Ceylon Tea Museum

Ensured I walked 10k today by going to the Tea Museum which was at the top of a very high hill near Kandy. Had to cheat a bit and catch a tuk tuk up part of the hill as we saw a sign that said it shut at 3.30 and we wouldn't have made it otherwise.
Once again, hardly any other tourists had chosen the same thing to do as us and we were shown around completely on our own.
Sri Lankan fact - the first tea shipment was in 1872 and was only 23 pounds in weight, but last year, 324 million kilograms were exported.
It was a lovely building that was very light and airy and after the tour we made our way to the fourth floor for our free cup of tea, served in an elegant cup and saucer.
I am persevering but I still don't like it though.

John Spottiswood Robertson

We have just been to yet another cemetery, this time it is in the city centre and is the final resting place of the first British inhabitants of Kandy. It was recommended to us by a tuk tuk driver who said that his father was the caretaker there - this is true - we met him and he was very nice and helpful.
We got a bit lost along the way and came across about half a dozen working elephants and their mahouts. Had my photo taken with one that they told us was a baby but he seemed pretty big to me.
We found the cemetery which was quite well hidden and there were no tourists around, just a lazy dog and quite a large monkey.
Quite a nerve wracking day, animal wise, for me.
We spent some time trying to find the grave of John Spottiswood Robertson as I liked his name and in 1856 he was recorded as being the seventh European to be killed by a wild elephant.
Unfortunately his grave wasn't as interesting as his name and it appeared to be a neatly stacked pile of bricks.

Kandy Royal Botanic Gardens

Spent a lovely afternoon in the Botanic Gardens. The weather has changed for the better here and it was a beautiful sunny day. We are 500 metres above sea level so the climate is much dryer than down by the coast. Hundreds of locals had the same idea as us and the place was full of families picnicking and courting couples sitting in shady spots.
Lots of things to see, including a very rare (according to the guidebook) double coconut palm. The fruits take five years to mature and they are the largest seeds in the world.
Darren liked the really tall straight palm trees best as he thought they looked like lampposts, but most amazing of all were the bats.
There were thousands of them and they were all squeaking loudly and a few were flying from tree to tree.
Saw one fly by very close to use as we sat in a bar watching the sunset and they are enormous. And quite scary.

Kandy War Cemetery

Went walking today and around a corner we found the Kandy War Cemetery with graves from the second world war.
It was a beautiful and peaceful place and it was completely immaculate. It is the only place we have been to in Sri Lanka that I can honestly say that about.
We were the only people there but a gentlemen came over and explained to us that it was looked after by two local ladies.
There were 203 graves in total, arranged by nationality. Among them were 107 British, 26 Ceylonese and two that were identified.

Royal Bar and Hotel

This blog is for you Matt, whether you want to see a picture of me in a bar or not!
Wandered around Kandy trying to find somewhere to stop for an afternoon refreshment. Suddenly came across this oasis in the middle of a busy street.
We were trying to be civilised so had a pot of tea served in beautiful cups and saucers monogrammed with the initials RBH.
We went back after the show and it was very busy -  full of Sri Lankans enjoying beers and bottles of either Scotch or Arack.
We had the special menu which came with a beer and a mango liqueur and then followed up with a gin and tonic. Fantastic value at £8 for the two of us.
Ps I noticed that they also had rooms so I asked the price in case we wanted to change hotels. Unfortunately it cost $158 per night and our existing one is only $35 so we are staying put.

Kandyan Dance Show

We have met many fibbers in Sri Lanka but the one today really took the biscuit.
We were walking around Kandy Lake and we saw an older man who was praying. As we passed he stopped praying and started to tell us how lucky we were as today the Sri Lankan president was going to see a show and we could be there too. There would be dancers, fire walkers, elephants and butterflies. I said was it the Kandyan Dance Show and he said no, that was just for tourists.
He said we could buy tickets at the nearby temple so he went with us to get them. He told us he helped at the school for orphans in the temple and took us into a little shop.
When he got the tickets out I could see they were for the standard show so we bought them anyway. He also gave us the hard sell on his batik pictures but we held firm.
Got to the theatre really early and went in to find some seats. Lots of them had reserved labels on them but there were two right in the middle of the front row that were available. We sat down and waited for the president and his wife to sit next to us but they didn't turn up.
It was a good, colourful and loud show and we enjoyed it. No sign of any elephants or butterflies either but the firewalkers were great.