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Published: April 15th 2015
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Most of the day, there’s not much happening at the Peradeniya Train station. The station master dozes over his desk, stray dogs seek out shade under the benches, and pigeons roost above the platform. Peradeniya is about five kilometers from Kandy, past the botanical garden. We arrived early and lounged around, watching the platform gradually fill with eager, chattering tourists. There were groups of older Europeans, backpacking couples, and large swarms of Chinese. We outnumbered the locals 100 to 1. I wondered what they thought about the sudden influx of foreigners swamping their trains, drawn by the attraction of what has been dubbed as one of the most beautiful rides in the world.
We were taking the train to Ella, a popular town on the southern edge of tea country. As mentioned previously, we were traveling around a holiday and thus had booked our seats ahead with Rajadhani Express, a privately owned company that operates a special viewing car attached to the normal train. It was easy enough to buy online; arriving at the station with a receipt and collecting the actual tickets at the window. While vastly more expensive than the normal price, it hardly broke the bank at
$12/person.
Outside of Kandy, the train wound through a series of valleys, crossing rivers and rice fields. About two hours into the ride we entered serious tea country and suddenly found ourselves amongst rolling hills and scruffy tea bushes. It’s likely that people who couldn’t place Sri Lanka on a map have still heard of Ceylon tea. When the British colonials arrived in Sri Lanka they recognized that the cool, damp climate of the highlands was perfect for growing tea. The first plantation opened in the mid-nineteenth century and the industry was soon booming thanks to the insatiable desire in Great Britain for an afternoon cup. Today, tea is one of Sri Lanka’s most lucrative exports.
Bouncing through on the train, it wasn’t hard to imagine the highlands 150 years ago. Obviously, technology has made it easier to grow and ship tea in bulk, but the picking is still done by hand. We saw little villages of tea pickers nestled amongst the fields, each with uniform tin-roofed houses and a village temple or church. The factories themselves were often perched higher up the slope; rectangular buildings made from corrugated metal and surrounded by a flurry of activity.
village
from the train I wasn’t disappointed by the ride. It was one of those rare things in travel that lives up to expectations. The only thing that truly irked me was the young couple sitting next to us who spent almost the entire trip watching videos and reading on their iPads. I wondered why they’d bothered at all. Finally, as the sun sank below the hills, the guy snapped upright and announced, “This is the part the Lonely Planet said is the best!” They both suddenly began craning their necks, trying to make out the scenery in the growing darkness. I try not to be too judgmental traveling, we all have different styles. But…really?!
Altogether the ride was around seven hours and we arrived in Ella after dark. It was easy enough to take a tuk-tuk to our guesthouse: Sita’s Heaven. If you find yourself in Ella, it’s a great place to stay. Run by a very nice family, there are only a handful of rooms, though they are in the process of expanding to the property next door. There are two primary reasons for this recommendation. The first is the location. The verandah has a spectacular view of Ella Rock and
it’s only a short walk across one of the plantations to town. Secondly, they served some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life. I could literally cry just thinking about it. Not only was the breakfast superb, but one night the owner’s wife cooked up a feast of vegetarian curry dishes that I’ll never forget. I’ve heard this homemade food is available at many guesthouses, though it does require you to order a bit in advance.
Besides stuff ourselves, we also visited Little Adam’s Peak. It’s a well-known day hike which only requires a couple of spare hours and is an easy jaunt across some tea fields. From the top you have a sweeping view of the valley, waterfall, and Ella Rock. Many people also opt to climb the latter, though it requires the services of a guide and a bit more effort. It was a gorgeous little hike and it was great to stretch our legs after the train. We spent quite a bit of time on the hill, ate some more, wandered around town, and tried to find a rock temple that our host assured us was a 1 km walk. What he didn’t
One of the best meals EVER
makes me want to cry just looking at it mention was that the 1 km was down a steep hill full of construction workers and careening trucks. It’s no wonder that people commonly stopped for a quick prayer at the roadside shrine leaving town. We gave up our efforts and went back to town for more tea.
The next day we had breakfast and then chatted with our host while we waited for our ride. He talked a little bit about his family, who were all from the surrounding area, but mostly we discussed the election. It had just happened in January and was a popular topic of conversation during our time in Sri Lanka. Elections by nature are polarizing and of course people tend to have strong feelings about their candidate of choice. Regardless, it was very interesting to hear how differently many people viewed the former president, Mahinda Rajapaska. He’d been in office for ten years and was credited by many (our host included) at ending the country’s devastating civil war. While many seemed to defend his iron- fisted rule others (including some international human rights groups) believed that his brutal retaliation against the Tamil Tigers also targeted Tamil civilians.
As I said, I don’t
know much about Sri Lanka’s history, but one aspect of their current political affairs that interests me is Rajapaska’s ties to China. Apparently, during his tenure as president, he’d procured millions (billions?) in Chinese investments. Some of the money is unaccounted for. The rest was sunk into a variety of projects dubbed “white elephants” which included a massive new port, convention center, highway, and airport near his hometown of Hambantota on the southern coast. There’s some hope for salvaging the port, but most of the structures stand empty. The airport is an environmental disaster as it lies very near Bundala National Park and directly in the path of migrating birds. The danger from bird strikes is so severe that the airport is virtually unusable.
To make matters more interesting, the new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has suspended all projects backed by the Chinese, much to the consternation of the Chinese government. Sri Lanka, with its close proximity to India, is viewed as a strategically important ally by China. It now appears, however, that Sri Lanka is becoming standoffish under its new leadership and seems more interested in solidifying its ties with its northern neighbor.
Bus transportation was complicated between
Sri Lankan breakfast
at our guesthouse, Ella Ella and our next destination of Tangalle, so we opted to hire a taxi. We descended from the hills and found ourselves skimming along a broad, four-lane highway, which was empty aside from a herd of goats grazing in the median. Another of Rajapaska’s “white elephants”. We asked our driver about it and he just shrugged and laughed. “You know…politics!”
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