly on the brakes. Crazy. Corrugated tarmac mostly. From above the clouds to under the clouds. Hardcore.
It became another grey day and at one point in time I took shelter in one of the many convenience stores along these country roads. The magic drink for me at these places is the instant tea, made of the all-in-one-powder: tea, milk, sugar! In other words: The 3 in 1 instant tea mix. Delicious during an unplanned pit-stops. Not more. Served with style in a porcelain cup!
I am now back in the warm & humid climate. No sleeping back needed anymore. The aircon is back in the focus.
Fair winds…
The alarm came off at 2:45am after barely 6 hours sleep with a nasty mosquito troubling me most of the short night. Nevertheless, the decision was taken to join the pilgrim up to Adam‘s Peak. The weather forecast was good for the sunrise, the body still strained from the last two days in the saddle. However, now or never.
A climb of 1000m over 5km had to be done, stair after stair, approximately 5500 stairs in total, one way! Well, looking closer to the altitude profile, the harder part is 800m over 2.5km.
The crowd was already well on its way through the dark, early morning hours. Some slept overnight on the bare concrete floor at the top of this sacred mountain. From 8 weeks old baby, carried up its parents, to the 80 year old elderly, helped up by the rest of the family, they were all there. Most of them wearing slippers paired with bobble heads and gloves. Approximately 5% tourists.
Unique to this UNESCO World Heritage Site is not only the way to get there but also its multi-religious importance. Buddhist, Hindus, Muslims and Christians all see their god represented at this spiritual place. Amazing.
I am flat now but for no doubt it was worth the effort.
Fair winds…
A lot of climbing was planned for this queen’s mountain stage but after a good rest and breakfast (chickpeas!), I got on the road before 8am. Even started under the sun! Fully recharged.
The tarmac on this mountain passage was anything else than pleasant and over 40km I faced poor road conditions, still tarred, but corrugated worse than the Hell of the North! Going slow was my counter measure, which is no problem on uphill but downhill it becomes pure strain. Strain from spine to shoulder to wrist to all parts of the body.
The scenery compensated for most of it and this incredible Roubaix helped to take the hardest hits through its in-build suspension elements. I am surprised nothing broke and happy to get my new bike rather sooner than later.
Fair winds…
I had a late start as it was still raining in the morning hours but at 11am it was either or. Could have stayed longer in this nice hostel in Ella but expected at least 4-5 hours on the road without a puncture and prefer to keep some margin towards sunset.
It became a magnificent ride over the mountain pass at Haputale Railway Station, where the clouds kept the visibility within 25m at some stage. Windchill added to the feeling of me being displaced for a short moment.
What followed was my longest ride on top of the clouds with spectacular views and ever friendly Sinhalese greeting along the road. Inviting for a chat despite a potential language barrier, no matter what.
One event still puzzles me. I stopped next to one of these primitive huts, would not call it shop, structure out of wood, walls and roof either wood or metal sheets. An elderly lady trying to sell some very basic amenities needed by people on the road. While trying to optimise my position for a photo, we started some small talk, which resulted by her saying with a smiling face: Sri Lanka, very nice. I assume, she has never in her life left the island but is fully aware about the beauty of this country. Not a single attempt during our conversation to sell me any of her goods, I moved on, but till now see her smiling face in front of me.
Fair winds…
5:45am, I put the alarm on snooze, the sun will be late, oh no, the tower clocks in this country are spot on. 15min later I was on the track to explore Little Adam‘s Peak. Despite facing a bit of a crowd up there on this nowadays rare clear morning, I managed to keep them out of my photos to capture another proof of this beautiful country. Wonder of Asia.
My short lunch walk took me to another tourist attraction here in Ella – the Nine Arches Bridge. Two trains passed through during my short visit requesting the crowd to give way and step a bit aside. The bridge only got completed in 1919 during the early years of British occupation, but surprisingly it’s build from stone rather than steel at that time.
Handpicking any of the delicious bananas will definitely result in a stay at the local hospital, after the steep fall.
Fair winds…
After another Rain & Relax Day I finally left Nuwara Eliya in the early morning hours under still wet conditions. Alex and his boys made our stay as comfortable as possible and the international hiker & biker community had a lot of time for exchange! These hostels are great socialising melting points me pushing the average age up!
At some stretches during today’s ride you can feel how beautiful the scenery here shall be, if the weather plays a bit more with you. 🙏 tomorrow.
Ella is very touristy, compared to what I have seen so far. 50% tourists on the streets, I would guess.
Fair winds…
