1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast 2 00:00:10,613 --> 00:00:11,453 Speaker 1: from News Talks. 3 00:00:11,453 --> 00:00:11,773 Speaker 2: That'd be. 4 00:00:13,853 --> 00:00:17,053 Speaker 3: Mike Hardley is our travel correspondent and is here today 5 00:00:17,253 --> 00:00:19,133 Speaker 3: to Mike Morning Jack. 6 00:00:19,253 --> 00:00:22,133 Speaker 2: Have a great time in the States. I reckon Carmela's 7 00:00:22,213 --> 00:00:23,853 Speaker 2: campaign is in a world of trouble. 8 00:00:24,933 --> 00:00:27,933 Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know about a world of trouble. I 9 00:00:27,933 --> 00:00:29,813 Speaker 3: think these things sort of eve and flow a little bit, 10 00:00:29,853 --> 00:00:32,333 Speaker 3: but I definitely think they're in trouble, you know, relative 11 00:00:32,333 --> 00:00:33,653 Speaker 3: to where they were a couple of weeks ago. This 12 00:00:33,773 --> 00:00:35,893 Speaker 3: is certainly a lag in the campaign that we wanted 13 00:00:35,893 --> 00:00:37,853 Speaker 3: to turn things around. If the election were held today, 14 00:00:38,733 --> 00:00:42,453 Speaker 3: I reckon Trump, I reckon Trump would have it. I 15 00:00:42,493 --> 00:00:44,493 Speaker 3: reckon Trump would have it. But I also just think, 16 00:00:45,893 --> 00:00:48,573 Speaker 3: like flip a coin, you know, flip a coin out 17 00:00:48,613 --> 00:00:51,373 Speaker 3: at the moment, what is it that makes you think 18 00:00:51,493 --> 00:00:53,533 Speaker 3: that her campaigns in trouble. 19 00:00:54,133 --> 00:00:56,453 Speaker 2: I've just got back from there, and I just think 20 00:00:56,973 --> 00:00:59,293 Speaker 2: a couple of things. First of all, the trend is 21 00:00:59,333 --> 00:01:01,413 Speaker 2: not who friend in the polls, you know when you 22 00:01:01,453 --> 00:01:03,653 Speaker 2: compare it to say twenty twenty or twenty sixteen and 23 00:01:03,853 --> 00:01:06,213 Speaker 2: those better ground states. But the other thing, Jack, and 24 00:01:06,213 --> 00:01:07,693 Speaker 2: it's one thing you picked up on with me a 25 00:01:07,693 --> 00:01:11,573 Speaker 2: few weeks ago. Was she just seems unable to give 26 00:01:11,573 --> 00:01:14,533 Speaker 2: a half decent answer to the tough questions. She just 27 00:01:14,653 --> 00:01:17,373 Speaker 2: continues to dodge those tough questions, And I just think 28 00:01:17,453 --> 00:01:21,653 Speaker 2: that raises huge question marks about, you know, the ability 29 00:01:21,653 --> 00:01:22,933 Speaker 2: of someone like that to be president. 30 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:26,093 Speaker 3: Yeah. I tend to agree with that. I think she's 31 00:01:26,133 --> 00:01:28,893 Speaker 3: a really poor interviewee for someone who's made it to 32 00:01:28,893 --> 00:01:30,933 Speaker 3: that position, like a one on one interviewee. I'm not 33 00:01:31,413 --> 00:01:34,453 Speaker 3: I'm not saying that Donald Trump is a good interviewee. 34 00:01:35,533 --> 00:01:39,573 Speaker 3: The necessarily answers many questions, but yeah, I think she's 35 00:01:39,573 --> 00:01:41,773 Speaker 3: surprisingly weaken. It plays into the whole thing about you know, 36 00:01:41,813 --> 00:01:43,093 Speaker 3: like what does she actually stand for? 37 00:01:43,253 --> 00:01:43,453 Speaker 1: Right? 38 00:01:43,973 --> 00:01:46,893 Speaker 3: It is hard to tell watching her. Yeah, it's gonna 39 00:01:46,893 --> 00:01:49,213 Speaker 3: be very interesting. So I'm looking forward to podcasting from 40 00:01:49,253 --> 00:01:50,613 Speaker 3: there over the next couple of weeks and trying to 41 00:01:50,653 --> 00:01:52,973 Speaker 3: get to give a sense of things, sense of things 42 00:01:53,013 --> 00:01:56,213 Speaker 3: on the ground. Yeah, thank you. So from the Mighty 43 00:01:56,333 --> 00:01:58,453 Speaker 3: us of A, we are turning our attention to the 44 00:01:58,453 --> 00:02:02,653 Speaker 3: Indian Ocean and the hill country in Sri Lanka this morning. 45 00:02:02,733 --> 00:02:05,053 Speaker 3: And the gateway city in the highlands of Sri Lanka 46 00:02:05,133 --> 00:02:05,933 Speaker 3: is Candy. 47 00:02:05,653 --> 00:02:08,933 Speaker 2: Right, indeed, I thought we'd do one last burst with 48 00:02:09,013 --> 00:02:11,773 Speaker 2: Sri Lanka and I headed for the hills. Jack. The 49 00:02:11,813 --> 00:02:14,853 Speaker 2: thing about Candy is it's just surrounded with all this 50 00:02:15,053 --> 00:02:18,493 Speaker 2: twisting topography. It's the sweetheart of a down candy. See 51 00:02:18,493 --> 00:02:21,693 Speaker 2: what I did there. The city has swathed in all 52 00:02:21,773 --> 00:02:25,053 Speaker 2: these lush jungle greens. You've got roly poly hells, and 53 00:02:25,133 --> 00:02:29,813 Speaker 2: this amazing man made lake, glorious, soothing lake right in 54 00:02:29,853 --> 00:02:32,653 Speaker 2: its heart. The thing about that lake is the prize 55 00:02:32,733 --> 00:02:35,813 Speaker 2: draw is right next to it, the gorgeous Temple of 56 00:02:35,853 --> 00:02:39,093 Speaker 2: the Tooth Relic. And I learnt a lot about this Toothjack. 57 00:02:39,213 --> 00:02:44,093 Speaker 2: So supposedly it is one of Buddha's teeth, taken from 58 00:02:44,093 --> 00:02:48,053 Speaker 2: his funeral pyre and smuggled into Sri Lanka seventeen hundred 59 00:02:48,093 --> 00:02:52,773 Speaker 2: years ago, hidden in the hair of a princess. No less, so, 60 00:02:53,493 --> 00:02:56,773 Speaker 2: if you're a Sri Lankan Buddhist, you have to take 61 00:02:56,813 --> 00:03:00,733 Speaker 2: a pilgrimage to this temple in your lifetime to enhance 62 00:03:00,773 --> 00:03:05,413 Speaker 2: your karmic energy. And the place was absolutely heaving with pilgrims. 63 00:03:05,413 --> 00:03:06,293 Speaker 2: It was quite a sight. 64 00:03:06,493 --> 00:03:07,813 Speaker 3: Wow, did you see the tooth? 65 00:03:08,693 --> 00:03:13,573 Speaker 2: No, you can't see the tooth. It has locked away 66 00:03:13,613 --> 00:03:17,293 Speaker 2: in a golden casket right inside the shrine room. In 67 00:03:17,333 --> 00:03:21,533 Speaker 2: the shrine room, apparently it's whirled out about once every decade, right, 68 00:03:22,573 --> 00:03:26,053 Speaker 2: and then every year around the full moon in July, 69 00:03:26,173 --> 00:03:30,213 Speaker 2: they have this massive exuberant festival called Peta Hera, which 70 00:03:31,053 --> 00:03:33,813 Speaker 2: goes on for about ten days, full pageantry. They had 71 00:03:33,853 --> 00:03:40,333 Speaker 2: one hundred elaborately decorated elephants dripping with jewels on parade. 72 00:03:40,853 --> 00:03:44,613 Speaker 2: In the lead elephant mister Tusker. He carries a replica 73 00:03:44,973 --> 00:03:47,133 Speaker 2: of the tooth, so they don't even wheel out the 74 00:03:47,173 --> 00:03:50,613 Speaker 2: real tooth for the big festival. But I was getting 75 00:03:50,693 --> 00:03:53,133 Speaker 2: too a few local check and it's funny. Some people 76 00:03:53,213 --> 00:03:54,893 Speaker 2: reckon it's actually a buffalo tooth. 77 00:03:55,853 --> 00:04:00,093 Speaker 3: Oh really yeah, surely you'll be able to tell a difference. 78 00:04:00,773 --> 00:04:03,253 Speaker 2: Well, they think it's just not a human tooth. Those 79 00:04:03,293 --> 00:04:11,013 Speaker 2: that have seen it reckon that it's. 80 00:04:08,293 --> 00:04:10,013 Speaker 3: No one's itching to go and to it like a 81 00:04:10,093 --> 00:04:12,173 Speaker 3: DNA testone or anything. I had to work it. 82 00:04:12,133 --> 00:04:14,973 Speaker 2: Out, yeah through yeah, okay. 83 00:04:15,173 --> 00:04:17,853 Speaker 3: How amazing. So was the Central Market worth a bit 84 00:04:17,853 --> 00:04:18,893 Speaker 3: of a wonder? 85 00:04:19,213 --> 00:04:21,853 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, it was so enthrawling. I ended up 86 00:04:21,853 --> 00:04:24,893 Speaker 2: talking cricket with these lovely old men who were wearing 87 00:04:24,933 --> 00:04:28,853 Speaker 2: away on the antique singer sewing machines in the tailor's section. 88 00:04:30,333 --> 00:04:32,893 Speaker 2: Then I went to the fresh fresh produce market, which 89 00:04:33,013 --> 00:04:37,053 Speaker 2: just radiates with abundance. I have never seen so many 90 00:04:37,053 --> 00:04:41,133 Speaker 2: banana varieties in my life, just so many different types 91 00:04:41,133 --> 00:04:44,653 Speaker 2: of bananas. And then in the meat and seafood section, Whell, 92 00:04:44,733 --> 00:04:48,613 Speaker 2: that was explicit and confronting, and I actually parked up 93 00:04:48,653 --> 00:04:53,173 Speaker 2: my protein preferences for several days after that counter I 94 00:04:53,253 --> 00:04:56,053 Speaker 2: became a temporary vegetarian. And you can't go wrong with 95 00:04:56,093 --> 00:04:59,693 Speaker 2: a dull curry or a jet fruit curry in Tri Lanka. 96 00:04:59,733 --> 00:05:03,293 Speaker 2: Although to be fair, Jet unlike India sdreaded Deli belly. 97 00:05:03,413 --> 00:05:06,373 Speaker 2: I had no stomach issues at all in tre Lunkan. 98 00:05:06,573 --> 00:05:08,653 Speaker 3: Great. Oh that's good. So when you say it was 99 00:05:08,693 --> 00:05:11,053 Speaker 3: a little bit eye opening, was it just like Dad 100 00:05:11,093 --> 00:05:12,813 Speaker 3: and Gore or is it so like you know, like 101 00:05:12,893 --> 00:05:15,693 Speaker 3: not Jack setting it was. 102 00:05:15,693 --> 00:05:19,453 Speaker 2: The hyergiene question, Yeah it was. It was pretty bad. Yeah. 103 00:05:19,573 --> 00:05:21,173 Speaker 3: Okay, yep, no, I get it. We don't need to 104 00:05:21,253 --> 00:05:24,253 Speaker 3: go into any more. What about the T factories? Can 105 00:05:24,293 --> 00:05:25,573 Speaker 3: you tour the T factories? 106 00:05:26,093 --> 00:05:27,973 Speaker 2: Yeah? This is such a cool thing to do. So 107 00:05:28,093 --> 00:05:30,653 Speaker 2: Candy's got a lot of the tea factories in Sri Lanka, 108 00:05:30,693 --> 00:05:32,933 Speaker 2: and I went to a place called Girigama te Factory. 109 00:05:32,933 --> 00:05:35,533 Speaker 2: It's one of your place of old school factories. They 110 00:05:35,613 --> 00:05:38,933 Speaker 2: have got machines near jack which like do the drying 111 00:05:39,013 --> 00:05:41,653 Speaker 2: and the processing of the tea, which had not changed 112 00:05:41,693 --> 00:05:45,733 Speaker 2: in one hundred years, the same machines. So when Victoria 113 00:05:45,893 --> 00:05:49,813 Speaker 2: was on the throne, these machines were operating amazing. Yeah, 114 00:05:50,053 --> 00:05:52,413 Speaker 2: but I was so fascinating to learn the whole sort 115 00:05:52,413 --> 00:05:57,253 Speaker 2: of backstory to the tea plantations in Sri Lanka. And 116 00:05:57,293 --> 00:06:00,573 Speaker 2: they are still one of the world's top five t exporters. 117 00:06:00,613 --> 00:06:04,493 Speaker 2: But the British who were responsible for fill On tea, 118 00:06:05,333 --> 00:06:09,173 Speaker 2: they Foost, actually tried to turn Salon as they called it, 119 00:06:09,293 --> 00:06:13,253 Speaker 2: into a coffee producing carehouse, but all the plants were 120 00:06:13,253 --> 00:06:16,293 Speaker 2: struck by a fungal disease, so that was a total disaster. 121 00:06:16,933 --> 00:06:19,173 Speaker 2: And then this guy James Taylor, he is like the 122 00:06:19,213 --> 00:06:22,853 Speaker 2: father of Slon tea. He thought let's give tea crek 123 00:06:23,333 --> 00:06:25,533 Speaker 2: and it's just transformed the nation. 124 00:06:25,853 --> 00:06:28,653 Speaker 3: Yeah. Interesting, I presume that James Tayler is different to 125 00:06:29,053 --> 00:06:35,933 Speaker 3: the James Taylor the Muso. Yeah, so's the Hill Country landscape, 126 00:06:36,013 --> 00:06:38,333 Speaker 3: just like all tea plantations everywhere. 127 00:06:38,773 --> 00:06:42,093 Speaker 2: Well, it's really interesting. It's a total patchwork. So you've 128 00:06:42,133 --> 00:06:46,893 Speaker 2: got like high country jungle forests splashed with these gods 129 00:06:46,973 --> 00:06:51,093 Speaker 2: making waterfalls. I've never seen such enormous waterfalls before, and 130 00:06:51,133 --> 00:06:56,413 Speaker 2: then interspersing all that vast blankets of thickly stitched, undulating 131 00:06:56,693 --> 00:07:00,773 Speaker 2: emerald green tea plantations, and you just feel like you're 132 00:07:00,813 --> 00:07:05,413 Speaker 2: constantly switching from nature to nurture, nature nurture, and it's 133 00:07:05,493 --> 00:07:09,253 Speaker 2: such a stylealized landscape. Those tea estates. A lot of 134 00:07:09,293 --> 00:07:13,933 Speaker 2: the teepickers are tamils, so amongst all those grin plantations, 135 00:07:14,533 --> 00:07:19,173 Speaker 2: this blaze of colorful saris adding to the scenery. It 136 00:07:19,733 --> 00:07:22,053 Speaker 2: really is a visual symphony. And the best way to 137 00:07:22,133 --> 00:07:25,533 Speaker 2: do that, that sort of scenic experience is just jump 138 00:07:25,613 --> 00:07:28,093 Speaker 2: on a train from Candy and head up to the 139 00:07:28,173 --> 00:07:31,333 Speaker 2: higher reaches. It really is an incredible spectacle. 140 00:07:31,853 --> 00:07:33,053 Speaker 3: Nice. So how high did you go? 141 00:07:34,453 --> 00:07:37,013 Speaker 2: I went up to a place called New Water, Alia 142 00:07:37,253 --> 00:07:40,573 Speaker 2: and it is about six and a half thousand feet high. 143 00:07:40,573 --> 00:07:45,293 Speaker 2: So what's that about? To two thousand meetings? Yeah, Mount Hope, 144 00:07:45,333 --> 00:07:49,853 Speaker 2: that mount it would be Mount Herts, Yeah, absolutely, Yeah. 145 00:07:49,893 --> 00:07:54,093 Speaker 2: The temperature change incredibly startling compared to the you know, 146 00:07:54,133 --> 00:07:57,973 Speaker 2: the steam heat down in the Lowlands. But you're all 147 00:07:58,013 --> 00:08:01,013 Speaker 2: those tea plantations up there in New Water, Alia. They're 148 00:08:01,053 --> 00:08:05,053 Speaker 2: all misst shrouded. The place is nicknames Little England, and 149 00:08:05,093 --> 00:08:08,293 Speaker 2: it's so weird jacket feel a bit discombobulating. There are 150 00:08:08,293 --> 00:08:11,573 Speaker 2: all of these quaint and jaunty reminders of British influence. 151 00:08:12,293 --> 00:08:18,133 Speaker 2: I was buying rock candy from Fox Tutor shops and 152 00:08:18,293 --> 00:08:22,973 Speaker 2: downtown New Wada area and at the local market, I 153 00:08:22,973 --> 00:08:25,653 Speaker 2: thought this said at all. I was most amused to 154 00:08:25,653 --> 00:08:29,493 Speaker 2: see these Tamil locals, clad and saris and wooly hats, 155 00:08:30,093 --> 00:08:33,533 Speaker 2: haggling over the price of OsO English vegetables like cabbage 156 00:08:33,533 --> 00:08:38,853 Speaker 2: tennants and passing it. That's the Sri Lankan Highlands and 157 00:08:38,973 --> 00:08:41,493 Speaker 2: one sweet, curious snapshot. I thought, that. 158 00:08:41,533 --> 00:08:44,173 Speaker 3: Sounds amazing, sounds like a very interesting place. You've totally 159 00:08:44,173 --> 00:08:45,973 Speaker 3: sold me on Sri Lanka over the last couple of weeks. 160 00:08:46,013 --> 00:08:47,893 Speaker 3: By the way, I'm really I've not been there. I 161 00:08:47,893 --> 00:08:49,653 Speaker 3: would love to go there, Yeah. 162 00:08:49,493 --> 00:08:51,453 Speaker 2: I would love to go back. I just feel like 163 00:08:51,493 --> 00:08:54,453 Speaker 2: I've dabbled and it's just as a jewel of a country. 164 00:08:54,493 --> 00:08:58,733 Speaker 2: It really is so safe, beautiful people, great food if 165 00:08:58,773 --> 00:09:02,773 Speaker 2: you stick with the vegetarian and yeah, the scenery is 166 00:09:02,933 --> 00:09:03,933 Speaker 2: just gods me. 167 00:09:04,413 --> 00:09:06,253 Speaker 3: Yeah, oh, thank you so much for all of you 168 00:09:06,413 --> 00:09:09,213 Speaker 3: tips and advice, and we'll make sure that your latest 169 00:09:09,213 --> 00:09:11,573 Speaker 3: for the hill country in Sri Lanka is alongside your 170 00:09:11,613 --> 00:09:14,293 Speaker 3: other advice for touring through Sri Lanka as well, so 171 00:09:14,333 --> 00:09:17,173 Speaker 3: our listeners who want to go and experience that jewell 172 00:09:17,213 --> 00:09:18,853 Speaker 3: of a country and your words can do so. 173 00:09:18,933 --> 00:09:21,133 Speaker 2: Thank you, Mike, thank you, Jack, Safe Treble. 174 00:09:21,253 --> 00:09:23,573 Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you so much. I'll be in touch and yeah, 175 00:09:23,573 --> 00:09:26,173 Speaker 3: over the next couple of weeks, see if anything on 176 00:09:26,213 --> 00:09:28,973 Speaker 3: the ground in my experience alters our perception of how 177 00:09:29,013 --> 00:09:31,453 Speaker 3: that race is going. November fifth, it's only a couple 178 00:09:31,493 --> 00:09:34,093 Speaker 3: of weeks away. Really, it's pretty yeah, getting getting to 179 00:09:34,133 --> 00:09:35,813 Speaker 3: the business end of things in the US. 180 00:09:36,333 --> 00:09:39,453 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 181 00:09:39,533 --> 00:09:42,333 Speaker 1: to News talks ' b from nine am Saturday, or 182 00:09:42,413 --> 00:09:44,333 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.