We took a train from Kandy high into the hills to Nuwara Eliya, which was a beautiful trip with lots of views of tea plantations along the way.  We travelled third class as all of the other seats were taken and it turned out to be perfectly comfortable and with far better views than the previous train we had been on!

 

 

 

When we arrived we joined a tour to Bluefields tea factory, where we saw how tea was made (we had to use our imagination as to how the machines worked as most of the factory was shut down for election day).  We then had a tea tasting and then drove to the nearby waterfalls before heading back to Nuwara Eliya. We definitely felt the difference in being in the mountains and going from 30 degrees and muggy to 15 degrees and crisp!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we went to visit the Sita temple, which was where Sita was taken in this legend.  We followed that up with a trip to the Botanical Gardens, where we spent a lovely couple of hours wandering (we loved the signs reminding us to stop picking the flowers!)

 

 

 

 

 

We booked a driver who took us to Tissamaharama the next day with a stop at the lovely village of Ella – we loved the view from where we took our last cup of tea in tea country!  We also stopped at a waterfall by the side of the road where Reubs took a quick swim – and managed to cut himself leaping over the rocks.  Mum and I stayed dry (and uninjured) watching him!