Tea Museum and Hike Hanthana

Today, we had a hike from our accommodation to a tea museum and then continued through the tea plantation on the Pekoe Trail to the Hanthana viewpoint.

On the way, we were once again asked why we were walking instead of driving. We probably looked quite ridiculous: two sweating Europeans trudging along the road with backpacks and bright red faces.

Later, it became a bit adventurous when Komoot directed us through densely vegetated residential areas where there were actually no pathways except through construction sites and corrugated sheets. We took a small detour to hit a shop near the tea museum, where we devoured everything available like locusts. There were samosas, various fried rolls, and stuffed roti, plus two coconuts and a bottle of water to wash it down. Everything was so delicious that we grabbed some for dinner as well. All of it cost only about seven euros. It’s much more expensive in the city.

At the roadside, we also bought some rose apples. They seem not to be as sweet here as in Thailand; perhaps they will ripen more. However, we can't verify that because anything edible must be consumed on the same day if we don’t want an ant trail across the room.

The rest of the trip back was significantly more bearable, and we finally went downhill. It felt like the hike only went uphill without ever reaching a peak. However, the scenery was very beautiful, and we saw many new animals. The large butterflies, which one usually can only admire in a butterfly house, were fascinating.