ELLA ( PART 2), SRI LANKA

Ella's lush forest.

Ella Gap

Ella Gap

Without doubt the chief attraction of the little village of Ella is Ella Gap which you can figure out from the photos what it is all about.

Going down from Ella to the plains below in a bus, a passing thought occurred to me: what if the bus were to plunge down the mountains. This prospect is horrendous to even contemplate but the manic way in which Sri Lankan bus drivers drive, it's a tragedy waiting to happen.

Victory Celebrations over Defeat of Tamil Tigers in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

After the blasts of firecrackers.

Hanging dangerously from a three-wheeler.

Three-wheelers decked out in the national flag.

Riotous victory parade by ordinary folks.

Riotous celebrations.

When I arrived in Nuwara Eliya, popularly known as Little England on account of its temperate climate, was in the midst of the wildest celebrations ever to engulf the town: victory celebrations over the Tamil Tigers.

Everyone was so happy in this Tamil-majority town.

Convoys of vehicles and three-wheeler cabs blared their horns while their occupants waved the Sri Lanka flag in unrestrained joy, screaming their happiness as I snapped pictures of them.

Firecrackers were set off while police officers were out in full force to ensure that things did not get out of hand.

No one will ever forget the victory celebrations over the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

Nuwara Eliya, Little England (Sri Lanka)

The historic 100-year old post office.

Flowers in abundance in the temperate climate.

St Andrew Hotel's gardens.

Nuwara Eliya

Heritage Hotel

Whenever I told Sri Lankans that I'd be going to Nuwara Eliya they'd give me a puzzled look.

"Where?" they asked.

"Nuwara Eliya," I stressed.

"Oh, Nuwara Eliya," they said, smiling broadly as they finally understood what I was saying. And we would burst out laughing.

The crux of the problem was in my pronunciation. "Eliya" needs to be pronounced with a marked roll of the tongue.

And then they enthused, "Oh, Little England. In Sri Lanka we call the place Little England because it's cold up there."

And cold it certainly was the three days I was there since it was raining, necessitating at least four layers of clothing. They are right in dubbing Nuwara Eliya "Little England".

When I arrived the whole town was in the midst of a victory celebration over the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. I joined them in their wild celebrations.

Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

Tea estates in the Hill Country.

Train chugs through tea estates.

Tea plants within touching distance.

On the way to Nuwara Eliya

One of the highlights of my trip to Sri Lanka was the train ride to Nuwara Eliya, dubbed Little England by the locals for its temperate climate.

The train snaked its way through numerous picturesque tea estates. Leaning from the doorway I could almost touch the tea plants. It was a memorable train ride.