Ella is a small hilltop village filled with touristas who look very much like we do. We had gotten off a bus in the centre of town and walked about 100 metres down the road when a tuk-tuk driver walked up to me and said, "Are you Elenka?"
 
"Yes," I said, not bothering to explain.
 
About an hour before we left Gem River for the two-and-a-half hour bus trip to Ella, Elenka wrote to a guest house asking if they had any rooms available. She got no response. When we arrived we'd simply gone on a willy-nilly search for the place.
 
The driver told us that he was a friend of the guesthouse owner we had written to, that the place was full, and that he would take us to a different hotel. This whole scenario was as peculiar as hell. It's common for Asian cab drivers and touts to poach incoming travellers so they can take them to a place where they'll get a commission. But that didn't explain the "Elenka" factor. 
 
We told the tuk-tuk driver that we still wanted to go to the guest house we had contacted before going to an alternate place. He agreed and off we went. Damned if the owner didn't come out with apologies, saying that he hadn't checked his e-mail in a timely fashion, and that in fact there was no room at the inn. We talked for about 15 minutes regarding alternatives. Then off we went again. Elenka looked at three guest house duds - I'm not allowed to look because I'll choose anything, she tells me - before finding a dandy spot with balcony and a view. When it was all said and done we paid the driver an equivalent of $2.25 and that was with a healthy tip.
 
I'd been a bit worried about the Ella idea. On our second night in Sri Lanka I was still jet-lagged as I tossed and turned in an ugly bed. Just after three in the morning I tossed myself right out of the bloody thing and onto the concrete floor. A week later, I was sure that hip replacement and re-constructive elbow surgery would be required. Just yesterday though, the aches and pains went away. This morning Elenka had me do a goat-like hike up a very high hill/mountain and all is well.
 
Back to Rob Ford for a moment: We've befriended a number of Europeans on this trip. I'd paid particular attention to the fact that none of them had mentioned our mayor or part-mayor until I brought up the topic. Then just yesterday, a young Dutch couple told us that they knew all about Rob, but didn't want to say anything because of the possibility that we were supporters of the the man. This encounter was good. It means that this idiotic issue needs to be brought to the table with each and every person who we tell that we're Canadian, and speak to for more than five minutes. For if we don't, poor Elenka and I risk being thought crazy or just plain stupid.