A Train Trip to Sri Lanka's Tea Country - Where the Hills Glow Green
An orchestra of humming cicadas and chirping birds fills the steamy air blanketing Peradeniya Junction Station. Encircled by lush leafy gardens, it’s a perfect home for such lively creatures.
Meanwhile, sleepy dogs prefer the cooling sensation of the station’s concrete, finding reprieve from the heat under its mustard-tinted pergola.
The pavilion slowly becomes a sanctuary for people too, as a crowd fills the shade under its awning. A few brave the searing sun to snap photos – a local man meandering along the bend of the tracks forming a perfect composition.
“A Glimpse Into the Past”
Becoming operational in 1867, Peradeniya Junction is one of the oldest train stations in Sri Lanka. Its charm leaks from the faded lacklustre clay roof tiles of the station building, contrasted delightfully by the vibrant flowering pot plants clustered around it.
The compact interior of the station building has been turned into a miniature museum. It showcases antique equipment used by railway workers to transport tea to Colombo for international distribution hundreds of years ago.
Outside, a surge of electric anticipation buzzes through the crowd as we strain to hear the sound of steel on the tracks. The vintage train that will transport us into a world of impossibly vivid green is approaching. Nuwara Eliya’s undulating tea fields beckon.
“A World Away”
A string of rusted red carriages stops with a squeal at our feet. Clambering into the metal compartment allocated to us, we find our seats and wince as the leather burns our legs.
A slight sense of unease washes over the passengers as we notice the one swivelling fan that is supposed to cool us all down. Its repetitive drawn-out squeak acts as an alarm – a signal that the left side of the carriage is about to receive their five seconds of breeze.
But it doesn’t matter – the heat will gradually dissipate as we ascend into the mountains. A phenomenon that adds to the otherworldliness of Sri Lanka’s tea country.
With a deep rumble, the train begins to rattle along the tracks, passing the first of many villages populated by children enthusiastically waving in our direction.
“Stations Full of Savvy Street Food Sellers”
At every stop during the half-day trip, plucky merchants equipped with a tray of snacks frantically bound onto the tracks to sell their products through the train windows.
The bravest of them all jump right into the carriage, skilfully enticing passengers with the scent of their ‘short eats’ – flaky roti, steaming Vadai (orange lentil patties topped with prawns) and breaded fish cutlets.
Those that manage to persuade a collection of interested buyers swap street food for cash and wriggle back to the platform just as the whistle signals the train’s departure.
“The Plantations Glow”
Metal wheels spinning furiously, we hurtle towards hills so green they are almost alien-like. Against the sky’s pure blue pigment, the plantations glow.
Precise symmetrical rows snake along the neon-hued slopes. The lime green sea is dotted with brilliant pops of colour – the kaleidoscopic saris of the tea pickers.
“Kaleidoscopic Saris in an Ocean of Green”
The train slices through the ripple of hills. Its rhythm reverberates through the fields, alerting the pickers to their audience. They pause their mechanical plucking long enough to offer a warm smile and a wave to their spectators.
Continuing on our path, we pass tiny schools with large cricket pitches, clouds of orange dust trailing behind the competitor's nimble feet.
We rise above valleys, the carriages lurching along magnificent arched stone bridges. Nearby, waterfalls plummet to the soil below.
Suddenly, the carriage is carpeted in darkness as we enter a tunnel. In the archway of light behind the train, we can see silhouettes of locals escaping the passage – they had been crouching beside the tracks, waiting for the train to pass.
“The Journey Ends in the Mist”
Our journey ends at Nanu-Oya Station, where the mountain air is pure. A panorama of pristine plantations surrounds us. The train disappears into the magical mist of the mountains, and we set out on a quest to find the freshest brew.
