Before The Lockdown: Little Adam's Peak & Nine Arch Bridge

High above the clouds, we awoke in our Ella homestay feeling at peace. Our plan was to bundle up in our cozy mountain cabin for a week or two - reading, painting, movie watching - given that most parks and attractions were closed indefinitely. At breakfast, we perked up when our homestay host reassured us that two hikes - Little Adam's Peak and Ella Rock - were still open. But there was a catch...3 days from now, on March 20th, the town of Ella - a tourist hotspot in recent years - would be shutting down due to a recent government mandate in response to Co-Vid 19. All hotels, hostels, homestays, restaurants, bars in this tourist hotspot would close their doors.

Having just eaten my body weight in chapathi and fruit, already fantasizing about my Marilyn Monroe movie marathon, Steven would have to roll me down a mountain at this point. What we intended to spread over two weeks, we now had to cram into 2 days, before the town went dark and we would essentially become fugitives. We put the other more imminent question of WELL WHERE DO WE GO ON THE 20TH?! out of our minds (or my mind, at least), and strapped on our packs. We would hike Little Adam's Peak that day, and Ella Rock the next.

Little Adam's Peak

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Little Adam's Peak is named after its big brother, the nearby Adam's Peak, because of their similar shape. The name has a couple different meanings - Adam first set foot here after being cast out of heaven. It is sometimes also referred to as Samanalakande, or Butterfly Mountain, where butterflies go to die...dark. Little Adam's Peak is a relatively short hike, about 3 hours round-trip.

The trail was well marked with varied terrain. Being so high up already, we were afforded fantastic views of a waterfall, exponential tea fields, and rolling hills.

The summit views weren't half bad, either!

Nine Arch Bridge

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After descending Little Adam's Peak, we hiked another half hour through rainforest jungle to Nine Arch Bridge.

We timed our hike perfectly, arriving moments before a train rode across the bridge. This happens about 6 times a day.

Later that evening, we enjoyed a colorful spread of curries and rice for dinner.

We checked the latest local news updates on the virus. More cases were identified, and more restrictions were being issued, which made us more concerned. We landed on a plan to head to the beach in the south on the 20th. Here, we could safely and comfortably wait out our remaining time in Sri Lanka until our pre-booked flight to Vietnam on April 4th. Or so we thought...!