Postcard pretty town of Haputale (part 1)

I took the Night Mail train from Colombo Fort station at around 8:20pm. It is extremely slow and stops in all train stations it passes by, even the minuscule stations in tiny towns or villages. If you want to be comfortable in your train rides (and in this case you need to be, as it is a 10-hour journey to Haputale!), you have to book at least 1 or 2 days in advance so you can still get “reserved seats”. These are numbered seats in both 2^nd and 3^rd class. You can still get on both of these cars for the unreserved seats but it will be a free-for-all scramble to get a vacant seat.

Good thing my seatmates were well-behaved but the guys in the other side of the aisle were not as lucky, there was a drunk old man who was shouting and singing nonstop and even vomited at one point. Ewww! The train conductor was really fuming mad and even threatened the old man that he is going to be ejected at the next stop if he doesn’t keep quiet.

I booked a room in advance at the White Monkey Dias Rest and they sent Sanath to pick me up from the train station. The poor fellow had to wait for me for more than an hour coz the train was expectedly late again! The guesthouse is owned by Mr. Dias and family. With just 2 rooms and a family cottage, it has a very cosy atmosphere.

The guesthouse is located far away from the messy town center of Haputale. There is not much to see at the town center, it is just where most of the shops are congregated. The bus station is also located just in front of the bakery. If you need cash, there are also 2 atm stations from the local bank branches. If your guesthouse doesn’t have free internet connection, there are 2 internet shops in town charging 60 LKR per hour.

I did not sleep a wink during the entire train ride so I immediately zonked off to bed when I arrived at the guesthouse. I only came out of the room after 1pm after a solid 5 hours of sleep!

I made arrangements earlier for Sanath to pick me up at 1:30pm to visit Adisham Monastery, a converted Scottish tea planter’s estate owned by Sir Thomas Villiers which is now the residence of the monks from the Sylvestrine Congregation (from the St. Benedictine fraternity).

At the entrance gate, you have to pay 25 LKR at the ticket booth before they let you in. I came on a Saturday so there were a lot of local tourists taking photos around the estate grounds as well. At one point, some of the guys even asked me to pose with them. I felt like a movie star! Hahaha

The monks normally won’t let visitors inside their living quarters but I was lucky that there was a special group who was there who had permission to go in so I latched on to them! Apparently, there are 3 rooms in the monastery which they the monks rent out but its not advertised and you have to send a special request. Nice way of experiencing how it is to live in a monastery, although a bit modern.

Afterwards, we were pointed to the souvenir shop where the priests sell the produce that they made themselves.

One thing that I love about staying in place which is at least 3kms away from town (nearer to 4kms actually) is that you get to experience and see the beautiful landscape spread out in front of you. I walked the entire length from the town to my guesthouse as I was coming back and the unbelievable scenery is just so amazing!

It takes about 35-45 minutes for the entire walk but I was so busy taking photos that it took me more than an hour! The weather also is fantastic! I am not a fan of cold weather and foggy afternoons but here in Haputale, I just loved it!

Every 15 minutes or so, the fog comes in and fully obscure the road and then it gets blown away and sunshine comes out with its clear blue skies. At one point, I was shivering from the fog and in the next bend I have the glorious sunshine beating on me. Absolute heaven!

It was still early when I came back so I decided to walk up a bit to Eagle Rock, this rock is just behind my guesthouse. If the “family cottage” is available at the guesthouse, I suggest that you book it as it has fantastic views of Eagle Rock, especially during sunrise and sunset. The guesthouse owner’s youngest son (Hiran) accompanied me and was my official photographer.

I told Hiran to walk a little slow as my old creaky bones cannot keep up with his energetic pace. The view from the top of Eagle Rock was astounding! It’s like a mini World’s End, but without the expensive entrance fees!

To get to Eagle Rock from the guesthouse, you have to pass by this tea plantation and if you are there on Mondays you can even chat with the old ladies who are picking the tea leaves!

I initially planned on staying for only 1 night here in Haputale but extended it to three!