It’s nearing my last days in Sri Lanka, and while I know should begin to reflect on my experience in Sri Lanka, I find it a bit difficult to do now.

That said, I’m sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Colombo. Not that I have a particularly affinity for coffee shops. In fact, in the US I don’t really patronize them. But in Sri Lanka—who can ask for more than AC and fast internet? Nothing my pampered bum likes better.

A few days ago Sheela, Nina (I’ll affectionately refer to her as Sheela’s uncannily similar compatriot) and I went to Ella, a lovely British hill station in Sri Lanka. The town caters almost entirely to foreign tourists, not to Sri Lankans, though I don’t know why considering Nuwara Eliya is popular with s grou.

While in Ella, we climbed little Adam’s Peak—a small rise at which end the Hill Country drops of precipitously about a 500-1000 meters into the Sri Lankan hill country—almost like Horton Plains. The peak is covered with tall grass which sways heavily in the quick breeze. There is a little lower extension of the mountain that offer stunning views, after a short scramble up and down a valley between the two hill tops. It’s quiet, calm, and an all around beautiful place to sit and reflect.

As Sheela was sick, Nina and I took a walk on the railroad in the next afternoon. Quiet and peaceful.

Afterwards, I had an Auyervedic massage—nothing to write home about other than I was really anxious I would have a creepy Sri Lankan man massage my body with oil. It was man, but fortunately he was not creepy.

Overall, it was a good time in Ella, staying at Sun Top Inn with good food and not doing too much.

As we departed, we had the joy to stand outside of the immaculate train station and watch a group of school children and their teacher play a game of blindfold hug-tag. The teacher. On a warm (but not too warm sunny day) I couldn’t think of anything better than to stand and enjoy the peace and calm of Ella.