Notes on the Geography of Sri Lanka: HantaneHantane is the peak south of Kandy; for generations it's been in plantations--first coffee; after the 1880s, tea; now, a mix of tea and abandoned grasslands. Make default image size larger ![]() We're climbing above Kandy. ![]() And looking south to Hantane. ![]() Many of the slopes are covered by tea. ![]() Many formerly in tea are now abandoned. ![]() A closeup of this grassland. ![]() Tea invites erosion; here, the ravines have been paved to reduce it. ![]() Well cared for, these tea gardens still suffer erosion. ![]() One outcome: scattered bushes among the bedrock outcrops. ![]() Heavy pruning. ![]() Firewood for the local market. ![]() Old plantation roads are everywhere. ![]() This one's still in heavy use. ![]() The roads were built to serve the plantations and the tea factories, like this one, now an excellent industry museum. ![]() The roof, walls, and framing are English steel; the floor and windows, surprisingly, are English pine. ![]() Not quite so spiffy, but still in operation, a few miles farther south. The women are lined up to have their pickings weighed. ![]() Closeup. ![]() Coming home after hours. ![]() Traffic jam. What's the problem? ![]() Flat tire. No jack. No problem. A dozen guys lift. ![]() The van is propped up temporarily. ![]() Next door: plantation worksheds. ![]() Lines for the plantation workers, mostly Tamils imported from India when the British found that the local Sinhalese population, whom the British had displaced, declined to work on the plantations. ![]() Front stoops. ![]() At the upper end of the scale: a swimming pool for a bungalow. ![]() Another bungalow. |
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