清晨睜開眼，不用天未亮便起床，花2小時爬上山，只需走出私人花園等待著日出。仍穿著睡衣，半睡半醒站在花園，呼吸著清新空氣，霧氣沾濕了頭髮。早上有點清涼，趕緊在打第一個噴嚏前披上外套便走上天台，因為這是最高點，景觀比較開揚。
To see the sunrise right outside the private garden is a very wonderful start in the morning. I do not have to wake up early and climb up on the mountain for two hours. I wore my sleeping clothes and stood in the garden while I was still half awaken. With the fresh air, I was fully waken up and the air is so moist to wet my hair. It was a bit cool in the morning, I immediately put on my jacket before I went on top of the roof. The roof is the highest point to have a better view of the mountain.
The weather was not perfect for sunrise. We could only see the sun through the mist with the mountains as the background. It was also a bit cloudy so the sun did not shine on the ground like a golden egg.
日出後回到房間繼續休息，直至9:30才起床吃早餐。
We went back to the room to catch a short nap after sunrise and decided to wake up at 9:30am for breakfast.
雖然在Ella逗留兩天，但我們選擇入住兩間不同的酒店/民宿，因為Ella的特色住宿的確很多，十分值得體驗更多。
Although we had a short visit of Ella, we booked two different accommodations – hotel and guesthouse. The accommodations in Ella are very nice, you may choose from simple to fancy to luxury and eco-friendly. It was a good experience.
Hotel Laura的吸引之處為地理位置較高，可由高處看到在山中經過的火車，房間空間感強，相比隔鄰的The View 價錢較低，適合想慳錢又想有高質素的享受的背包客。Hotel Laura不足之處在於沒有游泳池，任何人都可以自出自入，相連房間的花園同時與其他房間的花園相連，甚至可以由正門直接前往住客的花園，私隱度比較底。
Hotel Laura was our first stay. The reason is because of the nice location on top of the mountain. We could oversee the train passed through in the middle of the mountain. The room is spacious and the price is lower than The View which is right next to Hotel Laura. It is suitable for the backpackers or someone wants to enjoy a nice experience with low budget. The only downside of Hotel Laura would be the facility. It does not include any swimming pool and lack of security which everyone could enter to the guest area. The private gardens of each room are interconnected and outsider could just walk from the main door to the guest private garden directly. The privacy is very low.
第二天入住的是Eco Lodge，也是位於火車軌附近，屬於半山位置。Eco Lodge名副其實是環保和木屋的結合，整間房間由木柱或木板依山而建，推開木房門便是一張大木床，然後推開露台門便是180度景觀的樹林，完全是居於森山之中。
The second day we stayed in Eco Lodge which is close to the train track, belongs to the mid – level. As the name said, Eco Lodge is really a green place which combined the concept of eco friendly and wood. The entire room is made of wood along the mountain. It was a queen size wooden bed behind the door and then a 180 degree mountain view from the balcony which makes you believe you are staying in a jungle.
下午主要是前往Nine Arch Bridge然後參加烹飪班。Google 地圖顯示由Ella市中心走路前往只需40鐘，當地人都說不難走，一直沿大路直走就到。起初一切都順利，朝著正確方向前進，間中走入分叉路便向當地人確認方向才走。
We scheduled to visit Nine Arch Bridge in the afternoon before heading to the cooking class. Google map shows us 40 minutes needed between the town of Ella and the Bridge on foot. The local said it is easy to reach and told us to follow the main road. Everything was very smooth at the beginning and we were on the right track. When we faced an intersection, we will ask the local for direction before continue.
然後走入了一個山谷，面對著一大塊茶園和稻田，四周被高挑的大樹和茂密的茶葉包園，稻田有隻牛，腦中唸起陶淵明的歸園田居詩句，一切回歸簡樸自然。在大田園裡一路向山上走，走了近20分鐘仍未看到Nine Arch Bridge，連一點眉目都沒有。漸漸聽到車聲，由田園走出大路，居然見到剛才Hitchhike 的兩隻牛！天啊！我們只在田園裡兜了一圈，沒有前進過，現在又回到起點！
Situation changed when we arrived at a valley. In front of us was a huge tea plantation and a field with hay. We were surrounded by a lot of tall trees and the uphill tea plantation. Looking at the cow standing in the middle of the field brought me back to the high school for a poem I learnt. The poet went back to his hometown and found the best for him is to be simple, back to basic, away from the politics and government. That’s why he decided to spend his life in the nature. We kept walking in the field and uphill for 20 minutes, but we have no luck to see any hints of Nine Arch Bridge. Finally, we heard the sound of car and kept following the little path which connected to the main road. Unfortunately, this main road is not leading us to anywhere further but our starting point because we met the cows I took selfie with. It means we were just walking in a field maze.
從小到大，媽媽教我們不要走捷徑，所以我們還是腳踏實地沿車路走，一邊喘著氣，一邊吸著Tuk Tuk的廢氣上山。又走了20分鐘，終於來到路人口中的廟，證明Nine Arch Bridge近在咫尺，向在路旁的婆婆問路，她不斷搖頭說Yes Yes！然後指著遠處的山頭。(不要誤會，斯里蘭卡人點頭是No，頭向左右搖擺是Yes)
Mum’s word is wise word! She always teaches us not to take shortcut. So we decided to take stay on the main road which is also a car road this time. Walking uphill and breathing in the gas from the car at the same time were not a good combination. Another 20 minute walk, we finally saw the temple which the local mentioned. It implied that the Bridge is nearby. The nice old lady on the road pointed at the back, shook her head and kept saying “Yes Yes!” to show us the direction. ( In Sri Lanka, they shake head left and right for “Yes” and nod for “No”. Don’t get confuse.)
又走上小山坡，終於看到Nine Arch Bridge就在下面，不禁自己歡呼！現在問題是：怎樣下去？有路嗎？
Another uphill but a mild one compared to what we have done. We eventually oversaw the Nine Arch Bridge under us and we were so excited. Now, another question! How to get down? Is there a road?
Moritz說他先去探路，我便在原地等著。我眼看一條直路，但他去了10分鐘仍未回來，害我焦急起來！他是掉下山去還是被人捉走了？我懷著戰戰兢兢的心情沿直路走，十分留心兩周有甚麼可疑人物…
Moritz asked me to wait at the spot as he will check the way first. It was just a straight path but it took him 10 minutes and still did not come back. I started feeling panic and had so much weird ideas in my mind. Did he fall down the hill or got kidnapped? I was not sure but I decided to find him, so I walked along the path… I was extra alert for everything on both side… like suspects, danger or traps…..
(待續/ To be continued…)
No comments:
Post a Comment