This was designated a ‘free’ day to explore the local township and generally relax before we move on again tomorrow.
As the visit to the tea plantation on Saturday didn’t give us an opportunity to see the actual picking of the tea leaves, we decided to spend some time in a tea plantation watching the pickers at work.
The plantation we visited was on a steep hillside and there were about a dozen women working each with an open ruck-sack used to hold the collected leaves. The picking is normally done in the earlier part of the day when the leaves are moist and fresher.
Tea plantation, Nuwara Eliya
Ladies picking tea, Nuwara Eliya
Ladies picking tea, Nuwara Eliya
The desired leaves are the new, pale green leaves that grow at the top of the bushes where pruning has occurred. The pickers grasp these upper fleshy leaves which typically have a bud between the top pair. The leaves are then thrown over the shoulder into the sack receptacle. A picker may earn about LKR 1000 a day (equivalent to AUD$8). There are occasionally flowers visible on some tea plants and these give testament to the fact that tea is a camellia plant.
Ladies picking tea, Nuwara Eliya
Lady picking tea, Nuwara Eliya
The main road below the tea plantation was a winding road barely two lanes wide and yet fruit and vegetable markets were set up along the verge. Cars coming up the hill and around the tight corners had to be prepared to stop suddenly as the fruit market customers’ vehicles were partially blocking the road!
Roadside vegetable stall, Nuwara Eliya
We then spent an hour wandering around the tourist section of Lake Gregory. The cool and wet climate here means that the lakeside gardens are typically English with extensive green lawns and flower beds having a profusion of marigolds, snapdragons, dahlias, pansies, asters, salvias and daisies.
Bearing in mind that we are approaching mid-summer (here in the Northern Hemisphere) the drizzly rain and cold temperature (15C) today are probably unusual even for this higher altitude town.
Gardens at Lake Gregory, Nuwara Eliya
Gardens at Lake Gregory, Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is a haven for wealthy holiday-makers from the big cities like Colombo and the lake caters for a range of aquatic activities such as motor and paddle boating, fishing and jet-skiing. Today most boats were tied up and little action was evident. The general standard of maintenance of the watercraft was minimal but it’s pleasing to see that life-jackets were mandatory for those who chose to venture out onto the lake in boats.
Tourist boats at Lake Gregory, Nuwara Eliya
Tourist boats at Lake Gregory, Nuwara Eliya
During a brief interlude back at our hotel, we heard that our friend David Smart has been included on this years Queen's Birthday honours list and will receive an Order of Australia for his service to both the community and to the medical profession. Congratulations Smarty!
In the early afternoon we spent and hour or two wandering through the Nuwara Eliya shopping area.
Shop, Nuwara Eliya
Cargill's (Ceylon) general store, Nuwara Eliya
Australian produce in shop, Nuwara Eliya
As the rain increased we sought shelter in the Post Office which is an impressive remnant of colonial times. The internal fittings and post boxes have been retained and much of the building has the atmosphere of a museum.
Post Office, Nuwara Eliya
Letter box at Post Office, Nuwara Eliya
Letter box at Post Office, Nuwara Eliya
One of our intended destinations for the afternoon was the Governor’s former house which we’d been informed was now a pub. With a bit of luck and some rough directions we eventually found “The Nineteenth Hole” hotel just across the road from the Nuwara Golf Links.
We enjoyed beers and gin fizzes in the old-English bar with its leather sofas and beer barrel stools. The décor could well have been that of a traditional London pub with its extensive array of ‘top-shelf’ liquors, dark timber walls, brass paraphernalia and comfy atmosphere.
Bar, The 19th Hole Pub, Nuwara Eliya
Corinne & Jak enjoying a Gin Fizz & a beer at The 19th Hole Pub, Nuwara Eliya
As the drizzle had now ceased, we strolled back to our St. Andrew’s Hotel to catch up on emails, laundry issues and diary records.
Tomorrow we have a four hour drive south to the Yala National Park where we’ll stay for three nights.
This stay in Nuwara Eliya has been rather special with our visit to the Horton Plains being an unexpected highlight and the sight of a near limitless area of tea plantations being mind boggling.