We were able to have a little sleep in this morning because the only thing on the agenda was a short hike up Single Tree Hill. With the strenuous climb up Sigiriya still front of mind for some, a few of the group decided a bit of shopping and coffee in the town might be a better option. The first order of the day was the obligatory breakfast buffet to fuel up for the walk. The restaurant itself is a beautiful space filled with classic carved wooden furniture. This was typical of this hotel, in that the publicly visible areas are beautifully presented, however some of the rooms are overdue for refurbishment. Additionally, I am not a big fan of the over-bath shower due to my height. The breakfast buffet however, had the largest variety we’ve seen on this trip. I’ve not seen sushi on a breakfast buffet before, so there was clearly an effort to cater to all comers.
With breakfast done, the hikers boarded the bus and were driven as far up Single Tree Hill as the bus could safely go, leaving us about an additional 2 kilometres to reach the summit. Single Three Hill is approximately 2100 metres above sea level and is the best vantage point to view Nuwara Eliya and the Haggala Mountain range. Our walk started at a buddhist temple which had many monk statues walking the perimeter up to a large buddha statue, that was most definitely still under construction. After safely passing the construction zone on the way to the summit, we walked past many tea plantations and watched the ladies at work.
The climb wasn’t particularly difficult, and there were plenty of plants an animals to view along the way. There were frequent stops to take in the expanding viewpoints along the way. When we were about half way up an old van drove past us and given the condition of the path I did wonder how far they would get. Later in the walk we found their van parked with open doors to dry their washing on. We met up with them when we walked past their worksite on the telecommunications towers and found that they were visiting from India. I suspect they were likely sleeping in the van.
Once at the summit, there are 3 viewpoints where you can take in different view of surrounding areas. You can look over Lake Gregory, which was created during the period of British Governor Sir William Gregory in 1873. In 1913, waters were redirected to the ‘Blackpool’ hydro power station which is still generation power today. In the other direction yo can see to Adam’s Peak, one of Sri Lanka’s highest mountains.
We walked back down to the temple where we started the walk and of course our crew were waiting to pick us up. They dropped some of us in the town, so I caught up with ‘the Deborahs’ (Deb and another of our tour group called Deborah) for a half decent cappuccino, which has not been an easy ask. After they had regaled me with tales of the annual ceremonial making of the Christmas Cake at the hotel after we’d left for the hike, we did a little shopping in the local supermarket before they hailed a tuk-tuk to take them back to the hotel. I wanted to walk back to the hotel to take a few photos in the town to demonstrate that English feel, before returning to the hotel.
On the road back to the hotel I passed one of the Prime Minister’s houses before reaching the hotel. The hotel grounds are spectacular and beautifully kept and curated.
We had a scheduled High Tea at the hotel for today’s lunch. The tradition of High Tea is originally a British custom, which involved enjoying tea while seated in high-backed chairs around a table laden with a variety of foods, such as cold meats, vegetables, pickled fish, and sweet treats like scones with clotted cream and freshly baked cakes. The term “high” distinguishes it from afternoon tea, which is typically enjoyed in more casual, lower seating. Deb and I of course took the opportunity to have a nice glass of champagne.
We had a free afternoon after the high tea, but before we knew it it was time to eat again. This time we went to the seafood restaurant that is on the property here. We all selected what seafood we wanted from the fridge. Deb opted for some grilled prawns while I had a grilled fish. The food was cooked well. Upul and I watched a little of the T20 cricket game being played in Dambulla between New Zealand and Sri Lanka with the home team well on top. The food was well cooked, simple and tasty.
We have an early start in the morning with a fairly big day planned.
Until tomorrow
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