On the road to Kandy- May 2008

Temple Of The Tooth; a centerpiece attraction in Kandy. At dusk across the Kandy Lake.

Egrets  in breeding plumage-Galigamuwa

Rajah; According to the locals the largest Asian Tusker alive. About 65 years old, unable to work anymore as his magnificent tusks drag the ground. He can be seen at Mollagoda on the road to Kandy. A truly magnificent pair of tusks.

A leisurely drive to Kandy on a warm Sunday afternoon was a pleasant trip. The usual traffic congestion evidenced on the Colombo-Kandy Road was at a minimal and my wife and I enjoyed the drive, stopping often to photograph things of interest to us. The obligatory stop at the Ambepussa Rest house for a superb cup of “Ceylon Tea” was a refreshing break. An abundance of Cattle Egrets and Indian Pond Herons, beautifully adorned in their breeding plumage dogged farmers who were preparing the paddy fields. The ploughing of the fields no doubt turning up plenty of tit bits for the birds. We stayed at the Thlianka Hotel for the third year in succession. My wife booked in for the Ayurvedic Massage and spa treatment (also for the third year in succession) and we enjoyed that part of the stay at the hotel. A nice hotel and well situated within walking distance to Kandy Town. Kandy was pleasantly cooler and surprisingly less congested than it was on our previous visits. The famous historic Temple of the Tooth and the Kandy Lake at dusk was a most pleasant sight as usual. The Lake seemed(to me) to have more varieties of ‘animal life’ than usual too. Cormorants, Egrets, Fox bats, Water Monitors, Ducks, Terrapins and Herons habited the Lake shores in reasonable numbers.

Kandy continues to have a charm about the place. One needs to rise above the obvious congestion and traffic chaos to grasp the charm of the place. A great many antique shops and a great variety of fruit stalls in the colorful Kandy markets and street bazaars provide for the traveler with an eye for the unusual. The gleaming white statue of Lord Buddha atop the hill at the Bahirawa Temple glowed in the late afternoon sun adding to the ambience of Kandy below)

A short trip to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens after many years was very pleasing indeed. Marvellous collections of botanical specimens for any enthusiasts are displayed with pride.

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

The return to Colombo was equally interesting. We were able to purchase

some very fine Pineapples, Avocados and Mangos from the roadside stalls for very reasonable price

A short stop at St Jude’s Church at Indigolla completed the spiritual duties. All in all a very pleasant trip to Kandy. Till next time!

Roadside fruit market

Roadside fruit markets make any journey in Sri Lanka an interesting one. The customary sweet refreshing drink from a ‘King Coconut’ or Thambili is a must.