The Bambarabotuwa valley, Wewalwaththe, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

 

A view of the Bambarabotuwa valley from the Alupola - Balakotunna road. You can see the Wewalwaththe - Balangoda road passing close to a waterfall. The waterfall is not visible from the Wewalwaththe - Balangoda road. The winding road below is a mud track.

A house on the hill, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

It is a peculiarity of the hilly regions in the province of Sabaragamuwa in Sri Lanka, that people build their houses as far away from their nearest neighbor. This is in sharp contrast to the North of this Island where houses are built closetogether.

River-bathing, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

River-bathing is a popular pastime in Sri Lanka. The villagers in the hills take their daily baths, in the ice-cold water of the rivers and streams. It is also a social get to-gether where fun, frolicking and even romance blossoms. You see a group of people taking a river bath in Alupola, Rathnapura.

Tea bushes on a hillock, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

The tea bushes are tended carefully throughout their life in the tea estates. The plants have their tops pruned parallel to the ground. Regular weeding of the soil is done. Proper drainage of rain water is done. Fertilizer is applied regularly. Fungicides and insecticides are used liberally. All this is done to the plants, grown from selected parents and is done by vegetative propagation. All this attention is done to produce the two leaves and the bud which goes into the making of green or regular tea. The rural villagers take these leaves, pound them in a mortar (Van-gedy) and dry it in the sun. They use it as a home brew and call it 'Vangedy-The'.

Bridge over a mountain stream, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

We used to go for a bath in the stream and have our lunch under the bridge. What idyllic times we had in days gone by. I took this photo in July 2009 on a recent visit.

Old planters bungalow, Alupola, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka

The British planters built very spacious bungalows during colonial times (Pre 1948), in Sri Lanka. They were self sufficient in many ways. They had Jersey cows, rabbits, a chicken run, a well cultivated vegetable and flower garden etc. This is one of the bungalows facing the Alupola waterfall, on a hill side.

Flowers from Home garden, Alupola, Sri Lanka.

Orchids, Alupola Hospital, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Trifoliate of trifoliate leaves - Home garden plants (4) - Alupola, Rathnapura,

A decorative type of colored leaf with a trifoliate pattern. It makes a nice change in a flower filled garden.

Home garden flowers (3) Alupola, Sri Lanka.

Flowers in the home gardens- 2 - Alupola, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Flowers in the home gardens - Alupola, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Quite a lot of varieties of flowers, bloom in the home gardens of Alupola. The British planters brought these for their home gardens here. Now these are found all over, as the climate is favorable for their growth in Alupola. Here you see a rose in full bloom.

A mountain stream, Alupola, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Former Estate present Government Hospital, Alupola Estate, Sri Lanka.

Hospitals in the tea plantations, were set up in picturesque settings. This was the former Estate Hospital at Alupola Estate, Rathnapura. Now it is a Government run hospital, with an RMP in charge.