Ella Part 3, Sri Lanka

Ella school.

An old-fashioned school bell.

This is not what you think but the school canteen.

A classroom and office.

Morning assembly

Having been an educationist all my life, I never miss the opportunity to visit a local school.

So imagine my delight when I stumbled on this school in the little village of Ella while out on a stroll in a country lane.

I caused quite a stir among the students who were having their morning assembly. After the assembly the students would have a meal prepared by the villagers and paid for by the government.

As you can see from the photos, the school is very modest. Despite this I am sure Sri Lankan teachers work very hard to educate the younger generations.

ELLA ( PART 2), SRI LANKA

Ella's lush forest.

Ella Gap

Ella Gap

Without doubt the chief attraction of the little village of Ella is Ella Gap which you can figure out from the photos what it is all about.

Going down from Ella to the plains below in a bus, a passing thought occurred to me: what if the bus were to plunge down the mountains. This prospect is horrendous to even contemplate but the manic way in which Sri Lankan bus drivers drive, it's a tragedy waiting to happen.

ELLA GUESTHOUSE, SRI LANKA

Security checkpoint in Ella.

The man himself. Lonely Planet, the travel guide, sings his praises.

Buddhist shrine in Ella.

Ha, the guesthouse, Beauty Mount Tourist Inn, that I almost set on fire!

Guesthouse restaurant.

One of the joys of backpacking as opposed to being shepherded around in packaged tours is the countless opportunities to mingle with the locals and get to know their culture and lives.

Lonely Planet, the travel guide, heaps praises on him. He waylaid me the moment I got off the bus in Ella.

"Are you looking for a room? I have guesthouse. Very cheap. Only 500 rupees," he said.

"Where"? I said.

"Up there. Very nice. Very quiet," he beamed.

I looked up to where he pointed. Perched on a small hill was his guesthouse, Beauty Mount Tourist Inn. Rather grandiose name I thought.

From the guesthouse I got a panaromic view of the lush forest that envelops the village and the distant mountains. But it entailed a strenuous walk up a steep flight of slippery steps.

The owner is in his 70s, and he proudly reveals that he meditates an hour a day.

"I can only do it for 5 minutes before my mind starts wandering," I said sheepishly.

"Must be quiet place. No noise," he said.

Ella, Sri Lanka

A walk in a country lane.

Buddhist novice monk in the Buddhist shrine in Ella.

Visiting an Ella school, I caused quite a stir.

The lone ranger outside a small shop in Ella.

Ella's sleepy railway station

In Ella I almost burned down my guesthouse! I'll tell you more in future posts.

The village of Ella lies on the "edge" of the Hill Country. Judging from the number of guesthouses and hotels, it must be quite popular but when I was there I was the only foreigner.

While Nuwara Elliya is bustling, Ella is peaceful and quiet.

The chief attractions of Ella are the treks, the lush greenery and the fabulous views of Ella Gap.

A few restaurants and shops, a school, a quaint railway station, a buddhist shrine are the other "attractions".

(With the end of the conflict in SL, tourism will benefit. Go now before the hordes descend on SL. The media is already extolling the virtues of SL so that's the trigger for the coming influx of tourist arrivals in SL,)