Day Ten: On the road yet again.....Dambulla to Koslanda

We still had more hours to go driving up into the tea mountains before we could reach our next destination and stay put for a few days. So after a quick walk around the grounds and another sumptuous breakfast we headed off. 

During breakfast I was delighted to meet Gilmandi one of the waitresses who was very helpful. At one point, I was standing with my egg hopper  (a bowl-shaped crisp rice pancake with an egg cooked in the bottom of it) wondering about the best choice from a range of condiments when she suggested caramelised onion chutney and red sambal, which has a bit of a kick to it. We have been eating the hoppers with a knife and fork but she showed me how to roll it up and eat it. So simple but so much easier. It was delicious. She also gave us some advice about the best coffee place in Kandy where she lives. So chatty and helpful.

As we approached Kandy we headed up along circuitous roads and through lots of busy towns, getting gradually to a considerable height. As we'd been in the van for a few hours Sid got Udya to drop us off near the Kandy Lake so we could walk around the promenade for a few metres, before reaching the Java Coffee House .. as advised by Gilmandi. I terrorised some locals :a Dad taking a photo of his children. He kindly allowed me to take a photo of them too.

We were delighted to find the Java Coffee House had real coffee in their iced lattes. We were very appreciative after enduring some Hotel coffees and the occasional Nescafe.

Sri Lanka does grow coffee and we'd seen some coffee trees, but somehow Nescafe seems to have a hold on the market!

I went on a short walk to buy some pens, so I could continue to write this blog when there is no internet connection. I found myself on a street full of hardwares: I literally could have bought a kitchen sink. I managed to buy some pens (15 cents each) in an Indian spice shop. Figure that out!

 
On the way to meet Uduya, Sid managed to purchase some wine in a wine store: truly amazing given our past experiences with wine stores that don't actually sell wine!

Kandy is a bustling multicultural city which reflects the many religious beliefs of the people who lived there. Avoiding not only the many trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks but also the pedestrians travelling along busy winding roads was quite an achievement for Uduya. But, yet again, we managed to emerge unscathed.

As we climbed towards the highland tea country we started to pass large Tea plantations where tea bushes had been planted on every possible space, some clinging to very steep slopes.

Sixty five kilometres from Kandy we arrived in Nuwara Eliya - a town that settles into a small plateau only three kilometres by six kilometres wide between tea mountains. Last time we were in Sri Lanka we stayed at the Grand Hotel which was a somewhat faded classic colonial-style Hotel. Since then it's had some very tasteful major renovations and it is now superb  (and well outside our price range!).

We thoroughly enjoyed being spoilt by high tea in true English style in the beautiful casual dining area. Three layers of pastries, sandwiches and cakes plus scones, jam and cream. We were served a number of different teas, some more successful than others! We boxed up the leftovers and headed for our final destination for a few days: Living Heritage at Koslanda, even higher in the mountains. 

For entertainment Sid turned on the equivalent of GOLD 104.3 so we had a great time identifying the golden oldies it played as we climbed up into the mountains. 

Sri Lanka is almost the same size as Tasmania ( although it has a population of nearly 22 million) and we have traversed from the centre to the far north and down to the south. Time spent in the van passes quickly when the scenery changes and I'm always happy to just sit and stare out the window watching the landscape and the people go by.

As you ascend into the mountains the slopes become steeper to the point where many of the roadside stalls and houses appear to be clinging to the road perched high above steep gorges. if you stepped outside their back doors you would plummet down a  considerable  slope and probably take out a few tea bushes! The surrounding mountains were even higher and stretched endlessly into the distance.

Finally we turned off the road and arrived at Living Heritage, a remote and beautiful resort nestled in amongst the mountains. First established by Lucy, a delightful Englishwoman in the early 2000s it was unlike any resort I have seen.

Each 'room' consisted of an outdoor patio area with chairs and couches leading into a huge covered courtyard with tasteful and comfortable seating areas to read a book or relax in. The centre of the roof was open and when it rained the water collected on chains and disappeared into the ground.  And the bedrooms were very spacious with a well-designed bathroom. Just to cap it off each 'room' has its own plunge pool ready and waiting beyond the bedroom. 

To keep cool all of the open air windows had wooden shutters which I kept open day and night, and fans whizzed above the bed. No need for AC here as the air is cooler than on the plains. 

The entire open air ambience is magical: everywhere you look there are mountains, jungle and nature in all its forms.

And it's too cool for mozzies and other annoying insects!!

We were delighted to see Zoe again and, over the next few days, we relived some of the experiences from our last trip to Sri Lanka when she was our guide. 

On arrival we were revived by beautiful starfruit cocktails followed by roast chicken with spinach and potato mash. Just what we needed before heading to bed in our luxourius rooms.

Fortunately Sid and Udaya could also stay with us and we continued to enjoy their company, and their help, whilst we were there. During our stay there were lots of staff keen to help too, although we were not always clear about their roles. We were the only guests so we felt very pampered.

In our rooms we went through the usual process for finding the right power sockets and light switches and locating all that we needed from our suitcases, and then it was off to bed in the huge four poster beds with white mosquito nets. I have to admit that I had every door and window open, the fan cooling the bed and never saw a mosquito for the entire time we were there. Even though I left a lamp on all night there were no moths or creepy crawlies attracted to the light, only a few tiny insects that were in the basin every morning. The occasional cricket or frog or bird call penetrated the silence during the night. Peaceful and perfect!

your happy - to - be - stationary correspondent

Dianne