Kandy Tripping

Another one of my delayed posts!  After our luxurious tea escape almost a year ago, hubby and I took a side trip to Kandy before going back to Colombo.  Kandy is a place in the Hill Country and reminds me of a cooler Los Banos, Laguna.  It has that University Town kind of feel with the University of Peradeniya just around the corner.  The Kandy trip was quick and we were not able to soak up the full touristy experience, unfortunately.  However there were quite a few highlights to the trip of course.

That's me a year ago!  With N (in purple), her sister and niece.

Meet ups with friends!  N, one of our interns back then is originally from Kandy and since it was a holiday, she was home and invited us over.  Her mother and sister cooked Auvurudu treats (Sri Lankan New Year) and we got hold of some goodies!

Hubby with Ms J

My aunt (who is my mom’s friend from her hometown Oroquieta in the Philippines) lived in Kandy for around 7 years and we were able to catch up not with her (she’s back in the Philippines) but her good friend Ms. J.  She is lovely with a lot of interesting stories.

Temple of the Tooth Relic, you have to leave the shoes outside

What's a temple trip without Elephants?

They come with white flowers as offering...

Kandy Lake... nice and serene

Our old driver Darshana feeding a monkey

We managed to get into the compound of the Tooth Relic – Lord Buddha’s tooth for real.  Although because it was a huge holiday, we did not dare go inside.  We took a mental note to go when there is no local occasion so the line wouldn’t be this long.  People go to Kandy for this mind you.

Helga's Sala

Retro Garden

Our dining area

Food for Thought

Would you stay in these hotel rooms?

We also checked out a quirky house turned into a hotel, Helga’s Folly.  You’d think the lady who owns this is a hoarder.  The place made us want to do a photoshoot.  Partly because it was pretty different and partly because the food took a long time.  I wouldn’t recommend the food though but it’s interesting enough for a trip.

I would say our Kandy trip was disappointing from a tourist point of view but it was well worth it for meeting up with our friends.  I appreciate being welcomed into the home of our friend more than going to touristy areas.  But also not a bad excuse for wanting to go back there again!