Adam's Peak and the Tea Pluckers

We woke up at 2 AM – it felt more like the middle of the night. The best time to climb Adam's Peak, standing at 2,243 meters, is at night so you can reach the top before sunrise. From December to May, countless pilgrims visit the mountain, often staying overnight in small, cold huts to catch the sunrise. They say there’s a footprint at the top of the mountain. Buddhists believe it’s Buddha’s footprint from when he ascended to paradise. Christians think it’s Adam’s footprint from when he was cast out of the Garden of Eden. Some believe butterflies come here to die, while others think the footprint belongs to Lord Shiva or St. Thomas. The climb takes between 2 to 4 hours. If you’re used to exercising and getting your heart rate up, you can definitely make it up faster than 4 hours. We tackled the 5,200 steps up the mountain in 2 hours and 15 minutes. It’s cold at the top, so there’s no need to get there too early. It’s a good idea to bring dry and warm clothes to change into. You’ll sweat on the way up, but it’s hard to dry off, so you quickly get cold in your sweaty clothes. We huddled together with the other overnight pilgrims in the cold huts to escape the chilly night air. The dark path is lit by lamps, but it’s only when the sun rises that you can see the beautiful valley and the many mountains at the foot of Adam's Peak. As the sun begins to rise, the mass and music start playing over the speakers. The ascent is incredibly beautiful. You’re constantly following the many lights winding their way up the mountain towards the top. Along the way, there are plenty of little shops, so there’s no need to carry too much from the town below. Climbing up is tough, but coming down is hard too. Those many steps make your thigh muscles ache and shake. But it feels great when you finally get back to your hotel, take a shower, and enjoy a big breakfast. :o) After catching a couple of hours of sleep, we got up and set out to look for the tea-picking women. We hadn’t had any luck seeing them at work yet due to the Tamil festival. Around Dalhousie, there are many tea plantations. We met lots of schoolchildren who jumped and danced for us to take pictures of them. They tried to convince us to follow them back to their village, but unfortunately, our legs didn’t have any more energy left. Suddenly, a tuk-tuk came by. There aren’t many of them out here in the countryside. The driver asked the locals where the women were working today. We zipped past one tea field after another. It felt like being on a safari in search of a rare species. And then, there they were! A whole field filled with tea-picking women. It seems not many tourists come this way. The women called out to us, eager for us to take their pictures. They giggled loudly when they saw themselves in the photos. They also wanted us to take a picture of their supervisor, who stood stiffly in the middle of the field, keeping an eye on whether the women were working hard enough. :o)