14.10.2024
Day 6
Today we travel to Nuwara Eliya, situated at an altitude of 1850 meters the coolest place in Sri Lanka. It is considered the tea capital of Sri Lanka. The city founded in 1847, has an old history. This was a hill country retreat of British colonialists and also known as Little England.
We took the Wellawaya-Ella-Kumbalwela Highway from Yala, to cover a distance of approximately 150 kms in 4 hours. We stopped for a quick breakfast at a roadside coffee shop.
As we left the coast line and travelled inland, the terrain changed but the roads, though two lane, continue to be good. The ghat roads are well marked and traffic is orderly. Roads we have travelled in Sri Lanka so far are maintained very well. Signs of good governance!
It started drizzling as we neared Nuwara Eliya and we reached our destination few minutes after 2 pm. We checked in at Baron Luxury Boutique, a nice cozy place perched on a small hill. The steep climb to the hotel and parking required some deft skills, which fulltanker CK managed with aplomb.
After check in and unpacking, we went out for lunch. The rain, cold, the breeze and the chill factor, we decided not to brave the weather. Best in such circumstances is Pizza Hut!!
We toured the city in our car, stopping by the Hills Club, established in 1876 by British coffee planters. The place looks grand with well maintained garden and rooms.
We also stopped by Little England golf club established in 1889, St Francis Church in 1858 and passed by Nuwara Eliya post office, one of the oldest post offices in Sri Lanka.
We were quite surprised to see a sign so common in Kerala and in most states in India too, here in Nuwara Eliya!!!
We returned to hotel around 7 pm and decided to have dinner in-house and call it a day.
End of day six.
Muthoot... really 😀
ReplyDeleteNice description. Photos good clarity. Get a feeling going through these places. My husband had visited Srilanka some 5-6 years back as part of his charity works related with Catholic Bishop Conference of India.
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