Culture
Kandy, Sri Lanka
The Highlight is the Resort!
Our early morning flight from Chennai was delayed by a few hours and we reached Colombo well after lunch time. The warm driver from Red Dot brushed off our apologies and whisked us to his SUV.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Unless you're a visitor from the west, there is nothing special about the orphanage. We watched a tusker very close, and posed with cute baby elephant--thats about it. People were also waiting to see the elephants bathing in a nearby river. But we decided to skip it as we have seen such splendors in Kabini.
The scenery around the area was pleasant and our naughty guy had some play time.
Kandy Temple
We reached Kandy by 6 PM and the first thing we felt was the smell...the incense smell from the temple. It was everywhere, lingering in the air. Just like the way I felt while reading about the Buddhist temples in Sivagamiyin Sabadham--perfect!
Our driver Mr. Ranjit quickly handed us over to a local guide. By now, our little guy was cosily snoozing in his father's baby carrier. The new guide was indifferent to our responses and kept on chattering from what seemed like a memorized text.
The noise was loud inside the temple from musical instruments and loud speakers. Our little man woke up and started a full-fledged wailing. Thanks to my little one, the husband and the guide went on with the tour while I pacified him in a quiet corner.
In all of my perception about Kandy, I imagined it to be quiet and peaceful similar to the smug Buddha with his half-closed eyes. There was too much off everything inside: the crowd, the noise, the smoke, the smell. Buddha's teeth would be brought out only during a special time of the year, so we managed only a glimpse of the replica.
The surrounding hills looked magical with the ancient temple and lucid waters; the holy smoke made it all ethereal. The interior was also painted intricately but the noise, the crowd and a miserable toddler drove us out to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
Our resort for the day was The Cinnamon Citadel, a beautiful resort with a view over the Kandy river. This was a complimentary upgrade from Red Dot to a four-star resort for booking with them. The rooms were comfortable with rustic decorations; the view from our room was exceptional. One day was simply not enough for us to enjoy the facilities and the glorious view!
The next morning, our anniversary day, greeted us with misty and cool weather. The Kandy river meandered slowly with blue-green waters like a giant snake through the deep, dark forest. The receptionist delighted us with a flower bouquet. The breakfast was simply fit for a king--eggs, pittu, appam, idiyappam, curries, fruits, juices, custards--we ate a little too much!
Then, we were off to the green hills of Nuwara Eliya.
Our early morning flight from Chennai was delayed by a few hours and we reached Colombo well after lunch time. The warm driver from Red Dot brushed off our apologies and whisked us to his SUV.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Unless you're a visitor from the west, there is nothing special about the orphanage. We watched a tusker very close, and posed with cute baby elephant--thats about it. People were also waiting to see the elephants bathing in a nearby river. But we decided to skip it as we have seen such splendors in Kabini.
The scenery around the area was pleasant and our naughty guy had some play time.
Kandy Temple
We reached Kandy by 6 PM and the first thing we felt was the smell...the incense smell from the temple. It was everywhere, lingering in the air. Just like the way I felt while reading about the Buddhist temples in Sivagamiyin Sabadham--perfect!
Our driver Mr. Ranjit quickly handed us over to a local guide. By now, our little guy was cosily snoozing in his father's baby carrier. The new guide was indifferent to our responses and kept on chattering from what seemed like a memorized text.
The noise was loud inside the temple from musical instruments and loud speakers. Our little man woke up and started a full-fledged wailing. Thanks to my little one, the husband and the guide went on with the tour while I pacified him in a quiet corner.
In all of my perception about Kandy, I imagined it to be quiet and peaceful similar to the smug Buddha with his half-closed eyes. There was too much off everything inside: the crowd, the noise, the smoke, the smell. Buddha's teeth would be brought out only during a special time of the year, so we managed only a glimpse of the replica.
The surrounding hills looked magical with the ancient temple and lucid waters; the holy smoke made it all ethereal. The interior was also painted intricately but the noise, the crowd and a miserable toddler drove us out to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
Our resort for the day was The Cinnamon Citadel, a beautiful resort with a view over the Kandy river. This was a complimentary upgrade from Red Dot to a four-star resort for booking with them. The rooms were comfortable with rustic decorations; the view from our room was exceptional. One day was simply not enough for us to enjoy the facilities and the glorious view!
The next morning, our anniversary day, greeted us with misty and cool weather. The Kandy river meandered slowly with blue-green waters like a giant snake through the deep, dark forest. The receptionist delighted us with a flower bouquet. The breakfast was simply fit for a king--eggs, pittu, appam, idiyappam, curries, fruits, juices, custards--we ate a little too much!
Then, we were off to the green hills of Nuwara Eliya.
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