Introduction to Kandy
Hell Ride to Kandy
Today is our first overcast and slightly drizzly day in Sri Lanka and we are heading to the historic city of Kandy. Our driver picks us up after breakfast. Hotel staff and the driver move all our luggage into the car and I happily hop into the back seat.
The drive to Kandy is three hours. The first two hours are total hell. The roads are extremely curvey and steep as we descend from the mountains back to sea level. It’s constant swaying back & forth as the car negotiates s-bends and tight curves. It doesn’t take long for me to feel nauseated and I have my eyes closed the whole trip.
John, who is not affected as much as I am, advises that the scenery is beautiful with lush, misty mountains and tea plantations. He also sees numerous places where the landslides, caused by the cyclone last November, have been cleared away. Reconstruction of the road is ongoing.
Lotus Lake Residence
Our hotel in Kandy is nice but you have to walk down a very steep lane to get to the town. I foresee a lot of hill walking in this city.
The hotel has many warning signs about locking balcony doors or the monkeys will get in. The monkeys actually know how to open unlocked doors.
After a brief rest we head down a steep hill to get to the town. I am dreading the walk back up the hill.
Walking Around Old Town Kandy
Kandy used to be the capital city of the Sri Lankan royal dynasty. There are lots of historical places to see. The architecture is a mix of Sri Lankan and British colonial.
The city is busy, filled with people, cars , tuk-tuks and buses, both local and tourist. They even have walk lights. There is an artificial lake (Kandy Lake) in the centre of the historical part of the city.
We start by walking around Old Town where we check out the Red Mosque, the Kataragama Devalaya Hindu Temple and the Hiragana Wslawwa (Kandy’s oldest former royal building). The woodwork on the building is beautiful .We also find the clock tower
There are many labyrinths of narrow alleys filled with small stores. Looking totally out of place, I even see a KFC.
We stop for a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant and I order prawn salad. I carefully ask the waiter to put the salad dressing separately on the side. I am not sure that he understands as he asks if I want the prawns seperate from the salad. Dressing on the side seems to be an unknown concept in Sri Lanka. A few days ago I made the same request in another restaurant and got dressing on the salad plus a side of more dressing.
But after much explaining I do get the dressing on the side and the salad is nicely prepared. I write a good Google review right on the spot.
Kandy Lake Club Cultural Show
We next grab a tuk-tuk and head to the Kandy Lake Club for a dance show. Not that kind of a dance show but a culture and dance show.
The dancers are very talented and so athletic. The show ends with fire walking. I am glad we came. Click here for a short video.
We take a tuk-tuk to the base of the steep pathway up to our hotel. On the way we see the large, brightly illuminated Buddha statue on the hilltop overlooking Kandy. We make it an early night so that we can be up at 5:00am to go to Kandy’s #1 attraction.
