Ratnapura and Ella

Monday 9th June, 2003. Ambiente Lodge, Ella
We left Ceysands after breakfast this morning. It had been a very pleasant stay and wonderful to look out from our room directly onto the breaking waves of the Indian Ocean a mere fifty yards away. The hotel was cool, clean and friendly but a million miles from the real world over the river on the other side of the hotel.

We left Kate and Rob to make their way south to rejoin Marc and crossed the river with our luggage to find the driver Susantha had arranged for us already waiting. He told us to call him Lionel and he’s very nice although his use of English is more limited than Susantha’s.

We made slow progress up to Ratnapura which is a frantically busy little town of about 60,000 inhabitants. We are beginning to realise that all the towns are rather similar, each with a clock tower surrounded by market stalls and small shops selling fruit, vegetables and household equipment. They are all crowded, hectic and dirty. Ratnapura is like the rest though possibly rather more interesting than some. There was evidence of the recent flooding along the river banks where the sandy soil had tumbled into the water. Along the main road out of the town there were intermittent land-slips and complete houses had disappeared whilst those next door stood unaffected. Road works stretched for miles and we felt very sorry for our driver but he coped calmly, telling us about his Buddhist faith and how it helped him face up to life’s difficulties. Once the road here has been completed it will be excellent. Further on it turns into the best surfaced road we’ve encountered anywhere here. One of the Government’s first priorities must be to improve the transport infrastructure by providing decent roads. The next must be to force drivers to use those roads properly with due regard to others, rather than the fatalistic approach whereby many vehicles have Buddhist, Hindu and Christian pictures pinned up in the cab – sometimes all three – and adopt the attitude that might is right and the Gods will protect. The compulsory fitting and use of seat belts would be good too.

We stopped beside the road and clambered down into a field where a coconut fronded shack sheltered a group of workers from the heat as they mined for the precious stones for which the Ratnapura area is famed. They were very friendly towards us but it was obviously not the sort of place that tourists would generally be expecting to visit. They spoke no English so Lionel translated our questions to them. A shaft, supported by wooden props descended about thirty feet into the sandy ground. The bottom was filled with water that had to be raised to the surface in buckets along with the sandy gravel that may contain gems and precious stones. The soil is then placed in a bamboo sieve and swirled around by hand in a small pit filled with water. The light sand is washed away and the miners then sift through the remaining stones, picking out anything of interest. They demonstrated the technique and gave us a few tiny stones of little intrinsic value that were found, including pieces of sapphire and amethyst. They were all small and misshapen. The miners were all friendly young men who genuinely seemed surprised when Ian gave them some rupees for their time.


Gem mine near Ratnapura

We drove on up and the scenery changed as we climbed into the hills. Each bend brought us new views. It is very lovely with the hills composed of copper-coloured sandstone forming interesting shapes and folds with sheer escarpments and deep valleys. (The very early name for Sri Lanka was Taprobain, apparently meaning copper. It’s easy to see why it was so called. Copper red is the over-riding colour of the country.) The flanks of the hills are covered with palms at the lower levels, giving way to pines with altitude. The valleys are flat bottomed with rice growing in endless paddy fields irrigated by hand from the rivers. People are bent over planting rice shoots into the water. This can be a dangerous occupation because at night one of the World’s most deadly snakes, the Russell’s viper, hunts rats, attracted by the rice grains, in the paddy fields. In the daytime the snake sleeps in the fields and can easily be stepped upon by bare foot rice farmers. Many people die from the venom every year. At one point today a three metre long thick, dark snake crossed the road in front of us but Lionel assured us that it wasn’t a poisonous one. We also saw a big monitor lizard clambering up the bank and there were many pretty birds and butterflies. Higher up, the hills are terraced, with water flowing down through the paddy fields, irrigating each terrace in turn.

Our road twisted ever higher through estates of tea. Tea is a form of camellia. The few flowers we saw were a pretty mauve but generally it is very carefully managed. Hand picking of the tips is carried out by women who wear their saris pulled over their heads to shield them from the sun. We saw colourful groups scattered amongst the steeply sloping plantations.


Irrigated paddy fields on the valley floor. Picking high-grown tea.
(copyright Juergen Schreiber)
We stopped for lunch beside a shallow, fast-flowing river tumbling over granite boulders. It was very reminiscent of a Dartmoor stream though the banks were covered by a rich, dark green tropical vegetation and palm trees rather than bracken and heather. Children splashed excitedly in the water – which must also have been a lot warmer than a Dartmoor stream! Lunch was under a shady awning with open sides. Lionel disappeared. Apparently drivers are fed at the restaurant’s expense because they bring custom. We feel rather uncomfortable about it. We did offer to buy him lunch with us but he probably prefers some time “off the job.” We later found him back at the car taking a nap. After the driving of the morning he must really have needed one.

We continued through scenery that became more stunning at each twist of the road. Suddenly we saw Susantha’s van coming down and with much flashing and hooting we all stopped and got out. Yves and Cathérine had been with Susantha on a tour of one of the national parks where they had seen elephants and crocodiles in the wild. They were returning to Colombo for their flight home having left their son and his wife, Bruno and Andrea, who still have a few more days here, at a lodge higher in the hills. It was a lovely surprise to see them all again. It was nice to be able to thank Susantha personally for arranging this lovely trip for us which is so spectacular and so different from everything we have experienced so far in Sri Lanka.

We stopped in a town as ugly and noisy as any other to collect some money from a cash machine. It was strange to come in from such beautiful scenery to a town so horrid and then back into beautiful scenery again. The many little homes scattered amongst the hills seem simple but pleasant. The owners seem to be small farmers growing rice and vegetables.

Around 5pm we drove off up a badly metalled side road past tiny homes built amidst trees and tea plantations and drove into the grounds of a small lodge with spectacular views across to a waterfall and the surrounding hills. Below us, through a gap in the rocks, we can see down towards the valley. There is a constant sound of birds and insects. Striped squirrels scamper on the roof and lizards squawk as they run across the walls and ceilings. We have a lovely room with a patio where we can sit looking out at the breathtaking view of dark green wooded hills and red, rocky escarpments.


The view from our room. Ian savours it to the full.

The air here is cooler and we feel more comfortable. Roses and English flowers grow in the gardens of the lodge. This is the same place that Bruno and Andrea are staying. We are the only visitors here. It is truly wonderful.

Once we had settled in, Ian and I went for a walk up the lane. People were around collecting water from the village pump or buying vegetables from isolated little wooden shacks, like garden sheds. One such shack sold soft drinks and tea and appeared to be the social centre of this isolated community. A lorry loaded with ladies passed us - villagers returning from working in the tea plantations. People smiled at us and were genuinely friendly. Children wanted to talk but after saying “hello” either didn’t know any more words or were shy. They waved and shouted “goodbye” as we walked on. We talked to one young man, braver than the rest and happy to talk. He wanted to know what work we did in England and in exchange told us that he was a small farmer, living in the village but farming in the valley below. He lived by growing rice and vegetables. People here seem to be largely self-sufficient and all seem slim and healthy. We think there is a significant Tamil community here as we’ve seen several ladies with red spots on their foreheads. Lionel has told us they are worn by Tamil ladies when they are married. Black spots are reserved for unmarried ladies.

Lightening flashed amongst the hills and thunder rolled ominously. Dusk was falling and the sky looked threatening over the hills so we turned back. We reached the lodge like the Pied Piper. Behind us followed three dogs, two children, a lady carrying a water jug and a squawking white cockerel that had plunged down upon us from a little garden above the road!

We sat on the terrace in the velvet darkness listening to the sound of crickets as we drank a beer. We could see the lights of the little train as it dragged itself up the valley to pass through the trees just beneath the lodge on its way up to Badulla around the fold of the hills. It must be one of the World’s most beautiful train journeys.

We were joined at supper by Andrea and Bruno. They are a lovely couple. We continue to marvel at what really nice friends Neil and Jeev have.