Day 9 A morning in Nuwara Eliya and an afternoon visit to a tea plantation

This morning we woke up feeling very dehydrated both from yesterday's exertions and from a lack of water in our room. We drank it all, plus some extra ordered from reception (which we had to pay for) that's a first!

After breakfast (with no cold water available!) we had a wonder around the hotel, with it's very blingy ballroom

Past the indoor swimming pool, not worth a photo

And up to the roof terrace

We then caught the bus for a short drive around the town before being dropped of at the Post Office for a morning's exploration.

The main lake, built for making hydro electricity in colonial times, with a view to the highest point in Sri Lanka at 2424m

and swan pedalos

The Post Office

Victoria Park

Complete with English rose garden

we were a source of great interest with the local holiday makers which come fom all over SriLanka, particularly in April, for the cool English climate, and had to pose for a photo with a family.

A few hundred meters away was a small market, with very familiar fruit and veg.

the meat and fish end was not so British

I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of the butchery.

We walked past the golf course and the 19th hole pub

Past this very bizzare new homes ad, complete with snowy rooftops

and the old colonial private members club, men only back in the day.

Had a very good pizza lunch in the small shopping centre then wandered back to the hotel, around a 10 minute walk, past the roundabout

some very British looking houses

The Royal Turf Club, complete with a few horses

lots of cricket being played

and the hotel opposite us, apparently under construction!

After a couple of hours rest we boarded the bus and visited the Labookellie tea plantation and factory where we learnt about the picking and manufacturing processes