Nuwara Eliya was my first stop after leaving Colombo. Its set almost 2000m above sea level in what the Sri Lankans call their “high country” in a genuine cloud forest. The hills surrounding the town are almost permanently shrouded in mist and thick clouds which move rapidly from one hill to the next. Naturally the hot, humid and stormy weather of Colombo is left down at the coast and as you take the 7 hour train journey to Nuwara Eliya, the temperature plummets, the clouds roll in and the rain arrives. I left Colombo’s lovely rickety railway station at just after nine o’clock. I had treated myself to a first class ticket in the new “Chinese made railway carriage”, the ticket seller informed me, for the pricey sum of £11.00. I was joined by a raucous troop of pilgrims, or whom I thought were pilgrims, with their drums and guitars and a family of young children who decided I looked somewhat underfed and proceeded to feed me. As we climbed on towards the High Country, accompanied by drumming and chanting, past villages and tropical fields, the pilgrims introduced themselves. They were actually Post Office workers on a four day weekend trip into the hills. Hardly pilgrims and I could never quite imagine a cheerful group of British postal workers similarly gathering and singing their way on an extended weekend break. After four hours we reached Kandy the famous hill country city and then a further one hours climb away, the temperature changed dramatically and rain arrived with mist and so did the dramatic tea plantations. I left the train in heavy rain at Nano Oya, and was meet by a driver from the guest, and as we began a further steep ascent on a terrible pot holed road to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is called “Little England” by the locals and once you had arrived in the seemly normal Sri Lankan town and investigated the back roads it was easy to see why. Behind the ramshackle shops and buildings on the main street where large houses built like mock Tudor residences by the original Colonialists. Golf clubs, town parks and a race course are also reminders of a bygone era, however its the clubs and hotels that are the most striking. I selected the Hill Club for my afternoon tea. Set in beautifully manicured gardens, with tennis courts, the Hill Club has only been accepting non-members and Sri Lankan guests only in the last five years. Tea and biscuits in the dinning room next to the log fire on an old sofa under the gaze of a giant photo of Queen Elizabeth was slightly surreal. The fact that two English ladies were in the dinning room eating Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding was even more odd. The billiard rooms and library were also stuck in time warps, but the Monsoon room had unfortunately been converted into a modern home cinema. Victoria Park was one of the best kept parks I had visited in Asia. Beautiful flowers and well maintained gardens. A second hand shop for Tuk Tuks was interesting, and I started dreaming of buying one (£2,000) and driving it around the country. I even visited the local driving school to witness driving instructors putting Tuk Tuk learners through their paces. Hard to believe many of the drivers I had been with in Colombo had been through such a school. I was staying in the highest located guesthouse, called the Fern King Bungalow, owned and managed by a local family. Extremely friendly the family would do anything asked, and the wife Chitra, was a fantastic cook. The curries were exceptional especially her beetroot curry, made with coconut milk, tamarind, curry powder and the runner bean curry with green chilies. I was placed in the Eagles Nest room, somewhat unfortunately named for someone who has lived very close to Bertesgarten in Germany. I had my own balcony with stunning views over the valley and a family of doves nesting in the roof, warmly calling out to each other early in the morning. About ten in the morning the monkeys would arrive, destroy the water pipes and groom themselves on the balcony. On the second day I visited the Blue Moon tea plantation, ten kilometers down the winding road towards Kandy. This road has to be one of the most scenic in this beautiful country as we past tea estate after tea estate, with elaborate tea bushes and brightly coloured pickers. The Blue Moon tea plantation was still using the British made 19th century equipment it was originally installed with and I enjoyed a rather brief guided tour which finished with a cup of excellent white tea. Waterfalls littered the landscape with dramatic mountain escarpments and tea plantations as far as the eye could see. Breathtaking. Back at the guesthouse I settled into a evening watching the Ashes huddled around the fire, with some of the other travelers, before leaving to pack. The stay at Nuwara Eliya was memorable and the Fern King Bungalows excellent, but I thought as I left, it will be nice to get back to the warmth.