Wednesday 3 August 2016.  Photos and Videos.
Highlights: Scenic Train Trip, ‘Little England’ Nuwara Eliya

Today saw a significant change in climate as we climbed to one of the highest towns in Sri Lanka with the temperature dropping to a chilly 22 degrees with no significant humidity.

Earlier in Kandy we visited a local gem merchant who had a video outlining how gems are mined with minimal equipment in this labour intensive, and even dangerous, industry.  The items looked great but outside my price range unless I was trying to impress someone special.

We then left for the central train station which seemed very old fashioned.  As Sri Lanka has some linked history with India I was expecting a similar train travelling experience but I was entirely wrong.  The only similar part is if you wanted to you could stand in the open door and lean out, several people sat down with their legs dangling outside the train watching the stunning landscape outside (video).

View from the scenic train trip – stunning

After a peaceful train trip we arrived a few kilometres from our destination of Nuwara Eliya, also known as Little England.  The town itself definitely had an English feel, the weather was milder, most of the buildings were in an English style, there also was a golf course and a horse racing track.

Additionally the small pubs served English breakfast and pints with people wearing gloves (it wasn’t that cold!) you would think we had arrived in England.  On top of this we stayed at the Grand Hotel which lived up to its name with billiards room, team rooms and fireplaces!

This was a different experience compared to the rest of this marvellous country.