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Published: March 10th 2018
We left our hotel at 9.0 in convoy as the curfew is in place until 4.0 this afternoon. Upul had to get us a special pass at the police station. The roads were spookily empty with very few cars and all the shops were closed. At bridges and cross roads, temples and petrol stations (some of them closed) there were soldiers. We were stopped once to show our papers. The curfew ended 15 mikes out of Kandy. Six people have been killed and three temples destroyed.
When people get married in Sri Lanka they chose the date according to the stars so in spite of the situation we saw a wedding. Only close family and friends are invited but when the couple return from their honeymoon they hold a big party.
It was a fantastic drive through the misty hill country to our 2000 mt above sea level hotel. We stopped at a tea factory on the way and we were shown around by a girl in a sari. Usually only teachers and the elderly wear saris these days which is a shame. We all bought tea in their shop then drove a short distance up the hill to have lunch
in a restaurant with the most breathtaking views. This country is truly beautiful.
Upul drove us higher through pine forests with water falls.
When we reached Nuwara Eliya we parked up to go to an ATM and we went to the very English looking post office to buy cards and stamps. This village in fact is very English with some mock Tudor buildings, a golf club and horse riding. There is a race track here too.
The last stretch of today’s journey was up a very winding and extremely narrow lane - we had to reverse to get round the hair pin bends. There were so many wild flowers it was almost like a dream. A car had broken down on this lane and we had a great deal of trouble getting past it especially as a tractor was coming the other way. We arrived at The Tea Factory Hotel. Very different. It was a tall converted building and inside there was an old engine in the basement that turned enormous fans that used to air the tea leaves. It’s a very classy hotel. The lift is one of the old fashioned ones with fold back gates. We had tea
in the girls room then I went for a walk in the gardens. There is a maze with a pergola in the middle a children’s play area and an old train carriage where you can have dinner if you feel like something different. The grounds are surrounded by tea plantions and vegetable patches.
After a lovely dinner again with live music we had another early night. Zzzzz
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