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Nuwara
Eliya
was home away from home for the British colonialist
in the 19th century. This city with an elevation of
6200 feet is the highest in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). And
one of the most beautiful.
Hemmed
in by three of the highest mountains in the country;
Piduruthalagala,
the Great Western
and Hakgala, the
city looks very isolated. Yet it's just a four hour
drive from Colombo. You will find that the road lies
through lands of extraordinary beauty.
The
Nuwara Eliya golf links, is said to be one of the finest
golf courses in the asia pacific region. Other recreation
activities include horse riding, fishing, camping and
of course trekking. This is one city where you can never
work up a sweat.
The
lower elevations are covered with what seems at first
site to
be a plush green carpet. On closer inspection these
turns out to be thousands of tea bushes freshly plucked.
For this is the tea growing country, and the land of
elegant plantation bungalows.
Travelers
from the UK will be particularly attracted by the architecture
which is decidedly Victorian. Even modern buildings
are build in the same fashion to preserve Nuwara Eliya's
unique atmosphere
THE
PLANTATION BUNGALOW:
In the 19th century British colonialists fought the
jungle, wild animals and natives to plant tea in the
hills of Ceylon. These planters invariably chose the
most scenic locations to build their houses
Many of these early plantation bungalows still survive
today. Many more were built during the early part of
the 20th century. But then in 1948 Ceylon finally won
her independence. The end for British planters came
in the 70s when the government nationalized the tea
and rubber plantations.
Today
the plantations have been privatized, but the managers
of the estates still occupy the very same bungalows.
And it is to here that many Sri Lankan families fortunate
enough to have friends or relatives working in the plantations
travel to for a weekend holiday.
As
of late plantation companies have started to realise
this as a way to increase revenue. But admittedly it
may be difficult for foreign visitors to make bookings
without the proper contacts.
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