This morning we were so happy to be leaving our wet damp hotel, Kithulgala Rest House. You could not get us packed up and ready to go fast enough. It had been a rough night of sleeping, since I am paranoid of bugs, so I stayed up all night to stay watch. Learned a lot about myself, mostly that I hate bugs and would not do well in a “roughing it” trip.

Our guide saw our low spirits and offered us the chance to ride the train through the tea plantations. He thought that we would enjoy it. I would say he was right, it was so much fun to get out of our little car, and ride the train. In Sri Lanka, its perfectly acceptable to sit in the doorway of the train with your feet hanging off the sides.

Doing this gives you a great view and lots of wind in your hair which is the only air conditioning they have. We rode the train for about an hour and a half. This was an amazing way to see the country. From the train you can see the tea hills, the villages, and plenty of waterfalls and hydro power stations. It was just breath taking.

Our guide met us in a Railway Station in Nanu Oya. It was a short drive to our hotel, probably about 30 minuets. I wish we had had more time in Nuwara Eliya. This was a village, that has been heavily colonized by the British. Our guide told us that it was nicknamed Little England, and is Sri Lanka’s most popular holiday destination. This town is located at an altitude of 6500 feet above sea level, which has a much cooler climate than the lowlands of the country.

We did not do alot of exploring here, since it was about 4 degrees and raining. Also we were tried from not sleeping the night before, but our hotel here was pure luxury. The Hill Club was founded in 1876. The first or founding members were most if not all at that time coffee, cinchona or tea planters who were either Englishmen or Scots. The original building which served as a club house was centered around the present billiard room. We enjoyed using the hotel’s movie library to watch movies in the afternoon and nap to get ready for our 4 hour hike that we would take the next day.