Yesterday we departed Kandy for Ella.
On the way we stopped at a tea factory to learn the art of black tea manufacturing. The machinery is of traditional British design and as old as 100 years. The tour ended with a tea tasting and in the garden. Later we drove to Nanuoya station to take the train to our next destination of Ella. As the train travels along the winding trail we witnessed the stunning vistas of Sri Lanka’s central hills dotted with tea plantations and farms of vegetable gardens. Ella draws tourists from all over the world to hike the 300 klm Pekoe trail. Today we did 9 klms of the Pekoe trail which took us to the famous Nine Arches Bridge. The bridge is hauntingly beautiful and the views across the valley were stunning. We continued our climb to the Demodara Tea Estate where the trail then meandered through the tea gardens. We saw people plucking tea and farmers harvesting rice it was a great hike that we all enjoyed tremendously.
