Sri Lanka Day 76 (Hatton): 2242m Above Sea from Adam's Peak
Checked out from Sunshine Bungalow Hostel to head off to Adam's Peak.
To get to Adam's Peak from Nuwara Eliya, you can either take the train or like us, we took a direct bus to Hatton and then to Dalhousie. The bus journey takes around 4h but what is 4h when we have been on trips that take 10h?
Breakfast: hotdog buns which tasted really different from what 's being sold in Singapore.
Stopped over Hatton for lunch.
When we reached Dalhousie, there were many guesthouse owners who will board the bus and ask you to go to their guesthouse. We had a booking at Mango Tree but something screwed up in the bookings.com system and it was overbooked. We were moved to Greenhouse next to it instead for LKR1500 per night which was half of the price we were supposed to pay at Mango. Of course that was after much bargaining. Because it is the off peak period, it is a little more difficult to get customers. Hence, I would suggest those going at the off peak season to not book online because you can definitely get a cheaper price by calling or requesting on the spot. Be sure to find a place to stay near the foot of Adam's Peak because you wouldn't want to walk an extra 1-2km before hiking up the steep slopes.
So this is Greenhouse Hostel. It was really good because we bargained for a room with private bathroom.
We then set off to Adam's Peak. Adam's Peak is also known as Sri Pada which is a scared place for the Buddhists. During the peak season, many devoters will be climbing together, encouraging each other. Usually people set off at 2am to catch the sunrise at the peak. However during the off-peak season now, the shops are closed and there is no crowd. and no lightings at night to light up the path. Tourists usually hire a guide to bring them up to the top during off-peal season. However we have decided that for our own safety, we would just climb it during the day. Hence, we set off after settling down at Greenhouse.
Here are some photos taken when climbing up Adam's Peak. We took the Hatton route instead of Ratnapura route. Hatton route is steeper but shorter.
The hike was manageable but the lactic acid effect will set in after a few days. When we reached the peak, I was very disappointed at the view. Because it is the off-peak season, the temple is closed as well. The view wasn't that great too because Little' Adam's peak or Mihintale has it better.
Back to guesthouse and had dinner with a French couple! The dinner was good even though it was rice and curry. Thee were so many dishes!! I didn't snap a phot of it becasue I think they would judged me. HAHAH.
