It’s always hard to remember what you expected a place to be like once you’re there. With Sri Lanka, I think I reverted to my nearest lived comparison of India. The reality has been very different - this relaxed, easy, green (minus the belching buses) and hassle-free island is SO much more than the 'Teardrop of India'.
Having cleared Colombo airport in just 20 minutes, my EV
was ready and waiting to take me to the hills. Three hours later – on smooth and quiet roads (with jetlag averted by candy kittens) – I arrived at Jungle Tide. Named after the late-colonial memoir (obvious issues aside, I remain drawn to these
turn-of-the-century adventurers/societal outcasts!), this homestay is run by a Yorkshire couple (Sally/Jerry) and Tamil managers Martin and Rani. I spent nearly a week here, hiking the start of the 300km Pekoe Trail, exploring the cottage garden (complete with hens and Yorkshire perennials) and enjoying communal dinners with the small number of guests - it was a treat for me to have dinnertime conversation (all the more so with the delightful combination of coconut sambal and rhubarb crumble).
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| Jungle Tide homestay. The woody scent of the wardrobe (likely some highly endangered species now!) took me right back to childhood in Calcutta - weird how smell can do that! |
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| Hiking the first stage of the 300km pekoe trail - I did succumb to two leeches |
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It's only women who pick - they're paid under minimum wage and are housed in horrific conditions with their families. Girls/young women won't do it now. Permission given and donation made (to women's tea cooperative that Sally supports) for photo.
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| I also need to be paid for looking a total berk. |
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| Towards end of hike |
Temple on hiking route (Hindu I think???) |
| Leaving my 'family' at Jungle Tide (including the two dogs who I walked daily and refused to show up for this photo as they spotted my suitcase and were in a grump. They were rescued street dogs - more on that later in blog!) |
Sri Lanka has had a tough ride by any country’s
standards. I kind of knew this but hearing the timeline from Martin (Jungle Tide manager) brought it home: In my lifetime it has experienced (consecutively) two decades
of civil war, tsunami, economic collapse, IS bombings (followed by extreme
anti-terrorism crackdowns and human rights abuses), Covid (lockdowns devastating
for a tourism-dependent country) and severe floods. Despite all of this, it seems (from my very naïve and narrow experience, plus limited research) to be optimistic and embracing of foreigners. I don't know how to say this without cliches but everyone I've met has been so kind and gentle (maybe it's a Buddhism thing!).
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| Kandy river |
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| My local cornershop at Jungle Tide - got to know them well! |
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| Kandy Temple of the Tooth (creepy in my view) |
After Jungle Tide, I made my way south to Nuwara Eliya. Inadvertently this ended up being by tuktuk (long story, booked car had an issue) and involved me pushing the tuktuk uphill (then realising all my belongings were in in when he got in gear and shot off!) as well as gagging with bus fumes. Once at 'Little England', it was pouring with rain but I treated myself to tea at a posh hotel on the polo green (amidst mock-tudor houses and a quintessential post office).
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| Nuwara Eliya high street |
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| Nuwara Eliya post office |
An early start saw me at Nanuoya station pumped for the 'world's most memorable rail journey'. It was certainly memorable - but less for the views (cloud whiteout the whole five-hour journey) and more for the fights in 1st class over seats (there was me thinking I'd treat myself to a stress-free experience when, walking through to 2nd and 3rd classes, it was a far more friendly atmosphere plus fresh air through the windows and doors instead of AC - lesson learned for rest of my trip is book 2nd class reserved).
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| 'World's most scenic rail journey' |
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| Network rail track fixing...every 20 mins |
The following six days in Ella were spent enjoying ayurvedic treatments, a rather radical hair cut (with clippers!), hiking and feeling old amidst gap yahs (while still enjoying the odd smashed avo sourdough brunch). It rained A LOT that week so there were some duvet days with netflix - that's one of the joys of long-term travel is you don't feel bad about the odd 'checkout'!
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| While I saw little as a passenger, I ran to meet another train's crossing of the famous 'nine arches' viaduct to get this one |
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| Small Adam's Peak looking across to Ella Rock |
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| Return hike to Ella along (on) railway track |
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