Green Gold
Slim Paley photo
Fields of TEA, the most consumed beverage on the planet
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Being an Irish lass, what better day to post about my visit to the tea plantations of Sri Lanka than on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day?!
And ye of little faith, thinking I wasn’t going to post this week!
Why I was just getting settled back in, unpacking, battling jet lag and eating Coldstone’s ice cream at 5:00am in the morning.
You know, the usual…
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Slim Paley photo
Certainly one of the highlights of our trip was the time we spent along the Tea Trails.
Imagine falling into a Genie’s bottle of Hendrick’s gin and you’ll get some idea of the verdant atmosphere of this area.
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Did you notice the tiny church nestled at the top of the fields of tea? The most beautiful little church in the world, which I’m saving for another post.
Did I just mention gin and church in the same sentence? 
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Slim Paley photo
Who knew that all tea; English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Jasmine, Orange Pekoe, green, even white tea (which, seen above, is the healthiest tea of all) comes from the same tea plant?!
White tea is made from the silver tipped uppermost leaves with the barely perceptible hairs you see on the leaf above. For high quality teas no more than the top 3 leaves of the plant will be picked.
Various flavours such as “Earl Grey” are infused into the tea after the leaves have been processed by the tea factory. To Earl Grey for example, one of my favorites, bergamot is added, for Lady Grey, simply a lighter note of bergamot. For Jasmine tea the jasmine flower is added during the fermenting process, Green tea is unfermented and black tea is fermented for exactly 2 hours and 40 minutes, a minute less and the tea tastes soapy, a minute more and the leaves start to acquire a bitter taste.
And yes, that is the sound of my fingernails brushing against my lapel 
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Slim Paley photo
Our journey to Hatton began from the most adorable train station, built in 1867 and located in the beautifully named town of Peradeniya.
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Whaaat?! that can’t be right! It’s definitely my laptop.
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We had booked ahead and managed to score seats in the “Super Luxury A/C Cabin”
…or so we thought…
Only to find our “First Class” carriage doing a shockingly good imitation of a sardine tin… Ahhnd whatever happened to that air conditioning??
The train immediately pulled out of the station and as the journey was supposedly to last 4 hours (I say supposedly as Time is a rather fluid concept in Sri Lanka) we were, needless to say, horrified. The entire situation was so messing with my ‘Meryl Streep getting off the train to glimpse Robert Redford in Africa’ fantasy. Different continent, and duffel bags rather than steamer trunks & fine china but really, that was beside the point. My upper lip began to get dewy. My hair continued to expand.
After much pushing, yelling, and jostling of body bag-sized backpacks, the conductor was able to insert his way into our car and inform all those passengers from a certain tour group from a country that shall remain nameless, that they simply had to disembark at the next station TOUT de SUITE.
EXCUSEZ MOI.
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Slim Paley photo
A seat at last, and who needs air conditioning (which I abhor really) when you can throw open the window to a warm breeze and this kind of view?
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Nuwara Eliya “The Little England of Sri Lanka”
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The tiny white spots you see in the photo below are the tea harvesters.
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Leaves are picked every 7 days. Each picker has their own zone and the rotating is very methodical. The bushes can live to be 135 yrs. old, are fertilized every 3 months and cut back every 4 years. One single branch is left uncut to stop the plant from going into shock. I’m going to try that with a few rose bushes next year and see if it makes a difference.
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The tea pickers are given housing by the tea plantations as well as electricity and good schooling for their children.
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A lady walking down the road, though this doesn’t look to be tea she is carrying
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We visited the Norwood Factory in Bogowantalawa where we were given a delightful tour by Andrew Taylor, a direct descendant of James Taylor, the first tea planter in Sri Lanka. Although the factory was not in production the day we visited we were able to take a nice quiet tour and receive Andrew’s undivided attention.
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Slim Paley photo
Here we begin with the freshly plucked leaves.
They must be moist enough to not break up when they are rolled between your palms.
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The freshly picked baskets of tea leaves are put into this elevator and brought up to the second floor of the factory
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Where they are spread out on these racks
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and dried for a very specific amount of time by these incredibly powerful fans
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Then lots of other crazy stuff happens.
What can I say- I lost some of my notes and was nervous about going up Adam’s Peak later that night- I was trying to preserve energy!
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I thought a few people might enjoy this sign
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I know that this machine shimmied and shook like crazy
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and I believe this one cut the leaves but don’t quote me
Towards the end of the process the leaves are put into a huge oven heated entirely by burning wood.
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I was rather taken with the Norwood Factory’s “5S System” which they’ve adopted from the Japanese.
I might add that the factory and all the machinery was immaculate.
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3 stages of tea
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The entire process of taking the tea leaf from the bush to finished product is accomplished in a single day.
7 days a week. 365 days a year.
There is no down season in the tea world.
From every batch of tea, a small sample is sent to all the brokers in Sri Lanka representing purveyors from around the world, from Lipton’s to Fornum & Mason. Their agents will expertly inspect the quality of leaves for colour, consistency and taste and then bid on individual lots at auction every week. A tea taster can manage 800-1,000 tastings A DAY. Take that wine tasters.
So from the field to the bank for the tea producer is a 3 week turnaround. What a great business!
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Finally, our taste test lesson, which involved swilling, slurping, spitting and face making whilst we searched for hopefully a lack of any ‘foreign’ perfume or wood smoke, while trying to ascertain a fresh citrusy scent, slight tingle on the tip of our tongues, and a general feeling of well being.
In other words, we had great fun!
Lastly, just a couple more things to remember;
Authentic tea leaves from Sri Lanka should have the name “Dilmah” on the packaging.
In order to keep tea fresh you should remove it from cardboard boxes and store in metal tins. If tea is wrapped in Aluminum foil it will keep for 3 years as opposed to 18 months, at best, unwrapped.
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And how, being a child of a certain era, could I resist adding this??!
Tea For The Tillerman
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What young girl didn’t drink copious cups of tea listening to the Cat??!
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God Cat…
Stop following me!
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The fine tea of the Norwood plantation ready to be sent around the world.
Of course this post has only barely brushed against the fascinating world of tea. There are a zillion books on the subject, one being “The Empire of Tea: The Remarkable History of the Plant That Took Over the World” by Alan & Iris Macfarlane.
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Slim Paley photo
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Wishing my Irish relatives and everyone that cares to celebrate A Very Happy St. Patrick’s Day
And for those of you in Ireland, Boston and New Orleans-take it easy on the green beer and “Kilt Lifters”!!
xoxo
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Like this:
We Be Pilgrims
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ADAM’S PEAK or SRI PADA
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“The panorama from the summit of Adam’s Peak is perhaps the grandest in the world, as no other mountain, although surpassing it in altitude , presents the same unobstructed view over land and sea. Around it, to the north and east, the traveller looks down on the zone of lofty hills that encircle the Kandyan kingdom, whilst to the westward the eye is carried far over undulating plains, threaded by rivers like cords of silver, till in the purple distance the glitter of the sunbeams on the sea mark the line of the Indian Ocean” James Emerson Tennent
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Climbed it.
Swear.
My friend and I climbed it in the middle of the night.
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Slim Paley photo
Starting off at the gates to “Sri Pada” (Sacred Footprint)
Imagine a place on this strife-riddled planet where Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims all walk together, side by side, head to toe, in a peaceful, unified pilgrimage.
Offering helping hands, sharing water, even carrying those unable to climb without aid,
Mostly in silence or in prayer…
(Ok, my friend and I complained a couple of times but under our breath and not until the very top…)
They are united simply in the spirit of the climb, not in dogma, as each religion holds a different belief about the origins of the sacred footprint they seek to view at the top of Sri Pada.
And imagine that as each pilgrim takes this harmonious journey, usually commencing in the middle of the night, they are participating in something that has been taking place for over 1,000 years.
We are all coming to pay our respects to
the large and distinct impression at the top of the mountain measuring aprox. 68″ long by 31″ at toes and 29″ at heel resembling a footprint.
According to Christian legend and closely believed by Muslims
(let’s hear it for the Christians and the Muslims agreeing on something),
Adam was hurled from Paradise for his disobedience and stood in penance for a thousand years on one foot at the top of Adam’s Peak, after which he was reunited with Eve on Mt. Arafat overlooking Mecca.
By the ninth century, this footprint was consequently considered one of the most sacred sites in the world..
Let’s just say it’s a mighty popular footprint.
Slim Paley photo
Pardon the poor quality of these photos but I only have a point & shoot camera and it was very dark and quite cold.
The flickering thread of light you see in the distance are the climbers going before us.
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After much research and consulting with others we decided that in order to appreciate the full Monty of the Sri Pada experience we too had to venture up in the middle of the night.
A quick trip to a men’s clothing shop to buy appropriate warm jackets (albeit ones we would normally never be caught dead in that are now sacred garments we’ll never part with!)
An early dinner at the hotel followed by a midnight wake-up call to get layered up and ready for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the base of the mountain.
The idea is to begin the ascent at 2am to assure arrival at the summit in plenty of time to appreciate the sunrise;
“Pilgrims try to reach the summit before dawn to view the grand phenomenon known as the ‘ira-sevaya’ (the effulgence of the rising sun) puncturing the eastern horizon, like a ball of fire, casting a shadow of the mountain to fall on to the valley in the opposite direction, like a cone. The ‘ira sevaya’ is considered to mean the worship of the foot by the sun-god.”
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Yo, We be Pilgrims!
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Slim Paley photo
As you can see, in some places it is quite dark. The steps are rough and would hardly pass code in the United States.
It is 5,200 steps to the top. Seriously. I Shiva you not
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Slim Paley Photo
While tempted to shop on the way up (there’s a shocker), I remember that between my water, blanket, camera, sunglasses,iPhone, insect repellent, lip gloss, magnifying mirror and sunscreen, I don’t have a lot of room left.
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It did occur to me that a green banana bought at the bottom might well be yellow by the time we reached the top.
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Slim Paley Photo
Fashion choices for making the pilgrimage up Sri Pada really run the gamut.
Although some fellow “pilgrims” appeared friendlier than others, It all felt very Jean-Paul Gaultier inspired.
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Nearly there…
“no, don’t say that one more time.”
No, seriously, we’re really almost there.
“Shhuuh uup”
60 more steps…
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Here it comes…
The music now is a MUST;
click on arrow
Skelator Hands at the ready…
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Rising through the heavy duvet of clouds tucked around the shoulders of the mountains
Here Comes the sun…
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Slim Paley photo
Dawn breaks casting a surreal orange glow upon the faces of the weary travelers huddled out of the wind below the shrine.
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Slim Paley photo
Some of our fellow pilgrims
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Slim Paley photo
At last the sun breaks free and starts to cast the shadows
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Where’s Waldo? I mean Slim??!
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Of course we had no appreciation of how high we actually were until morning came
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Slim Paley photo
Top of the World Ma!
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Slim Paley photo
Adam’s Peak rises 7,360ft. from the central highlands of Sri Lanka and can be seen by sea rising above the horizon 80 miles before the coastline comes into view
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We were filled with the glory of achievement and excited to make our way down, making the silly assumption that it would be much easier than the ascent.
We were SO wrong. Coming down was brutal. The constant jarring impact of your foot against the unforgiving stone steps was no fun.
I thought if I should ever so much as see another step for the rest of the holiday it would be too soon.
It took us over 3 hours to come down! We walked sideways like crabs for the next 3 days, explaining to anyone and everyone that we had
“CLIMBED ADAM’S PEAK”
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Naturally the shops were all closed up.
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We managed to find a few that were open and got awfully excited when we thought this was FUDGE.
Flies or no flies, that moment of “Fuuuuudddggge” that pranced across my brain was so exciting while it lasted.
Alas, not sure what it was but it wasn’t fudge-still I did consider buying it to put in my left shoe…
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And all up and down- Yay Us!!
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Can I tell you how lovely it was to come back to this welcome at our cozy hotel nestled in the tea fields (and be carried up the stairs?!!)
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Are YOU in the mood for Adventure yet?!
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For more information on Adam’s Peak click here; Sacred Sites
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Like this:
Memories, Old & New
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Flowers in the garden of the Gallery Cafe, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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A small, almost tear drop shaped country dangling off the coast of India like a gorgeous emerald earring, Sri Lanka has always held a special place in my heart. As I mentioned previously, I’ve been here twice before and though I hate to admit how far back that was, the fact that the rupee note I’d saved from my last visit was now in the Colombo Historical Museum (no joke) did give me a moment to reflect upon the swift passage of time (as well as sensation of slight indigestion)
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Don’t look at my manicure. I’m on my hols.
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I have never forgotten the omnipresent scent of woodsmoke drifting in the still, moist air, the beauty of the trees,the wildly exotic birds, the spectacular sunsets, and most of all, the sweetness of the people.
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and don’t even get me started on the children.
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The beach side of the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo
We started our adventure in the port city of Colombo where, I must admit, there isn’t a huge amount of things to see, however it’s where international flights land, so after a long journey, in my case from L.A., it’s nice to rest one night here, perhaps visit a museum or two and do a little shopping before you head off for more scenic destinations around the country. We’d asked our travel agent to book us into The Galle Face Hotel, where I had stayed before and adored it. Built right on the beach in Colombo in 1865, this huge Colonial Grand Dame is positively steeped (aptly, in this land so famous for their tea ) in the memories and ghosts of all the interesting people, events and history of Ceylon that have passed through it’s colonnaded entrance. Anybody who was anybody, from Kings to movie stars stayed at The Galle Face when they arrived in Colombo.
So imagine my disappointment when our reservations fell through just a week or so before our trip?!
No. It could not be! Did they not remember me?!
Alas, it was true, and with high season in full swing, we had to choose another place to lay our weary heads. A chance (very lucky) Twitter exchange with a writer from Australian Vogue Living magazine resulted in us booking ”The Tintagel” instead.
Score!!
Like this:
A Guest Post From Slim’s Friend
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Dearest Slim Paley Readers:
I regret to inform you that Slim Paley has gone “troppo” for the moment. As you know, she is an enthusiastic traveller and as her pal and travel partner, we chose Sri Lanka for this year’s sojourn. Our plans have changed from day to day. We even dropped one country and chose another. But in Sri Lanka I seem to have lost her to a gentle country of open faces and Dutch Colonial architecture, which was her passion but now her obsession. It is also a country she visited when she was even a hotter chick than she is now.
Although I have reminded her every day that she might want to think about working on her next post, I can’t tear her away from King Coconut water and Geoffrey Bawa houses. She is in a bit of a swoon over it all, the swaying palms, billowing mosquito nets, the tea plantations, and a country where the coffee is so awful and the tea so wonderful there is hardly a choice for those of us accustomed to our morning lattes. Having toured a tea factory, it won’t be long before Slim will be instructing you all on how to make tea, how to taste it and how you should feel after a proper cuppa.
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Fields of tea and waterfalls, Sri Lanka
Admittedly, I have also found myself cheerful at the prospect of unreliable or virtually no internet. Slim did help me meet a deadline so I feel obliged to let her off the hook for now.
You can expect some of her most inspired writing and annoyingly wonderful photos (although maybe some of mine may make their way into her blog) and I can assure you it will be worth the wait.
Sending you all glad tidings from Paradise,
Slim’s friend
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Always an adventure-Who knew low tide was only in the morning?
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Many thanks to my dear friend and travel mate for writing my very first “Guest Post”. I promise I haven’t gone AWOL amongst the fields of tea. I will be posting very shortly-I have lots to share!
xoxSP
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Like this:
Arabian Night
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Slim Paley photo
Night falls at The United Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi
Where the sand is very white
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The cars are silver
Not painted silver, actually silver
(it drove right past my friend arriving to the hotel)
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And the Desert desserts are sprinkled with real gold
Have you ever had “Umm Ali”? I will be ordering this again.
Interesting dilemma; If you get gold stuck in your teeth should you save it??
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Over the top-ness aside, the level of service was great and the food absolutely delicious. When this breakfast of egg white omelette with wild mushrooms, goat cheese, roasted tomatos and potatoes arrived I thought-well, honestly, who would eat that many potatoes at breakfast.
Apparently ME, accompanied by the best freshly squeezed green apple and pomegranite juice. So yummy.
Didn’t have time to go sight-seeing this being just a quick pit-stop enroute to Sri Lanka.
More to follow soon…
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Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
I bet you’re all watching Downton tonight. I see “Cousin Matthew” is tweeting away but don’t want to even glance in case of spoilers.
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Like this:
Dear Abbey
Lady Mary at the train station bids adieu to Cousin Matthew
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And I must also board a train to distant lands…
(after a plane, a car, then another plane, and one more car, but those bits aren’t so romantic)
I’m off to Sri Lanka and Burma (Myanmar) with a girlfriend for 3 weeks!!
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Cousin Matthew and Lady Mary say good-bye
but it could just as well be my husband seeing me off
(after he catches his breath getting all my bags into the car)
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I’m quite beside myself with excitement and slightly overwhelmed at what’s involved in leaving home & hearth for 3 whole weeks.
Packing is the least of it.
No, it SO isn’t, but I’ve always wanted to say that.
One MIGHTY BIG concern is the fact that I’m going to be missing the last 3 episodes of Downton Abbey, including the 2 hour Christmas Special!
I’m afraid if I do have internet access I’m going to get ‘spoilers’ coming at me left and right.
The Husband’s never been great at keeping secrets either, which means he might be banned from watching until I return.
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I’ve recorded this for him as a warning reminder;
Downton Abbey
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Will they get back together?
Will the cheeky chauffeur have his way with her Ladyship?
Is Robert really going to leave Downton to be in the employ of such a nouveau riche bounder?
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Meanwhile, I’m going to miss my favourite character
Lord Grantham
but I’m slightly worried about the glint he’s getting in his eye when talking to the new maid…
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Hmmm- and who might that new precocious parlormaid be??
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Impostor or the real deal?
And if dead cousin Gordon or whatever his name is can just waltz up from The Titanic’s watery depths, albeit burned beyond recognition and with an American accent, to crash the party, why can’t our favourite Turkish delight rise stiffly (no pun intended) from his grave to make a repeat performance??
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Who amongst us would mind?!
oh here, let me get that mud for you with the warm edge of the lace hankie I keep tucked just inside my heaving bodice.
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and while we’re at it…
Is it just me, or is Lady Mary’s fiancé Sir Richard Carlisle not the love child of Richard Chamberlain and Peter Beard?
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Richard Chamberlain
Sir Richard (Iain Glen)
and Peter Beard
Separated at birth, no??
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Is the treacherous Thomas softening slightly this season?
I do believe I’ve almost caught a glimmer of a smidgen of a smile once or twice.
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I might I need to ask Cousin Matthew who followed me on Twitter recently
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Although he’s not exactly the chattiest follower on Twitter.
Perhaps the paralysis is migrating upwards…
Hey! Matthew! WAKE UP
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Cocktail napkins from Rue de Lillie Antiques, Summerland, CA.
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Robert: “You know, there is nothing more ill-bred than to steal other people’s servants.”
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In honor of my favourite show, I’m sharing my bells once more…
Found years ago in London
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Traveled across the seas to America
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To live silently ever after in my kitchen in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Imagine the stories they could tell.
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And how does One feel about Madame MacClaine joining the cast next Season?!
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Is there really room for two Divas?!
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Who is your favourite character?
Are you enjoying the second season as much as the first?
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PS. I hope to be able to post and keep in touch on my travels, but it’s rather a whirlwind itinerary and I’m not sure how available internet access will be.
I’ll try to check in on FB & Twitter
(It’s always been my dream to “Tweet” from Mandalay )
If you haven’t done so already, you might like to sign up for my email alerts at the top of this page to stay connected.
(don’t forget to click on the ‘confirm’ button you will be sent-it takes 1 second)
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** Hoarder Alert; It’s been 29 years since my last visit to “Ceylon” but I saved this 10 rupee bill (circa 1979) knowing that someday, I would return.
It’s going back with me this week.
Woo hoo!
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I’ll see you at The Abbey tonight!
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and dare we hope that Matthew felt a tingle??
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