Sri Lanka by Train: Tea Hills, Temples and Ella

The Kandy-to-Ella train is regularly called the world's most beautiful rail journey, and hanging out of its open doorway through the tea hills lives up to it. This guide builds a hill-country loop: the sacred Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, a tea-factory tour in Nuwara Eliya, the blue train to Ella, the Nine Arch Bridge, and easy sunrise hikes with valley views. I've got the train-ticket reality (reserve 2nd class or grab the open doorway), the tuk-tuk pricing, and the curry-and-rice spots where a feast costs a couple of dollars.