After Nuwara Eliya, we were headed to Arugam Bay, a Bay on Sri Lanka’s southeast coast, the best place for a surfing vacation in the country. I am not a surfer but I wanted to try it, maybe I am a surfer, I just don’t know it yet.
On our way, we came across this small street, the sidewalk was full of shack like cafes, little gift shops and a lot of tourists. Rohaan, our driver/guide told us we are in Ella. Ella is a small town with a rich biodiversity, a lot of mesmerizing waterfalls and a hilly countryside covered with evergreen, mossy forests and tea plantations. The word Ella is Tamil for Waterfall. Yes, Ella has that many waterfalls.

We stopped there for lunch, we found a beautiful cafe called Cafe chill. It was a huge cafe/ restaurant, mostly made of wood and surrounded by trees. It was like sitting in a huge bohemian tree house that served good food and cocktails.

The whole town had a laid back bohemian vibe, a lovely weather, and forests all around it. We decided to go for a walk in the woods before we left for Arugam Bay, the walk was so beautiful that we ended up staying the night, never made it to Arugam Bay. I will try surfing some other time I guess.
Ella has some of best resorts, offering the best views in Sri Lanka but nothing was available at such short notice. After checking a lot of places, we finally found ourselves a home stay with a breathtaking view of the valley. Ella was sunny yet not too hot, the cool breeze was invigorating, I sat there for a while taking it all in, breathing in the smell of the wild and letting joy fill every cell of my body. Ella has this refreshing, galvanizing effect on you, it enlivens you.
Some rest and a shower later we went out for dinner, after looking around for a while we ended up at Cafe chill again, it was lively and gorgeous at night, a tree house hosting a party, how cool is that!
When we got back to our place for the night I was speechless, the valley was lit up with lights and the sky was full of stars, millions and trillions of stars. The wind had a sweet fragrance of some flower or some tree, and it was just a little chilly, such a beautiful night it was. The morning, the sunrise was even more beautiful, the sky was glowing with a crimson hue, the freshness of morning breeze in that balcony was beyond compare. Oh, and the chirping!
It was almost like my happy place, this imaginary place I have in my head that I go to unwind on a particularly difficult day. I was so glad we decided to stop or I would have missed my happy place, can you imagine that? It was time to go now, beaches were waiting for us, but not before I jumped into one of those lovely waterfalls and immersed myself in my happy place from head to toe.
A quick tip, make prior hotel reservations, pack your trekking shoes if you are the sporty kind and try taking the toy train from Nuwara Eliya to Ella, if you have a hired a car as I suggested in my previous post, ask the driver to meet you in Ella, you don’t want to miss the view from that toy train like I did.


Love,
N
Previous posts on Sri Lanka
Chapter Zero – An Island Far Far Away
Chapter 1 – Hills In A Distant Part Of The World
Next Stop – Hikkaduwa
2017Opinionatedhead.com
June 7, 2017 at 6:21 pm
wow! spectacular views. wonderful post. thanks for taking us along.
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June 7, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Pleasure is all mine, thanks for joining 🙂
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June 7, 2017 at 6:44 pm
I’m missing on the amazing part of life. *envy envy* I wish to exploring like this and then kaboom I take a sneak peek at my wallet . Anyways the pictures are so beautiful especially the train
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June 7, 2017 at 7:36 pm
haha… It will happen soon enough. One day when you have just enough for a pair of new shoes and a shirt, take a bus instead 😉
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June 7, 2017 at 8:10 pm
I don’t know haha . I guess I’ll be jus trippin along somewhere . Some jungle, cliff maybe and a windy breeze perfect but then it’s a long wait and you’re already there .
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June 7, 2017 at 8:48 pm
That makes me feel good about where I am.
There are things we all want to change or achieve, we are all struggling for something but when someone says something like this, it reminds you to be grateful for what you have. Thank you for making me grateful today!
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June 8, 2017 at 7:06 pm
Anytime!
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June 7, 2017 at 8:29 pm
Such a beautiful post! Really enjoyed reading this and getting some escapism on a rainy evening in London.
Take a look at some of my old travel posts, if you’re interested!
https://elliefelicity.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/east-asian-utopia/
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June 7, 2017 at 8:50 pm
I am glad you enjoyed it. thank you for stopping by! I will check your post right away.
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June 7, 2017 at 10:43 pm
Really amazing pictures! Loved the post!
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June 8, 2017 at 6:01 am
Thank you, I am really glad that you did.
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June 8, 2017 at 3:52 am
Wow! another wonderful post.. just like me being there! Srilanka is so close to my place, still never been, yeah we dont check our own backyard.. 😀 Thanks for the post…
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June 8, 2017 at 6:02 am
Yeah that’s true! 😀
I am glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
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June 8, 2017 at 10:00 am
Such lively description with details. Was almost there. Thankyou !
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June 8, 2017 at 10:57 am
I am glad you enjoyed it.
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June 11, 2017 at 8:51 pm
A beautiful location. Thank you for the photos.
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June 12, 2017 at 5:55 am
So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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June 15, 2017 at 6:24 am
Beautiful post and pics. Loved ’em
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June 15, 2017 at 2:49 pm
Thank you, I and glad you enjoyed them.
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June 26, 2017 at 7:16 am
Looks like somewhere that mist go in the book for places to go 🙂 thanks for such a great post 🤗
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June 29, 2017 at 6:49 pm
It should. Thank you stopping by and sharing your feedback. 🙂
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August 15, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Sounds like a lovely place! Your photos and words are beautiful
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August 15, 2017 at 5:23 pm
Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it.
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January 25, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Beautifully written and gorgeous photos!
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January 26, 2018 at 7:42 am
Thank you! 🙂
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