Kandy and Dyck Oya - it's high up into the tea paradise

The early bus takes us from Trincomalee to Kandy, at the foot of the highlands. The climate is a bit more pleasant here and we are warmly welcomed to our accommodation (Mount Haven) by our hosts, a retired doctor couple who run a guest house with their employees in the now empty family home.

Then we plunge into the hustle and bustle of the lively city to which the British once moved the governor's residence because the climate is simply good. We can understand that =). You can also shop quite well at the various markets.

We watch the traditional Kandyan dances and visit the city's highest shrine, Buddha's Canine.

For dinner there are filled dosas (comparable to salty crepes).

The next morning we take the train for the first leg into the highlands, to Dick Oya.

The train ride reveals beautiful landscape views, even if it gets a little cloudy as the afternoon progresses. A very mystical atmosphere.

When we arrive in Dick Oya, we take a long walk through the nearby tea plantations, watch the pickers doing their arduous work, talk to their children who have just come home from school and enjoy the greenery that is so soothing to the eyes.

In the evening we are treated to delicious curry with biryani and coconut rice in our accommodation (Princess of Dickoya).

The alarm clock rings at 1:30 a.m. that night and we want to have climbed Adams Peak, Sri Lanka's holy mountain, by sunrise. Depending on your religion, Buddha, Adam or Mohammed left their footprints here. A continuous staircase with 5,000 steps leads up the mountain.

The climb is damp and rainy and unfortunately it doesn't get up until after sunrise, but then the highlands are presented in all their greenery. Our homestay owner tells us that today is the first day in a month that you can see Adams Peak from Dick Oya.

After the hike, we fortify ourselves with a hearty breakfast on our terrace with a view of the tea plantations.

We will then be given access to one of the local tea factories. We can observe all production steps live, from leaf delivery to final bottling. From leaf to finished tea it only takes 18 hours. Of course, we don't miss out on purchasing one or two teas during the tea tasting afterwards, and a few kilos heavier we set off on the way home, which is lined by one of the impressive waterfalls.

Tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. the train will take us further through the highlands to Ella, the place in the observation car is already secured ;)