243 322
SRI LANKA
243
July14
HIKE 2 –
TEA
Sri Lanka isn’t a huge place – about
the same size as Tasmania or Ireland
– yet it’s the world’s fourth-largest tea
producer. This means you’re never too
far from a plantation, especially in the
middle of the country.
Our second walk begins after a
90-minute drive east of Kandy to the
Rangala tea-growing region (spelt
“Rangalla” on some of the old estate
signs). It’s a sparkling morning, and the
journey is a scenic joy.
The van lets us off, and with daypacks
on our backs (the Moonstone guys
conveniently transport your main
luggage onward each day), we begin a
gentle ascent of a tea-laden hill.
There are more temples, only this
time they’re small Hindu buildings set
up by the Tamil tea-pickers, or even
smaller shrines dotted among the plots.
I’m thankful for the quick visit we made
to a tea factory yesterday, on the drive
between Colombo Airport and Kandy; it
gives me a better idea of what’s going on.
Despite a few steep-ish climbs, the
15km hike isn’t too taxing. As we amble
along in the sunshine, Amal imparts
some of his encyclopaedic knowledge
of Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna. At one
point, he picks some free-growing
cardamomand hands me the fresh pods
to sample. Later, he plucks a different
plant from the ground, then breaks the
stem and blows on the oozing sap; it
creates perfect soapy bubbles, like from
a plastic toy. Of the country’s 98 varieties
of snake (eight venomous) we see only
one, but it’s a biggun – a 10-foot yellow
rat snake that slithers away from the path
as we approach.
Lunch is a picnic (unbeknownst tome,
Amal has been lugging our food in his
pack) next to a sacred Bodhi tree that
has Buddhist paraphernalia deposited
around its base. We eat rice, curries
and dahl, and coconut biscuits to finish.
Our pace quickens in the afternoon,
not from the sugar in the biscuits but
from the quickly darkening sky. Amal
counts down the kilometres to our
overnight camp, but we don’t quite
make it in time. I don a plastic poncho
for the last half hour as the thunder roars
around us and the heavens open.
Accommodation, part 2
Nights three and four of the trip
are spent in an excellent tented
camp on the southern slopes of
the Knuckles Mountain Range.
I wouldn’t call it luxury, but the
tents are all housed under timber
A-frames so they’re protected
from the elements. A couple of
“camp masters” are on hand to
whip up cups of tea, meals and
bonfires. The camp is perfectly
located for making hiking forays
into the rugged but beautiful
Knuckles range.
Tea-pickers' village
Saris drying in the sun
Surveying the job at hand