The Hills of Tea Country

My professional interests and travel experiences collided perfectly this week as Matt and I stayed in the wonderful, central Sri Lankan town of Ella—our favorite stop on the trip so far. As many of you know, I’ve worked in the agricultural development sector for a few years now, so Ella’s vast stretches of tea plantation-covered hillsides made me feel right at home. We arrived via private car from Tissa and checked into the Eden Guest Home, one of the countless guest houses in Ella that includes a homemade meal and sweet welcome from the Sri Lankan family that owns the property.

We immediately hit the popular hiking trail towards “Little Adam’s Peak,” aiming to reach the top before the midday-heat kicked in. The trail winds through scenic tea fields, with unbeatable vistas of the surrounding green mountain range throughout the journey. Nature got real with us, however, when we were forced to turn back and speedily retrace our steps after a swarm of wasps started stinging hikers ahead of us! Thankfully, Matt and I were unharmed, so we continued hiking a different way towards the picturesque Nine Arches Bridge. Locals ushered us down the trail quickly so we could make it to the bridge in time to see a train soar across the tracks and into the tunnel. We finished our morning hike with a three-kilometer walk along the railroad tracks; something we weren’t super comfortable with at first, but understood in Ella to be the default hiking route back to town. There were even little snack stands set up along the tracks to serve hungry hikers! At one point, we heard train approaching and had to jump into the nearby bushes for safety as all the cards roared past us. Smiling a bit uneasily at each other, we laughed about how a railroad track hike wouldn’t fly so easily in the U.S.

After a quick lunch and tea break, Matt and I resumed our initial trek and made it to Little Adam’s Peak (wasp nest had cleared by then!). The climb ends with ten flights of steep stairs to the top, but the spectacular view is worthwhile. A handful of tourists were also enjoying the sights and taking pictures; we even saw a couple get engaged!

Somehow Ella manages to retain its beauty and laid-back atmosphere while still being a haven for tourists; the main street in the town is dotted with restaurants, bars, and shops geared towards Westerners, which was very surprising to see considering our other destinations had not been as accommodating for travelers. We took advantage of the lively scene at a bar that evening, watching cricket, playing cards, and listening to a guitar player as we drank fancy cocktails and ate “khottu” – a Sri Lankan specialty of chopped up flatbread and vegetables mixed together and sautéed in a savory sauce.

Hiking to Little Adam's Peak (the first time!)

Made it to the top of Little Adam's Peak! Photo is from our new GoPro (Thanks, Russ and Justin!)

Near the Nine Arches Bridge.

On Thursday we boarded our highly-anticipated train ride from Ella to the city of Kandy. The seven-hour stretch is known as one of the world’s most beautiful train trips, crossing through lush mountain passages, miles of tea plantations, tiny Sri Lankan towns, and a smattering of waterfalls. Matt and I tend to be planner-types, and not wanting to miss this train ride opportunity, we booked our tickets through a third-party online concierge far in advance. At the time, the only available tickets were for the fanciest car in the fleet: the Viceroy II. Our compartment was at the front of the train, and the inside felt super old-timey with wood-paneled walls, comfortable maroon seats, gauzy curtains, and glass sconces on the walls. Tea and coffee service was included, and we also had free (spotty) wifi and air-conditioning—a real treat as far as trains in Sri Lanka go.

The ride lived up to the hype. Pictures truly can’t do the views justice, but we probably uttered the words, “Wow, look!” to each over one hundred times over the course of the trip. We half-joked that after four hours of stunning views, we became numb to the beauty, distracted by chatty tourists in our compartment, and really just wanted the train ride to be over. In addition, the train car was so bumpy at times that simple onboard activities like drinking a cup of tea or using the restroom turned into the trickiest of challenges. Regardless, it was the most impressive train experience I’ve ever had. I’d recommend the ride to anyone who travels to Sri Lanka.

Inside the Viceroy II train car on the ride from Ella to Kandy.

Tea plantations along the ride.

More beautiful views from the train.

My blog’s back-end statistics highlight that there have been quite a few clicks on the barren-until-recently “Photos” page. Apologies for the delay in posting pictures, however I am pleased to report that I uploaded about 200 photos and videos to Facebook and they linked via the “Photos” page. Even if you don’t have a Facebook account, you can use this link to access the album. Hopefully they can add a bit more color to the written descriptions of our experiences so far.