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.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
Views of Sri Lanka’s Tea Country from the Rear Window
Despite being a small nation, there’s a lot of beautiful scenery to enjoy in Sri Lanka, from lovely palm-fringed beaches, to charming small villages, to ancient cities. As far as scenery to enjoy while on a road trip, I don’t think there’s anything more appealing than a drive through the tea country of the mountains.
The following images are a short gallery taken from my back seat window while traveling from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya, the latter city in the heart of the country’s tea-growing region. The roads are curvy and progress is slow, but I suppose that’s a metaphor for life in Ceylon.
Here are some of the scenes spotted along the way:
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance …
Tagged Nuwara Eliya, Road trip, tea, tea country, tea plantations
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
St Francis Xavier’s Church, Nuwara Eliya
When I last visited Nuwara Eliya, situated high in the mountains of Sri Lanka’s tea country, I made a point of seeing some of the local sights. One of the my friends and traveling companions, a devout Catholic, wanted to visit St. Xavier’s Catholic Church, which I’m glad we did because it is quite lovely.
The church’s construction was begun in 1838, and it was completed over a 10 year period. It’s still a lovely building, a brown color with colonial architecture, so it fits in well with the overall appearance of the town.
St, Francis Xavier Church. Nuwara Eliya
The interior of the church is bright and cheery, and has some interesting mementos of the Saint it’s named for.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge and right arrow to …
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
Around Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is unlike most of the destinations you’re likely to visit in Sri Lanka. Situated in the Hill Country at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) , the city is at the heart of Sri Lanka’s important tea growing industry. It’s also the country’s most important center for vegetable growth. In fact, the farm land on which vegetables are grown is more expensive than much of the land in nation’s capital of Colombo.
Nuwara Eliya
The city was developed by the British during the period of Colonial occupation in the 19th century. Besides its importance as a tea growing area to the British, the cool temperate climate appealed to them as it was similar to that back home. Nuwara Eliya …
Tagged British Colonial, farming, Nuwara Eliya, tea, vegetables
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
The Grand Hotel: A Step Back in Time
If you love visiting and staying in hotels built during the British Colonial era, a great stop is The Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. The hotel is situated about a mile above sea level in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country, in the heart of the tea-plantations and fields of vegetables. The Grand Hotel was built in the style of an Elizabethan-era manor house.
Nuwara Eliya was a popular vacation destination for the British and Scottish citizens who took care of the Empire’s business in Sri Lanka during the 19th century, so much so that the region was fondly known as “Little England”. Much of Sri Lanka is steamy hot year round, but the cool days and nights in the mountains reminded the …
Tagged British, Grand Hotel, hill country, Nuwara Eliya
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 8) Hill Country
I grew up on the glaciated plains of central Canada, land as flat as a pancake, and vividly recall my first visit to the mountains as a child, that being a trip to the Banff. I was fascinated by the Rockies, have loved mountains ever since and go out of my way to visit them whenever possible.
The coastal regions of Sri Lanka are fairly flat. Given that and the relatively small size of the island, I was surprised to see what impressive peaks (over 2500 m high) are situated at its center. These mountains, lush and green, are known as the Hill Country and a visit here is mandatory for anyone traveling to the island. The temperature stays cool year round (people who live here actually own …
Tagged ancient, Ceylon, mountains, Nuwara Eliya, plantation, Sri Lanka, tea, UNESCO World Heritage Site
