A fabulous dinner in gorgeous surrounds, outside but roofed, fan-ventilated, surrounded by artwork and welcomed by a pool of black (& one white) koi carp was The Gallery Cafe. A good way to say g’bye to Colombo.
The next day was a train ride to Kandy – 3.5 hours of luscious surrounds ascending into jungle clad mountains, giving way to tea plantations. Kandy is the old & cultural capital of Sri Lanka. We’re staying at The Queens Hotel, slap opposite The Temple of the Tooth (Buddha’s Tooth) Museum, Sri Lanka’s most important temple, apparently. So important, it was bombed by the Tigers in ’98 & even now is surrounded by streets cut off to vehicles. The hotel is also right next to Kandy Lake, which is pretty & pretty nasty walking around due to the traffic jams. Tourism is ramped up here.
Saturday sees us visiting a huge, bright white Buddha sitting atop one of the hills surrounding Kandy. We cheated by taking a tuk-tuk to the statue but we did walk down & got lost for 30 minutes. Just before, on Bryony’s insistence, we visited Helga’s Folly where we had a fine lunch, albeit it took 90 minutes to arrive; but the food is not the point of this remarkable, unique artistic contribution to the island’s hospitality offer. Think Druidstone X 4 on mescaline.
The hotel we’re staying in, The Queens, is a throwback to colonial times, with big reception & restaurant areas & long, wide corridors. And a good bar & better still swimming pool – it is 31 degrees.
Chris & Kath's Travel Time 