Sri Pada Pilgrimage

The bus journey alone to get here was an adventure with gangster hip-hop music playing the entire way. The buses are all 'self-styled' by their owners to make them, what I can only assume, more appealing to get on. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing and so much better what you get in the UK.

We arrived in Dalhousie after being blasted by many passing fumes and realise there is very little to do other than climb a 2,500m mountain. So at 2am (yes in the morning) we set off to conquer this climb. This may be business as usual for my winter/rock exploring partner but for me it was all new territory.

With a bulky torch in hand we set off, all the while Lew is whispering "I hope we don't get mugged." Nice. Really puts my mind at ease.
Anyway, off I trot and start humming to sooth my worries and we make it to the base of the never ending stairs. If you do this climb you will know exactly what I mean.
Buddha bless the monks who actually built the stairs all the way to the top, as there is not a slope in sight. Stair Master 2000 has a competitor.

I have no idea if it was a mix between the random time of night by body was being exerted, lack of food or water, or the torch swinging with every step but my giddy-aunt did I get nauseous. Luckily for me, my partner in life is a moment-entrepreneur and decided to utilise my 'still dark moments' to do some night photography.

Two hours, two water bottles, a torch battery and many pit-stops later, we arrive at the peak of Sri Pada - the great Buddha's footprint. As it was 4am by this point there was very little to see other than a few twinkling house lights but by 5.45 the sun was starting to come up and WOW was it stunning. We got every colour of the rainbow in the sky and it only kept changing.

We were above the clouds, the sun, the forest and it was just so... simple? Is this peace?

We stayed for over two hours at the top as every minute we looked at the horizon the colours and clouds had changed and it was a new image to imprint in our memories or for the sake of good documentation our SD cards.

Gangster Lewis and myself admiring the sunrise

It was phenomenal, and what is surprising is my legs maintained their strength all the way to the bottom. Thank you Pilates.

Instead of staying in this little town for another night we got onto another hip-hop bus (there are Sri Lankan national buses and general pop too from our experience) to take us to Ella.

And that is when the rain began.