Day 7 - Tea in the mountains

Before we left Kandy, we made a stop at a wood carving workshop. We were shown the different types of timber used and given samples to hold so we could feel the difference in the weight and texture. We were also shown the way pigments are made using wood shavings mixed into hot water, and then using the magic of chemical reaction watch the colour change dramatically after adding lime juice then calcium carbonate and then stirred with an iron blade. Fascinating to watch. The pigments made from the natural sources last hundreds of years (such as the ones on Sigiriya). We watched the craftsment hand carving furniture, elephants, chess sets etc. The work is incredibly detailed and they have commissions from all over the world. We were shown a set of drawers being made for a couple in South Melbourne for their wedding aniversary.

Outside the showroom were 2 enormous carved elephants made from a single piece of timber each. Inside we were confronted with hundred of masks, elephants and every style of furniture imaginable. The salesman was very keen for us to buy an elephant nearly as tall as Dan, shipping included for $800. Tempting but we really couldn't see where it would fit in our house!

We left Kandy and headed further into the hills, climbing higher along winding roads. We stopped for a roadside snack of Red bananas, which were short & fat with bright red skins. Very sweet & delicious.

We soon began to see the tea plantations which are spread along every surface of the mountains. The tea needs a cooler climate and the area is called Little England as the Sri Lankans find it very cold (down to a chilly 12C at night sometimes!). We stopped at a tea factory and we were taken on a tour through the process of tea making. The picking, sorting and drying of tea is a very manual process and while electric fans are used to dry the leaves, the handling and moving the tea to each machine is done manually using baskets and tubs. It's a surprisingly natural process, with no additives and the only difference between types of tea being the size of the leave used, and steaming to make green tea. We were able to feel and smell the tea at the different stages. The 20kg bags of finished tea are sent to Colombo to be auctioned off to the tea companies like Lipton for repackaging and export.

Another great experience although the kids are still not keen on drinking tea but did try some. Trivia fact: The word 'tea' stands for Tannin Enzyme Acid.

We travelled further into the mountains to Nuwara Eliya and our hotel. We stayed in the former British governors house, which was just magnificent with manicured English styled gardens and grand rooms. The kids were briefly disappointed that there wasn't a pool (it's too cold for a pool!!) but soon recovered in the play ground which had a roller slide that was a new experience (why don't we have these? So much fun). It was a step back in time to stay here. The decor is very much unchanged with the original bar and pool room, vast ballroom and wide hallways. We had heaters instead of aircon in our rooms this time although we really didn't find it too cool! We went for a wander into town and for the first time saw jackets and fleeces on sale, as well as woolly hats and ear warmers. Everyone looked half frozen (but still smiling as always here). We ran into Pradeep who was very unhappy with the cold and thought we were mad not having long trousers on!

A good night sleep in very comfortable beds...with blankets!!!

Dan

• The wood making place because they showed me how they carved wood.
  
• Tea plantations because I learnt what tea stands for: tanen enzyme acid.
  
• We stayed in the best hotel so far.
  
• The hotel because there was a big park.
  
• The wood place because there were interesting things in the gift shop.
  

P

Sarah

• The carving place because we got to see all the things they made.
  
• We stayed in the best hotel in the world.
  
• The hotel because it's really comfortable.
  
• The tea plantations because I learnt how to make tea.
  
• All the interesting things in the gift shop.
  

Rich

Best thing today was the tea plantations.

A difficult choice though, I found the the wood craft workshops very interesting, all hand crafted - old fashioned skills - no machinery anywhere! Dan was unsurprisingly fascinated! The hotel was the old Governors house and reflected the colonial glories and habits of the British empire. Still the plantation was my choice today.

The drive up the mountains surrounded by mile after square mile of tea bushes was a fantastic experience in itself. An entire valley of mountain sides as far as the eye could see sculpted into small flat terraces to support the little tea bushes. Once at the plantation itself i really enjoyed learning all about the process of making tea. About how the Tea is farmed and the plantation is maintained and keeping the bushes short for picking, and only using the newest leaves. Watching the tea ladies pick and carry bags full of leaves up the steep mountain slopes, the bags slung from their heads like a head band. Then seeing the whole process of producing the tea from the arrival of the picked leaves through drying, sorting, cutting, more drying, sorting, and boxing. All with the beautiful smell of tea bombarding your nostrils! Learning the different sorts and qualities of the tea and then finally tasting them!!! Everything is still very manual, which is good in some ways i guess, giving a lot of jobs, but is a very hard life. The pickers for example meeting targets of 25 kilos of leaf tips a day for 250 rupees (2 dollars) A really interesting experience.