Tea time

I am on a 14 night tour of Sri Lanka with Intrepid travel There are two brits , two Aussies and a lady from Spain plus our Guide Sam No more temple wear! We are off to cooler climes what is known as 'the highlands' We travelled from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya which would take just over 3 hours this town sits at an elevation of 1800 metres making it one of the coolest regions in Sri Lanka The bus went on ahead with our luggage

When I was at primary school I remember a day out in Birmingham to the 'Ceylon tea centre' where we watched a video of how tea was produced It always fascinated me as it looked so exotic so I was so looking forward to visiting the highlands of Sri Lanka- Nuwara Eliya To get here we left Kandy by train which was a fabulous experience The scenery is spectacular as you pass small villages, terraced landscapes framed by the mountains in the distance Our hotel in Nuwara Eliya was the Grand hotel a stunning hotel with beautiful gardens , and a great heritage Queen Elizabeth and many famous people have stayed at this hotel when visiting Sri Lanka I felt very special staying here The hotel is tucked away amongst the tea plantations and hills built in 1891 converted from the former home of a British Governor We had 'high tea' at the hotel - it also had an indoor pool so we could relax despite the rain.

The temperatures are very different there it was pouring with rain for starters and is less humid that the coast The town itself has a traditional post office . golf club and eve horse racing Surrounded by tea plantations - we visited ' The Pedro tea estate ' which was built in 1885 which features some of the original machinery We took a 40 minute hike taking in spectacular views working up an appetite for Lunch at the prestigious Nuwara Eliya Golf Club one of the oldest golf clubs in Asia

This town was so english !