Nuwara Eliya which is sometimes nicknamed as the City On the Plain and City of Light is nested in the hilly county of Central Sri Lanka, 180km away from its national capital, Colombo. The place was initially established by British in 19th century as a retreat resort where colonists spend their leisure times in sports like cricket, golfing or hunting and due to its cooling temperate climate, it not only gradually turned into a prime sanctuary of British civil servants but also attracted the local planters. Today Nuwara Eliya is a hot holiday vacation destination to its folks.
Lake Gregory is the crown of Nuwara Eliya City. It is a man-made lake originally created to generate the electricity for the rapidly growing city. Water from the stream of Thalgala from Piduruthalagala Mountain Ranges flows into the lake and directed to "Blackpool" in a tunnel to use for electricity generation. The supplies of electricity in town until today is still from this power station.
The picturesque Lake Gregory was originally a swampy bog at the foot of small hills that bordered the town and tea planting regions. The lake which was once an eye sore to the locals, was unexpectedly developed into a recreational site for colonial holiday makers in 19th-20th century and a famous vacation spot for water activities in 21st century.
A sunny and cooling day at the park in Gregory Lake, which is very well maintained and groomed, but disappointing is that the admission fee is not cheap.
Gregory Lake provides activities like paddle boats, kite surfing and pony ride.
The spectacular views surrounding lake Gregory.
Locals enjoyed the paddle boats on the calm Gregory lake.
Views of Lake Gregory from various angle.
A monk and a layman, what happy subject were they sharing?
The pony must be disappointed as the boys could not afford to pay for the riding fee.
Little food stalls at Lake Gregory.
The three-wheeled carts are common public transporters at town.
Greetings from the beautifully blossom roses at all corners in Nuwara Eliya.
Nuwara Eliya sitting at a height of 1868 meter above sea-level at the foot of Pidurutalagala Mountain Range with a comfortable cool climate and series of scenic landscapes within its surroundings, attracts many vacationers to spend their holiday here.
Pidurutalagala Ranges is the highest mountain in Sri Lanka and is the coolest place in the country.
Nuwara Eliya was once a favorite hill resort station for British. Its many old structures remain with colonial features and new buildings have the influences in style and designs. Many houses are now built with English lawns and gardens.
Golden statue of Nuwara Eliya's British Founder, the 19th century famous explorer Samual Baker, is placed at the center of town. At this hilly town, manual labors are widely required especially in the plantations.
The only commercial street that lined up with shops and restaurants.
The modern apartments and hotels
Remarko is a famous food caterers and motel owner in town. Their chef is preparing local breakfast in the open kitchen.
The typical local breakfast.
Business here is commonly quite small in scheme like the fish seller and those road side stalls who sell this local popular snack, coconut grown up seedlings. Part of Nuwara Eliya was affected by 2004 Tsunami.
A sight of greenery
A pleasurable view of mountain ranges, valleys and its meadows.
Vast area of tea plantation interspersed with growth of vegetables, fruits and flowers at slope terraces are the distinctive features in Nuwara Eliya.
What we see along the way : An outstanding mosque.
A Buddhist temple
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