2/7/17 Horton Plains to Uva Ben Head

Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Nuwara Eliya District, Central Province, Sri Lanka
*Just a quick note, we have been home for a couple of weeks now and are just getting caught up!*

Our drive to Uva is on beautiful country roads passing tea plantations, coconut groves and cinnamon trees . We'd never seen a cinnamon tree, so Jag stopped and picked up a little twig that had fallen. The aroma was amazing and we are told it would keep the same strong smell for years to come.

We eventually arrive at Horton Plains, a huge cloud forest nestled about 7,000 feet above sea level. We go for a seven mile loop hike, with stops at Baker Falls and a beautiful lookout called "World's End". We are lucky enough to have a brief break in the clouds and catch a peek of the awesome view. After burning off a few calories, we head to our next accommodations which we are really looking forward to. It's a summer home that was built in the early 1940's by Alfred Baur, the founder of the travel company we are using. The Baur company is hugely diversified with subsidiaries in agriculture, import/export and, of course, travel. When we arrive we are greeted by our butler and his staff. A butler? We wouldn't know what to do with a butler if we were handed one on a silver platter . We are just simple folk and suddenly we are being treated like royalty. Out comes the tea cart and biscuits, white gloves and all. Rox tells me to get my feet off the table and do up my zipper, for Chrissakes!

Soon after, we are shown the way to our bungalow. When no one was looking, I managed to sneak a couple of cookies in my pocket for later. Our room is lovely, with a view of the mountains and rolling hills, full of tea plantations. What a beautiful place for a summer home. Dinner is at 7pm, and it will be just us and our butler. The pressure is on. Dessert spoon on top, salad fork on the outside, break dinner roll before buttering.... it's all so much to remember! On top of it all, Rox says "I hope you took those cookies out of your pocket as I don't want to deal with crumbs in the suitcase". Busted. Staying at the Holiday Inn and eating at McDonald's is so much simpler.

After a restful sleep and a lovely country breakfast, we are ready to hit the road. Small problem, the battery in our van is dead. It's going to take a group effort to push start it down the hill. Off comes the white gloves and towel on arm. Everyone gives a push, butler and all... back to reality. The push start is successful and we are on our way to Dambulla.

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