Spilling the Tea on Southern Sri Lanka

We took the train from Colombo and spent two days exploring Galle and the surrounding areas. The towns are filled with vibrant beach bars, hotels, and crashing waves. Most of the beaches are un-swimmable due to the strong currents and dangerously large waves during this time of year.

Galle 

Bob (Sam’s dad) connected us with an old friend’s family who lives in Galle. Dilanka, Awanthi, and their family opened their home to us and were SO hospitable for the 2 days we visited. Dilanka works for a bank in Colombo during the weekdays but comes down to Galle on weekends. He spent his entire weekend with us and showed us an amazing time.

Awanthi (Dilanka’s oldest sister) became our adopted mom for 48 hours. She cooked a full Sri Lankan breakfast for us when we arrived (coconut roti, chicken curry, and sweet onion sambol) and when the food was ready, she refused to eat with us and continued to feed us more and more. She was so proud to serve us her food, and it was delicious!

After we ate, Dilanka showed us around Galle’s tourist spots. We quickly learned he has an eye for content creation and LOVED taking photos and videos of me and Sam—no complaints from me here!! ;) Hehe. He then brought us to a local beach, known as "Jungle Beach," to cool off from the humidity. As a last stop, he surprised us with a VIBEY beach club called "Angel Beach," which rivals similar day clubs in Miami or Ibiza. One sunset drink led to bottle service and a proper night out filled with too much Bacardi, dancing, and tribal beats.

The next morning, we rehydrated with Sri Lanka’s hangover cure—fresh coconut water! We had to rid ourselves of last night’s hangover quickly because Awanthi wanted to bring us to the neighborhood function—an almsgiving service for a family friend who had died 3 months prior - a little morbid I know! But we are fully leaning into our new friends' culture!

In Buddhism, when someone dies, they have a ceremony 7 days after death (burial, etc.), 3 months (almsgiving), and every year after. Everyone wears white, monks come to the family home to pray, and guests bring alms for the family (typically granulated sugar or sweet treats). I threw on my white wrinkly linen shirt, and Awanthi handed us a big bag of sugar to present to their neighbor as alms. The whole neighborhood (~200 people) watched us in amusement. Then, with the 200 other locals in the family’s garden, we indulged in a feast of Sri Lankan food and desserts (that we ate with our hands!).

Dilanka and Awanthi took great care of us, introducing us to their friends and explaining certain ceremonial traditions. After everyone eats, not much lingering or conversation continues. Neighbors scurry back home after finishing their food and continue on with their days (very different from Mexican culture where the party goes ALL NIGHT).

Dilanka and Awanthi's mom sadly passed during Covid but had a delayed almsgiving to celebrate her just last month. They invited 400 people, yet 600 showed up. This just shows how loved she and their family are around the community.

Sam and I packed our bags, and Dilanka insisted on driving us to our next spot an hour away (also on the beach!) We stopped at two more beach bars to soak in the afternoon and sunset. Dilanka shared that he hopes to find a job in the UK or start a tourism business in Sri Lanka. As his first unofficial clients, we give him 5 stars!! If anyone is visiting Sri Lanka and needs a driver, tour guide, or recommendations, Dilanka is your man. He knows all the hot spots and you are guaranteed incredible travel content!

After saying goodbye, we spent the next few days chilling in Mirissa and Hiriketiya, boogie boarding, and discovering MORE beach bars (what can we say? We are officially professional beach bums :)). We actually had some of our lowest spending days at the beach bars, so I consider that a win-win!! Hiriketiya was electric - a small beach in a cove that’s developing quickly with vibey beach bars/boutique hotels! Gave us early Tulum vibes - although we’ve never actually been to Tulum lol.

In Mirissa, we walked to a viewpoint and met this unreal 62-year-old Australian solo traveler, Swabbie (his real name is Paul). Swabbie hope you’re crushing the waves at Arugam Bay if you’re reading this! We ended up chatting about his past world travels in the 80s, his views on climate change (he knows we are polluting the planet but hates and doesn’t believe the whole narrative around climate change), and his love for surfing. We ended up running into him again at sunset, which led to us drinking the night away together hearing all about his wild stories and a promise to visit him in Australia. He gave us some incredible advice and perspective- what a legend.

Ella

We worked our way towards the center of Sri Lanka for the last leg of our trip. After taking a 5-hour bus ride, we made it to Ella and were greeted with cool temperatures (high 60s), fog, and the most GORGEOUS views. Ella is a pretty touristy town, but for good reason. The nature and climate are so different from the rest of Sri Lanka. It’s also the perfect climate to grow tea leaves, so it's the hub for tea factories in Sri Lanka. They call Ella and its surrounding areas the “tea country,” which resembles California’s wine country—huge sprawling hills covered in rows of lush green plants. I kept mentioning to Sam how much it reminded me of California with the views and climate.

We opted for two hikes, the longer one being Ella Rock. We scootered down the windy mountains/ dirt roads looking for the trailhead. When we arrived, we parked our bike by a huge farm plantation where workers were carrying bags of cabbage, green beans, beets, and other veggies on their heads across train tracks. We casually asked one of them where the trailhead started and were escorted down a path, through the farm, and taken into the woods.

The man kept walking with us, pointing out various eucalyptus plants, guava trees, and ferns along the way. After about 15 minutes, I wondered when he was going to stop walking with us. He never did haha.

He hiked with us the entire way, making me a makeshift hiking pole from a bamboo tree. We learned his name was Gayan. We kept laughing knowing that this man completely ditched his farm work to become our unofficial guide for the morning. He kept getting phone calls, which Sam and I quietly joked about, wondering if it was his boss asking where the hell he went. At the top, he took us to a “secret” viewpoint to avoid a steep admission fee of $6 and had us whispering, ducking, and hiking through the forest like we would be jailed if caught by the park rangers. It was so silly, but we played along. We ended up tipping him at the end, and now he keeps WhatsApp-ing us constantly!

After our hike, we opted for an Ayurvedic massage, which is a special Sri Lankan aromatherapy practice. They poured tons of oil on our scalps and bodies. To be honest, Thai massages are still preferred!

We woke up early the next day to enjoy the last of our guesthouse's view (and delicious breakfast) before heading to the train station.

Ella to Kandy Train

If anyone has searched for the top things to do in Sri Lanka, 99% of blogs will say riding the train from Ella to Kandy is one of the best experiences you can have. The train has the most picturesque views the entire way, with its tracks settled between tea plantations, redwood forests, and waterfalls.

It’s also an amazing people-watching opportunity as you’re closely interacting with locals and tourists. Depending on the train class ticket you buy, you may or may not be given a seat. This makes the train packed with people fighting to sit at the open doors for optimal views and a steady breeze.

The journey ranges from 3 to 6 hours, depending on if you stop halfway in another tea plantation town, Nuwara Eliya. We divided the train ride over two days to see all three towns.

We managed to find seats and got chatting with a 22-year-old who was training to be an airplane pilot. He had recently studied in Birmingham and hopes to work for Emirates or British Airways someday. He was so smart, and thoughtful, and only reinforced our belief that Sri Lankan youths have so much going for them.

We played peekaboo with another young local who spoke to us in perfect English. At each stop, food vendors sell various snacks (roti, samosas, fruits, veggies) through the train windows.

Once we arrived in Nuwara Eliya, we settled into our guesthouse, and I noticed Sam immediately changed into his golf polo for the first time on the trip. I wondered why quietly in my head. . . (keep reading for more on this!).

Nuwara Eliya ("NE")

This town is even higher in the hills than Ella and is nicknamed “Little England” because the British colonists fell in love with its weather (it's cold, gray, rainy, and the fog rolls in quickly—just like England!) and built their colonial-styled weekend homes in the hills back in the day. The hotels all serve English high tea in the afternoons too.

I quickly realized why Sam decided to put his golf polo on. He had strategically guided us through Nuwara Eliya, where we “accidentally” ended up on the golf course! He suggested we stop at the clubhouse for "a cup of tea."

The town didn’t have much going on, so I obliged. He then decided to inquire about playing a cheeky 9 holes. That’s when I began to roll my eyes and hoped he was kidding! The only activity I wanted to do in NE was visit a tea factory to see how tea was made. One goal Sam and I made during our travels was to learn about each country's biggest exports, and we had yet to learn about tea production. If we played golf, the plantation tours would be closed by the time we finished.

In the moments of Sam’s negotiation, an 80-something-year-old Australian man approached our table and began chatting with us. His name was Tom, and he said he had been a member of the golf club since 1962 while splitting his time between Sri Lanka and Australia. He was super charming and helped convince me to walk the course with Sam for 9 holes. He then asked if we had visited any tea plantations. We told him our situation, and he insisted we visit a Pedro Tea Factory for a night tour that he would try to arrange (there wasn’t any info online about night tours or anything!)

He then quickly dropped he used to manage all the tea plantations in NE and ran to a landline to call the manager at Pedro Factory. A few minutes later - our tour was arranged and we were instructed to arrive at 1 am (!!)and strictly no photos were allowed.

This was so unique because Black Ceylon tea can only be manufactured during the night to optimize temperature control. Most commercial tours operate during the day when the actual tea production is finished, so the machinery is idle. 1 am is the optimal time for manufacturing to start! Sam and I were buzzing. For me, mostly because we were going to have a private behind-the-scenes tour. Sam was buzzing because he got to play golf AND see a tea factory in action.

We thanked Tom endlessly and got ready for Sam’s 9 holes. Sam was given a caddie who had worked there for 30+ years, which he was super excited for. (Sam input: went 8 over, caddie was electric). We then were joined by another man, Bill, who teed off at the same time.

Bill was a legend (also, if you’re reading this, Bill, hi!!!!). He’s a 60-something-year-old man who married a Sri Lankan woman and currently lives in Houston, Texas. He’s spending time in Sri Lanka to test whether he wants to split time between here and Texas once he retires. His days in Sri Lanka are filled with golf, tennis, and surprisingly cheap personal training sessions (he mentioned only $8/hr!! Wish we had known that sooner!). We chatted about travels, his son who is a tennis player turned pro pickleballer living in Hermosa Beach, and his wife’s lavish Houston lifestyle :)

Bill let me putt for him on a few holes and truly made the afternoon so enjoyable. I’ve never been on a course before, so hopefully, all golf experiences hold up to this one. Once we finished, we enjoyed Lion beers together before saying goodbye.

On the way out, we ended up running into Tom again who was at the bar with his wife, Cheryl. They invited us for a drink. Cheryl was a very posh Sri Lankan woman who carried herself very eloquently. At first, I was a bit intimidated, feeling underdressed and out of place sitting with them. After ordering drinks, the golf club staff came over and insisted Sam couldn’t sit in the bar with shorts on. This made me even more uncomfortable after Cheryl and the waiter went back and forth in Sinhalese. They eventually allowed Sam to stay but quickly returned with a pair of trousers (it was a staff member’s personal pair) for him to put on.

Cheryl warmed up, and we ended up having a really good conversation with her and Tom. I keep laughing to myself that we have been having so much fun with people our parents' and grandparents' age, but I think it’s been amazing hearing life lessons and stories from people from every walk of life.

We said goodbye to Tom and Cheryl, grabbed dinner, and went on a mission to convince a tuk-tuk driver to join us for our late-night adventure to the tea factory.

We found a young driver who was willing to pick us back up from our guesthouse at 12:30 a.m. and wait till our tour was finished. He was super confused by our request but obliged after we negotiated paying 5,000 rupees (~$16) for his time.

He picked us up and drove us to Pedro Factory at 1 a.m. The gate was obviously closed, and a security guard came out. We told him our situation, and he looked around confused. He said to come back at 8 a.m. for the regular tour. We asked him to get a manager.

Then the manager came. He hadn’t been notified of our arrival, and I so badly wished I could remember the other managers Tom and I spoke to earlier (it was a long name, and all I remembered was it started with a P). The guard called someone who must have been whom I chatted with earlier and gave us the infamous Sri Lankan head bobble** and escorted us through the gate.

The process from picking to drying all happens in one day. Early morning, tea pluckers head to the plantations and handpick the tea leaves. Pedro averages 4,000 to 8,000 KG per day. The tea is then heated to perfect temperatures before being transferred to the rolling machines. Leaves are rolled for 30 minutes (basically crushing them to become finer) and then dried to become loose-leaf tea most of us are familiar with.

The working conditions in the factory were eye-opening too. The manager showed us around, but we quickly were faced with him yelling at one lady for not sweeping leftover tea leaves from the floor before we walked through the room. Then another worker aggressively started yelling at the manager and looked really angry. The manager later explained many of the workers try fighting them.

Most of the workers live at the factory and make 1,000 rupees a day ($3.30 USD). They work 7 days a week and are only given 17 days off per year. The manager even admitted that it’s not enough money for these workers to survive, let alone support their families.

The whole process was fascinating and made me really appreciate what goes into a good cup of tea. It’s all so natural! No additives or other ingredients were added to the tea, which was amazing to see (I would have expected some additives like coloring or citric acid for preservation!).

After a few hours of sleep (we left the factory at 3 a.m.), we got back on the train and traveled to Kandy, where we were originally going to Perahera, Sri Lanka’s largest holiday festival. We are intentionally trying to experience as many national holidays/celebrations during our travels but unfortunately, Bill (and many other locals) shared their experiences that it’s way too crowded to enjoy.

Kandy

Perahera is a grand cultural festival and is a bucket list activity for Sri Lankans. The streets are PACKED. Like so packed that you cannot move past one another. There are also elephants dressed up passing through the parade route, which initially sounded cool. But after a bit of research, we saw videos of the elephants being mistreated and poked aggressively after becoming startled by the large crowds. So, we sacked that off and booked a boujieeee (Sam input: Laura was easily convinced :)) glamping eco-lodge an hour up in the mountains to finish off Sri Lanka!

At the train station, we found the best tuk-tuk driver, Kamal, who drove us on the 1.5 trip up the mountains. Due to Covid and the lack of tourists, he had stopped driving his tuk-tuk for nearly 2 years and we were his first customers since restarting! He was SO grateful to drive us and earn his first bit of money back on the road. After a very rickety ride, we arrived at our lodge. We then were greeted by the property manager, who RANDOMLY was Kamal’s brother-in-law (IT WAS SO WEIRD!!! Kamal didn’t even know we were going to the same resort his brother-in-law worked at!!).

Madulkelle Eco Lodge had THE most insane view. Our tent was overlooking the Knuckles Mountains and was surrounded by the most gorgeous tea bushes. The resort felt like a really large beautiful home. It had an amazing infinity pool too. We vegged out, drank lots of tea, and enjoyed the property to the fullest.

We had agreed for Kamal to pick us up the following afternoon to complete a 5-hour journey from the mountains back to Negombo where we would stay before catching our early flight out of Sri Lanka. When he arrived, Kamal shared that before he picked us up, he was waiting at the train station for other potential clients. He managed to meet a woman who needed a ride to Madulkelle Eco Lodge (THE SAME RESORT WE WERE STAYING AT!! This place only had 19 tents, like WHAT are the odds). He drove her to the lodge in the afternoon, which timed perfectly with our pickup plan.

The ride went quicker than expected. We stopped in Kandy to stretch our legs, and Kamal brought us to a newly opened ice cream parlor that he helped construct during his time off. We got a sundae and a milkshake, then his whole family came to meet us. He was so happy to introduce us and was beaming with pride.

We arrived at Negombo just before midnight and returned to the original B&B we stayed in just 3.5 weeks prior (they were also the B&B that stored our extra backpack during the scootering!). We had the world's worst sleep due to some type of big rodent scrambling on the ceiling all night (we think).

In the morning, we packed our bags one last time, boarded our last Tuk Tuk in Sri Lanka, and soaked in the last moments of our nearly month-long adventures across the country.

If you couldn’t tell from our writing, we fell in love with Sri Lanka. The people, the scenery, the food—there is SO MUCH to experience and see. We encourage everyone to consider your next holiday/vacation in this gorgeous country. It’s so affordable and would be an amazing 2-week beach/mountain holiday! Please reach out for any recommendations if you or your friends decide to visit.

P.S. We never talked about the Sri Lankan head bobble. It is the funniest expression where people shake their heads in a figure-8 motion. It means “ok” or “yes,” but really looks like they are saying “idk” or “no.” By the end, Sam was head-bobbling and leaning into the movement. Watch here!!!