Kandy

From the flatlands of the area around Colombo, we quickly gained elevation and made our way to the city of Kandy. They call this the hill country, but for me it qualifies as mountains, with very steep terrain and a definite change in the climate, still very tropical, but much cooler. Our home for the next several days was a small guest house high on a hill with a great view of the man made lake that the city is built around.

Kandy itself is not a large city, but it is crammed with people, buses and busy markets. We spent most of our time away from the crowds by strolling along the lakeside path that surrounds the lake.




There was a lot of wildlife to be seen including shore birds, Fruit bats and Monitor Lizards. The first and largest lizard we saw, we took to be a crocodile at first. Fortunately for us it wasn't, as it was only 10 feet away. From tip to tail, this guy is probably over 5 feet in length.

Monkeys were everywhere, in fact the owner of our guesthouse was complaining about how they tear the roofs apart, and even open the water tanks and yank out all the wiring. As a tourist though they did not bother us, and were fun to watch as they slid down tree trunks and leaped from branch to branch.

There is also an interesting arts and crafts store where craftspeople were giving demonstrations. You weavers out there will appreciate this women at her floor loom who is hand picking out an intricate pattern.

This gentleman is pounding out very intricate brass sheets which will be used for decorative corners and other appliques. His only tools are a hammer, file and old square nails for punches, on a table covered with a thick wax surface.

The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists and the main attraction in Kandy for tourists and pilgrims alike is this temple where it is said there is a tooth from the Buddha himself that was snatched from his funeral pyre.









A common sight on in Sri Lanka are elaborate carvings of Teak & Ebony which are used for ornamentation and ventilation around doors and windows.

These paintings adorn the entrance to a very old Shrine.









As we sat by a busy street eating local pastries and Lemon Munchie Biscuits, Char spotted this guy lumbering down the street.