Ella and the tea plantation

The Halpe tea factory tour was one of the highlights of our week. We learned how they grow, pick and sort the leaves (all by hand) for taste and color, and then how it is dried and sorted. Fascinating.

The factory dates back to 1867 when the English ruled Ceylon and decided to compete with China for tea production. Ceylon tea is black, because it is full of antioxidants. Its smokey flavor comes from the burning of land (and rubbish) that is ubiquitous in the area (and stings the eyes).

As Shamus said, the 1800's methods - which have barely changed since - meant that anywhere else (like the UK or USA) the factory would have been closed down for safety reasons. No hard hats, no shoes, no gloves!

We bought loads of tea, and drove back to Ella for lunch. Ella is a really cute little town, full of bars and restaurants. We tried La Mensa, which despite the Spanish name was 100% Sri Lankan. For a bottle of white wine, they had to go to another restaurant to 'borrow' one! Wine is not a 'thing' in Sri Lanka.

Our hotel was on the mountain; it was fairly basic but the view - OMG.

(Victor's hotel was also on the mountain, but up a really hilly, bad road - and the van could not get up the hill. We got out, and after several runs at it our driver got up. It was about 9pm by then and pitch dark.)

After two nights in Ella, we drove the 3.5 hours on really windy roads to Yala. Upon arrival, we sorted the guide for the next morning's safari and Shamus was ordering a breakfast box for the morning when the hotel worker said 'By the way, safaris are cancelled!'  Coronavirus strikes again. All national parks and activities, including whale watching, were cancelled.

Disappointed, we spent the next couple of days sunning ourselves by the pool and still managed to see loads of wildlife - boar, Langur monkeys, birds...

Sri  Lanka was cracking down, and there were already visibly fewer tourists. Luckily, we decided to check on our flight for Saturday, although Sri Lankan Air had not sent any notice of any changes. Turned out, the last flight to London was leaving on the 18th - and there would be none after that for the foreseeable future.

We love Sri Lanka, but really did not want to be stuck here for a month - without our laptops we couldn't even work from here. I got on the phone to the airlines and got us seats on the last flight - economy. Even though we paid for business class each way, we will be stuck in economy - for the SAME price! So much for no penalties.

Our last 4 nights on Talpe Beach were reduced to 1. We checked into our fabulous hotel, which was empty bar another couple. It is a very windy beach, so swimming was out of the question. We went for lunch instead at Victor's Wijaya Beach hotel and cafe - fantastic. 

At the airport now, in business lounge then to our economy seats (argh). Fingers crossed!

Train journey Kandy to Ella

We got the the train station at Peradeniya (Kandy) at 11:30 Thursday to check in for the 12:35 train. Two hours later, at about 1:30, we finally pulled out of the station, chugged for 5 minutes, stopped, went back to the station on a different track and then we were on our way...

The Kandy to Ella train journey is legendary; some of the best scenery in Sri Lanka can be seen from your seat. We were booked on the Viceroy service, a 'luxury' train car with comfy seats.

Full bar service and a pre-ordered curry lunch meant that we were set for the 6-hour trip. If only it were to be 6 hours.

The  scenery was all it was cracked up to be - stunning tea plantations, tiny villages, temples, local boys running outside their homes to watch the train come by.

The train chugged along at 7 km per hour max, rocking violently from side to side. A trip to the loo was an adventure in finding your sea legs (but it was perfectly clean once you got there).

We finally arrived in Ella at 8:30pm. Darshana, our driver, was waiting for us and we got the  address for Victor's hotel and took off. Darshana was a bit concerned about getting the van up some of the mountain roads, but he had not checked the road to Hotel Laura. Unfortunately.

We turned where Victor's GPS said to turn, past a mountain of garbage (first time I have seen any real mess/litter here) and down the narrowest part-tar track imaginable. No Hotel Laura sign anywhere, so D asked a local - he told us to keep going and we would find it. Dead end road. No turnaround.

A 9-point turn and then we got stuck going back up the steep road to the main street. One hour later and lots of burned rubber, the van made it to the top and we got a tuk-tuk to our hotel. Victor got one to Hotel Laura - it WAS on the same road where we got stuck. Just no signs.

Lessons learned: Never assume a car will fit down the roads in Ella. Never assume a hotel will have a sign on the road.

The view from our room made up for the hellish arrival.

Tea plantation tour next.

Sri Lanka and the Cultural Triangle

After a 5.5 hour ride on crowded roads (with a short break to feed some adorable baby elephants at Pinnawara Elephant Orphanage), an aching lower back and a stressed-out husband from watching our driver pass oil tankers with about 1.5 inches to spare, we arrived at Habarana and the Cinnamon Wild resort.
The place is gorgeous, lush and quiet and full of cheeky monkeys. Unbeknownst to us, yesterday was "Full Moon Day" - a Buddhist holiday each month where absolutely no alcohol is allowed whatsoever. No beers in the bar, no wine at dinner.
Luckily we had bought a bottle of red in Negombo, which we enjoyed a glass of before dinner on our patio. We immediately got into trouble with our upstairs neighbors, who were sitting outside on their terrace, because Victor decided to hold a shouty Facetime conversation with Ped. We apologized and went to the restaurant.
Tuesday morning: The news from the outside world is so incredibly grim and glum, that I cannot even bear to watch the BBC. TV off, it's time to explore Polunaruwa, the 10th century capital of Sri Lanka and a UNESCO site - which was a fantastic collection of ruins, with a great guide. The architecture reminded me a lot of the Roman ruins we have explored, but they were never here and this (10th C) was a LOT  later - so I guess the Roman influence was ubiquitous by then. Monkeys everywhere!! Such fun!
The Cave Temple - 400 steps to get up to - then Kandy for the train journey tomorrow. We are at a sweet, but worn-out hotel in the hills of Kandy outskirts, with the most incredible views. Train to Ella next.

Coronavirus Travel Diary - One Week and Counting

Saturday 29 February, 2020

T minus one week and I am packing my case for Sri Lanka. The virus panic is spreading by the minute – Iran, South Korea, Italy, USA – but Sri Lanka has only one reported case (and he recovered). The England cricket team has decided it is safe to go there for the tour, and if it’s good enough for them (and their no doubt uber-cautious insurance company) then it’s good enough for us.

UK press headlines are roiling with accusations against the government for not being prepared – which is not completely fair as there are only 20-odd cases here so far. When you think of how much the Brits travel, that is not many at all. I do fear, however, that the NHS is not prepared for an onslaught of people needing hospitalization. For some obscure reason, they hospitalize flu patients each winter, leading to a shortage of beds every year. Hospitals are 87% full at the moment.

Our friends in Thailand have been alternatively excited and panicked.  Unless Thais are confined to base, he (an intrepid Brit) will come with us but his Thai wife will not. The news there is even more hyped than in the West, and she is very nervous of catching the virus. (“We’re doomed, doomed I tell you.”)

Living in London, there are a million viruses flying around the tube, the theatres, the pubs every day. I do not intend to seal myself away at home in hopes of not catching something. Sri Lanka, here we come.

This will be our first stop: http://nationalzoo.gov.lk/elephantorphanage/about_us/