Hill Country

We drove today from Kandy through the green hills to Nuwara Eliya. The road had many twists and turns but the scenery was beautiful.

Hill Country

Glenloch Tea Factory

The growing of tea plants was introduced to Sri Lanka by a Scottish planter, James Taylor, who came here to work on a coffee plantation. He planted the first tea plants for commercial use in 1867. The Dutch had planted cinnamon in 1767, but the market collasped for it in the 1830s. The British planted coffee next, but the coffee plants were devastated by a fungal disease. But tea plants were successful and, today, Sri Lanka is the fourth largest producer of tea in the world. When Sri Lanka changed its name from Ceylon, its tea kept the Ceylon name as it had world recognition as the name of its tea. We visited the Glenloch Tea Factory, Organic Tea Garden.

Glenloch Tea Factory

Glenloch Tea Factory

The factory floor where tea leaves are processed.

Glenloch Tea Factory

Glenloch Tea Factory

Two samples of types of teas. Tea is graded by size and quality––higher elevation tea is more flavorful and has the best aroma. The finest tea is Orange Pekoe. The BOPF is this photo stands for Broken Orange Pekoe with Fannings (fannings and dust are lower grades and end up in tea bags).

 

 

Glenloch Tea Factory

Glenloch Tea Factory

My tour group plucking tea leaves.

I have put my photos of our visit to the Glenloch Tea Factory on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/glenloch–tea–factory/      (Slide Shows, Asia–2, Sri Lanka, “Glenloch Tea Factory”).

Glenloch Tea Factory

Tea Country

We passed numerous tea plantations on our drive to Nuwara Eliya.

Tea Country

Nuwara Eliya

We are at Nuwara Eliya, the highest altitude city in Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya was developed by the British and served as a place to escape the heat and humidity of the rest of Sri Lanka.
 
Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya

In Nuwara Eliya, we visited the Holy Trinity Church, an 1852 Anglican church, and its churchyard.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya has a number of old British–built buildings, such as the Grand Hotel, built in 1891.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya

Another of the old British–built buildings is the old post office built in 1894.

I have put my photos of our drive from Kandy to Nuwra Eliya on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/kandy–to–nuwara–eliya/    (Slide Shows, Asia–2, Sri Lanka, “Kandy to Nuwara Eliya”).

Nuwara Eliya