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.

'Bathalagala' - Bible rock, seen from the climb to Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture from a Sony Mavica, while driving up to Kadugannawa from Mawanella. It was a cloudy morning and a ray of sunshine streamed down between the clouds to illuminate the valley below. The famous land mark called 'Coffin rock' by the Dutch and 'Bible Rock' by the British forms the background to the picture.

Birds among the 'pandanus' trees on the Negombo Lagoon, Sri Lanka.

While on a boat ride on the Negombo Lagoon, starting from Duwa, the bird life among the 'pandanus' trees was a beautiful sight. I took this picture around 2pmm on a slightly cloudy day.