Silence and sunrise

Hello Kindred Spirits,

After a full afternoon touring Greenfield Estate, high in the mountains above Colombo, Durka from the estate, my companion Clifford and I walked down to the bungalow where we would be staying overnight. It had three bedrooms and a living and dining area overlooking a 1000-metre drop that reminded me of the Grand Canyon. Pure luxury. I was thrilled. Around me there was silence interrupted only by bird song.

Bungalow living is the classic style of the tea estate owner/manager, and most have a (generally male) ‘Apu' attached. An Apu is a housekeeper who usually stays with the estate owner for their lifetime, often with links for generations. In this case, we had the pleasure of being looked after by the house Apu, Giri in his fine white uniform. He made us afternoon tea, and a glorious dinner of handmade string hoppers and egg hoppers.

String hoppers are small spaghetti-like strings of rice-flour dough squeezed through a sieve onto small woven trays, then steamed. Light and lacy, string hoppers make a mouth watering meal with curry and sambal.

After dinner, Giri made a roaring fire to take the edge off the mountain chill; the finishing touch to a lovely day.

We woke at (argh) 5.30am and enjoyed breakfast on the veranda whilst watching the sun rise. Before leaving, I was asked to paint a wooden tile with my own design which they added to the collection of hundreds gathered over many years and attached to the walls. A little piece of Madame Flavour is now left behind for all to see in the remote mountains of Sri Lanka.

The return journey to Colombo was much faster, thanks to the downhill advantage. We experienced just one small, but welcome, delay as a parade of dozens of gloriously dressed children flittered past us. Truly an exquisite sight.

My Kindred Spirits, I have so enjoyed sharing my adventures with you, and hope that you have enjoyed reading about them.

Until next time, au revoir!