Thought I would pop in a quick blog before my trip to Nuwara Eliya tomorrow (I have looked up the spelling so I dont have to use the cop out "hill country" any more!). Firstly, myself and Ben were heroic yesterday, which I thought was of note. We saved a French Damsel in Disrtress from the tyrany of a 40 dollar a night (and pretty meagre) hotel experience. She has been here a week and was reccomended a hotel by friends for her months stay in Sri Lanka, which she dutifully attended and "negotiated" 40 dollars a night for half board. Now in a country where 8p gets you 20km on a bus, this is never on, so we sorted her out new accomadation for approx 60USD... A MONTH *pause for applause* :D
After our act of heroism, we decided that a physical test of endurance was in order, so we decided to undertake the 3 temple loop, which is outlined in the guide as best navigated by bike, TukTuk or bus. We Walked... naturally. 20km in England isnt an easy walk, but it is certainly acheivable by the vast majority of people, so how hard could it be! It turns out that 30 degree heat and searing sunlight can affect the ease of walking, and the random up-down gradient assortment didnt help. The three temples themselves were somewhat unimpressive, although this might be due to the law of deminishing returns - Each buddhist temple you see makes the next one inevitably less impressive (and we have seen alot). The walk itself however provided more than worth its own effort, as we walked through villages and townships relatively unspoiled by tourist influence, and paddy fields which reminded me just how far from home i really am!
Beyond the temples, there are a few other things of note from our journey. Firstly we stumbled across a tea factory, and were offered a tour by its manager. I knew very little about tea before coming here - it grows in bushes, and is somehow put into bags which make a tasty beverage. Going to the factory I gained a whole new appreciation for the teamaking process, and for the role of fermentation of the tea leaves in making black tea (Fermentation... makes every drink worth drinking). I wont bore you with the technicalities of tea grading... but needless to say... there was more than I thought to that too! We also accidentally crashed a Muslim wedding as we investigated a Cultural centre, which seemed to act as a kind of village hall arrangement... and was paying host to a wedding today... slightly awkward but definately a box ticked! We also saw a road killed lizard.... which was novel...
I did however realise one thing today - that no matter how far away from tourist areas we go, we can never experience true Sri Lankan culture. The reason for this is known to physicists as the uncertainty principle, or observer effect - by observing an event, you in yourself change that event. There is no way that its going to be business as usual in a small Sri Lankan village when two white people are walking through - Im sure most Sri Lankans aren't greeted as they walk through a village with waves, shouts and demands of money from the children... Ironically enough I think that the more touristy the area, the less this observer effect is, and the more likely you are to see that area in its normal state, without affecting it with your presence!
Anyway thats my little philisophical journey done, as I am up early tomorrow for a phyisical one to the mountains, more tea factorys, and what is described as a "chilly" place by Sri Lankans... lets see how the English fare there!
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