A short tuk-tuk drive away from Ella village is a cave up in the hills, a rock temple and Rawana Falls, the latter right on the roadside and attracting enough people to make it worthwhile for the locals to have a few stalls of tat for the tourists. The waterfall is impressive and as well as the tourists that stop here, it is also a hangout for monkeys and a wash place for local Sri Lankans. The cave is not worth the slog up overgrown steps, which turn out to be impassable (at least for someone in a dress and sandals) just before the entrance to the cave and we have to turn back disappointed.
The rock temple on the other hand is definitely worth a visit. This 2000-year-old temple is built under a rock overhang with a bodhi tree alongside draped with a cloth. The driver disappears to find a monk who opens the temple so we can take a look inside where there is a particularly serene reclining buddha, two sitting buddhas and decorations painted on the walls and ceiling.
When we arrive at the waterfall my foot is bleeding profusely but there is no sign of any cut and no pain. My foot continues to bleed all afternoon and I decide to pay a visit to the medical centre. The centre is open but the doctor is absent and won’t be back until 6. By which my foot has stopped bleeding and all that is evident is a small pin prick between two of my toes. Apparently, the most likely explanation is a leech has taken a liking to me and having had its fill, dropped off. According to Frosty the vet, who we meet in a local bar, leeches don’t carry any disease and the bleeding only last for abut four hours. Being suitably reassured, We sit back and enjoy our cocktails!