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Published: February 7th 2006
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OVERNIGHT TRIP: HORTON PLAINS AND NUWARA ELIYA Our first overnight outing away from Mahakande Bungalow was through the upcountry town of Nuwara Eliya and into Horton Plains National Park. Although the distance was only a few kilometers- I believe 26- the epic journey took us about four hours. The entire road that wound up and up and up the mountain had many features. It was very narrow. It was a constant series of curves and switchbacks. It was being repaired. As we drove it. The entire distance.
The scenery was phenomenal. Very panoramic. Lots of waterfalls. Traffic. Terraces of neatly-clipped tea plants that looked like row after row of hedges. Big piles of boulders from recent road-clearing explosions. More traffic. More waterfalls. A construction worker stopping traffic. And so on. Eventually we experienced a marvelous sunset. Still we climbed higher into the night. We arrived in Nuwara Eliya well after dark. This town is often described as being very English in style, but I must confess that I couldn't see it. Perhaps I am insufficiently aware of architecture. A real possibility. Anyway, to my eyes it looked like the other Sri Lankan villages. We ate dinner at a restaurant
with an Italian-sounding name (the Milano), which served "Chinese" food. Well, a version of Chinese food anyway.
We spent the night at Hakgala Gardens, and had the opportunity to walk through this botanical garden in the early morning mist. It was actually quite chilly this high up the mountain. Then it was on to the bus for most of the group (a couple of people choose to seek merchandise in the town instead). We drove by some happy-looking cows in the mist, still climbing higher and higher. At one point, we stopped at Ram's Kovil, an ornate Hindu temple which is covered with brightly painted statues of Hindu deities. This one was established at the site where Ram is said to have come to rescue Sita from captivity. We took off our shoes and went inside. The mist had turned into a light rain, and we walked through water and puddles. People were offering puja; this is an active kovil. Then it was back on the bus. The road actually got narrower- something I would not have believed possible. Eventually, we reached Horton Plains, where it was downright cold.
Horton Plains is one the most popular- and unique-
National Parks in Sri Lanka. For me, as a biologist, it was amazing. This is the home of the Fishing Cat! High on the mountaintop here is this marvelous flat, grassy plain with rolling hills and herds of Sambar (Cervus unicolor; creatures like American elk). One magnificent bull Sambar is an accomplished beggar; he hangs out at a point where the vehicles must stop as they await entry to the park. He looks cute, and people respond. The day we spent at Horton Plains was extremely wet. The rain came and went at intervals, and a cold wind blew constantly. The main group that hiked the whole trail out to Land's End got thoroughly soaked, and at least two of them fell in the mud. I only went partway along the trail, walking slowly with Adele, looking for birds (again!). Adele spotted a female Jungle Fowl crashing through the trees! This was her first citing as a novice birdwatcher. Neat. Actually, my best citing was not a bird at all, but a rare endemic monkey called the Bear Monkey; it had a great white moustache and beard like Santa Claus. It sat in the top of a tree, calmly eating leaves, totally unaware of how rare and special it was.
On our way home, we had the opportunity to stop at the Labookellie Tea Factory, a stream-lined tourist attraction. As it was Sunday, the factory itself was not operating, but the tours still were. An experienced guide took us through the factory, explaining what we would have seen if the factory were in operation and dispensing dubious data about the origin of the word "tea". I paid more attention to the motivational signs that were posted all over the walls; they had sayings that were more like fortune cookie wisdom than anything else. Bizarre. The best part of this stop was the generous full cup of tea we were served as a "sample". In Sri Lanka, the accepted way to have tea is with hot milk and sugar added. Siri had introduced this old English custom to us, and by now we were really enjoying it. Sugar and caffeine. That's two of the four major food groups... Oh, yes. They sold you chocolate cake. Now it's complete nutrition. A good thing to, since we didn't get dinner that night until we were back at the Bungalow- almost too tired and sleepy to eat. Of course the Labookellie Tea Factory had a gift shop, where you can buy all of the tea you could ever hope to drink. Our group came out with shopping bags full of stuff.
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