Another early start,3.45am! Breakfast consisted of a bun filled with curry, a sugar-coated bun and chocolate milk from the bakery. As we had to leave MEF by 5am and journey South, via an incredible train journey through the countryside. It has been voted the Second-best train ride in the world and it was easy to see why. The train rolled through the beautiful country side, oasis topped mountains loomed above us, lush green jungle surrounded us, cascading waterfalls and flowing rivers gave way to rows of neat tiered paddy fields. Amazing! Unlike the toilets on the train, another interesting squatting experience, where the waste fell directly onto the tracks you could see below. We hung out of the windows holding onto a bar. It was fantastic and perfectly safe.
On arrival in Ella we boarded our bus to Janoda stopping along the way to buy fruit and pastries from the roadside stalls. Soon the land became less jungle and more desert like. The road was dotted with elephant and monkey warning signs. We arrived at the Janoda Foundation where we met Karu our guide and inspiration. A wise man, like one who had walked the earth a thousand times. We were shown to our dormitories and sorted through our donations making neat piles in our room ready to distribute during this next phase of our trip. We settled into bed exhausted and slept.
