A long time friend, now domiciled in the US, is my favourite travel companion. Before the present economic recession hit the Western world he would visit almost every year. This time he informed us, regretfully, that in the future there will be longer gaps between his trips home. Apparently his employer has reduced his "hours", so the need to tighten belts. Although an engineer by training I think sociology is the vocation he missed. There is little of the human condition, its customs, habits, oddities and pathos that his sharp eyes miss. He also had a way of asking probing and unusual questions from those he met. Having taken in the passing scene he would over a drink go over it all with his friends in a manner most entertaining, sometimes I suspect with a little frills and spice where necessary.

Recently I accompanied him on a visit to Nuwara-Eliya, our much spoken of hill country holiday station. I had not visited the place for a few years and joined him eagerly. Our route took us to through Hatton, up to which the road was quite tolerable. Then on it was narrow and impossibly potholed, the 180 kilometers to Nuwara-Eliya taking us a good five hours. Utterly frustrated by the bumpy ride my friend reminded me that a flight to Singapore could be completed much faster. "In Sri Lanka, there is a feeling that comparisons of this nature are meaningless. Although we are talking about travel time in two Asian countries, there is an unspoken sense that we should not refer to such matters."

Our tour of Nuwara-Eliya began with a mid-day visit to the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, a popular destination particularly among the local visitors. We had to leave the car outside the garden, in the care of a local "tough" .There was little choice in the matter as he curtly reminded us, in that area, he represented the local authority. An entrance fee to the garden for a local visitor is Rs 30, while foreigners had to pay twenty times that, Rs. 600!

We learnt from the ticketing counter that the park was about 70 acres in size. This would make it much smaller than the average sized park in most countries. But by obtaining from different countries and climes a wide range of large trees and flowering plants the early curators had managed to create quite an enchanting garden, inspiring for seekers of beauty and often a haven for lovers. While enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings our reverie was rudely disturbed by a shrill whistle. Marching towards us was a gaggle of young school girls led by a uniformed security guard who was tirelessly blowing a whistle. On my friend inquiring the meaning of his conduct the security guard answered in a superior tone that it was to warn the ever-present lovers in various embraces and poses to move away from the oncoming girls.

Intrigued by this strange practice, my friend true to form, began further investigations by talking to a less occupied security guard. According to this security guard they were employed by a private company for a monthly salary of less than Rs 8000. Their main function was to protect the flora from callous human hands during the day, and in the night to keep away the wild animals. The latter duties called for night patrolling, no mean task in the cold wet nights of Nuwara- Eliya. Apparently the ubiquitous lovers too posed a big problem to the security guards. Often their embraces led to other things and the girls fearing dishonor sometimes attempted suicide, requiring the security guards to attend endless investigations thereafter. And often the lovers leave behind more than broken hearts, he said pointing to left over plastic bottles and wrappers under a lush tree, obviously the remnants of a leisurely picnic.

Save for the recently repaired Kandy road, all other roads radiating out of the bazaar town of Nuwara -Eliya are dismal, to put it mildly. Its dilapidated arteries are a clue to the health of the township’s heartbeat. Despite the magnificent setting provided by nature, there is a definite lack of elegance about the place. Small crudely built buildings, which have seen better days, now coated with grime from fumes, smoke and incessant human activity, dominate the town. Interspersed here and there, are a few new buildings, invariably with ornamental facades, inappropriate and gaudy in comparison to the beauty of the surrounding nature’s rich bounty. Garbage, disposed of indifferently collects in every street corner. The fruit, vegetable and meat markets where the throng is largest are smelly, muddy, noisy and obviously hazardous to the health. Nuwara- Eliya is a place where men gather to attend to various needs in a very basic sense with no heed to the aesthetic or the dignity of life. The crowd, most of them shoddy and poorly looking, obviously have no affection, leave alone pride in the place. There is no sense of a town with ownership, only a convenient location to use and abuse. The atmosphere is of a place which has gone down in the world, and nobody seems to care.

My friend recommended one of the old hotels in the town, not because of its quality of hospitality he confided, but for the sheer incongruity of the style and services it offered. The name was very English, Manor House in the Hills, although in substance a world apart from the image its name attempts to conjure. The large board at the gate boasted a fireplace, apparently valued by some tourist. A big blackboard in the foyer area announced the cuisine, an ambitious range including Chinese, Mongolian and Western. After Hakgala we needed refreshment and ordered tea. It arrived, after about half an hour, made to the taste of the kitchen help, weak, milky and sugary.

My room was musty smelling, dark and dingy, the attached bathroom, leaky, doubtfully cleaned. I tried the small TV but could not get any reaction from it. There was little to hold me in the room. After leaving my bags there and a quick wash-up I made my way to the front of the hotel. My friend who had stayed there before insisted that a chat with the manager would be a highlight of our stay.

The manager, Mr. Senadheera, was a smallish rotund man in his fifties. Hailing from the more cosmopolitan Western province, upon retirement from a senior public service position he had decided that he liked Nuwara –Eliya and made it his home. Although in appearance nondescript, he was not lacking in intelligence, and as I realized, possessed a larger view of the world. My friend assured me that conversing with him was one of the pleasures he looked forward to when visiting Nuwara-Eliya.

"This town can be a model holiday town. In Australia where my daughter lives there are holiday places I have visited which are so wholesome. Why cannot we be like that?! When I came as a young clerk to Nuwara -Eliya, it used to be reasonably well run. But now politics has ruined the administration. Getting elected to office is the only thing that matters. All that the politicians are interested in now are big projects that may get them some votes and publicity. Takeover some nice reservation or tea estate and build houses for the voters who are mainly outsiders squatting in the town. That is the kind of high profile project they go for. And of course in such projects there is money to be made."

My friend asked him "By the way, why is your hotel in such bad shape?"

After a moment’s hesitation Senadheera answered "Don’t I feel embarrassed about it! But what can I do? I know you will think this passivity is a typical Sri Lankan reaction. But listen to this. The owner, who is a new rich type from Colombo, does not want to put more money into a venture which is loss making as it is. He did some improvements some time back and soon after we had one of the worse seasons for tourist. Now he won’t hear of more capital investment. In fact if he finds a buyer, the Manor House will be sold immediately. He has no idea of an English guest house, which we pretend to be, nor has he any historical affinity to the place. The staff is just not interested in providing a quality service. Even if they want to, do they understand the meaning of good service? Just being humble, which is valued by some customers, is not service. They are just amateurs, marking time, only because of the salary. Even if I fire them what is the guarantee the next lot is going to be better."

"You mean everybody is just going through the motions, with no real commitment?" My friend probed.

"Yes, that is how it is. Even I am doing the same thing. Don’t you think our culture is like that fundamentally? Paying lip service is everything. Go out and observe the people littering the place, would you say they do not know what they are doing? You can be sure that in speech they would be strong advocates for cleanliness in public places. But when no one is watching they litter the place without any concern."

"Are they hopelessly selfish?"

"Yes, on close examination they are only interested in themselves and maybe the possible advantage to their immediate family. The rest is just a pose. Say, their child wants a chocolate. They will give it to him and just throw the wrapper away. If their child breaks the queue it will be excused"

"But surely they should understand the negative consequences of this attitude for the society at large?" I asked, joining in.

Senadheera looked at me in a thoughtful manner "Frankly, I do not think that kind of social awareness is part of our make-up. Whatever good that happens here is just by chance. Somebody may of course take credit for it. But it is sheer chance. Say we make a road. Can you say the Mayor made it? Was it his money, or design? Not that we cannot grasp the intellectual as well as the spiritual bankruptcy of this attitude. We understand all that. But the significance of it is lost because we have already decided that it does not matter. Take India for instance. There is filth everywhere, including, or particularly in so called holy places. But that culture has decided to simply ignore it all and maybe even legitimize the whole thing. Similarly we too just ignore the issue. The truth is a very hazy concept here. Everybody who writes about Nuwara –Eliya will refer you to Hakgala gardens, Pidurutalagla, the April season and the so-called bracing climate. No one will write about the filth, indifference, neglect and corruption in front of their faces. If somebody mentions it they will quickly blame the municipal authorities or some such body and merrily carry on as usual."

We were a keen on a walk around the man made Gregory Lake before dinner. Mr. Senadheera clearly starved of companionship decided to join us. Despite all the misuse and neglect this famous landmark in Nuwara –Eliya, dating back to the 1870s, still retains a bleak charm. There is no apparent attempt to maintain the lake as an attraction. To its once pristine water now flows in the effluence from the drains and stinking sewers of the surrounding human settlements. On the lake’s muddy banks small herds of cattle and stray dogs wander targeting the half eaten rice packets left behind by local touris. As there is no promenade around the Lake we had to take the busy potholed Badulla Road, hurriedly getting on the grass edges when large buses rattling and blowing dark fumes went threateningly past us. One corner of the lake’s bank has been converted into a rubbish dump, making the air in that area unbearably foul.

"What do the local tourists do in Nuwara-Eliya?" my friend inquired.

"You can easily pick them because they come with all the blankets, woolens, furs and sweaters they can carry. All that warm stuff is more appropriate for a winter in a northern hemisphere country. It can get a bit cold here, but come on; most times it is only around 20 degrees. I think it is more of a fashion thing. The men generally hit the bottle from mid-morning. While drinking they will consume huge plates of "bites". The women folk and the children spend their time watching Indian films on video. The more energetic may go to Horton Plains. But that is only a two hour walk at the most. Generally I would say their holidays are passive. Even when going to the market they will take the vehicle right up to it. But this place was developed by a people with a vigorous lifestyle. Hunting, trekking, fishing, golf, Tennis etc used to be the attractions. Then it was bright active place .The neglect and the decay we now see all around in Nuwara-Eliya somehow seems to fit in with the inertia of the tourist it attracts today."