Back in the Hill Country

Typical wood sided Sri Lankan truck with fancy decorations. And no door!
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Going to Nuwara Eliya was like going home. My family had spent many weekends there and the places had changed so little, it was so familiar and welcoming.

Erin and I visited the Hill Club, where I had had so many memorable adventures, and was started to see just how little it had changed. There was still an elephant foot umbrella stand in the foyer, taxidermy heads of deer (with scary wooden plugs for eyes) and leopards on the walls, covered in a thick coat of protective varnish and topped with a layer of dust. The stately reading room still had portraits of the Sri Lankan president, Lady Di, and Prince Charles flanking the fireplace. It had not changed in the last 21 years, probably it had not changed since it was founded in 1876. Well that’s not true, because now they at least allow in Sri Lankans and women!

The Hill Club had not changed in the last 21 years, probably it had not changed since it was founded in 1876

The Hill Club.
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We found the room prices stiff, and settled for a temporary membership to allow us a walk around the building and to have tea and dinner. We stayed a few blocks over in a nice old drafty mansion called the Collingwood, where we had great success bargaining the room price down to about 1/3 of their initial offer. It was cold, but the antique bed and furniture put us in the right mood to cope and set the ambience for colonial era nights of gin and tonics and backgammon.

We spent the days walking around the town and across the golf course in the drizzle and remarking how similar the weather and buildings and feel of the place is like Scotland. This may have been part of the draw for the original British settlement of the town.

At the Pedro Tea Plantation.
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On the last day we went to the Pedro Tea Estate and had a tour of the plant. They had great sweeping views of the plantation out the windows, perhaps to keep an eye on the leaf pickers. But the view was great and the aroma was welcoming. Our guide was a little cagey about the process and insisted that they did not ferment the leaves, although the map of the plant behind him showed tables for drying and fermenting the leaves… Perhaps it is a trade secret and they are trying to confuse the spies from the competition. They supply tea in many forms (orange pekoe, broken orange pekoe, dust…) to all the big names: Tetley, Twinings, the list was at least 20 companies long. Unlike in Darjeeling though, they do not distinguish their teas by first or second flush but instead distinguish them by high or low country.

Looking down the hills of tea bushes.
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The time came to move on and we jumped on a South bound bus to take what turned out to be the ride from hell for Erin.