Withering Heights - Vanillas in the Mist [Part I of III]

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I guess I'll have to start drinking tea.

Out of absolute respect for the process, the pluckers, the packagers, the plunderers.

For all the mixed emotions (and knowledge) I have about The Brits, the tea hills they left in a shadow of forest warrant a small round of applause.

And the feats of organic, biodynamic and fairtrade agriculture I saw today, all managed by 'Lankan locals, well, that deserves a standing ovation and maybe a few million dollars from the World Bank as a gigantic thank you for doing good to this planet and its animals (humans included).

I'm glad I read up a bit in my Rough Guide before coming (that is, 1 hour before landing), so I had a clue as to the tea process...since that pesky little chemical caffeine, and moffeine, keep me from drinking real tea. But not today. not this week. not this month. i'm actually weening myself onto caffeine oddly enough.

traveling the land of tea as part worker, part wanderer...

so far, I have been oblivious to most of the logistics where working is concerned...
...as drivers wrapped in traditional sarongs (or is this yet another british faux pas?) skirty like pieces of cloth...they appear, disappear, then reappear days later in a different town with a different vehicle...
...as plates (and plates and plates) of curries arrive. unordered by me.

...arrangements all fluttering past me - I didn't even try to understand this morning's field visit itinerary. I just got in the van, and expecting winding roads, carried just pineapple in the gut.

more on tea...

PS my shout-out in the the wildlife blog got lost, thanks Murray for hooking me up with the Sri Lankan Wildlife Crew...!

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Photos

stag, you're it!
stag bladders. filled and stitched. then planted. biodynamics. something about shipping them from another continent doesn't sit well with my Cprint, tho...

vanillas in the mist
intercropping: vanilla with tea. yum!

bio-bling
if kids knew they could win shiny things like this for being organic, what would happen? this estate had a room full of trophies. champions of the earth. people. and good, fair food.

withering schedule
nothing that a nighttime application of face cream will help. just lots of warm air. to dry out the tea leaves.

a mountain we must climb
the finest green tea i've ever sipped...out of the finest british china i've ever held. how dainty.

men in black(skirts)
for whatever reason, men in skirty sarongs just don't do it for me. maybe it's the fear they may become untied at any moment...thankfully, there is a mix of modern fashion. if you will.

discus scrumptious
nothing like a simple, slightly burnt roti for breakfast. i mean, nothing like, 4, 5 or sometimes 6 roti for breakfast...