Rammuni and the driver must have been wondering what we were up to as we showed up about an hour later than we said we would. That was no problem for them, of course. Since Summerville Bungalow was on the way back, we asked if we could stop there. When we arrived we were greeted by the assistant manager who gave us the tour of the tea factory. He offered to show us around. Summerville is the smallest of the bungalows with only 4 rooms. It is on the opposite side of the reservoir from Castlereigh. Only the dining area faces the reservoir. The sunsets from that vantage point are said to be spectacular. Because of its small size, Summerville is especially popular with families that want to rent out the entire bungalow.

It was pretty late in the afternoon when we returned to Norwood. Upon arrival, the general manager of Tea Trails greeted us and introduced himself. At cocktail hour that night we spent time with a Swedish couple who were living in Colombo. She was expecting shortly and they were enjoying a quick getaway to Tea Trails. We had an interesting conversation about the medical facilities available for an expectant mother and concluded that as long as it was a routine pregnancy she’d be fine. Dinner that night was Sri Lankan food. I have only one complaint about our dinners and that is that it was always pretty dark so we couldn’t see what we were eating very well. Our server brought us many dishes that night. They all tasted great but it was difficult to know what they were.

Off to bed – tomorrow is our last full day at Tea Trails and Jeane’s birthday…

you should have asked for more candles....??

we can't wait to go to tea trails and also to view your pics

Ah! The memories of Tea Trails. It sounds like you enjoyed it as much as we did.

and now robbie and fred are going...they will have to reserve a fodors suite...

Hi Craig, seems I'm a bit late to your party as I just found your report. It is wonderful to read, you write so evocatively. Glad you enjoyed the trip. King coconut water, I have some every morning in the office, and it has very good rehydrating properties, however it is definitely not to be used intravenously. Sad you could not finally see Yala, seeing from your report on Minneriya I can see that you really like wildlife, and also you discussed abut yala with me so many times in the past few months, guess it was just not to be. Yala is very special. Hope you get a another chance someday. On the subject of shopping, you really must see the classy boutiques in Colombo some day, good antiques, ethnic stuff, paintings etc.

Looking forward to the rest of your report...

Hi Craig,

Which bungalow would you consider as the best(views, comfort etc)?

Hanuman - My vote for views would go to Castlereigh since its right on the reservoir. If being near the water doesn't matter to you, Norwood rates a close second. As for comfort they are all comfortable - its just a matter of how comfortable you want to be. Three of the bungalows have huge master suites but most of the deluxe rooms and garden suites are quite large. You can get an idea of the rooms' relative dimensions on the website.

The other things to consider are whether you need a pool, tennis courts, croquet etc. and what you'd like your view to be like at mealtime.

Jeane wanted to do a long walk with a guide on her birthday. From Norwood there were a couple of choices. The previous evening the General Manager had stopped by our table at dinner. As part of our conversation with him, we discussed our options. He suggested we do the hike to Tientsin Bungalow and then stay for lunch. It sounded like a great idea. We had heard from the activities director that the Tientsin walk was a fairly level as opposed to the alternate one which would require a lot of climbing. That sold me. This was the only activity that we had to pay extra for – $15 per person. We arranged for the guide to meet us at 9 AM. The total distance was 16 km (about 10 miles) and it would take us about 3½ hours to walk from Norwood to Tientsin.

It was a very pleasant walk, a little cooler than our previous hikes because of the earlier start and the slightly overcast skies. As you might expect, most of the trip was through tea plantations. However we did encounter a couple of villages along the way which provided for some nice photos. It was a Sunday and as we set out we could hear melodious chanting from a distant Hindu temple. It is interesting to note that the residents of hill country are primarily Hindu Tamils, descendants of slaves brought over from India in the 19th century to work on the tea plantations. While the hill country Tamils have the same basic roots in India as the Jaffna Tamils living in northern Sri Lanka, the two groups are different. The Jaffna Tamils came to Sri Lanka over 2000 years ago and regard the hill country Tamils as being of inferior caste.

Our young guide spoke limited English but was well-supplied with water which we drank at ½ hour intervals. During the long uphill stretches he would ask us if needed a break. Most importantly he knew the way since this route was not marked.

We completed the hike in a little over three hours so we made good time. When we arrived at Tientsin, the gate was locked and there was no attendant. Our guide was ready to hop the fence but someone showed up and let us in. The General Manager was there to greet us and give us a tour of the bungalow. Every bungalow has its charms and although the six-room Tientsin has no pool and no views, it has the most spectacular gardens of any of the bungalows. The GM told us that a little building at the rear of the property was going to be converted to a honeymoon suite some time in the future. I asked him if there were any plans to expand Tea Trails beyond the four bungalows. He said yes, but not until the tourist situation in SL improves.

The GM informed us that it would be a while before lunch and asked if we would we like something to drink. He also asked if after lunch it would be ok if we rode back to Norwood with another couple who were going there for high tea. We thought that would be fine. I could see that we would be settling in for some down time but it wasn’t like we had any urgent business to attend to. Then he made a really nice gesture I thought, by offering us the use of one of the rooms which we declined. I ordered a glass of white wine, Jeane ordered a lime juice and we headed into the library. I was extremely pleased to find a paperback copy of “Next” so I could continue my reading. Jeane went off to take some photos of the garden. They called us to lunch at about 1 PM. The dining area is on a porch overlooking the upper gardens. Apparently they didn’t get the memo that we wanted vegetarian but it didn’t matter – the meal was light, a tasty prawn salad and soup.

After lunch I took some time to explore the gardens. There are two levels and the GM had explained that Tea Trails had maintained the original design which originated over 100 years ago. At about 2:30 PM we were told that the van was ready to take us to Norwood. The British couple we rode with was delightful – we talked throughout the ½ hour ride.

Since we planned to get an early start the next day, we did some packing, made arrangements to be picked up at 8 AM the next morning and put in an order for some tea – 24 tins at 350 rupees each, including 4 for Kathie from this forum. Once I felt organized I retired to our private garden to finish “Next” since I couldn’t take it with me.

We went to cocktails at 7 PM and spent time with 2 young men who were based in Kuwait but in Sri Lanka on business – one was a USA Iraq vet and the other was a Kuwaiti. As a special treat for Jeane’s birthday, they served us dinner in a little private gazebo located at the end of a short path away from the main dining area. Since it gets cold at dinner time, they brought one of the patio heaters from the main dining area and put it in the gazebo for us. That made Jeane very happy. After another delicious dinner, a cake showed up. The GM was there along with our butler and several of the staff to sing “Happy Birthday”. I had made arrangements for this in advance and had spoken to the chef in private the previous day so everything was perfect. After dinner, Jeane and I went to the dining area so she could share her cake with all of the other guests.

Jeane and I rose early the next day for our journey to Tangalle. Breakfast was at 7 AM. We were sad to leave Tea Trails but we were ready. I gave our butler a nice tip which he would distribute to his staff. We said goodbye to everyone and we were on our way. Rammuni thought that it would take all day to get to Tangalle. I think he envisioned taking the scenic route but everyone I spoke with told me it would take about 6 hours. I asked him if we could take the most direct route as 6 hours on Sri Lankan roads would already make for a long day.

Jeane was desperate for some up close photos of the tea pickers in action. They don’t work on Sundays and we just didn’t get close enough to them during any of our hikes. After about ½ hour of driving we came upon the perfect scene – tea pickers right at the side of the road with the sun shining on them perfectly. Jeane asked Rammuni if we could stop and the two of them walked down into the fields. Jeane got some great photos close up while I took some from a distance. Whenever Jeane took a photo of an individual worker she gave them 50 rupees. Considering that the average tea worker makes 200 rupees per day this meant a lot to them. Rammuni mentioned that morning is a good time to take photos of the workers because they are fresh and not tired.

Having accomplished that, we headed onward through the beautiful scenery in the hills. After a couple of hours the tea fields turned to jungle. We were still at altitude but we would soon be starting our descent. The road was one lane but paved. We encountered no other vehicles for quite some time. I asked to Rammuni if we could pull over since it was obvious that in the middle of this wilderness there would be no rest stops. “Jungle toilet” he said jokingly as Jeane and I headed off to relieve ourselves. Eventually the jungle turned to tea fields and as we reached the lower altitudes we started to see palm trees and other tropical vegetation. When we reached the coastal road it was obvious why the tsunami did so much damage – there was absolutely nothing in many places to stop the wave.

We pulled into Lansiya, our private villa in Tangalle just before 2 PM. It took some asking around to find it – there were several tracks off of the main road – it was not obvious from the directions I had which one was correct. Arul, the general manager/chef greeted us. He said he was expecting us between 3 and 6 – no problem, though.

The walk sounds lovely, Craig. It's wonderful that you got to see all four bungalows.

it all sounds so wonderful and relaxing, except for the hike....i would like to do it in an open horse-drawn carriage--preferably with a/c coming out from under the seat....

Arul’s 2 assistants helped us with our bags and I discussed sightseeing plans with Rammuni and Arul. We decided that Rammuni would come the next day at 2 PM so that we could visit one or two local Buddhist temples. We considered a nearby bird sanctuary but Arul felt that we could see plenty of birds right around Lansiya. We also discussed turtle watching where at night turtles make their way onto a nearby beach to lay their eggs but Rammuni said that it was best done when there was a full moon. He said we could stop at a turtle farm on the way to Negombo if we wanted to see them. So, we were ready to settle in for our three nights at Lansiya.

Our villa at Lansiya was quite spacious. It had a wrap-around porch on three sides, one of which was covered. There was plenty of seating on the porch plus a couple of tables for dining or propping up one’s feet. Inside the villa there was an enormous bedroom with a king bed, night stands, sofa, hope chest, and desk. There was no a/c but the bedroom had a large, albeit noisy ceiling fan. Opposite the bedroom were a hallway lined with closets, a wet bar, a toilet with bidet and a separate area with a sink leading to an outdoor shower. Shielded from our villa by trees were a large dining area and the kitchen. Next to the dining area was a good-sized infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean. There is an open shower by the pool for rinsing off sand and the salt. Towels were laid out for us to use. There were also saris in the bedroom that we could put on if we wanted to cover up. A large lawn extended from the pool to the rear of the complex where a building with two more (unused) twin bedrooms was located. There was a certain rustic quality to the place yet it was very comfortable and welcoming.

Arul had asked us if we wanted tea and cakes. We took advantage since we hadn’t eaten much that day. We arranged to have our dinner at 7 PM. Jeane and I spent some time exploring the nearby beach, chasing crabs and digging for shells. Afterwards, I went for a swim in the pool. The water temperature was just right – very refreshing but not too cool. After my swim the sun was just starting to set – it was to be the most amazing sunset of our three-night stay and I took several photos.

Three meals a day were included in our rate plus afternoon tea if we wanted it. Arul brought coffee to the villa every morning. Our meals were generally Sri Lankan in nature but delicious. The most memorable were grilled shrimp and a seafood curry. Breakfasts were simple – eggs, toast and jam but the highlight was always the bowl of mixed fruit that started the meal – slightly sweetened papaya, pineapple, watermelon, passion fruit, and banana – awesome! Arul did a great job with the food.

At nighttime we really noticed how rough the sea was – the waves constantly crashing against the rocks in front of the villa. I think it bothered Jeane a bit. The windows of the villa have wooden bars so we could leave them open without worrying about intruders. It allowed the breeze but also the sound to come in. We were given a key so we could lock the front and rear double doors at night. Arul and his wife, who took care of the house keeping, were pretty vigilant about security. On the afternoon we went out with Rammuni we came back to the villa and it was all closed up – they weren’t taking any chances.

On a couple of evenings we came back to the villa after dinner and heard loud barking. There are stray dogs all over Sri Lanka so we didn’t give it much thought. All of the sudden we would hear what sounded like a rifle shot and the barking would stop – did someone shoot a dog? Arul told us at the end of our stay that when the dogs start to make noise, he lights a single firecracker and tosses it outside. The loud pop scares the dogs and they are quiet for the rest of the night.

We spent a lot of time walking on the beach. Jeane would go out in the early morning to photograph the fishermen as they took their long nets out to sea with their colorful boats and then brought in their catch. The fish were usually pretty small, some even tiny. They tossed the smallest ones back. Lansiya is at the end of a nice stretch of crescent beach. As we were walking along together on our first full day we ran into Chris, another Brit and struck up a conversation. He was staying at his nearby villa with his wife and a friend. Chris suggested that we join them for cocktails that evening. We told him that we’d be delighted. He suggested that we check out the next beach the “greatest beach in the world no one has ever heard of” so we did. West of our beach is a small river were local women do their laundry. We waded through that and followed a short path through some trees to come upon a huge expanse of deserted beach – a few fishing boats but nothing else. It is a 45 minute walk end to end if you are combing for shells like we were. At the end of the crescent, some youths had a makeshift cricket game going on. As we headed back, a herd of cows appeared on the beach. I don’t know why neither of us had our cameras, but we didn’t. But the cows were right there on the beach and walked along for a while before exiting away from the sea. Nobody seemed to be leading them – a very interesting sight. When we got back to Lansiya, both Jeane and I had a very refreshing swim before lunch.

Rammuni came by at 2 PM as we had arranged and I explained that we would only have time to do the Wewurukannala Vihara Temple (yes, I had to look up the spelling) because of our social obligation. He was fine with that. The temple is in Dickwella, about a half hour from Lansiya. The main features are a 160 foot sitting Buddha and what Lonely Planet accurately describes as a “Buddhist chamber of horrors” which made for great photos to show the folks back home, if nothing else. The displays were actually what might happen to you in the afterlife if you did not behave. Rammuni and the guide made it clear to me that Buddhism simply lays out guidelines and that the gruesome punishments shown were not necessarily absolute. Ok…

After doing the temple, we felt we had time to visit the Amanwella which was quite close by to our villa. One of the staff there was very accommodating and showed us around, including a glimpse into one of the rooms. It seemed like quite a nice property and all the suites had plunge pools but it didn’t seem much better than many places we have stayed. Occupancy has recently been good at 70-80% but the price at about $500/night is well below that of other Amans.

We returned to Lansiya and shortly thereafter set out for cocktails with our neighbors. They were a lively bunch, opinionated as well (as were most of the Brits we encountered). We enjoyed arrack sours and discussed a wide range of mostly travel-related topics. As we prepared to leave, they invited us to join them again the next day for lunch at a fresh fish place they enjoyed going to. After considering the pros and cons of what would most certainly be a wonderful but long afternoon with our new-found friends, we chose to decline. If only we had had more time…

Our last day comprised another long morning walk on the “greatest beach no one has ever heard of”. We brought our cameras this time but the cows did not cooperate. The skies were slightly overcast today but we still used a lot of sunscreen. After a swim and lunch we spent the remainder of the afternoon getting organized for the trip home and just plain relaxing.

Wonderful report, Craig. Its clear how much you enjoyed the leisure this trip afforded especially at Tea Trails and your beach villa in Lansiya. I've printed out your entire report; it will be a great reference as I'm planning our SL sojourn. Their solution to barking dogs is amusing!

do you think a firecracker would work to fend off gpanda??

Great report as always!! I can't get over how you can post this report. We returned from India (Calcutta/Sunderbans/Orissa State) via BKK on Sunday ...

I am just getting to my TripAdvisor hotel reviews. I promise to make a "few comments" on my trip to India but it pales in comparison to the reports that MANY of you write for this website. I start to get intimidated by the detail you can recall :)

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for my BKK tips. They all came in handy. I didn't have to pay the 700 Baht as it was included in my airline ticket. The Novetel Airport hotel was wonderful for the overnight stay. I couldn't bare to get into a taxi when I got into BKK after the NYC flight for a dinner, but did venture downtown upon my return and LOVED the food at Harmonique. We got there just in time. The place was mobbed with people.

Thai Air premium economy was great but going into BKK they had no television/movie services or audio services, and Premium Economy was filled with a group of people who had won a free trip to Thailand so they stayed up in the aisles talking for the 17 hour flight :) Thank God the movies were working for my return flight.

Thanks
Bette ( ldtc2)

bette...most of us take notes and then use them when we return home to write trip reports or to help us remember about our trips

Twice during dinner at Lansiya, Arul brought his cell phone to our table with callers. The first call was Doris from Boutique Sri Lanka checking to see that everything was ok. We told her it couldn’t have been better and thanked her for her help. The second call was from Anitra who owns Lansiya along with her husband Dirk. I told her about our cocktails with the neighbors. I also told her that I first heard about Lansiya from a Norwegian woman at the Blue Elephant cooking school in Bangkok last year. She was thrilled about that and said that the woman was probably her sister-in-law. When I told Anitra we were heading to Galle the next day, she gave me some helpful shopping suggestions. I made arrangements with her to leave the balance of payment for our stay in a sealed envelope with Arul and we said our goodbyes.

Rammuni came for us at 8 AM for the all-day trip to Negombo. We had planned a few stops along the way so we had to get another early start. I gave Arul a nice tip for the staff and we headed out while waving goodbye to everyone.

We followed the coastal road for most of the day and could see that evidence of the tsunami still remained – mostly gutted, abandoned buildings close to the ocean that the government would not allow their owners to rebuild.

Our first stop was Galle Fort, two hours from Tangalle. The fort area is fairly compact and our driver parked the van close to a tall clock tower so he and Rammuni would be easy to find. We checked out the excellent views from the ramparts near the clock tower and then proceeded on our own to explore the area. I had hand-drawn a little map with the location of some of the shops we wanted to visit. In the two hours we allotted ourselves we came upon three very nice boutiques: Barefoot, Elephant Walk and Olanda. Jeane bought a cotton lace dress and some candles at Olanda. We saw some very nice things in the other two stores but did not buy. We also visited the reputable Ibrahim Jewelry where Jeane considered some sapphire earrings but decided she had purchased enough jewelry in Bangkok. Our last stop was Sithuvili Gallery where we purchased a painting in antique colors of a henna-covered hand holding a lotus blossom on an old 14”x10” door panel. To us it was quite striking and very reasonably priced at about $60.

We returned to the van and headed to our next stop – lunch for Rammuni and the driver. Rammuni picked a nice spot called Restaurant Refresh in the town of Hikkaduwa where we could relax while they ate elsewhere. Rammuni made sure we were seated at the front of the restaurant by the beach. I read later in the “Rough Guide” that this is the best restaurant in town. However, Jeane and I only ordered drinks. The sky had become overcast but it still was quite pleasant sitting outside.

After Rammuni returned we headed to a turtle hatchery in Kosgoda and saw hundreds of baby turtles as well as a few larger ones. Jeane was able to hold a foot-long leatherback for a photo. The tour took about 20 minutes.

I had asked Rammuni early on if we might visit a school and make a donation of supplies to be purchased in Sri Lanka. He said he wanted to give it some thought and I didn’t bug him about it. When we were planning our day today, he asked us if we would still like to do it. Given everything on our agenda I wasn’t sure we’d have the time but I went along with his plan. As it turned out it did not take long – he was able to set it up at a small Montessori school in Kalutara, his home town. We stopped at a stationary store on the main road in town and purchased books and pencils for 22 students.

The school day ends at 1:30 PM so I wondered how this was going to work. When we showed up at the one-room school house, most of the kids were there and they presented Jeane with a bouquet of flowers. The teacher had simply asked them to come back to the school – it must have been 3 or 4 PM by then. The children were all in their uniforms – we were told that they were preschoolers – they were very cute. Some seemed a bit afraid of us but that didn’t last long. I handed out the supplies one-by-one to these grateful, well-behaved kids while Jeane took photos. We also did some group photos with the teacher and her assistant. There were some stragglers and a couple of no-shows but I’m sure the children all received what they were supposed to. The whole exercise probably took about an hour.

It was still a ways to go to Negombo and we had to pass through Colombo at rush hour. As we drove along, it started to rain pretty hard. Rammuni said it was the beginning of the rainy season. I felt less sad that we were leaving the next day. It was dark out by the time we arrived at Villa Araliya but the rain had stopped. We checked into our deluxe double room on the second floor. For $70/night, it was a very nice room. It was air conditioned, there was plenty of hot water in the shower and the bed was at least a queen. There was a pool that we did not use. We used the extra pool towels for our shower in the morning. My only complaint was that the bed was only supplied with two single sheets – one for each of us. They were not enough to keep us warm while sleeping with the a/c on and I ended up turning it off in the middle of the night. We had a nice dinner in the restaurant which was not included in the price. Breakfast was included and served to us at 6 AM as we requested.

Just before dinner I sat down with Rammuni to settle our account with him. Everything was as we had agreed - $80/day for the van and driver plus a very nominal amount for lodging and food when the hotels we were staying at didn’t provide it. He gave me a little map that showed the route that we traveled and presented us with some small souvenir gifts. I told him that we were completely satisfied and would be happy to recommend him to others. Rammuni’s contact information is as follows:

Rammuni Tours & Taxi Service
Email – [email protected]
Cell - 011-94776067282
It is best to send him a text message on his cell alerting him to the e-mail. He spends much of his time on the road and can immediately respond to text.

Rammuni did not handle any hotel reservations for me. However, he does have good contacts and should be able to provide competitive pricing on most properties.

On our last morning Rammuni arrived at 7 AM to pick us up. I had settled our account with the manager using a combination of my remaining rupees and US dollars. I gave him a small tip to put in the “tip box” for his staff. The ride to the airport took less than a ½ hour. They dropped us off at the Singapore Airlines gate. There were a couple of porters there to help us with our things. I bid Rammuni goodbye and wished him well. I complimented the driver on the excellent job that he did and gave him a generous tip. I heard later in an e-mail from Rammuni that he was just as pleased with my compliment on his driving skills as he was with the tip.

Check-in went smoothly. They were able to check our luggage all the way through to JFK. We were offered a choice of the Araliya business class lounge or a restaurant if we wished to have breakfast. We chose the lounge. The Araliya Lounge was fine – food, drink, internet, and WiFi. Unfortunately the smell of cigarette smoke was everywhere since the smoking “area” was an open glass cubicle.

The two Singapore Air flights (CMB-SIN and SIN-BKK) went smoothly. As you might expect, service was stellar with good meals on both flights. We spent the two hour layover in Singapore in the business class lounge. At Bangkok we used one of Thai’s Concourse C lounges, taking advantage of the shower, refreshments and internet during our 5-1/2 hour layover before the flight to JFK. I immediately fell asleep (in the full upright position) after boarding the Thai flight – it took me a while to realize that we had reached altitude and I could recline my seat.

I think we were given a dozen hot towels each between the two Singapore flights and the Thai flight…

We arrived at JFK on time, sailed right through immigration/customs, and picked up our car at the valet parking for the 2-1/2 hour drive home.

Given the security situation in Sri Lanka and the last minute changes, I think the trip was as good as it could be – a little too much down time between Tea Trails and Lansiya but that really couldn’t be helped. Some day when conditions are better we’d like to return to camp in Yala National Park and do some shopping in Colombo.

Jeane and I took over 1000 photos between us. It will take a couple of weeks to sort through them all. I will post a link on this thread to our photo website when they are ready.

Sorry to see the report end so soon. I'll be waiting for pics.