Letter from Nuwara Eliya : the Island’s Upper Class Dame

Nuwara Eliya — or “Little England”

That exalted place where the upper classes

Go golfing and horse-riding In April,

Seeking refuge from the heat of Colombo.

Now, suffocatingly crowded, 

Yet somehow managing to retain

Her regal, unhurried dignity.

Nuwara Eliya — the isle’s upper-class dame,

Cool, fashionable and distant,

Unlike her warmer, down-to-earth sisters.

The drive there, magical—

A slow ascent through Hogwarts-like hills,

Past vast, spellbinding reservoirs,

Tea estates all dressed up,

Like ladies stepping out for afternoon tea.

Waterfalls — in cascading profusion,

Weaving through the hills like silver ribbons.

Tiny, misty tea houses calling you—

To abandon all reason

And lose yourself in the spell.

A gracious welcome to the city

By her herald, the luminous Lake Gregory,

Smiling at visitors with her swards and sails,

Inviting you to -sunbathe, sail, sightsee and stroll.

The opulent Nuwara Eliya Grand Hotel

Lures and ensnares you

With its picture-perfect gardens, blazing fireplaces,

And bygone-world charm.

Nuwara Eliya’s floral lady-in-waiting,

The genteel Victoria Park—

Where you linger - mist-kissed, dream-washed

While time slips away, unnoticed.

A short drive to Horton Plains,

You wonder—

Are you still on the island, or in some mythic realm

Of fir-lined roadways and colossal windmills.

Where huge, ghostly sambar deer peer at you with regal disregard.

The Plains — endless, unreal.

The cold — bracingly intoxicating.

Surely, ’tis another realm entirely.

Only the horizonless plain ahead,

The sun above, and you.

Past Baker’s Falls, past hilly forest-scapes,

Past impossibly blue mountain pools,

And finally, the famed “World’s End,”

Revealing itself with dizzying suddenness.

‘Tis hard to tear oneself away from these highlands,

To leave this fairytale...

You leave a promise with that grande dame

That your footsteps will lead you back

When the hills call your name.

From the island's heat and hush, until the next letter,

-N