The symbolic heart of the Hill Country is Kandy. South of Kandy, close to the highest point of the island, lies the old British town of Nuwara Eliya. From here, a string of towns and villages – Ella, Haputale and Bandarawela – along the southern edge of the hill country offer famous trekking / walking / hiking routes and other sites of interest.
I have to admit, when I was doing the planning back in Malaysia, I was quite ambitious. I thought we could at least have a walk at Horton Plains National Park or hike the Adam's Peak, we could have afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel, or swim at a waterfall or two, etc. We did none of these.
After we left Kandy, it was a really looong drive to Nuwara Eliya. It was only less than 85km distance, but it took more than 3 hours and felt like forever. Jagath was kind enough to make a few stops so that we won't die from boredom.
We stopped at Rothschild Tea Estate for a free tea factory tour, and some tea shopping (and hence we cancelled our original plan of visiting tea plantations in the subsequent days in Ella).
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| Learning a thing or two about tea leaves |
We also stopped by a vista point to view the Ramboda Falls, to do a little bit of stretching, and to answer nature's call.
When we finally arrived at Nuwara Eliya town, we went straight to Themparadu for lunch. The restaurant is conveniently located at the side of Victoria Park, opposite the Post Office. The staff were very welcoming (they even played football with the kids while we had our lunch). We ordered some rice and curry, hopper, sandwiches are they were all good. I had avocado shake, which was a wrong choice. Not because it didn't taste good. No, it taste excellence, but I was too full after the drink. Couldn't really eat much after this.
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| avocado shake and another shake which I forgot |
After a very relaxing lunch, we visited the famous post office (and the kids need to send some postcards back home). Built in 1894, this red brick building is one of the oldest buildings in Sri Lanka, and now one of the most famous tourist attractions in Nuwara Eliya.
After exploring the town, we bought some food from the local markets and supermarket, before we went to Rose Dale Bungalow. This old British hill station feel pretty much like Cameron Highlands. It is now a favorite retreat for locals to escape the heat of the lowlands, it has nice parks and gardens, markets, vegetables and fruits farms, tea plantations... you get the idea.
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| our little helper |
We stayed at Rosedale Bungalow at Nuwara Eliya for one night. This bungalow looks really impressive from photos, but unfortunately not well managed. The owner may not have good knowledge in tackling the humidity problem in Nuwara Eliya and hence some musty smell were noticeable in some locations. The water pressure from the showers were very low, and overall need more cleaning in all areas.
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| Nice garden |
Our accommodation at Ella on the other hand, was lovely.
Idyll Homestay is located far enough from the main road (so it is quiet and peaceful), and yet close enough to walk to the main road (about 10 minutes walk). It offers amazing view of the mountains surrounding Ella, and you can even hear the train (and catch a glimpse if you pay attention) passing by the rush mountains. They serve very good Sri Lankan breakfast (we had them at the shared terrace so that all of us can eat together. But if you wish, they can also send to your private balconies). Imagine this, having breakfast with the views of the winding road among the mountains, and the sunrise over Little Adam's Peak.
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| our four poster bed |
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| View from our balcony |
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| Sitting at our balcony, bird watching |
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| Nice place to relax |
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| Our usual breakfast place |
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| Great view from the shared terrace |
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| yummy |
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| Kids had fun taking the motorbike |
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| Can you see the avocados? |
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| We took the shorter route |
While most people come to Ella for outdoor activities such as hiking, canyoneering along waterfalls and wandering around tea plantations, we visited Ella and did almost nothing. We took a short hike across the jungle to the Nine Arcs Bridge, we visited Ravana falls (no hikes needed), and that are the most active things we did in Ella (I am not ashame of this. I enjoyed my downtime at Ella A LOT!)
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