|
Hello Kindred Spirits,
As you know I recently returned from a quick but delicious voyage to Sri Lanka, where I enjoyed a particularly lovely trip to a small mountain tea town in Uva, 200km east of Colombo.I was inspired to share some of the adventures along the way with you.
If you are even thinking about it; you must visit Sri Lanka. It is around a year since the end of fighting. The feeling is one of hope, with tourists at the airport and a new sense of relaxation in the streets. The people are warm, the beaches and mountain retreats stunning and the British legacy is if not great roads, certainly some beautifully restored colonial buildings, such as the Galle Face hotel where I love to stay.
The township we travelled to was Haputale where the pristine Greenfield Tea Estate is located. Greenfield is a new garden we are buying from, so it was important for me to see for myself the estate and meet some of the workers. I was looking forward to meeting with the Durka, whose family owns the estate. We had discovered that we have more than a passion for tea in common – we both studied in Melbourne!
With trainee Clifford as my interpreter; and trusty driver Ratnasena; we left Colombo at 6.00am. It was to be a six hour drive to Haputale, situated at 1431m above sea level – only 200 kilometres but with poor roads and an abundance of traffic and processions, I soon came to realise that one should not plan to get anywhere fast.
We meandered our way along increasingly windy roads, through tiny villages where people bustled about their business, past a never-ending supply of fruit and vegetable stalls, three-wheeler tuks tuks and school children; and were frequently held up behind colourful overloaded buses.
After three hours we stopped for a meal at a rest house in a glorious spot. A river flowed straight past the restaurant where we sat sheltered by Rain Trees. It was much cooler and less humid here (only 22 degrees); a delight to unwind for a little while after the heat, humidity and dust of Colombo. Very peaceful.
I ordered western style fish with salad to give my stomach a break from the fish curry, string hoppers and kothhu (like a hot souvlaki with the pita cut into small pieces and mixed through the meat ) I’d been enjoying for breakfast, lunch and dinner since arriving.
Until the next leg of my adventure, au revoir!
|
