Çamlıça Hill

 

When I get to a new place I always like to find a way to the highest point I can find. This gives me a bird’s eye view of the new city or area that I’m in and helps me figure out where I am and helps me get situated. Usually this is as simple as finding a tower or tall building and often just as easy as walking uphill until I find a good view.

While reading about Istanbul I read about a hill in Kadıköy called Çamlıça hill. So, while I was in Kadıköy one day I decided to try and find it. I had read that it was about an hour away so I studied a map and headed out one afternoon.

Finding the hill was actually really easy. It’s the tallest hill around so the top is covered with several radio and cell-phone towers which can be see from most of Istanbul. And yes, in order to find it I just kept walking up-hill!

On my way up the hill I passed by lots of fancy and gated communities who had great views of all of Istanbul from their windows. There was a really nice public park on top of the hill but there weren’t many people enjoying it because the weather was so cold!

The hike up the hill took a little while but I was rewarded with a wonderful view of the entire city. The sky was a little overcast and it was pretty cold and windy but I was still able to see a pretty good view.

		Çamlıça Hill VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Read more »

Kandy Temple Loop

 

There's a popular loop that takes you around three Buddhist temples around the outskirts of Kandy dating from the 14th century. You can either hire a tuk-tuk for the day to drive you to the temples or set out on an adventure on several of Kandy’s crazy buses and hiking through Kandy’s picturesque rice paddies and mountain villages and towns. Of course I opted for the second option!

I don’t know how, but I was somehow able to visit all three of the temples in one day without knowing how to get to any of them or without a map. I was only able to do this because of the helpful bus drivers, ticket men, and locals who didn’t seem to mind helping a confused and mostly lost foreigner. To start the day I had the number of the bus I wanted and that was it! The people that I met were very happy to tell me when to get of the bus and to point out which jungle road I should start hiking down.

The three temples that I visited were Embekka, Lankatilake, and Gadalaneniya and I was able to make it to the second one just as it started raining and did not stop for a few days.

 

Read more »

Afternoon Tea and Lunch in a Tamil Tea Plantation Village

While in Sri Lanka I went to the picturesque town of Elkadua in the central mountains which offered these incredible views.

I had traveled there with a friend I had made while in Kandy and we planned to go to the popular Knuckles Mountain Range to do some hiking. However, when we got to Elkadua we were told that right then it was just raining too much to make the long trip into the mountains and with the overcast clouds we wouldn’t really be able to see anything! Not to mention this was the height of the leach season and they would be all over the trails.

We were determined to do some hiking around the beautiful mountain jungles and decided to just walk around the town. There wasn’t much there! The nearest store was about 15 or so minutes away by car so we decided just to follow the roads and paths we found upwards. We found an abandoned house that has not be lived in for a really long time and carefully explored it. We could tell that it used to be a very cool place to live and had incredible views of the mountains around. But with its remote location we weren’t surprised that the house now sits empty.

The street wound up the mountain and passed by houses built on impossible slopes. As usual everybody we passed was friendly and shouted “Hello!” as we passed by, no matter how far away we were!

At the top of the mountain was a tea plantation. The whole area was covered in cool clouds and mist and it was really pleasant to walk among the tea plants and look at the scenery disappear into the mist.

When we eventually wandered to the village we instantly got a lot of attention! Like most tea plantations in Sri Lanka it was mostly staffed by Tamils. An older man who probably spoke the best English of them all immediately declared the he was “our guide”, whether we wanted a guide or not! He took us up the hills to show us the ruins of the house that the British person who founded the tea plantation built. Now, the plantation is owned by the Sri Lankan government. Like most tea plantations only the women pick the tea. Each plant is picked about once a week and the women are contracted to pick a minimum amount of tea every day. They get paid extra for picking more tea. After our tour we were invited into the older gentleman's house for tea. Their houses were very sparse and while we were enjoying our tea (it had ginger in it) we were introduced to what seemed like the entire village!

Next we were taken to another house. Here we were introduced to even more people. They were eating lunch in about an hour and wanted us to join them. Unfortunately we had to leave soon to catch a bush. No problem, they just brought us food right then and there! For each meal of the day one cook prepares a meal for the entire village. Lunch is probably the most important meal and is rice and curry. What sounds like a simple meal is actually delicious feast! The picture makes the portion look small, but even I had to work to finish it. It was probably one of the most tasty meals I had while in Sri Lanka, but maybe that was because I spent all morning hiking up a mountain!

Read more »