Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

The trains are on strike! We had grand plans to ride the world famous Sri Lankan railway through tea fields into the mountains. Instead, because of the pesky strike, we took the much cheaper, faster, and less scenic local express bus. In Nuwara Eliya we stayed in a lovely guesthouse overlooking a quaint vegetable farm and Sri Lanka's tallest peak (Pidurutalagala at 2524m or 8281ft). Given the rural landscape, we decided to rent scooters for two days and explore the town and its surrounding areas. The first day we went on a long windy ride to a local tea plantation. Here we had a free tour of the factory and learned all about various types of tea and how it is made. We finished the tour with a complimentary cup of BOP tea, a medium-strong black tea that you drink without milk... of course. On day two, we rode in the opposite direction through farmland that reminded us of New Zealand to Horton National Park; in fact, one of these dairy farms is partially owned by a NZ company! While we hiked for three hours to 'World's End' (described as a sheer cliff edge dropping down 800m), the valley was completely clouded in when we got there. Nevertheless, it was still a beautiful and scenic walk. Next stop Ella; the trains are still on strike, so it's the crowded local bus again.Read more