Monday 27th June 2016
In the past month, I have found that some of the best
moments have been those that were completely unexpected. They have occurred when
something has not gone to plan. And so I’ve learnt to embrace it. To be open to
sudden changes and seek out the beauty waiting to be uncovered.
On Friday night, we found ourselves stranded in the coastal
town of Matara, five hours away from our planned destination of Ella. We had
missed the bus, with the next one not due to depart until 3.20am. We decided
there was no way we were going to get a bus at that time and decided to find a
place to stay nearby. I had already spent over seven hours on hot, public buses
that day, so it was actually a minor relief in some ways that I wouldn’t have
to get on another bus that night. We quickly found a hostel with space for the
eleven of us in the nearby beach town of Mirissa, hopped on a bus there and
were settled in the hostel within the hour. We dumped our stuff and headed
straight for the bar on the beach, where we bumped into about another 15
SLVers. We were just in time for the tail end of happy hour (actually happy 6
hours) so we got the cocktails in and joined in with the party. It was so great
to have so many of us there, letting our hair down after what had been a
particularly tough week. I got to talk to so many people, paddled in the
shallows of the sea and had a stroll down the beach. The hostel bed that night
was seriously the most comfortable bed I have had all trip. The pillow and
mattress were so soft that I sunk into them, and had a very happy night’s
sleep.
The bus to Ella the next morning was a long, hot and
uncomfortable five hours. I spent most of it balancing one bum cheek on a seat,
clinging on to the chair in front to avoid being thrown across the bus at every
turn. The final hour was much more bearable, as I had managed to nab a window
seat and so had the advantages of both fresh air and spectacular views through
the mountains up towards Ella. I have been fortunate enough to have witnessed
views over many mountain ranges in my life, including the wonderful mountains
of Austria. But this was on a whole other level. It was beautiful; I was
totally transfixed.
The mountain air in Ella was wonderfully cool, fresh and not
humid. For the first time in a month, I wasn’t sticky and sweaty, a break that
was very much welcome. The hotel manager was so welcoming and prepared ginger
tea for us all as arrival drinks. We had arrived too late in the afternoon to
visit the tea plantation so decided to climb Little Adams Peak for sunset. The
walk was fairly easy, only half an hour or so. The final bit was a bit of a
slog up concrete steps that seemed never ending and left everyone’s thighs
burning. The view from the top did not disappoint. We were almost the only ones
up there and we could see for miles. The sun was beginning to set over the mountains,
casting a beautiful golden glow across the land. We sat, in silence, for some
time; some people meditating, others simply admiring the view and I took the
time to pray and give thanks that I got to witness such beauty. I felt so
completely calm, despite actually being quite cold. I embraced the chill, with
the knowledge that it was only temporary and that within a day I would be
constantly sweaty again. There’s something rather special about being in a
group of friends, all experiencing beauty in complete and total silence. Nobody
spoke a word. I felt so at one with the Earth and my surroundings; I could have
sat there for hours. It was one of those special moments that left me wishing I
could freeze time and experience it for an eternity. To feel so at peace, so
relaxed and so content is such a rarity in my life. I am so privileged to be
making these memories.
I slept incredibly well that night, after my first hot
shower in a month, snuggled under a sheet and blanket. After four weeks of
sleeping in as little clothing as possible, under a fan in an attempt to keep
my body at a semi-normal temperature, being curled up under a blanket was a
refreshing change. I love to be wrapped up in a duvet at night, and that is
something I have actually really missed. Most nights I’m too warm to even have
a sheet over me. But that night in Ella, I got to sleep in a room, without the
need for a fan, buried in a blanket feeling warm and so completely safe.
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