Tea factory on the A4, approaching Lellopitiya, Sri Lanka.

The finished tea produced in a tea estate is graded High, Medium or Low grown according to the situation of the tea factory producing it, above sea level. I took this picture of a beautifully painted tea factory on a hill on the A4 road, approaching Lellopitiya.

Governor Barnes' bungalow at Gannoruwa, Sri Lanka.

The old bungalow of Governor Barnes at Gannoruwa, Sri Lanka. He also owned a factory to prepare cocoa pods closeby. The factory was used for preparation of various products from Soya till recently. The Governor's bungalow is used as a government office now.

Udawalawa reservoir as seen from the A4 at Nikapotha, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture in October 2009 around 3pm. You can see the valley of the Walawe Ganga and the Udawalawe reservoir in the distance.

A potter's work-place at 'Lemasthota' on the A4, Sri Lanka.ri Lanka.

Ancient method of breaking a granite rock, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

When a large piece of rock has to be broken, a fire is lit under it. Within a few hours the stone cracks and part of it falls away. This can be repeated over and over again. I took this picture in a village a few miles outside Avissawella. This must have been a very ancient method of breaking up large rocky outcroppings.

Tea plants, Bogawanthalawa, Sri Lanka

Coming down into the valley of Bogawanthalawa after the climb up from Balangoda, we were greeted with a lovely view, of well pruned tea plants on the hill side. The air was slightly misty and cold.

A mountain torrent, Balangoda - Bogawanthalawa road, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture of a mountain torrent by the road, in the upper reaches of the Balangoda Group at an elevation of about 4500 feet above sea level.

Balangoda Group seen from the road to Bogawanthalawa, Sri Lanka.

I took this photo at an elevation of more than 4000 feet above sea level, on the road to Bogawanthalawa. It was a misty and cold day. I used  the 10 zoom and a uv filter on my digital camera.

Looking down at Balangoda Estate from the Balangoda - Bogawanthalawa road.

the 'Gharandhi ella' on the Balangoda - Bogawanthalawa road.

Picture taken on 16/10/2009. The water fall named after its appearance to a 'rat-snake', is seen flowing down a high misty mountain, on the Balangoda - Bogawanthalawa road. It is a hilly road which takes one over 5000feet above sea level to descend to the beautiful Bogawanthalawa valley. The trip takes about one and a half hours.

Flower plants for sale, Haldumulla, Sri Lanka.

On the A4 road - Colombo to Ampara, at Haldumulla, we stopped to buy a few flower plants for the home garden. Selling flower plants is big business in present day Sri Lanka.

View of Diyaluma falls from the 'Diyaluma falls inn', Sri Lanka.

The trees and timber near Beragalla on A4, Sri Lanka.

I saw these beautiful trees by the roadside near Beragalla on the A4 road. Freshly cut timber from a pinus plantation was seen close-by.

'Bathalagala' - 'Bible rock' seen in the afternoon, Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka.

The rocky mountain gave the impression of a bible to the conquring British. They called it 'Bible-rock'. The local name for it was 'Bathala-gala'. You can see the lush green valley and a part of a terraced paddy-field in the picture. You can also see a 'chaitya' on a dome shaped rock below. I took this picture in October 2009.

Pinus plantation and logging, Kalupahana, A4, Sri Lanka.

Pinus plantations were funded by international organizations in Sri Lanka from the 1980s. It was looked upon unfavourably by environmentalists. The pinus tree secretes an exotoxin through its roots so that other plants are discouraged to grow round its base. The fallen firs when dry are a fire hazard. The value of pinus is the long stem which is ideal material for telegraph poles. I took this photo at Kalupahana on the A4 road to Haputhale.

'Chaitya' on a rock, seen from Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka.

Looking across the valley from the ascent to Kadugannawa on the Colombo road (A1), one sees the 'Bathalagala - Bible rock'. Below the rock is another bare-faced rocky hill, on which a white painted 'chaitya' is seen. I took this picture through an afternoon haze using a 10 zoom on my Funji Fine-pix digital camera..

Branches of a tree, Belihul Oya, Sri Lanka.

The beauty of the branches of a tree as seen at Belihul Oya, Sri Lanka.

A cast-iron oven of the late 19th century, Belihul Oya, Sri Lanka.

Beli Hul Oya was a famous rest house during British times (Pre 1948), in Sri Lanka. Cast iron products from Birmingham etc were common items in households those days. I saw this old cast-iron oven being now used as a table, at the Belihul Oya Rest House.

The stream called 'Belihul Oya', Sri Lanka.

Beside the picturusque rest house, the 'Belihul Oya' makes its way. It has a lot of rocks and eddies, where the water can be treacherous. Recently a middle aged gentleman and his son-in-law who went for a bath here, lost there lives. I had a nasty experience while bathing here a few years back.

The smoking mountain, Gannoruwa, Sri Lanka.

Looking at the Gannoruwa hill from the new road by the side of the suspension bridge, one sees this cleft in the mountain, where a constant stream of mist seems to ascend up into the sky. The locals say that there is a large rock in this area. I took this photograph in September 2009.

A very common wild flower in the wet zones of Sri Lanka

Children of the South of Sri-Lanka use these flowers in processions to the temples. The flowers are found everywhere in the wet zone of Sri Lanka, throughout the year.

Tapping latex from a rubber tree

Belihul-oya rest house, seen from across the bridge, Sri Lanka.

Nikapotha, a look into the Udawalawe basin.

I took this photo on the road to Beragala coming up from Nikapotha. It was around 4pm.

A domesticated elephant being transported, Thalduwa, Sri Lanka.

A few decades ago, domesticated elephants in Sri Lanka had to walk long distances for work or to take part in Peraharas. Nowadays they are transported on flat-bed trucks. The elephant keeper is in danger of getting a shower of urine anytime during transport.  Photo taken with a Sony Cybershot 8.1MP by Gnanamoli Veerasingam.

Diyaluma falls, Koslande, Sri Lanka - 3/10/2009.

The Diyaluma falls on the Beragala - Wellawaya road on the A4 to Ampara, was said to resemble a bridal veil. Due to the three months lack of rain, the bridal veil has been cut in half. The wind blows away half the waterfall as you can see in this picture. I took this picture on 3/10/2009.

Suspension bridge connecting Gannoruwa to the Peradeniya Gardens.

This is a beautiful landmark at Peradeniya, connecting the Peradeniya Gardens with Gannoruwa on the opposite bank of the Mahaweli Ganga. It is now closed for use.

Kirindi-ella, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.