It was time for us to leave JetWing and head to Gal Oya Lodge. It was about a 4 hour drive due to the windy roads and going up and down mountain ranges. On the way we stopped at a roadside stand where Ram suggested we get some traditional Sri Lankan treats. His original recommendation was to try: Undu Walalu. These were rings of fried dough coated in sweet honey. They were delicious. After we taste tested those, he came over with some pancakes. Pancakes in Sri Lanka are a bit different than what we think of as pancakes (but still just as delicious). They more resemble a thin crepe with a soft texture filled with a sweet coconut mixture. The below picture originally had two pancakes on the plate, but I ate one really fast.
While it was raining in the Sigiriya region, it was pouring in Gal Oya. The area was flooding pretty quickly and there were a lot of roads that had downed trees or flooding which was making the drive a little longer and more challenging than normal.
We got to Gal Oya just after lunch time and checked in to the lodge. We met the local dog, Arrack. Arrack is the name of Sri Lanka's local whiskey, and since Arrack's mother's name was Whiskey it only made sense. With all of the dogs we've seen Arrack has been the first one we've been able to interact with so we got all the dog pets in while we could.
We grabbed some lunch, the food so far has been amazing, and all of the food in Sri Lanka was so fresh, with fresh fruit in abundance, but Gal Oya's food was incredible. After that we got settled in our room, sat in the lodge and watched the rain on the mountain. Gal Oya was more secluded than any of the other lodges we've stayed at. It's an eco-hotel and has solar-heated showers and local staff, who were all extremely friendly and welcoming. No wifi, so it really forced us to sit back and relax and just enjoy our surroundings.
If you look at the mountain below, just beyond the pool, there is a peak on the far left, the peak next to that one on the right is called Monkey Mountain. We were supposed to hike Monkey Mountain the following morning but because of the rain it had made it too dangerous. If you listened closely you could hear the waterfall off of the mountain from all the rain. They said it was uncommon to hear and Monkey Mountain wasn't an easy hike on a normal day, let alone with a flood. We opted to forego the hike and hopefully be able to do a boat safari instead if the weather held out.
