Bidding goodbye to picturesque Nuwara Eliya, we took a train to another hilly town, Ella.
Accommodation
Ella Alpine Resort
Another challenging drive to the resort at night. The road was extremely narrow and we felt insecure sitting in the car while the driver struggled in the darkness. It will be much easier to access the place via tuk tuk. However, if you are travelling in a big group with huge luggage, it might not be ideal and we suggest to stay in the main town area instead, for the sake of convenience. However, the view here compensated the difficult journey. Look at the scenic mountaneous view right outside our room!
Cost per night = USD33.27/RM135.83 per pax (3 rooms for 6 persons)
(+) Clean and spacious room, beautiful view from the balcony
(-) Hard to locate the resort, terrible road condition heading to the resort
Attractions
Little Adam's Peak
Highly recommend doing this hike, even for people who are not very fit as the hike is quite easy. However, the last part of the trek looked challenging, so we didn't attempt. Anyway, there was a human traffic jam on the narrow road leading to the end of the trek. I suspect that people are taking their time to take photos there (the ultimate instragrammable spot). The views were absolutely breathtaking though the sun was showing no mercy. The trek might be more enjoyable in the early morning when the weather is more pleasant. On a side note, I found that the weather in Ella is less cooling than Nuwara Eliya.
I feel that our stay in Ella was too short and the town didn't leave a deep impression to me. Anyway, next up will be our extraordinary experience at safari! Stay tuned :)
Accommodation
Ella Alpine Resort
Another challenging drive to the resort at night. The road was extremely narrow and we felt insecure sitting in the car while the driver struggled in the darkness. It will be much easier to access the place via tuk tuk. However, if you are travelling in a big group with huge luggage, it might not be ideal and we suggest to stay in the main town area instead, for the sake of convenience. However, the view here compensated the difficult journey. Look at the scenic mountaneous view right outside our room!
Cost per night = USD33.27/RM135.83 per pax (3 rooms for 6 persons)
(+) Clean and spacious room, beautiful view from the balcony
(-) Hard to locate the resort, terrible road condition heading to the resort
Ah, what a stunning view upon waking up in the morning! I really wanted to wake up for sunrise but failed miserably.
We were getting almost the same type of breakfast in the morning. Starting to miss Malaysia and Singapore food.
Transport from Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Going to be a long rant ahead. I am going to repeat this important takeaway a few times: book your tickets early online!
To cut the long story short, prior to arriving in Sri Lanka, I contacted the driver's company to arrange a train ride from Nuwara Eliya. I double confirmed with the agency if they could help with the purchase of the train tickets. Clear instruction was given that we were looking for second class cabins that came with allocated seat numbers. From my online search, first-class cabins are enclosed with air-conditioners, while it promises comfort, we thought we would miss the fun from admiring the views through open windows and taking some extraordinary shots (like those on Instagram). The agency promised us but nothing was done apparently!
Upon arrival, we reminded the driver about this and we were again promised that there wouldn't be any problem securing the tickets. Sigh, the end of the story was we could only get the third-class tickets (non-allocated seats, likely have to stand in a super crowded cabin). It was totally a nightmare! Very suffocating cabin and we could hardly see any view from standing position.
If the train station staffs tried to troll you by telling you that you could upgrade your tickets by topping up an amount, do not believe them. Ultimately, you wouldn't get the seat after you are pushed into the train.
Even you manage to buy the right tickets online, make sure you get into the correct cabin. Once you are stuck in there, you will be stuck forever til the end of the journey, as the door in between train cabins are locked! As the train is extremely crowded, it is a mission impossible to alight and boa. rd again, especially when you do not know how long will the train stop for each station. You wouldn't want to take the risk and be stranded in an unknown place. I am not trying to scare you as there was a group of Chinese tourists with first-class tickets but stood beside us for 4 hours in a third-class cabin!
Lastly, I have to mention that the train was delayed for more than an hour and the toilets in the train station were poorly maintained. Overall, we had a very bad experience with this "supposed to be the most photogenic train ride in the world". Anyway, this could be purely due to our poor planning (so please book your train tickets online prior to arrival in Sri Lanka), do have faith while adding this activity in your itinerary :)
To cut the long story short, prior to arriving in Sri Lanka, I contacted the driver's company to arrange a train ride from Nuwara Eliya. I double confirmed with the agency if they could help with the purchase of the train tickets. Clear instruction was given that we were looking for second class cabins that came with allocated seat numbers. From my online search, first-class cabins are enclosed with air-conditioners, while it promises comfort, we thought we would miss the fun from admiring the views through open windows and taking some extraordinary shots (like those on Instagram). The agency promised us but nothing was done apparently!
Upon arrival, we reminded the driver about this and we were again promised that there wouldn't be any problem securing the tickets. Sigh, the end of the story was we could only get the third-class tickets (non-allocated seats, likely have to stand in a super crowded cabin). It was totally a nightmare! Very suffocating cabin and we could hardly see any view from standing position.
If the train station staffs tried to troll you by telling you that you could upgrade your tickets by topping up an amount, do not believe them. Ultimately, you wouldn't get the seat after you are pushed into the train.
Even you manage to buy the right tickets online, make sure you get into the correct cabin. Once you are stuck in there, you will be stuck forever til the end of the journey, as the door in between train cabins are locked! As the train is extremely crowded, it is a mission impossible to alight and boa. rd again, especially when you do not know how long will the train stop for each station. You wouldn't want to take the risk and be stranded in an unknown place. I am not trying to scare you as there was a group of Chinese tourists with first-class tickets but stood beside us for 4 hours in a third-class cabin!
Lastly, I have to mention that the train was delayed for more than an hour and the toilets in the train station were poorly maintained. Overall, we had a very bad experience with this "supposed to be the most photogenic train ride in the world". Anyway, this could be purely due to our poor planning (so please book your train tickets online prior to arrival in Sri Lanka), do have faith while adding this activity in your itinerary :)
I believe that the view will be awesome if the weather is better and if you are able to get a seat by the window.
Food
Chill Restaurant Bar
Address: A23, Ella 90090, Sri Lanka.
Opening hours: 10am to 12am daily
Probably the most popular dining place in Ella. Even we went during odd hours at 4.30pm, the restaurant was still full house!! We were extremely to get a table after waiting for 10 mins. To avoid disappointment, please make a reservation beforehand.
While the food was nice, it didn't reach the scores of "impressive" that could attract so many tourists. As the name of the place suggests, I would think most people enjoy the "chilled" or relaxing vibe here. Holding a beer in hand and chit-chatting with besties are probably the best thing to do in life. The upper deck is even more chilling than the first level, featuring a wave-inspired wooden roof.
Sri Lanka Lion Beer. Very light taste.
Sri Lanka Flower Garden Restaurant
Address: 3rd mile post, passara rd, Ella 90090, Sri Lanka.
Opening hours: 6am to 10pm daily
Overlooking panoramic mountain views, the restaurant is actually part of the Flower Garden Resort, located not far away from the famous Nine Arch Bridge. The name of the restaurant doesn't lie, as it lies next to a huge, beautiful garden that is rather photogenic. However, we were not impressed by the food. Especially, don't order the set lunch even though it comes with an extremely cheap price tag compared to other items on the menu. While the hotel staff was clearing the dishes from the morning buffet breakfast provided to the hotel guests, we saw him holding a big tray of fried rice to the kitchen. And yes, we were served with the same leftover fried rice for the special lunch set. Kinda disappointed. Other dishes were okay only. I believe there are some other better places that offer better quality food, therefore I have to give a negative recommendation for this place.
Bonus round: Corns
Very commonly found along the street. You can choose either the grilled or boiled one. We prefer the grilled one as it was more fragrant. Overall, the corns tasted very bland, without any sweetness. Should have given a try at another stall to verify if it's our bad luck to buy the not so tasty one...
Little Adam's Peak
Highly recommend doing this hike, even for people who are not very fit as the hike is quite easy. However, the last part of the trek looked challenging, so we didn't attempt. Anyway, there was a human traffic jam on the narrow road leading to the end of the trek. I suspect that people are taking their time to take photos there (the ultimate instragrammable spot). The views were absolutely breathtaking though the sun was showing no mercy. The trek might be more enjoyable in the early morning when the weather is more pleasant. On a side note, I found that the weather in Ella is less cooling than Nuwara Eliya.
Me and the dog.
Mum did the braid for me <3
Nine Arch Bridge
While it's supposed to be the main highlight of our Ella stay, the bridge was particularly crowded with tourists that we couldn't truly enjoy ourselves. And the weather was killing us. Walk a bit further up to this little cafe for the next view on trains passing by. Don't expect a fancy, nicely decorated cafe. Basically, it's just a small shack selling drinks with limited seats. If you want to catch trains passing the bridge, especially if you prefer the legendary blue train to be captured in your photos, it is better to arrange with your driver first.
The railway track was too crowded for any good photos.
Comments
Post a Comment