A little video clip as the grubby red bus bumps its way to Dambatenne in the rain. Granny holds on for dear life!
Sunday, 3 February 2013
The Ella Album - Wheels on the bus go....
A little video clip as the grubby red bus bumps its way to Dambatenne in the rain. Granny holds on for dear life!
The Ella Album - Dambatenne School
An insight into a typical local school, from Kindergarten age upto 16. Thier day starts at 8 am and finishes by 2 pm and the kids here are entirely the product of estate workers.
The Ella Album - The Original Liptons Tea, Dambetenne
Some covert photography whilst waiting for a guide. A couple of sneaky shots from inside too!
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| All you need to know! |
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| Grinding and cutting drums |
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| The Mechanisms Haven't changed in a long time |
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| Tea Conveyer |
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| Plenty falls on the floor |
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| Grading |
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| Finley cut then rolled |
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| Rough cut |
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| The initial drying process |
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| Graded |
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| Liptons Tea, Bagged |
Bandarawela, January 23rd 2013
Bandarawela
It's the principle town for the area I would suspect judging by the fact that all there seems to be here is shops, buses tuk tuks and banks. Quite a vibrant place, again though, the upkeep and maintenance of buildings seems rather a non entity. Despite this, the place has a unique feel, a positive vibe to this town in the hills. It's not a highly touristed place that i can see, but does get a mention in the guide book - kindly leant to me by a Taiwanese couple. A large mosque stands as a major landmark here, and just a few meters further on there is a shop selling all the varieties of tea imaginable, for a price of course. In making comparisons, I can get the same product in British supermarkets for a similar price.
Priority now though is to eat since breakfast was a long time ago. Not an abundance of cafes or even restaurants, but plenty of those bakery shops offering the bread snacks. A cafe here, looks pretty grubby actually but busy so at least there's a turnover of food. Rice and curry please, vegetable, no meat. That's my order to the man who seems to running around the place with both hands full, not sure if he understood what I had said though. Moments later, a sizeable plate of rice with what looks like mini Cornish pasties - probably Samosa or something similar, very tasty though. And whilst munching on those the man brings 4 little silver dishes, each containing a curried vegetable. Green Beans, pumpkin, dahl and a potato mix, all very tasty now that my palette has been de-sensitised to all things spicy. And if all that wasn't enough the man fills up those little dishes again - more pumpkin, yes please. Extremely good value here, and I thought Hatton was going to be hard to beat, only 90 rupees for what seems like an endless supply of food.
A further look around here. It's pretty much all shops - good for those with plenty of spare capacity in their luggage. Leather goods here seem particularly good value, about £10 for a pair of stylish shoes and a similar price for an all leather handbag. Another couple of cafes noted, but right now better find the bus to Ella since its getting dark.
A long line of busses along the Ella road. There is always a bus to just about anywhere with in 20 minutes of turning up at a bus stand but the Ella bus is there waiting, yes, it's a grubby red bus but at least I get a seat. Reflecting on the days adventure as the bus makes a painful getaway. It's been a good if rather humbling day in some respects. I need to return to Dambetenne, yes, I really do.
It's the principle town for the area I would suspect judging by the fact that all there seems to be here is shops, buses tuk tuks and banks. Quite a vibrant place, again though, the upkeep and maintenance of buildings seems rather a non entity. Despite this, the place has a unique feel, a positive vibe to this town in the hills. It's not a highly touristed place that i can see, but does get a mention in the guide book - kindly leant to me by a Taiwanese couple. A large mosque stands as a major landmark here, and just a few meters further on there is a shop selling all the varieties of tea imaginable, for a price of course. In making comparisons, I can get the same product in British supermarkets for a similar price.
Priority now though is to eat since breakfast was a long time ago. Not an abundance of cafes or even restaurants, but plenty of those bakery shops offering the bread snacks. A cafe here, looks pretty grubby actually but busy so at least there's a turnover of food. Rice and curry please, vegetable, no meat. That's my order to the man who seems to running around the place with both hands full, not sure if he understood what I had said though. Moments later, a sizeable plate of rice with what looks like mini Cornish pasties - probably Samosa or something similar, very tasty though. And whilst munching on those the man brings 4 little silver dishes, each containing a curried vegetable. Green Beans, pumpkin, dahl and a potato mix, all very tasty now that my palette has been de-sensitised to all things spicy. And if all that wasn't enough the man fills up those little dishes again - more pumpkin, yes please. Extremely good value here, and I thought Hatton was going to be hard to beat, only 90 rupees for what seems like an endless supply of food.
A further look around here. It's pretty much all shops - good for those with plenty of spare capacity in their luggage. Leather goods here seem particularly good value, about £10 for a pair of stylish shoes and a similar price for an all leather handbag. Another couple of cafes noted, but right now better find the bus to Ella since its getting dark.
A long line of busses along the Ella road. There is always a bus to just about anywhere with in 20 minutes of turning up at a bus stand but the Ella bus is there waiting, yes, it's a grubby red bus but at least I get a seat. Reflecting on the days adventure as the bus makes a painful getaway. It's been a good if rather humbling day in some respects. I need to return to Dambetenne, yes, I really do.
Dambetenne Estate Community, Dambetenne January 23rd 2013
Dambetenne Estate
A collection of ramshackle and dilapidated structures probably best describes the place immediately around the factory, with the whole lot being situated on a plateau - a long way down and a long way up as the clouds part briefly once again. At least the roads on the estate are in good order so I'm unlikely to trip and break any bones. Dambetenne, Its the first real close up view visitors get of a tea community their way of life. Looking around and evidence that these people on the lower part of the estate are pretty poor - only one descriptive to use here, squalor. Open drains and the odd whiff of poop amongst the makeshift structures of corrugated iron and, well just about any material these folk can make use of, it's dusty and dirty. Further up, edging ever closer to Liptons Seat and the community begins spreading out. Bungalows and the odd villa dotted in the hills. Looks like they get a garden too, must be the lucky ones. Vegetable patches, plots even small fields giving the casual visitor that there is a sense of self-sufficiency. A community that at least has the means to provide some food for its inhabitants, and coupled with the supply of free mountain water so expertly harnessed, then life probably isn't as desperate as first appears.
Carrying on then, up towards those clouds, or is it the clouds getting lower again! A rather austere looking building comes into view, reminds me slightly of the Toul Sleng School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, turned into a tourture centre during the tyrannous rule of the Khmer Rouge. It is a school, presumably for the estate workers children. I tentivly wander in expecting to be given marching orders. Well, so far they seem quite amused to see a visitor, let alone a Western one. The desks are old, the buildings are shabby and very basic, but functional as I can see classes in session. I'm allowed a few snaps here in what seems to be the main building constructed on 2 levels. Outside again and it's raining steadily. "can I shelter here", I ask a teacher. A curious sideways nod, might be yes, might be no. Well, on the assumption that they won't kick me out into the rain I'll stay put until it eases again, much to the amusement of the kids on their lunch break. Some of them are shy, others will say hello, ascertain my country of origin then ask for something. Top of the list; a school pen, then a school book and lastly, when none of those items are forthcoming - money.
further on, a hospital unit sits prominently on the roadside. A quick look here reveals another rather austere looking setup, something resembling a Victorian institution but with the type of equipment I remember seeing about 30 years ago. A service provided by the estate presumably to deal with snake bites. Nobody around, it's eerily quiet. No doctors, no nurses, no patients.
Kids are leaving school, yes it's 2pm and home time as they make an orderly exit - uphill and downhill. Again I'm asked for things I haven't got and pulling out my wallet right now will just open the flood gates to a torrent of expectations I won't be able to fulfil. Walking away smiling, they seem to accept the situation graciously, pride intact on both sides. The rain starts again, time to abort and head back I think, with enough time to look around Bandarawela, that town just a few kilometres from Ella.
Bumping along to Haputale, pausing there for 10 minutes then onto Bandarawela. Again it's 45 rupees, about 23p for the 40 minute experience of a white knuckle ride on these narrow, bumpy winding roads at some considerable altitude.
A collection of ramshackle and dilapidated structures probably best describes the place immediately around the factory, with the whole lot being situated on a plateau - a long way down and a long way up as the clouds part briefly once again. At least the roads on the estate are in good order so I'm unlikely to trip and break any bones. Dambetenne, Its the first real close up view visitors get of a tea community their way of life. Looking around and evidence that these people on the lower part of the estate are pretty poor - only one descriptive to use here, squalor. Open drains and the odd whiff of poop amongst the makeshift structures of corrugated iron and, well just about any material these folk can make use of, it's dusty and dirty. Further up, edging ever closer to Liptons Seat and the community begins spreading out. Bungalows and the odd villa dotted in the hills. Looks like they get a garden too, must be the lucky ones. Vegetable patches, plots even small fields giving the casual visitor that there is a sense of self-sufficiency. A community that at least has the means to provide some food for its inhabitants, and coupled with the supply of free mountain water so expertly harnessed, then life probably isn't as desperate as first appears.
Carrying on then, up towards those clouds, or is it the clouds getting lower again! A rather austere looking building comes into view, reminds me slightly of the Toul Sleng School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, turned into a tourture centre during the tyrannous rule of the Khmer Rouge. It is a school, presumably for the estate workers children. I tentivly wander in expecting to be given marching orders. Well, so far they seem quite amused to see a visitor, let alone a Western one. The desks are old, the buildings are shabby and very basic, but functional as I can see classes in session. I'm allowed a few snaps here in what seems to be the main building constructed on 2 levels. Outside again and it's raining steadily. "can I shelter here", I ask a teacher. A curious sideways nod, might be yes, might be no. Well, on the assumption that they won't kick me out into the rain I'll stay put until it eases again, much to the amusement of the kids on their lunch break. Some of them are shy, others will say hello, ascertain my country of origin then ask for something. Top of the list; a school pen, then a school book and lastly, when none of those items are forthcoming - money.
further on, a hospital unit sits prominently on the roadside. A quick look here reveals another rather austere looking setup, something resembling a Victorian institution but with the type of equipment I remember seeing about 30 years ago. A service provided by the estate presumably to deal with snake bites. Nobody around, it's eerily quiet. No doctors, no nurses, no patients.
Kids are leaving school, yes it's 2pm and home time as they make an orderly exit - uphill and downhill. Again I'm asked for things I haven't got and pulling out my wallet right now will just open the flood gates to a torrent of expectations I won't be able to fulfil. Walking away smiling, they seem to accept the situation graciously, pride intact on both sides. The rain starts again, time to abort and head back I think, with enough time to look around Bandarawela, that town just a few kilometres from Ella.
Bumping along to Haputale, pausing there for 10 minutes then onto Bandarawela. Again it's 45 rupees, about 23p for the 40 minute experience of a white knuckle ride on these narrow, bumpy winding roads at some considerable altitude.
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