The bells!

We set of at 10.00pm last night and arrived at base camp at about 2.30am today. Very difficult to find the start of the climb but we soon picked up the empty tea shops.
Adam's Peak is the 5th highest peak in Sri Lanka it's about 2243m and there are different stories about the peak depending on which religion you talk about. There is a depression in the top of the rock and Buddhists claim its the footprint of Buddha himself, while the Muslims claim that it's the footprint of Adam. During the pilgrimage season the peak is very busy and the climb is lit up and there are tea shops all the way up - at the moment it's close season so you climb in darkness and all the tea shops are closed.
The climb is about 7km long with 5,500 steps its done in darkness so that you arrive at the top for the sunrise - unfortunately this morning was very cloudy but the view at the top where your standing above the clouds was magnificent. It was raining for most of the climb and we were at the top cold and wet when we invited into a strange little room with an electric fire and we were given hot teas and coffees. We were the first to arrive at the top but we were soon joined by another 20 people.
Because its close season you are not allowed to see the footprint but there is a bell and you must dong it the number of times you've climbed the peak - all single dongs and I know that I'll never dong it twice.
Then the climb down which seemed worse than going up - my knees are completely shot. At the bottom I met this lady called Brenda who's a guide and has climbed the peak 86 times and she's 85 years old - she brought out all her testimonials including one from a female Olympic rower who couldn't keep up with Brenda and at the top Brenda lost her flip flops so came down just as fast in bare feet - remarkable lady!
It was a good job I couldn't see the height of the peak when we arrived because on looking up after descent I think I might have been a tad nervous/apprehensive.