Bumps!

I lay on the sun lounger as I write this with a magnificent view of the Huluganga mountains and listening to some Hindi music blasting from a radio somewhere in the fields below. Rolling hills full of tea plantations and even though I'm eagerly keen to see some Tamil tea pickers, I won't have any luck today as it's the first day of the year and since it's full moon - there are celebrations planned.
The trip to this slice of paradise was "bumpy" in the literal sense.
The flight was smooth for the most part - but for the last two hours, we experienced some rigorous turbulence - just what I needed to get some shut eye.
After making it to Colombo Fort station rather painlessly, we were told we had incorrect train tickets and the train we wanted was fully booked. Eeekkk! Panic averted we were put on the 9am train to Kandy (therefore some 2+ hours to spare). Tiredness was starting to kick in a bit more aggressively however we happily got over this when we had two seats on the train to Kandy with windows that were fully open. This meant we were able to really enjoy the scenery!
The uuuuus and aaaahhhss lasted quite a bit however the train was so bumpy that it didn't allow me to concentrate on anything but the bumps. I'm not saying a gentle sway, I'm not talking about a rocking feeling - I'm talking " can't control which way my body is moving" bumps! You would think that tracks are linear and smooth... Well not in Sri Lanka! And this was a 2 hr train ride - I must find some  travel sickness poppers before the 6 HOUR ride on the 3rd Jan down to Ella!
Once back on solid ground my sense of vertigo quickly dissipated and I was eager to get to the lodge.
As soon as we got out Kandy station, we find our driver waiting for us - our names written on a brown paper bag, and after putting our bags in his a red (old) Toyota van - off we went.
We KNEW this was going to be approximately 1.5hrs and that the last bit was rough in terms of road condition.
"I promise not to complain anymore about the potholes in London anymore!"
Geesh there were potholes!
The road (track) was steep but the drivers are good - you need to be with the hairpin turns! Whilst going up a stretch of hill we did hear a big "thump" - only to realise that the back door had opened and Gabie's bag was tumbling down the hill! That is not a pretty sight to see. You can only hope that the backpack will stop rolling down or that someone will catch it.
Thankfully after the truck behind us "qala l-horn" and people shouted "wwwooooo" - our driver stopped and ran down the hill to pick it up - result: fairly intact!
Once we arrived - we were dumbstruck to see the view (which you have seen in photos I've shared) - and the rest is history!
Buffet evening organised by the staff including a DJ set! (I think I would have done a better job at being a DJ though - very poor taste in techno music mixes.)
This afternoon we are planning a 2 hr trek! Gabie insists we remain "active"... I like my idea of remaining "horizontal" much better 🤫