Haputale by Train

Ella ia perfectly situated to be a base for exploring the hill country.  On the eastern end of the Colombo-Badulla rail line, Ella's little railway station is a gateway to slow train rides through the hills and tea plantations that make up this region.  After a brekkie of hoppers and roti with chili sauce and garlic mince, we headed to the station to purchase our 3rd Class tickets.  Twenty-five rupees apiece buys a one-way to Haputale, about and hour away.  Haputale is a Tamil town perched on the edge of the escarpment, with stunning views to the plains of the south.

Our little train that could making a brisk twenty-five kilometers an hour through the Hill Country.

Rawana Falls tumbles down from Ella Rock.  Above the falls is a cave which is featured in the Ramayana, the epic poem of India.  In this cave lived the King of Lanka, the bad guy of the epic who kidnaps Sita.

Tea plantations cling to the steep hillsides in a tapestry of green.

Busy stations are spaced along the line, vestiges of a colonial time when the bales of tea moved by train from the hills to Colombo.

After an hour, we arrived at the town of Haputale, situated on a sharp ridge between the valleys of the hill country and the southern scarp tumbling to the lowlands.

Train riding is hungry work.  Okay, more truthfully, any activity is an excuse to try a new street food.  Today's find was a sort of savory chickpea donut with herbs and other yummy bits.  30 rupees for a tasty treat.  

My tasty donut thing overlooking the southern lowlands.  

The town is set around the main street, which hugs the edge of the ridge.  At the end of main street, the road plunges and twists to the lowlands.  Every other street, path, or lane in the town either dives down to the hillsides below the ridge or climbs up to the higher elevations behind the town.  There is almost no level walking here.  This is a Tamil town, mostly inhabited by the workers on the surrounding tea plantations.  Lots of the food here is halal, which means a good fresh chicken is easy to find and the scrumptious little fried treats in the street stands will appease your need for munching.  

The old mosque on the edge of the ridge.  Here in the town we found the mosque and St. Andrews, the colonial age Church of England.  Up the path to through the tea plantation was a Hindu shrine and across the valley we could see a Buddhist Stupa gleaming in the sunshine.  Diversity is not a concept here in Sri Lanka, but a fact.  The civil war that raged on and off here for thirty years was much more about political disenfranchisement than it was about dogma or religion.

The Hindu Shrine to minister to the needs of the local workers.

"A strange sun shines on their lonely graves."  Born to the cool mists of England, the good Reverend's bones rest in the soil of Sri Lanka.  "He Loved Ceylon"  

We retraced our route on the little blue train, arriving back in Ella near dinner time.  We rejuvenated ourselves with a feast of rice and curry, the standard of Sri Lankan fare, but often hard to find at dinner time.  Most curry shops tend to sell out just after lunchtime.  Being more of a travelers hub, Ella has more options for dining out in the evening and we were justly rewarded.  

Tomottow will be a hiking day, exploring the local hills on foot.