Sri Lanka's Hill Country on Foot

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We set out on foot for a day of exploring Sri Lanka's Hill Country from our base in the town of Ella. A short kilometer out of town is the trail to Little Adams peak, a promontory set above the tea plantations that cling to the hillsides. 

Tea is the cash crop in this region, a legacy of the British colonialists who started the plantations in the 1800's. Lipton, an astute Scots businessman, started stocking his families 300 retail stores around Glasgow with tea grown on his own plantations in Ceylon.  Many an English fortune was made here on the backs of local labor.  

A tea factory viewed from Little Adams. 

The view across the valley. 

All creatures great and small   

Hot walking turned cool by a quick rain, we stopped in a shack for a fruity drink. 

And entertainment provided by a local squirrel and his version of a Santa beard 

No wooden poles here in Sri Lanka.  A wooden post in the ground is a feast for ants, termites and other wood munching bugs. 

We arrived back at our digs for a quick snack and respite from the rain.  Rain turned to a blazing sun as quickly as a turned page so we started an afternoon hike to Little Rawana Falls on the other side of the ridge.