The big climb!

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Today was a day full of blood, sweat and tears. Whilst we were only riding a meager 45km, it was up a steep ascent!! Even the rise of 1100m was deceiving as there was also quite a lot of downhill! It was definately a challenge, but one that I enjoyed. To this point I had never pushed myself to the limit on a bike so it was a good feeling when I completed the ride. Whilst some people did bail I was extremely impressed with Bev. When she arrived in Sri Lanka we discovered she was 58, had not completed any training and didn't even know how to change the gears! Her determination to complete so much of the climb was a real achievement and something I admired.

We climbed, and climbed, and climbed
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As we started our climb the views became even more lush and scenic. Closing in on our lunch break I looked forward to see a stunning waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain, I loved this place!! We had lunch at a small restaurant near the waterfall where they served up very 'local' dishes which were extremely good. Many of us, including myself even ate the local way, with our hands! After lunch we were lucky enough to have a dip in the waterhole at the base of the waterfall. Given the warmth of the air we were all surprised to find the water to be absolutely freezing. It was a stimulating and refreshing dip, something I needed before the second half of the ride.

Daniel and his Arrack antics!
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During the second half of the ride the layered rice terraces became more prominent. Despite their country lacking so much in terms of technology, their farming methods were very efficient and productive. It was a great day of riding and I really enjoyed the challenge, I was however glad to hop off the bike at the end of the day.

After a refreshing shower I went for a walk by myself to check out Bandarawela. There were quite a few touristy shops but I wasn't really interested in buying anything at this stage. After dinner the night was filled with Lion, 3Coins and Arrack (the local beverages). Daniel challenged a couple of us to a team game of snooker which we won, I think it helped that he was rather drunk! I turned to water as the night got later as I needed to be up at 6am for our FREE day!!