To the tea fields of Sri Lanka...

In atypical form (and perhaps a sign of just how overworked Geoff has been these days!), we decided not to try to see everything during our 5-day trip to Sri Lanka but instead visit and stay in just one place.

And this would be the tea plantations near Kandy, right in the centre of Sri Lanka.

After a quick stop at the Champagne Bar in the Dubai Emirates lounge (an unexpected treat!), we boarded our late night flight and enjoyed a restful trip before arriving at Colombo airport first thing the next morning.

The 4.5 hour drive to tea country - almost as long as the flight itself - was a far one on small, windy and heavily-trafficked roads.  But the overall drive was, for the most part, a smooth one (edit: for those of us who did not take a Gravol and pass out, the drive was not a particularly smooth one....)....with the exception of the last 15 minutes where the road was so steep and rugged that Sunny and his (t)rusty Toyota Corolla were simply not equipped to drive it.

Instead, the hotel sent their 1950s era Land Rover down to the start of it to get us!

A very bumpy and not-for-the-faint-of-heart ride later (the pathetic fallacy of the rain pouring down could not be overlooked), we arrived at the serene lodge, Madulkelle Tea and Eco Resort, feeling a little worse for wear.

However, greeted with a cup of locally-grown tea, some delicious buscuits, and some truly stunning surroundings, we felt immediately at ease as the sweet staff took care of our check-in and made us feel quickly at home. 

After lunch, the rain stopped just long enough for us to head quickly down to our "tent".  We were especially thankful for the dry skies because, after refusing the staff's help in order to get some lunch in before the kitchen closed, we realized that our key was numbered but our tent was not (listed instead as different types of birds and flora) and thus had us wandering up and down the hills searching for the lock that fit our key, before finally heading back to the lodge to secure some help.

"Robin" was a beautiful tent - with zip-down windows on all sides, a very comfortable bed and a functional (and especially wonderfully-pressured) shower and full bathroom.  The old century furniture made us feel like explorers from a different age.  But the star of the space was certainly the view.  Everywhere we looked was green and lush, with nary another tent in site.

The rain started again shortly after we made it to our room.  And it continued for most of our trip.  Lounging by the pool was certainly not going to be an option so, instead,we unzipped all of the tent windows to let in a beautiful through-breeze, made some local tea and wrapped ourselves in warm blankets to read our books, nap and embrace the total relaxation of the quiet surroundings.  This place was truly a little piece of paradise!