Day 5: 3rd Mar, 2015
The day started with the chirping of the birds waking us up for a journey to the tea estates of Ceylon. Ceylon tea has been famous all over the world and Nuwara Eliya is the "Little England" of Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya has a cooler climate compared to the other cities we visited. And it rains most of the time. It has the English country village feel to it with beautiful gardens and golf courses. We had an Indian breakfast of Masala Dosa and Idli at a small restaurant just opposite to the hotel at Kandy. After breakfast we were all set for Nuwara Eliya. Our driver took us through the University of Peradeniya and it was a very beautiful place with lots of trees and spot clean roads. We stopped near a huge tree for a family snap. On the way, we got to see a part of Buddhist culture as our driver stopped near a Peepal tree, got down from the van and prayed for a minute standing opposite to the tree. :)
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| At University of Peradeniya |
The distance from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is approximately 100kms but it takes around 4-5 hours since the roads are through the hills and you can also club in a Tea Estate tour en route. As we started the ascend, all that the eyes could see were beautifully pruned tea estates. It was time to take some snaps amidst the tea trees and we stopped at one of many tea estates on the way.
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| Tea Estate on the way |
Our next stop was at Mackwoods Tea Estate where a guide takes you on a tea estate tour showing you how different varieties of tea from CTC to the expensive Golden Tips are produced.All the different varieties of tea are taken from the same tea tree but each variety has a different oxidation level. We were told that each tree has a life span of around 60 years and they need to keep pruning it to keep it short. The procedure of tea processing starts with withering where excess water from the lea leaves is removed. Next comes rolling where the tea leaves are twisted after which comes roll breaking which separates large clusters of rolled leaves into smaller ones. Next is Fermentation where tea leaves are spread out for oxidation. The last step is firing after which based on the oxidation, you get different tea leaves. It is a very interesting procedure and at the end of the tour, you will be guided to a cafe where you will be served black tea after which you can also buy different varieties of tea. I would recommend to buy the Orange Pekoe variety for its distinct taste and the beautiful blackish orange color after brewing.
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| Mackwoods Tea Estate |
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| Different tea varieties |
After a bit of tea shopping we reached our homestay for the next two days. We had selected Sherwood Cottage for our stay and I must admit, it was an awful stay with bad smelly rooms and a not so friendly host. I would recommend staying in some other resort, hotel or homestay than this one. Also the approach to this homestay is not good as the roads are too narrow.
We settled in our rooms, freshened up and were ready to explore Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya has a lake, a small market or town square, a temple and a golf course. We took a walk to the town square and shopped for a few groceries. By the time we were done, it was dinner time as the restaurants here close by 8:30 or 9 pm. There is not much choice for vegetarians here. We had Vegetable Kottu and Veg noodles. And then we took a walk till the homestay.
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| View from the homestay |
The weather at Nuwara Eliya is very unpredictable. It was warm in the morning and too cold at night. It also rained the other day. If this town is in your itinerary, be sure to carry warm clothes, some winter wear and an umbrella. And with this the fourth day at Sri Lanka came to an end....
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