Nuwara Eliya Tea Factory, Sri Lanka

Remember that guy, the gardener from Helga’s Folly in Kandy, we called him later on “the good Samaritan”, who accompanied us to the local market claiming that we could get the best quality tea for the price locals pay? Well the moment of truth had come! We were heading to the source of all Tea: the Tea Factory

The Road to the Tea Factory

We were on our way to one of the best-known tea factories. Driving the mini-van uphill on the winding roads of Nuwara Eliya, in the midst of the extremely beautiful and scenic nature was a unique experience by itself. With its extreme bends and turns, tight passages and rough and bumpy roads, driving on the left side of the road felt like a real challenge, especially when coming across those pickup trucks that don’t seem to understand the concept of braking or even slowing down. Although I enjoyed the ride, it was exhausting, especially for the passengers behind me.

Lakes, Rivers, Waterfalls, Breathtaking Surroundings

Besides the road conditions, Nuwara Eliya has some of the most picturesque natural beauty. During our road trip uphill toward the tea factory we came across several waterfalls, the most famous of all was the Ramboda waterfall. At times, we passed by tall forests along the mountains, while the rest of the drive was in the open lush tea plantations that majestically carpeted the slopes of every hill we could see. Lakes, rivers, waterfalls, breathtaking surroundings, never-ending greenery covering the misty mountains under a blueish sky ornamented with scattered silver clouds. It all made it look like a surreal painting that was changing with every turn of the wheel. For a moment you might forget that you are still in Sri Lanka, but shortly afterwards the humble and welcoming smiles of the people will bring you back to reality.

The Tea Factory Tour

By the time we arrived at the tea factory, darker clouds were forming and we could feel the rain coming. At the Tea Factory we were warmly welcomed and gathered in the waiting area before they took us on a short guided-tour, where they explained the different phases of the tea production. The standard phases involve plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation/fermentation and drying.

Green or Black… Does it Matter

One of the first and essential things that we learned was that the green tea and the regular dark tea are both produced from the same plant, the only difference is the fermentation. Black tea is fermented, and green tea is not. While the difference between the strong dark tea and the lighter tea lies in the grinding process. The more tea leaves that are mashed, the stronger and darker the tea becomes.

Local People Know Better

Thinking back to our friend “the Kandian gardener”, he was absolutely right! The same tea was sold at the factory for almost triple the price. The only difference was the packaging and the way it was presented to us. Thank you, Mr. Gardener. Would you trust a local for advice? We asked this question in a previous blog post and now the answer is clear; When it comes to tea, trust the locals ?

Trust the Local… Again!

After a short walk in the tea plantation, we followed the advice of one of the workers that we met at the tea factory. She thought we were a nice group of couples and that we should visit the lovers’ leap waterfall to make a romantic wish.

Once again, we trusted the locals and the locals were right. We parked the mini-van on the side of the road and in the blink of an eye we were surrounded with a dozen tuk-tuk drivers competing on a price while showing off their vehicles. We selected two. With a full capacity of three people in each tuk-tuk, we headed uphill towards the mountain top on a bumpy off-road passage that the pickers frequented.

Reflection About True Happiness

On our way up, we arrived at a place where a number of tea pickers, most of them young ladies, were resting and at the same time taking a refuge from the expected showers that were already forming. They waved to us with wide sincere smiles and we waved back at them. Most of those ladies start their career in tea picking at a very young age to procure money and food for their families. Most of them will spend their whole lives working in these fields. “They look strong and happy”, I thought to myself. “Are they truly happy? I always wanted to have the opportunity to live for a considerable time with such people and document their daily life, and share their joy, happiness, grievance and sadness. How and where do they live, what do they eat, what are their customs, and beliefs…?” All these questions and more come to my mind every time I am faced with such sincere and truthful people who are still uncontaminated by the so-called modern life and somehow fake lifestyle that we live. Which lifestyle is better or healthier in the long run and to which extreme?

To the Lover’s Leap and Back

The tuk-tuk stopped at a dead end and the driver gestured to us to follow a foot track which will lead us to the lover’s leap.

The earth was muddy and slippery, we stepped carefully away from the vehicle under the rain. After a 10-minute walk, we became all soaked in water from top to toe, but we didn’t mind. A fresh breeze of humid air hit our faces we knew we were getting closer to our destination. The crashing sound of water on the rocks became unmistakable. After a final short turn behind one huge rock we were faced by the cascading water falling from a straight rocky formation. The water streamed from one side of the waterfall which wasn’t as expected, it seems that we came out of season. During the rainy season, between April and August, the waterfall is at its most beautiful. That didn’t hinder us though, it was worth every laugh and joke we shared along the hike to the top.

The Legend Behind It

Legend has it that a royal prince was hunting in the jungle when he came across a beautiful Eliya girl. He fell in love with her and asked for her hand in marriage. Her parents opposed and after a while the couple lost hope and decided to jump off from the highest point on the waterfall. Since then it became famous for Lover’s leap waterfall.

Adams’s Peak… Here We Come

When the tuk-tuk drivers dropped us back we were all drenched in water. We had no choice but to continue our road trip. Adam’s Peak was our next destination

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