Exploring the surrounds of Nuwara Eliya

11-4-2 Friday March 3rd

We set off bright an early before breakfast from Stafford Bungalow, the fourth of our temporary homes, to explore the local area. Walking up the main drive we soon struck off the lane and were immediately surrounded by tea country, as we followed one of the many well trodden tea workers tracks that criss cross the hillsides we were absorbed into the landscape of rows of neatly planted tea bushes.

Chaumi the "maitre de" from Stafford Bungalow, was our guide, to we were immediately immersed in the local environment, including meeting a group of smiling villagers. We have been struck by the good humour and positive welcome extended by the people of Sri Lanka, who seem to smile with their entire faces, up to and with their eyes.

Chaumi was our guide for the walk through the tea country and villages.

When we got back to the bungalow we were greeted with glasses of cucumber and mint juice - an incredibly refreshing combination, and were taken aback once again, by the spectacular view from the lawn down across the local valley that we had just walked through.

The bungalow's lawn is a delightful setting for a leisurely breakfast, which was beautifully laid out on individual tables, we ate our delicious late breakfast of fresh local fruit and Sri Lankan omelettes enjoying the view again across the valley whilst sitting under the shade of big umbrellas sheltering us from the morning sun.

Our project for the day was to explore the tea country on our way to visit the local Botanic Gardens, setting off in the late morning with the trusty Sumith - there is always lots of activity on the road, this is someone we stopped to talk to - this gentleman explained to us, in perfect English, the details of the load of hay and vegetation he was carrying.

So we drove through villages and more hilly tea plantations to Haggada Botanic Gardens, via Nuwara Eliya, where the army doing exercises next to the side of Lake Gregory. On the way we stopped at a roadside Hindu temple and were amused by the resident posse of monkeys continuing their grooming ceremony whilst posing unselfconsciously for the temple visitors.

The Haggada Gardens were founded in the 19th century by the British and are predominantly set on the side of a hillside. The Gardens when we visited were awash with parties of neatly dressed chatting school children. Everyone wisely carries an umbrella - apart from the mad English couple of course, who did have their somewhat (sweaty) cagoules, ignoring the ferocity of the Sri Lanka rain! It was a little early for the gardens' flowering planted beds but we enjoyed walking the paved pathways in the hillier area.

We dashed back to the car in yet another rain shower and returned slowly via Nuwara Eliya to Stafford Bungalow, as the rain stopped we saw breathtaking views of the moody tea country the upper slopes hills shrouded in clouds.

And finally we enjoyed another lovely meal, cooked for us by the resident chef, and enjoyed chatting to the other guests about our day's experiences.