From Kandy to Yala.

As you will have read my last blog on Kandy and the north and recommended places to stay I don't need to reiterate but if you choose The Sharon Inn management will help to organise your onward journey to the hill country which should be taken in the 1st class observation car on the train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya (pronounced Nuraylia) This train comes from Colombo stopping in Kandy and onwards to Badulla ,stopping at a small station just outside Nuwara Eliya called Nanu Oya where plenty of taxis await you to take you to your prebooked hotel . The journey through the tea plantations is a not to be missed trip , setting off early morning and taking your packed lunch and plenty of bottled water although it wasn't necessary when I did this journey as the rest of the carriage of Sri Lankans insisted on feeding me with their wonderful lunch packets (rice curry wrapped in a newspaper ) and very enjoyable ..one lady said to me she always brings more food for the poor tourists who have not organised them selves ...The journey takes a few hours winding up to your destination , lovely scenery and much more relaxing than a road trip

A pre booked Hotel, Lodge or Inn would be an idea .We have stayed at The Hill Club http://www.hillclubsrilanka.net/, this place is normally booked a long time in advance but as it was post tsunami and all the tourists had hotfooted it home we had the place to our selves.This Hotel /Club was the preserve of the British white male until 1970, now it is open to all ,thank goodness even women can use one of the bars ...laughs ...Dinner is served at 8pm prompt and carried out with great aplomb by elderly white gloved waiters .Flowers , crystal glasses, linen napkins and the family silver are all brought into play, One small problem , all men must wear jacket and tie ,Now john and I where backpacking and hadn't prioritised jackets and ties ..."Not to worry Sir"said this snotty male receptionist " We have a dressing up box" This was more a cupboard than box but Cinders found a jacket and tie so could go to the dinner after all and would be allowed in the formal rooms Must admit I nearly told em to stuff their dinner but after a couple of very large G/Ts and current husband looking fabulous in his borrowed clothes we dined . After an amazing supper and large brandies in front of a roaring open fire we climbed the stairs to bed to find not one but two hot water bottles waiting ...lovely ..I recommend The Hill Club for the bizarre quirky experience and old fashioned charm .The Grand Hotel is worth a visit if only to plat snooker but be carefull of the very sharp guys who will take your money off you after you loose to them ..Just down the lane from the Grand is an Indian Cafe sort of place ...very modern and food to die for ...

Next place down the road is Ella ....ask your hotel to get you a car or van to your next destination ELLA
http://www.tourslanka.com/Ella.htm

We love this small place, magnificent views through the Ella Gap seen from The Rest House, an old colonial Inn which serves afternoon tea of scones and jam(couldn't christen the flavour)

Our lodge of choice is "Ambiante" http://www.ambiente.lk/further up the hill , reasons being , by this time in your trip you will be hard pressed to eat another rice curry meal and "Ambiante" does Spaghetti Bolonaise and has red wine , even though they keep it a freezer temperature its a god send ..

There is another option in this area for a lovely visit and that is to the tea estates , staying in a bungalow ,with a boy to clean and look after you and your own cook. In amongst the tea bushes the Tamil girls in their colourful head shawls work their way through the plantation , picking the new shoots and placing them in the basket worn on their backs . ,http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter2222/sets/72157623592278300/The estate we stayed on was Kelburne Tea Estate , the bungalows are around R5000 some have 3 beds making it inexpensive if shared . A must see from this estate is Dambatenne Tea Factory which take visitors around .Built in 1890 by Thomas Lipton, one of the most famous people in the history of tea .A car can be booked to take you on a site seeing tour of the plantation and will wait whilst you take the tour of the factory . This picture was taken by John on one of his walks, the middle building is our bungalow.

Below is a picture fron the Rest House garden looking through the Ella Gap to the coast

Next is Tissamaharama http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tissamaharama-Sri-

Lanka/Tissamaharama/109914319032722#!/pages/Tissamaharama-Sri-Lanka/Tissamaharama/109914319032722?v=wall "Tissa"for short , this is the place to stay for about three days to incorporate Katragama , the Hindu temple of fire walking fame http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cBJIloSEcg
and Yala National Park, an early rise to see the animals http://www.pbase.com/dbehrens/yala
The lodge we stay at is The Lakeside Tourist Inn ,we found it most adequate, convienent for Yala as the jeeps are outside the hotel waiting for you . We eat at the Refresh Hotel as the food is some of the best , I cant recommend the accommodation at Refresh hotel as I haven't stayed but I think it will be fine as we have stayed in one of theirs in Hikaduwa and it was very exceptable.