Photo Friday: Lipton's Seat, Sri Lanka

Er ... what sweeping views?

At the look-out point on the Dambatenne tea plantation, Sir Thomas Lipton used to bring guests for picnics and to survey the sheer sweeping views below.

What to do in Ella, Sri Lanka

Ella or Elle is a small town in Sri Lanka's hill country, surrounded by tea plantations. It's a good spot for a few days of hiking, eating and drinking tea. Here are our top things to do while you are there.

1. Take in the views from Little Adam's Peak
A walk up Little Adam's Park is about an hour and a half's round trip from the main street in Ella. The views of the surrounding mountains and across to Ella Rock make it is very much worth the trip.

Staying refreshed in South America

Following on from our earlier post on the drinks to unwind with/get a bit tipsy on in South America, this post looks at the hot and soft drinks that you should try (or avoid!) while travelling across the continent.

1) Coca Tea
Prolific in the high Andes, Peruvians and Bolivians swear by the properties of the coca plant (yes of cocaine fame) to prevent altitude sickness, for pain relief and to suppress hunger. 

Destination guide: Snooty Ooty

In the time of the British Empire, Ooty in the Nilgiri hills was the hill station where the British administration in Chennai - then known as Madras - headed to in the summer to cool down. 

Nilgiri Hills

Being in India during the heat of summer ourselves, we could understand the attraction.