No cycling today. Instead we transferred by coach up to the hill town of Nuwareliya. We are around ~1900m elevation and considerably cooler.
It was a relaxed start. Unlock my bicycle at 7am so it could be loaded into a renter truck. Breakfast buffet at the hotel, load our bags onto the baggage truck.
Originally the idea was for the tour to take a train. While that would have been fun, Cyclone Ditwah knocked out several railway bridges and made that impossible. The staff weighed having us ride but there is a *lot* of climbing and hence a bus day with lunch at a tea plantation.
The process for tea is summarized above. What surprised me was (1) while there are ~300 species of tea plant, most of the tea in the world comes from two species (2) it seems like a very mechanical process of drying, rolling, breaking, sifting the leaves into different uses (3) fermentation might distinguish black tea from others but physical characteristics like leaf size, size of the tea powder make for differences in tea
Some more info here: https://teasrilanka.org/tea-grade
As we got to the right altitude to grow tea (soil PH, sunlight, rain and other factors also at play) there were many plantations catering to tourists. We stopped at one of the larger ones. We had lunch first, then the tea tour.
First step, drying ~500kg of tea to leave ~250kg
A lot of rolling, shaking and sorting to get different coarseness of tea powders sorted into bins
Next was the tea tasting. We got to sample four different teas.
Last step here was the sales center where one could buy tea. I didn’t get any here but many other riders have some tea to carry home in their bags.
Sign boards also told some of the story.
Nuwara Eliya is a tourist town with horse rides.
Sign pointing back to Kandy down the hill.
Gasoline is approximately $4/gallon equivalent here.
Classic looking hill house.
From here the plan is two days cycling – back down to sea level. Still some uphill tomorrow as well.
A rest day today to see sights in Kandy. These included the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Museum of Buddhism, the palace and generally walking around town.
The Temple of the Tooth Relic, has hidden away the left front tooth. There is a sequence of ~20 panels that starts with the history of Buddha and then explains how the tooth ended here with references to kings, the British, etc. There are also small alcoves with different deities. Photos prohibited in many places but got a few to give a flavor.
The Museum of Buddhism was well done. It gave a good history of founding around ~300 BC in northern India and then the spread through the world. There was a sequence of halls, one per country that highlighted unique strains of Buddhism and country specific highlights.
The palace wasn’t as interesting to see but did have some nice dioramas.
Kandy is a town otherwise catering to tourists.
One does need to be careful with monkeys here. One from our group had the door/window unlocked and monkeys decided to get in and create a mess.
Otherwise a quiet and relaxing day. The afternoon had some more rain.
Tomorrow we transfer to the next town (rather than bicycle) so a bit of a break before continuing the trip in the highlands.
Today I rode in to lunch and took the afternoon in the van. It was a hot ride and my GPS told me the full day would have 6000+ feet of climb. I have it showing distances in kilometers and climbs in feet.
We have reached Kandy and will explore here tomorrow as a rest day. We’re at 500m elevation and the next town is 1900m elevation. The original tour plan was to take a train – but Cyclone Ditwah knocked out some tracks so plan is to transfer by bus.
The day starts with bringing our bags to the truck and then breakfast
We cycled briefly along this reservoir
Looking backwards we fortunately could take the cycle path across. Motor vehicles took the road which seemed to have minor flooding
We followed this path along the canal for several kilometers
Bus stop and memorial to a special forces soldier.
Small shrine near lunch
Maurice getting a photo with the kids
Lunch stop. Several short steep hills before this and hot sun had me decide to take the van. It was a tough ride and kudos to those who rode it.
World cup cricket tournament going on. Australia is playing Sri Lanka at a stadium in Kandy about 11km from here. Australians on the trip are excited though may not be able to get tickets.
Today was a short ride with a TDA lunch at the hotel. The reason was to give us time in the afternoon to explore Sigiriya.
In the morning we crossed areas close to a national park. We were cautioned to ride in small groups in case of elephants. While rare, elephants are known to charge as this account https://tdaglobalcycling.com/2021/03/my-elephant-attack-ten-years-later/ from the founder of TDA from 15 years ago recalled.
I normally ride at my own pace with frequent stops for photos, but decided to follow the rules today and rode with another rider, Kathy, through the elephant zones.
Start of the day at bicycle parking to fill water and retrieve my bike.
We started along the lake.
Stupa
Another canal. It was close to the wildlife crossing so I waited for other riders
Road intersection
Fancy coke stop with a bakery
Watch for elephants
Bob at a coconut stop
Stupa, close to Sigiriya. As we got close we could see tourists on the road walking.
Closest we got to an elephant was this (sad) practice of tourists riding.
Sigiriya was a tourist center with lodging, cafes, signs, etc. In contrast to the east coast where we saw fewer tourists. Also on a Sunday, some local tourists.
Be careful
Lion Rock rises nearly 200m from the surrounding countryside. On top there was a temple which is now ruins. So my goal for the afternoon was to explore Lion Rock.
A long line snaking to the top.
Nice views on top
Ruins
Tourist souvenirs
Many buses visiting on tours.
Overall a nice afternoon walking and then climbing up the rock. Surrounding the area were more elaborate garden areas.
Today was a nice ride with cooler temperatures and just a few drops of rain. We headed away from the coast but it was still relatively flat riding. We were on slightly larger roads to start and much quieter and smaller roads after that.
We followed this road from 11km to 45km. For a few kilometers some local cyclists rode along. They were curious about all the standard things: where I was going, where I was from, what about my bike. They had jerseys and helmets and rode faster as part of a Saturday morning ride.
I saw more monkeys today. Mostly along the road but they were also rather adept at scampering along the power lines.
Shrine
While the road was larger, it still wasn’t very busy outside the towns.
We came along a large reservoir with this statue and a view of some countryside
Ice cream truck along the reservoir.
A lot of these upside down dishes.
Doug’s cafe, also known as the lunch stop. This was off on the smaller roads. On the way a scooter rider pulled alongside and kept insisting “you can’t go this way”. I wasn’t quite sure what the reason was but smiled and let him know I would try anyway.
Some kilometers of a reasonable dirt road.
Stupa
Clothes dry beside the road and grain dries on the road.
We came to an area with interesting ruins. Walked through several different parts here
A large monitor lizard was scampering off the road
Afternoon coke stop
Followed this small path for a while. Barely big enough for a big red bus and a bicycle to pass. It followed a canal. The road was wet but there was almost no rain.
From here the last kilometers and then along another reservoir to the hotel. A nice and not very hot ride today.
Today was a rest day from riding. After a large breakfast buffet, I walked to town and then the Koneswaram Temple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koneswaram_Temple) and took a tuk tuk back.
The dogs were also taking a rest day.
Let your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile – Bob Marley
Devine Mercy Shrine
Little shops
Informal stands
The chicken came before the egg… but the egg came before the curry chicken.
Where should I bring this wood?
There was a fish market downtown
We see these big red buses on the road. They pass quickly and make lots of noise
Dried fish
A stupa as I got onto the peninsula
Fort Frederick
Many deer around the fort. A few black birds decided to tag along.
This brought me to the temple. There was an inner sanctum with more pilgrims visiting
One item eagerly awaited at the rider briefing is the weather report. As we’ve slowly turned the corner to follow the coast, our NNE winds were likely tailwinds! Hooray. There was of course also a chance of some showers.
A church by the sea. The route wasn’t as busy as other days as we crossed slightly remote areas.
Once we left the mine region we came across this area with some damaged but passable road.
Welcome coke stop. Today many were curious where we were going.
This project cost $150k. In my opinion, development projects from the World Bank, UN, USAID or direct government initiatives or the peace corps are worthwhile. On a per-capita GDP, Sri Lanka is slightly richer than the average in India (but perhaps on par with wealthier southern parts of India), similar to Indonesia and behind Thailand. So it doesn’t come across as Madagascar was (very poor) but still developing.
Mixture of shrines and mosques today.
Our lunch stop.
No photos after lunch because it started to rain. A drenching thunderstorm for a bit and then lighter before stopping. Still warm so other than coming in soaking wet it was a welcome change from a hot afternoon
We now have a rest day tomorrow. We’re slightly away from Trinco, so will have to see how to get there.
Today was a longer day riding as we passed reminders of the civil war.
This first dozen kilometers were still busy as we left Jaffna. The bread trucks are converted tuk tuks and each plays a familiar tune. This morning one came by playing “it’s a small world after all”. Somehow it seemed fitting, though then the earworm tune was in my head for a while.
In 1983, an insurgency sprung up in the north with the Tamil Region fighting for independence from the Sinhalese dominated areas further south. This civil war lasted until 2009 when the rebels were defeated. Sadly with a loss of ~50,000 soldiers and ~100,000 civilians. The red areas were claimed by the insurgency. Today our route brought us through such regions and included war memorials for the victorious Sri Lankan army.
The area has some narrow regions with water on both sides which also played into the battles.
I leapfrogged this truck a few times. It was leading a large bus of people to visit religious sites. Each time they would pass, we would exchange waves.
Today continued with many greetings. See a group of schoolchildren dressed in white uniforms and a “Good Morning” gets a reflective chant in unison of “Good Morning” in return. Afternoons are more mixed as “Good Afternoon” might get “hi”, “bye bye” or once “good night”. But still waves and smiles traded through the day.
Yet another marked bike path. Only for ~200m. It looks like when they widened a new bridge they put in complete markings with a bike lane.
Around 55km was Elephant Pass, site of a significant battle. There is a narrowed spot causeway here that the Sri Lankan army put a military base. With this base they could control the route to northern part. The battle is described here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Elephant_Pass
Victory monument at Elephant Pass.
This was one of two heavily armored bulldozers that tried to break through to the Sri Lankan base and go after outnumbered soldiers there…
There is a monument to a soldier who used grenades to disable the bulldozer, at loss of his life – but protecting the camp.
Monument
Inscription at the monument
Our lunch stop was just across the way. I like the fruit salad though it looks like the staff was having fun. It wasn’t as hot, so I decided to continue riding the afternoon.
Lord Shiva
In the afternoon this truck came the other way along with a dozen or so people walking with similar flags
Other riders were able to figure out the flag.
A few sites like this one where land mines are still being cleared. We were cautioned to be careful not to stray too far from the road for a pee stop …
The road became quieter which led it being used to dry grains. Here they were scooping it up again.
Packed back into bags.
About 13km from the hotel was another victory monument . Last few kilometers and then into our hotel.
Today our first cycling was mostly along mangrove area. Swampy without many people and mostly straight roads. A slight headwind made for slightly tougher morning. Given the 130km full distance, I decided to stop at lunch.
We start the day off with breakfast
Swampy areas near the hotel. A big contrast in hotels – last night was a more secluded and quite nice hotel along the mangroves. Bird watchers would love it. Today a nice hotel near the middle of Jaffna with shops and other places nearby
Looking back at Mannar. Mosque on the left
Start of a long flat, straight road, initially concrete.
Church along the way
Temple along the way
I missed the listed coke stop at 46km but this was a nice alternative another 6km later
The road was quiet enough one could herd your cows along it. At other spots it became one lane because the other was taken by drying grains
Lunch stop. If there had been 35km left, I think I would have just gone for it, but heat and some headwinds had me be cautious this afternoon
The next photos in Jaffna – an elaborate library
The food court
Entrance to the old Dutch fort
Roundabout statue. Apparently Jaffna has a little less than 100,000 residents. We seem to be in the middle and close to many shops.
