Greetings from Nuwara Eliya!

Hello from the the city that's 1889m above sea level!It's beautiful here and im right now alone in an internet cafe as Eileen, my travel partner, is on herway back to Colombo to catch a connecting bus back tothe airport for the midnight flight back home!

Im gonna be alone for the next 3 days before i make my way home on the 20th on the midnight flight(it's actually 21st already, 1am flight) Sorry for not writing earlier as we were in towns that have nointernet access or else we were in GHs that were too'wuloo' and we r left with no choice but to stay in and get no connection with the rest of the world.

It was raining the entire day yesterday and the pastweek. Freak weather, as the boss of my GH now said. Cuz it's not supposed to be raining now. The monsoon season ought to be over for the South coast and central areas. It was sooooo freezing cold last nightwhen we arrived here in the evening. According to the boss, it's 4-6degrees celcius! :p!!! The 2 of us did not sleep well last night as well. Actually, for the past week, it has been cold at night; din sleep well. Kept waking up.

Visited some amazing places here in the country. From the beautiful beaches on the South coast to the hilly region in the central region, there are beautiful temples, awe-inspiring mountains, towering Buddha sculptures, never-ending stretches of beaches,British-style cottages and cathedrals scattered all over. Im actually looking forward to coming back for the 2nd time. The only country that i want to come back to next to Turkey. There's so much more to explore but so little time.

Travelling here is not tough if u have the guts totake the bus and trains. It's not as bad as those bus journeys i have taken in Myanmar. The people are ultra-friendly and most willing to help you. The kids here will actually wave u 'hello' and 'bye' as u walk past them. Some will even run up to you to greet u!Those innocent smiles and curious stares can simply melt your heart... The adults who say 'hi' are usually guys while the ladies will smile. A very comfortable feeling as it makes u smile back too, n easily brighten up the day.

Of course, every city has its poor and hungry as well. The city is not without beggars, but not many. A thought crossed my mind the other day. What's the worst kind of poverty would u want to endure? Is it no food, no water, no clothing or no shelter? There are the homeless here, n I feel that's the worst kind of poverty that can strike one. It means u don't have a shelter over ur head rain or shine. At night, u sleep out on the streets with only a thin blanket and whatever clothes u have on your body. You gotta depend on other kind souls to feed you. You do not get to bath and for all you know, u may just die from a disease on the roadside with no one to handle your body.

Morbid? Maybe. Just a thought that came to me when i saw the squatters beside the railway station one day.What else but makes me appreciate my life so much more.

Even the dogs back in Singapore are so fortunate. Istayed at a GH which was close to Nature as it was facing a lake where there was an abundance of birdlife and the locals make use of the lake to bath and wash their clothes. They have a dog named 'Buddy'. Buddy had 3 pups and she's so skinny although the guy whoworks there(Chandana) told me that she's fed 3X a day.I could not finish my rice and curry one evening as it was too spicy and decided to give it to the dog. (The previous night, Eileen gave a packet of spicy prata to the dog but we din see Chandana feed the dog.) When Chandana called the dog the 2nd night, she came immediately and you should have seen the way shedevoured the rice! Goodness! She ate it so fast and so cleanly! Not a grain of rice left! And she even ate up the plastic cover! My goodness! Im so worried for her digestive system. Poor thing. When i peeled a banana for her after that, she did not eat it but took it to look for her pups. Sweet.

I went for a walk just now around the town after sending Eileen off on the bus to Colombo. Settled down at a local eatery for lunch and then walked around this small town where i actually walked up the hills and took quite a lot of photos of the surroundings. Breath-taking scenery with fresh air. No one seems tonotice much of me thou im wearing a yellow windbreaker. That's the kind of town i like. :)))

With me travelling by myself, the expenses are going to increase n im gonna have meals by myself. But Ienjoy the solitude as well. When u can have more time to focus on your thoughts and think thru things and observe more. Eileen and I talk a lot at times.*Chuckles* But it's been great fun having her around!One very easy-going lady with whom I can crap a lot with! :p Right, girl?? Heh.

The reason why i did not blog is because i could nottype in my Blog. The operating system they used her in this cafe is 'Lindows'. Mmmm... Maybe tt's why i can't seem to blog. I read the comments. 'Princess' did not state who she is?? And don't worry, I've handed up my case study before i left!

Alrite, im off to expore the gardens nearby now!Enough of facing the computer for the past hour. My next update may be when im back in S'pore!

Ciao!
Eunice

(Posted on the 21st Dec at the comforts of my home)