Adam’s Peak Pilgrims
7
For more than 1000 years, pilgrims
have trudged by candlelight up Adam’s
Peak (Sri Pada; p163) to stand in the
footprints of Buddha, breathe the air
where Adam first set foot on earth and
see the place where butterflies go to die.
Today, tourists join the throngs of local
pilgrims and, as you stand in the predawn
light atop this perfect pinnacle of rock
and watch the sun crawl above waves of
mountains, the sense of magic remains as
bewitching as it must have been for Adam
himself. Buddhist temple at Adam’s Peak summitVisiting a Tea Plantation
8
It wasn’t really all that long ago that
Sri Lanka’s Hill Country was largely
a wild and ragged sweep of jungle-clad
mountains, but then along came the Brit-
ish who felt the need for a nice cup of tea.
So they chopped down all the jungle and
turned the Hill Country into one giant tea
estate. And you know what? The result
is mighty pretty! Sri Lankan tea is now
famous across the world, and visiting a tea
estate (p 302 ) and seeing how the world’s
favourite cuppa is produced is absolutely
fascinating. Pedro Tea Estate (p167)PAUL KENNEDY / GETTY IMAGES ©KIMBERLEY COOLE / GETTY IMAGES ©78PLAN YOUR TRIP
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Sri Lanka’
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