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Published: December 20th 2013
If you’re drinking a cup of tea right now there’s a good chance it came from Sri Lanka, one of the world’s biggest exporters of tea, and most of it is grown right here in Nurawa Eliya.
The drive from Kandy to Nurawa Eliya was spectacular. We climbed through the thick jungle through narrow winding roads, finally arriving at one of the highest towns in Sri Lanka, at more than 1800 metres above sea level. Improbably clinging to the sides of the mountains you soon begin to see a sea of tea.
When the English came to Sri Lanka this mountainous area became a popular holiday spot, no doubt because of its cool climate. It’s known as “little England” but I needn’t think the Cotswalds worry too much about the competition. Tea was first grown here in the late 1800s, and now provides more than 1 million jobs. Not that the poor Tamil plantation workers are paid much. Camilas and I stopped at the side of the road to take some photos of the tea and the workers, and he told me they are paid about 350 rupees per day. Given that $US1 is around 130 rupees it’s not
much. They must love it when they are picking tea on the roadside and tourists stop to take their photos – they will gladly pose for a small fee, which I was happy to give. I do like a good cup of tea after all.
As well as seeing tea growing in action and visiting a tea factory to see how my morning cuppa is made, the other main attraction of coming here is to go hiking in the hills. Not far away is the Horton Plains National Park. Because the mists roll in and blanket the views from about 9 or 10 in the morning, the idea is to get there early, and because it’s still a fair distance from Nurawa Eliya, that means a very early start. It’s about 30 or so kms away, and I travelled by tuk tuk with the gentlemanly Lalith, who was really lovely, with a comforting campfire smell about him too. What an adventure that was! In parts the roads are truly terrible, so many potholes and so bumpy, that even with Lalith’s careful driving and slow pace, I was grateful to the sports bra I was wearing! However it was definitely
all worth it.
We left the hotel at 5.30 am, and finally got to the start of the trekking point by about 7.00 am. Then Lalith and I set off to see World’s End. It’s a 4km walk through the national park, and even if this was the only thing I saw I would’ve been happy. However once we arrived at firstly, mini-Worlds End, then on to Worlds End, the views over the valleys were truly breathtaking. Sitting there, drinking in the spectacular views, and enjoying an alfresco breakfast picnic prepared by my guesthouse, was a definite highlight of the trip so far. In the distance you could see the mists curling around the hills as they started to cover the mountains. I looked down and saw little Tamil villages nestled in the foothills. What a way to start the day.
From there we trekked on to the Bakers Falls, and continued to follow the trail which looped back to the entrance way – all up a 9.5km trail. Coming back we passed massive plains filled with rhododendron trees. I could imagine how stunning that view would look when they were all in flower. What an excellent way
to start the day.
On the way back we stopped off at a couple of places to enjoy more views. I was also surprised to see "New Zealand Farm" near a little village called Ambawela. I wondered if it was a Fonterra owned property, as nearby we passed a large milk factory, and there was a very familiar dairy farm smell wafting about.
Not surprisingly I was a little tired in the afternoon, however the sun was still shining (you are lucky Madam!), it really was a glorious day, so I thought I would explore the area around my guesthouse. I am staying at a cute little place about 5kms from the town centre. Before independence it had once been the private residence of the Prime Minister, and now has five rooms. It’s trying very hard to be quite fancy but to me it was a lot like Fawlty Towers, albeit without Basil Fawlty. Anyhow, they are certainly very friendly.
I decided to walk to Gregory Lake, which is about 2.5 kms away. Because of the climate, the other thing that Nurawa Eliya grows in abundance is vegetables, and I passed acres of vegetables - cabbages, leeks,
carrots, and broccoli - all being carefully tended by proud owners. I loved how friendly everyone was - people waved, smiled, and shyly greeted me.
But time to leave, and this time I'm on my own. No Camilas, no Lalith (although he did take me to the station). My next destination is the beautiful hill village of Ella, and I'm taking the train. It's a wonderful meandering journey, winding through the hills, thick jungle and tea plantations around us. I arrived at Ella mid afternoon and after a rather sweaty walk up to my hotel, Mountain Heavens, I was definitely enamoured with Ella. The view from my hotel is absolutely gorgeous. Yet again I was told how lucky I was, as apparently it's been raining. But not today. Lady luck lives on!
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tom
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ahmad tea
Just had my early morning cuppa English afternoon lightly flavoured with bergamot Some special tea your mother found Glad all is going well We are off to the Manawatu races today always a big day 4 couples transported in a van with your mother the nominated driver