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Published: September 12th 2017
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Main Street of Nurawa Eliya
Complete with ponies roaming free. Full cooked breakfast cooked by our own personal chef and served by the trusty staff, you could get use to this, although again the standing watching us eat was a bit awkward.
Decided to walk into town and have a look around then get tuk tuks to a tea plantation about 4km out of town.
Tea plantation was fascinating, tour of the factory was another step back in time. All the machinery looked like it arrived with the raj. They were not operating as its was a Sunday and also most of the production occurs at night. Ladies pick up to 18kg per day and this particular plantation had about 400 pickers.
Donna still not too flash so she had an afternoon off while Chris, Marie and I went to the Grand Hotel for high tea. It really was good too. I thought one of the reviews referred to it as being a buffet which did have the high tea purists concerned, however, a mistake as it was a very traditional high tea complete with a tower of plates with savouries, cucumber and salmon sammies and of course the obligatory scones and cakes. Arranged to take Donna a
small high tea doggy bag, much to my horror as will be understood by family and friends who know of my "daggybagophobia"!
Had wander through the Grand and it was lovely, unlike most of the older colonial buildings that are rather shabby, this is perfectly kept.
Decided to have dinner in, which transpired to be an inspired decision, not so much for the food but for the colonial experience and in particular the chief waiter. Now unfortunately I was unable to take a decent photograph so will need to try to describe him.
He was suitably tall and dark to give a slightly dignified air, wide smile with teeth that showed the signs of many years drinking tea and questionable dentistry. Dressed in an off white (may also have been a grubby white?) sarong complimented with a slightly dirty fawn corduroy suit jacket. The piece de resistance was the bright red cloth (too big to be a kerchief so perhaps a tea towel or conceivably just a random red rag) hanging from the right hand pocket in the jacket. When this particular waiter walked he took unusually small steps which together with the very cheesy grin he
Tea served was "Pekoe"
This is the best quality tea and very orange in colour. It was mellow and easily drunk without milk of sugar. gave you every time you made eye contact just enhanced the slightly strange experience.
All this in a small dining room with only us and another couple, no background music or for that matter any noise whatsoever. Staff seemed to glide in and out as if on well greased rails so all in all a somewhat stilted and slightly arkward experience.
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was just before bed the boss man/chief butler offered us hot water bottles. Given it is very cold at night here we took him up on the offer. Said hotties arrived full of boiling water to the point of bulging complete with brocade wooden covers. All very colonial!
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