Frakkin' Ceylon - Day Six

We're high in a valley, heading towards Nurawa Eliya, when we pull over at a waterfall and are immediately seized upon by two urchins trying to thrust semi-precious stones into our hands. Between that, our sullen driver – who greets us with a strange, unsettling story about a sister that was allegedly murdered in Dubai; we offer to help, he refuses – and the piss poor weather, our much-hyped drive through the heavens isn't quite what we'd hoped for. Still, we get to see the lengths people go to so we can enjoy a good cuppa, which is mildly interesting.

In total we're in the car for about 11 hours, which, with a surly driver, occasionally feels longer. The roads are winding, and poorly maintained. Everywhere – even at the highest peaks – there are dogs. But the landscape is quite incredible, from flat, dry lowlands with big statues of the Buddha to a valley so full of waterfalls they make the mountains look like tree-stumps leaking sap.

By the time we get to Kandy, the ancient kingdom in the centre of the island, we're just about out of patience with our driver and don't much fancy trying to head out and about into the pitch black of the city without really having a clue where to go. We have dinner in the guest house – which as we're not blagging it is pretty basic – and get talking to a German couple. He is a graphic designer. She is a journalist. Weird.
They're having a couple of beers and ask if we'd fancy joining them, but we're tired and, having been largely silent all day, don't have much enthusiasm for conversation. Instead we head to the room, get under a much-cherished mosquito net, try to watch a film and fall asleep in seconds.