Hey everyone, welcome to our third blog about our travels in Sri Lanka!

Last time, we left off in Dikwella/Hiriketiya. We stayed there for a grand total of two nights to relax a bit and meet up with some of our quarantine friends! It was really fun to see a bunch of people there again, it seems chance brought us together (at least a little bit). Hiriketiya beach was truly stunning, it is a small bay with beautiful blue hues of water. We tried some surfing, had actually good coffee for the first time in SL, and played drinking games the night before we cycled on (alarm at 6 AM). Great success?

After Dikwella, we left the beach, ocean, and our friends behind (for now). The sun was once again shining powerfully from a cloudless blue sky, and while the sweat was dripping from our faces, we went up and down the hills (of which there were surprisingly many). The fresh watermelon on the road was a good break and gave us new energy. We even ran into another person who was travelling by bicycle! He recommended we visit the homestay at which he had been based since June last year. More about that later. Finally, we arrived at our location for the night, where we were being welcomed with a cold towel and fresh ice tea, we indeed felt like royalties! As the first guests since the start of the pandemic, they were happy to see us and we loved the spacious house, open-air shower, and home-grown fruits!

That evening, we went for a short ride to a beautiful lagoon and were greeted by a local man. He invited us for dinner and told us that we could also sleep in his house. He repeatedly said: "no money!". We kindly declined, as we were uncertain whether it would be a good idea. Besides, we already had a place to sleep. Later he offered us some tea (seems to be a recurring theme), this we gladly accepted, again. As we arrived at his house, everyone was quite shocked! What had he brought home this time? The neighbour came and translated for us, as she spoke English quite well. She explained that the man who invited us lost his 3 month-old son, his parents, and his brother in the 2004 tsunami. He showed us their pictures and we once again felt the gravity of the disaster that occured that day... After tea, we left there with a heart full of gratitude and appreciation that we had met this kind person.

The next morning, we had our longest and hardest day so far, the heat was really intense. ? We conquered 20 hills (we didn't count the small ones) and zigzagged between 2 herds of cows. When we finally arrived in Tissamaharama, we chilled at the pool and enjoyed the best lime juice ever!We stayed in Tissa, because it is regarded as the best location to visit Yala national park from. It can be extremely busy, leading to many jeeps flocking to a specific location when rare animals are spotted, but we were waiting for the park to open with one other jeep... It seems Corona also has benefits, because Yala was basically void of any other people. We had an amazing encounter with a family of four elephants, got a good long look at a sloth bear, and saw many deer and water buffalo. Unfortunately, no leopards, but we will find them yet! On our way north from Tissa, we also encountered two elephants on our bikes, one of which was about 2.5m tall!

That random encounter with another cyclist led us to Bindu homestay, a lovely place with good company. Beautifully located between rice fields and with mountain views, we had a great time. From there, we also visited the largest standing Buddha, which was carved in stone about 1000 years ago. Quite a sight to behold and it was, once again, a private viewing. The next day, we took the bus to Ella, which' elevation is about 1000m. We decided cycling up would be beautiful, but more hot and difficult. So we lifted our bikes into the bus and strapped them to some chairs (literally). Totalprice for 45 minutes up into the mountains: about 3 euro.

Ella is beautifully located in the South of the Sri Lankan Highlands, which hosts several 2km+ mountains and several iconic landmarks. We hiked up Little Adam's Peak for a great view of the area and visited 9 arches bridge, which was built by the British some time ago. Ella rock, which is higher than Little Adam's, didn't yield good views, or any views at all, due to the thick clouds that were covering the entire summit. But, no worries, the hike there, over the train tracks and through a dense eucalyptus forest (smells great), was wonderful and we really enjoyed it.

From Ella, we took the train to Nuwara Eliya, because we heard and read that this is a must-do thing repeatedly. And everyone is right! Stunning views of mountain villages, different types of forest, endless tea plantations, and even some waterfalls definitely sealed the deal. After this spectacular train ride, we hopped on our bikes and climbed slowly towards 'Little England' (Nuwara Eliya). We love the cool temperature, now 22°C, and the massive Eucalyptus trees that surround Victoria Park. Unfortunately, the park, along with many tea factories, are closed due to an increase in Corona cases. Hopefully, this area won't go into lockdown before we move on to the next place.

Yesterday, we got up at 5:30 to visit Horton plains, which is a beautiful flatland at around 2000m. The 30km ride took about 1.5 hours, as we climbed windy roads through beautiful forests in a Tuk Tuk. The climate on the Plains is very pleasant, sometimes even on the chilly side. The main reason for our visit was "World's End", an 870m drop from a viewing point. We were very lucky, because about 5 minutes after we arrived and took in the views, the clouds moved in and obfuscated almost everything. On the way back, we passed a famous waterfall and enjoyed the sound of many different birds and insects. Unfortunately, no leopards again!

Tomorrow, we're taking the bus to Adam's Peak, which we will climb on the night of the 5th. A 02:30 start should guarantee a sunset from the summit.