KANDY

 Sad to say goodbye to Nuwara Eliya – we really liked our stopover there but  no time to put down roots on this journey and we’ve booked a large air conditioned cab for our onward journey to Kandy, which is about 100 km away via a downhill run on good roads. 

The views were spectacular along the whole route as we drop down to sea level.  Mostly tea plantations and factories processing the crop but, as we descended further, market gardens start to appear, fresh fruit and vegetable stalls are dotted along the roadside and we pass through picturesque villages…

The road was winding and acutely angled with sharp hairpin bends.

Potted plants ready to go

 Kandy is the second largest  city in Sri Lanka has several modern and well-managed hotels in the hills outside of town, of which probably the best is the Cinnamon Citadel, which overlooks the River Mahawali - the longest river in Sri lanka.   

The gardens were in full bloom and offered access to a walkway along the water’s edge

Giant stands of bamboo were everywhere

Time for a Siesta!!

River cruise by motorboat - the hotel would organize picnics and days out on the river if guests wanted.

Candle lit dinners on the terrace overlooking the river

City Centre
In Kandy’s City Centre and immediately opposite the famous ‘Temple of the Tooth’, the most revered Bhuddist location in the world, stands the Queen’s Hotel.

Over 180 years old and still looking good.  The massive reception area, lit by ancient chandeliers leads to long corridors and large open rooms that remain largely unaltered since colonial days with relics of life from that era. 

One cabinet contains pre-war menus showing typically English dishes such as Chicken Mulligatawny, Pressed Ox Tongue, Steak & Kidney pie and for dinner on 13^th September 1936 they enjoyed Roast Pheasant, Manchester Pudding and Cheese on Toast !! 

More to follow.............................

17. Nuwara Eliya (aka 'Little England')

By train from Ella to Nuwara Eliya

This is said to be one of the most scenic and beautiful railway journeys in the world, a 4-hour climb from Ella at 6,000 ft, through the mountains and tea plantations to Nuwara Eliya at 7,500ft.

A wonderful route took us across ravines and  streams, though tunnels,  past waterfalls, around precipitous drops and all the while overlooked by  'Pidurutalagala', the highest mountain in Sri Lanka.

 

Incident en-route
The train came to a sudden halt on a bend, spilling my coffee that the attendant had just brought from the galley.

Looking out, we saw that our big diesel engine had separated from the carriages and was disappearing ahead, leaving us behind. Fortunately, our alert Guard pulled the emergency brake and prevented us running out-of-control back downhill!

Before long, our engine returned and we all jumped out onto the track to offer helpful advise about a re-connection. This took some time as arguments passes back and forth. Finally an engineer with a large hammer bashed the errant coupling into place.

We all applauded this very fine piece of work and everyone climbed back aboard,  happy and smiling as the train restarted - just as if nothing had happened. What a wonderful country! 

 

A potted history
The first tea plantations on the island were established in the 'Hill Station' of Nuwara Eliya in  the early 1800's by two Scottish migrants, James Taylor and Thomas Lipton.  Others quickly followed and tea cultivation became a major industry. Bulk delivery of the crop was made possible by constructing a narrow gauge railway up into the mountains and down to the coast.

The scorching heat at sea level encouraged the British to use the railway to relocate their families into the cooler temperatures of the mountains, where they built grand houses complete with gardens, red brick walls and wrought iron fencing.

The 'hill station'  grew into a town that became known as ‘Little England’ with an artificial lake, two Scottish churches, a huge Catholic Church, a St Andrews Golf Club, a Grand Hotel, a Windsor Hotel and two landscaped roads: Lady McCullum Drive and Lady Horton Road. 

In addition the Royal Botanical Garden was established to discover improved tea hybrids and Galway Forest Reserve was setup to prevent over- building in the mountains surrounding the town. 

Much of that  old colonial influence still exists today alongside new development. We rented an apartment in this modern block, a short walk from town centre.

The Royal  Botanical gardens were in full bloom when we visited.

 Our hotel was a modern block just a few minutes walk uphill and overlooking the town

The view from our balcony was very commercial.  In the foreground a small factory making towels and then a  jumble of narrow streets with housing, shops and businesses, but a really interesting place for walks around town. 

Horsing around
Animals wander all around town. Several horses used to visit every morning and enjoyed  rolling in a large pile of sand opposite our apartment.

Oops! some left calling cards just inside the hotel gates !

Grand Hotel
Beautifully maintained, preserving original furniture, lighting, pictures and ambiance.  We enjoyed several evenings here with drinks before dinner relaxing in deep leather armchairs beside blazing log fires. 

St Andrews Hotel
Well managed by the Jetwing Group and reminiscent of a hotel in the Highlands of Scotland. We didn't play, but the golf course looked challenging 

The golf course was well manicured but we saw no golfers on the day of our visit

 

 The hotel gardens were full of flowers, shrubs and amazing topiary.

 



The Prime Minister was not at home so we had no invitation for tea.



A walk around town
Let’s go to the flicks.  The facade of the old Regal Cinema, a sad and neglected relic from a bygone era when perhaps, people swarmed in to see the latest Charlie Chaplin movie.  It’s entrance doors are wide open and it now seems to be a safe haven for the stray dogs.

Streets were always busy.

 William stopped to look at a box of baby chicks which had been left by a lamp post - hopefully someone was coming back to collect them!

We had a good supermarket in town

 

 For all of you with three wheelers this is the place to buy tyres!

 

 

 We stayed two weeks in Nuwara Eliya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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16. Tissamaharama to Ella…...uphill all the way

From Tissamaharama to the small hill town of  Ella is about 89km  which will take us close on two hours by cab.  It is also just about the highest point in Sri Lanka, located in the mountains and sitting at an  elevation of 1,041 meters (3,415ft) above sea level.

 

On the outskirts of Ella town  we stop for a short break by a waterfall to take in the view before the final ascent.  This is just one of many waterfalls to be found in the surrounding area.

For a small town,  so far away from everything , the community relies heavily  on the tourist industry to survive.   Needless to say,  blessed with some of the most beautiful views in Sri Lanka, it would be difficult to keep them away;   coach parties arrive daily,  trains are always full, roving groups of backpackers munching on energy bars, strings of cyclists exhausted by the uphill run....it's a veritable hub of activity.  

Some are just here for a day visit, others taking up their rooms in local hotels for overnight stays.  There is one large hotel in town and a huge choice of smaller hotels, guest houses, B&bs, hostels, dormitories – seems like anyone who has a spare room in their home is making money from the tourists and why not  - what a place this is! 

So what's to do??  Trekking, waterfalls, temples, caves, tea factories, Spice gardens, nature trails, train tours, Adam's Peak (the highest point) where emeralds, rubies and sapphires are found and, of course, the inevitable spas and sanctuaries for when you have exhausted yourself! 

Waterfall on the final climb into town.    Scchhhh.....love that hat!!

Sunnyside Lodge
For us, we have a much less energetic schedule and will be spending a few quiet days just chillin’ - we are heading for Sunnyside Lodge – a private detached bungalow with all the amenities to give us a good base whilst we are here. 

It's slightly uphill from the main town and we follow a lumpy road which narrows into a  sandy lane before coming to a dead end and, Voila!,  there's home for the next seven days.  We are met by a delightful young couple who oversee the property lettings and who live in a small house next door. 

They are there if we need them but primarily they  manage the  extensive grounds and gardens around Lodge.   The owners live some way away in Colombo but are soon on the telephone to us asking if everything is OK.

 

First things first 

The bungalow was very comfortable and it  didn't take William  long to settle in

  

Views from the Verandah

The views in all directions are just perfect.  This pic is taken at about 8am from the righthandside of the verandah the tea pickers are already out on the hillside before the heat of the day becomes overbearing

An endless sea of green

Info:
With over 3,000 varieties, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. In terms of country by tea consumption the UK sits at No. 5 and the USA at No. 69.



The ladies never stop picking

Info:
Only  the  top 1-2 inches  of the  mature
plant called 'flushes' are picked (2 leaves and a bud) . The plant will grow a new flush every 7/10 days during the growing season
which runs from late March to early November.

Another road snaking its way through the planations

 

Info:
The pickers spend up to eight hours a day in
 the sun and must pick at least 20 kg of tea
 leaves to earn a daily wage of a little less than  $2 / £1.40p.  







This sprawling tea factory, downhill from our verandah, was on the go day and night 


The Farm & Garden Views
Sunnyside Lodge is more than just a rental property it's a small farm which produces fruits and vegetables for the local market.  Everything organically grown, no pesticides and only manure used to enrich the soil.    We could take advantage of large, warm eggs straight from the hen and a lovely cow called ‘Betty’ provided fresh milk. 

Nothing quite like collecting fresh eggs for breakfast........

Giant palms zoom skyward




Happy chickens.......

 

Fragrant frangipani scents the air




The garden is in full bloom....



Hello Betty...
 









The view from the front porch and across to the far mountains.   This large downpipe from the edge of the roof, one of many, stands inside a bottomless decorative urn.  When it rains the freshwater is taken below ground and stored in  large tanks to be used for irrigation.

.".Sometimes I just sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits   ".....William enjoying some quiet time.

Always make time for tea because......

Dilmah is one of the most prolific tea producers in Sri Lanka - their Earl Grey brand is the best we have ever tasted.

  According to their website tea is the be all and end all to every health problem you can think of .....tea & aging, tea  & diabetes, tea & oral health, tea & heart disease, tea & high blood pressure.......must speak to our Doctor when we get back to the UK!

Time to pack up and move on

Today,  our last day in Ella, is a frantic rush around town for those last minute pictures and basic supplies as the little supermarket  here is quite good and we aren't sure of what we will find in Nuwara Eliya.

We also include a vital visit to the railway station to buy tickets as we are catching the midday train tomorrow for what is supposed to be one of THE most scenic and beautiful train journeys in the world and we will be setting off for Nuwara Eliya. 

The station is a gorgeous remnant of old colonial times - .a freshly painted picket fence, pretty gardens and potted plants in full flower surround the entrance and smartly attired station staff stand to attention by the gateway to the platform.

The Station, built by the British around 1918, was primarily for the transport of tea to Colombo for onward shipping around the world and it still uses a 135 year old signal system which has not failed yet!!

Today the  station is a hub for tourists and locals alike and connects with many destinations in the area. Certainly tea and much other local produce is still transported downhill but now shared with road transport.

Finally, it's our turn at the ticket window so what will it be?  First, Second or Third class? 

We opt for First Class which is the only way to ensure seats for the journey.  The cost is ridiculously cheap at less than £5 each with  luxuries like air-con, foot rest, sockets to plug in telephones/laptops, an 'airline style' snack service but  perhaps best of all is the access to an open-sided observation car which is a perfect vantage point to take in the views en route.

 

 

 We stayed 8 days in Ella.