Tagged With "plantation"
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
These elephants are great. Would be a good movie location, what with the jungle and elephants and stuff!
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
I'm becoming more intrigued by the day. On the practical side of things, specifically how to get there, what's your usual route, DrF, or is there a best way. From the US west coast. I'm thinking about using miles and I haven't found a cheap way yet for an onward flight from, say, BKK or HKG to Colombo. India is the obvious closest but costs more miles to get to than BKK. Any ideas? AA miles if have any experience with that alliance.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Thanks, PortMoresby! And we've not even been to the sacred tooth relic in Kandy, the medieval ruins of Polonnaruwa, the beautiful hill country filled with tea plantations and "The World's End", a wildlife safari at Yala National Park, nor any of the nice beaches (but keep reading -- reports on these are coming). Sri Lanka is a great destination, especially now that the civil war is over. I was doubly lucky to not only be able to visit a dear friend there but to have time to leisurely explore...
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Lots to consider. I can't go through Thailand without hanging out a few weeks so the 2 ticket plan may suit me better. I see Cathay Pacific also flies to Colombo, connecting in HKG. Will have to do more research to see if any of the low fare Asian airlines can facilitate a plan. What season is your favorite there? Is there an off-season when there are bargains to be had?
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Sri Lanka is almost on the equator so it has minimal seasonal variability in temperature or length of day and night. There is a monsoon season, but that generally translated to an hour or two of rain, often after dark, so don't let this worry you. I don't think there's a bad season. Imagine "high season" coincides with vacations in Europe as most travelers there are from Europe so would avoid the summer months especially.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Thanks again, good DrF.
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Re: Hacienda Esperanza, Manatí, PR: A history of sugar and slavery
Excellent piece of History, Jonathan. It was interesting to learn that PR followed the line of many other Caribbean Islands. Nice presentation too. Really enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
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Re: Magnolia Plantation: Beautiful but Complicated
Looks amazing, PH....great article and pics......
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Re: Magnolia Plantation: Beautiful but Complicated
Interesting and colourful journey into the past. Looks like it should be hot and steamy with all that vegetation. Educational and informative. Enjoyable blog - thanks Paul.
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Re: Magnolia Plantation: Beautiful but Complicated
Garry, in summertime, it certainly would be hot and steamy, but we were fortunate to be there in temperate November. In pre-airconditioning days, many of those who could would retreat to the mountains for the summer...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 18, 2015: Darkness into Light
Interesting that you use the words "hostile interior". I imagine it being more refuge than hostile, considering what one's experience might be in the "green and beautiful outside". I don't think we can make assumptions about an experience that, no doubt varied drastically, depending on where luck landed the residents of such basic dwellings.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 18, 2015: Darkness into Light
Well, I did say it was as it struck me, but I can certainly see the other view as well. If it's a metaphor for slavery, though, coming into the light seems to make sense for the end of slavery.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 18, 2015: Darkness into Light
Admittedly these cabins lacked the comforts of the white plantation owner's dwellings, but they are much nicer than many homes I have seen in my travels. I think here specifically of the huts made of cow dung and sticks in Tanzania as an example. I am also inclined to see the interior as a place of safety to those who lived in them, but understand your point and the metaphor.
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Re: Magnolia Plantation: Beautiful but Complicated
I was just there. You did am amazing job describing the plantation and your photos are wonderful!
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Re: Dole Plantation, Oahu, Hawaii (Where Gumbo was #169)
I just discovered a useful website for information on visit Oahu, including on the best tourist attractions, called " Live your Aloha ". Check out their link.
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Re: New Orleans Winter Walking
Thank you. Laura Plantation is at the top of my places to visit and revisit.
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Re: New Orleans Winter Walking
It's a beautiful hike, Whitney! I dislike the heat and humidity of New Orleans' summer, but this time of year sounds inviting and it's obviously charming! And while it's cold, winter is also beautiful. Here's a photo from my favorite place to hike, a 1 minute walk from my home, Fish Creek Provincial Park. We hike here along the Bow River in all four seasons, including winter. Snow slows you a little but it's not that deep as a rule. If it gets icy, you use microspikes.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 8) Hill Country
This is the chapter I've been waiting for, DrF. I 'm a lover of all things tea, which includes stays in tea growing places. I've made pilgrimages to the hill countries of various parts of India, China and Malaysia and now I believe "Ceylon" must be the next target. Many thanks for the fine introduction.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 8) Hill Country
Thanks, PortMoresby! There's lots of interesting places to stay in the Hill Country, some in tea plantations themselves. My favorite place here was the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. A bit of historic elegance. Where else can you find a "cigar room" (where men gather to smoke) and a "billiards room" anymore?
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Re: All the Tea In...Charleston?
I must admit that I would not have thought to look for a tea garden in South Carolina. Thanks so much for this fascinating little travel gem! I'm definitely stopping by the next time I visit Charleston.
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Re: All the Tea In...Charleston?
While I'm on the subject, here are the places Fodor's regards as the best 10 places in the world for afternoon tea: http://www.fodors.com/news/pho...ts-for-afternoon-tea I wonder if those who chose them have actually been in all 10? I've been in 5 of the 10, although had tea in just 3 of them (Penang, Orangery London, Victoria BC). To their list I'd add the Peninsula HKG and the Strand in Rangoon.
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All the Tea In...Charleston?
Tea gardens, as the farms are traditionally known, no matter the size, have been seducing me for over a decade. In Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces of China, Himachal Pradesh and Darjeeling in Himalayan India, in the Cameron Highlands of...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 18, 2015: Darkness into Light
This image was taken from inside a restored/preserved slave cabin on the Magnolia Plantation, near Charleston SC. The contrast between the dark and hostile interior and the light flooding in from the green and beautiful scene outside struck me...
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Magnolia Plantation: Beautiful but Complicated
This story started out simple: A visit to a beautiful riverside plantation, renowned for its centuries-old formal gardens. But the past is usually not so simple, and in this instance involves not only the ugly story of the slavery that made...
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Our Amazing Pineapple Experience at the Dole Plantation
Samantha visits a famous Oahu destination, and shows us how much more there is than just how pineapples are grown.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct 12, 2013: Sugar plantation, Maui, Hawaii
Looking remarkably like grass, this is actually a field of sugar cane. What's lacking is a size perspective because these canes are about 3 meter(10 ft) tall. The central region of Maui, between the two large volcanoes of that...
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The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 3). Kona & South Coast
This blog is being published on the same day PHeymont posted some great pics of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, or Place of Refuge, which you can see here. Along with the Place of Refuge, I'm discussing...
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Trinidad, Cuba: a Beautiful Colonial Gem
Jonathan L takes us on a tour of Trinidad, Cuba, one of the oldest cities in the Americas
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov. 24, 2013 : Plantation Village, Hawaii
Not the glamorous tourist Hawaii; no dramatic coastline here, no glitzy hotels, no surf. This building, the Waipahu Cultural Heritage Center on Oahu, is part of Hawaii’s Plantation Village, a living history museum that tells the story of...
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Antigua, Guatemala: Walking Tour, Part 2
Antigua (Guatemala) is about 45 minutes away from Guatemala city. Located on the central highlands it is surrounded by several volcanoes, the largest of which, Volcan de Agua, has erupted several times, triggering associated earthquakes that have...
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Dole Plantation, Oahu, Hawaii (Where Gumbo was #169)
Gumbo was visiting one of Oahu's most popular tourist destinations, the Dole Plantation!
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New Orleans Winter Walking
Winter visitors can see a quieter city, especially by escaping on foot or bike to the edges.
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Daytripping in Historic Lancaster
Stephanie Kalina-Metzger takes us on a tour of historic sites in this central Pennsylvania city noted for its Mennonite and Amish heritage.
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Re: Antigua, Guatemala: Walking Tour, Part 2
Great finale to your visit to Guatemala, and very glad that you got to see the volcano erupt. It certainly is a memorable experience. I've only ever seen Kilauea on the Big Island erupt, but those images are forever seared into the brain.
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Re: Trinidad, Cuba: a Beautiful Colonial Gem
Jonathan - Did you get a chance to taste the sugar cane ? There are some wonderful old railway lines serving the plantations with ancient rolling stock to be admired. I'll be back soon to take more pix.
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Re: Trinidad, Cuba: a Beautiful Colonial Gem
I did not taste the cane on this trip, although I grew up with fresh cane for sale.at.corner bodega in NYC. I knew about the trains from a episode of "globetrekkers" on PBS, and would love to take it the next time I get here.
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Re: Our Amazing Pineapple Experience at the Dole Plantation
My first quest in any vacation is to pick and eat the local fruit. Has to be less than an hour between plucking from it's home and tasting - Can it be done there too ? Love the pix !
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A Visit to the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation, Costa Rica
DrFumblefinger visits the Doka Coffee Plantation, one of the oldest and largest in Costa Rica, where he learns all about everything it takes to make a great cup of coffee.
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Re: A Visit to the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation, Costa Rica
I enjoyed this article. It bought back memories of when I visited a coffee plantation in Guatemala. Your photos are excellent too!
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Hacienda Esperanza, Manatí, PR: A history of sugar and slavery
A former sugar plantation, worked originally by enslaved Africans, now tells a long and significant history. Jonathan L reports.
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Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 8) Hill Country
The coastal regions of Sri Lanka are fairly flat. Given that and the relatively small size of the island, I was surprised to find impressive peaks (over 2500 m high) at its center. This is where the country's tea is grown.
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Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
One of the highlights of any trip to Sri Lanka is a visit to the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. Pinnawala is small town just north of Kegalle, east of Colombo and west of Kandy.
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March 26, 2019: St. Clair's Tea Center, Sri Lanka
DrFumblefinger visits the St. Clair tea center in the central Highlands of Sri Lanka.
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From the Rear Window: Sri Lanka's Tea Country
DrFumblefinger shares some of the scenery he enjoyed while driving through Sri Lanka's mountainous tea country.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, August 9, 2014: Tea Plucker, Sri Lanka
The classic image of the central Hill Country in Sri Lanka is that of its seemingly endless tea plantations -- carefully groomed and well-tended as tea's an important cash crop for this small island. With the tea comes a small army of tea pickers, or pluckers.