SS Quah's Anything Goes: Sri Lanka: Day 4 (Nuwara Eliya)

The first thought when I awoke the next morning at Pensive Villa in Nuwara Eliya, a hill station in Sri Lanka, was whether I could watch the sun rise. We had slept rather late, having arrived from Kandy at about one o'clock in the morning and consuming our late night dinner before retiring. Looking out the window of our room, I uttered an "uh-oh" as the day was already breaking. But there was a saving grace. Right ahead of me was a reddening sky, which meant that the sun was not quite up yet. The reddish sky afforded me a perfect photo opportunity from the comfort of the room. I glanced at my Whatsapp messages and saw a picture from Bhante Aranagavesi. It was of the temperature in Nuwara Eliya and it registered 12 Celsius, I checked the temperature on my own mobile and it said nine Celsius! Twelve Celsius, nine Celsius. Which was correct, which was incorrect? These online temperature gauges couldn't be all too accurate, can they? This discrepancy made me question their accuracy. Nevertheless, the place was very cold by Penang's standards. By this time, my fellow travellers had started to stir from their rooms. Some chose to remain indoors in the living room but some of us ventured outdoors into the garden. Before long, however, all of us had crept indoors for breakfast.

Nuwara Eliya, nestled in Sri Lanka's Central Province, is renowned for its elevated position of 1,868 metres, earning it the title "City on the Plain" or "City of Light." This picturesque locale boasts a cool, temperate climate, making it the heart of Sri Lanka's tea production. Pidurutalagala, the island's tallest peak, watches over this city. Founded in 1846 by Samuel Baker, Nuwara Eliya became a haven for British civil servants and planters, earning the moniker "Little England." Its colonial past is evident in structures like Queen's Cottage and the Grand Hotel, and landmarks such as the Hill Club and St Andrew's Hotel. The city's allure extends to activities like fox hunting, polo and cricket, reminiscent of British leisure pursuits. Today, Nuwara Eliya's colonial charm persists with many buildings maintaining their historic features. The city's lush English-style gardens and estates add to its timeless appeal, making Nuwara Eliya a captivating destination steeped in history and natural beauty.

On Day Four of our Sri Lanka trip, we deviated from our usual visits to Buddhist temples and embarked on a day trip around Nuwara Eliya. Our first stop was at Simply Strawberries by Jagro, a charming strawberry cafe nestled in a picturesque setting reminiscent of New Zealand's countryside, minus the sheep. We indulged in delightful combinations of plump, juicy strawberries paired with ice cream, chocolate, cream and waffles. It was also where I savoured my first local latte coffee, four days into our Sri Lankan adventure. Interestingly, the coffee culture here seemed relatively subdued compared to what I had experienced elsewhere.

From the Café, we hopped on next to the Ambewela Farm, a journey that promised a glimpse into Sri Lanka's dairy industry. Before our bus and other vehicles could venture onto the long, windy road to the farm, there was the peculiar sanitisation process of wheels, ensuring biosecurity measures were adhered to. But why only wheels when all passengers had also stepped on all types of soil prior to entering the farm's facilities? Can't quite understand. As we meandered along, we passed by the Nuwara Eliya railway station and crossed the rail tracks. The nearby lake glistened under the sun. Arriving at the farm, vast pasturelands stretched as far as the eye could see. We were directed to a showcase shed to observe the cows. While most cows were at rest or chewing on straw, we encountered a few in the midst of calving. Although the birthing process extended beyond our stay, the experience served as a poignant reminder of the circle of life.

All too soon, we had to bid farewell to Ambewela Farm. There was a long journey ahead of us. From Nuwara Eliya, the journey to Piliyandala would take at least six hours of non-stop travel but in all likelihood, I expected the bus to make several stops along the way. thereby prolonging the journey. This wasn't something everyone was looking forward to, but the uncomfortable journey had to be endured one way or another. True to expectations, there was a detour to the Damro Labookellie Tea Lounge. The name itself gave a hint of what we were searching for: Sri Lanka's celebrated Ceylon tea. The Damro Labookellie Tea Lounge was nestled amidst the scenic tea plantations of Labookellie. It offered a serene setting for visitors to indulge in the rich flavours of Ceylon tea such as traditional black teas, green teas and specialty blends unique to the region. We didn't have the luxury to truly unwind in the lounge or to sample the various types of tea because of time constraints but nevertheless, we still enjoyed a fresh cuppa before we went on our way, laden with our purchases.

There was a peculiar incident that happened on our way down from the Tea Lounge. At one stage of the journey, the road took on many twists and turns down the mountain. At one point, we noticed a man running beside the bus trying to sell us some flowers. Of course, nobody was interested and the bus sped away from him. But as the bus turned around the next bend, there was the man again, running beside the vehicle and thrusting the flower stalks against a window. The bus sped away again but yet at the next turn, there he was again running beside the bus with his flowers. This happened many times and we finally discovered how he took shortcuts down the mountain slopes to end up ahead of the bus as it negotiated the bends. But finally, the bends ended and we saw the last of this fellow. We wondered whether he dis this sort of thing every day for a living. It was dangerous but I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was a yes. He had the perseverance but probably not the brains. I mean, who would stop the bus just to buy flowers from him, huh?

Our last stop was quite unexpected. The bus driver pulled up at the side of the road. It seemed that the brake pads were overheating because he was stepping on the brakes while driving downhills. So we had to wait for some 30 minutes to let the brake pads cool down somewhat. In the meantime, we paid an adhoc visit to a small and very basic cafe connected to the Thanuja Hostel. Ordered some cakes there to while away the time. Up on the hill was a Hanuman (or Monkey God) temple but we didn't choose to go there. We were more concerned with hopping onto the bus again to continue with the journey.

Much of the latter part of the journey towards Piliyandala, which was a district in Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo, was done in the dark. Normally quite a boring journey but at least, I was able to amuse myself by looking into the doorways of houses along the route. My intention was to see as much as possible of the home lives of the Sri Lankan people. Firstly, there are some households that do not keep their front doors closed before midnight. I do assume that they do lock up their houses before retiring. Secondly, most houses have lights in their porch area or outside the front door, although they were very dimly lit. Thirdly, the windows are largely closed up by nighttime. And finally, wherever i could see through the doorways, I hardly saw anyone in the living rooms. Perhaps they had retired to their bedrooms or moved further indoors.

Finally close to midnight, we arrived at the Grand 7 Hotel & Restaurant, where much to our surprise, we found the hotel's kitchen still open. And the bigger surprise was that we were served a full dinner with all the works. The kitchen staff were still on duty to wait on us. We felt guilty that we were unable to finish all the food before us. Such a heavy meal at this time of the night. How could we hope to finish the food and then go to bed? Anyway, we were thankful for the big rooms and the comfortable beds to lay our heads. Tomorrow, in Piliyandala, another day of journeying would await us.