St Clair's falls, Pathana, Sri Lanka

 

A few miles away from the Devon falls, on the Hatton - Nuwara Eliya road, is the St.Clairs falls. It is not as tall as the Devon falls but it is really beautiful to look at. The Upper Kotmale Dam and hydro-power project might put paid to this beautiful waterfall. We have been promised that it might be turned on and off. It is beautiful country with a luscious green of various shades covering the ground, during the wet season. This photo was taken by me during a dry spell.

Devon falls, Pathana, Hatton - Nuwara Eliya Road, Sri Lanka.

 

Devon falls, at Pathana, on the Hatton Nuwara Eliya road is a beautiful sight. There are a series of rocks after the steep drop on the first stage where the water forms a beautiful pattern. On a rainy day the flow of water is awsome.

Tea plantation bordering the approach to Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.

Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka, has some very well tended tea estates. A tea estate needs preparing the soil, planting the saplings, and pruning of the tea bushes. It was an old saying among the tea planters that well pruned tea bushes would pass a 'cricket ball test'. A cricket ball thrown on it sideways would skim it and go a long way. You see a well pruned bushes here, with good attention to weeding and attention to drains to take away the rain water. The blue tinged mountains far away takes ones breath away on sighting the landscape.

Sunset over the Batticaloa lagoon, Sri Lanka.

 

Watching the sunset over the Batticaloa lagoon takes one to another world. The peace and tranquility, unaffected by the rush of 'civilization' is palpable.

A jungle stream and bridge over it.

Jungle stream and bridge over it on the Ginigathena - Hatton road. The constant rain and mist keeps these streams running. A severe drought brings them down to a trickle.

The Central Hills of Sri Lanka.

The hills are seen from the Beragalla - Koslanda road. On a rainy day various unnamed rivulets and small waterfalls are seen on the hills. The rocky surfaces glisten with moisture. During the dry season the rivulets and waterfalls are gone. The picture changes with the seasons.

On the Beragala - Haputhale road, Sri Lanka.

The road from the Beragala junction to Haputhale is a stiff climb, first and second gear being engaged frequently. There is an old 'Kavi' in Sinhalese which is a cry of a carter, driving a bullock cart, approaching this climb. He laments the steepness of this stretch of road saying that the sight of it makes his stomach turn. ('Bara baage.. bara baage....). The valley below is beautiful to watch on a sunny day. The distant line of the hills and the water shimmering on the Udawalawe and Thanamalvila tanks adds to the enchantment. The cold wind whipping up the hills might bring down a thick mist in a moment hiding the valley below. One is enveloped in a thick mist and the road becomes impassable because of the low visibility.