Heading for the hills - Kandy here we come

Amazingly we all managed to fit our latest purchases into our bags and got them to the bus on time.
We farewelled Cinnamon Lodge and headed for the caves of Dambulla. 

 But first we had to stop at the very kitsch and very gold Dambulla Museum built in 1990, and admire the facade.  Truly the epitome of bad taste SL style - not only a HUGE gold Buddha sitting on top of an enormous  doorway, but the doorway was framed with hideous teeth and bright red lips:  just like Luna Park.  Flags, elephant statues and a row of lifelike monks completed the picture.  Dambulla is a UNESCO site and apparently they were not impressed - I can understand why!

Then we headed for the famous caves of Dambulla - 5 of them in total - where hermit monks originally lived. When an exiled king sheltered there he returned to make them even more beautiful. 

The bad news was that the caves were up a considerable hill requiring some walking over stone steps or rocky slopes. We were relieved to get to the top, mostly perspiring madly and overheated. We were also glad to have avoided any contact with the many tiny monkeys swinging and playing in the trees. Cute but definitely not cuddly!

Fortunately the five caves were wonderful. Over the centuries there have been many contributions to the restoration and numbers of gold Buddhas: there is quite a range from simple and small to large and ornate. There was an evocative atmosphere as we entered each one : the calm stern faced Buddhas arranged in lines along the walls created a calm meditative atmosphere. The smallest and most simple only had a few but one cave had closer to a hundred. The effect of the natural rock painted with  striking designs along the ceilings and walls acting as a backdrop to the shining yellow Buddhas was stunning Some were more ornate than others but the impact of even the plainest yellow Buddhas in such numbers was amazing.

As this is such a sacred Buddhist site we again had to be covered up: note the white sarongs and socks being modelled by Alison and Veronica as they waited to enter the next cave.

We all were given a beautiful purple lotus flower to give as an offering to the Buddhas and we placed our hands in the prayer position and silently promised to live a better life.

After some photos of the lovely mountain views we carefully made our way down the hill to the bus and gratefully climbed aboard to rest:  for us any exercise in the heat and humidity is a challenge (at least that is my excuse!).

One of the joys of traveling with a large group of women is the need to find toilets at regular intervals ( more detail than you need to know I am sure!). This time we stopped at a  spice farm , used their loos and then did the speed version of the walk around the spice garden with the guide so we could leave! It was interesting to see huge pink cacao pods and hear about the many uses of spices and herbs in ayurvedic medicine.

As we drove along we were surprised to see a large gathering of people with some marquees and hundreds of new motor bikes lined up. This wasn't a motorbike rally : it was evidence of government corruption! We had seen blue flags flying along many of the roads and apparently they signify support for the current President, who is up for re-election soon. The motorbikes were to be given to the local people as bribes: buying votes on a big scale!

Next was  the home and batik workshop of Ena de Silva. Again we had to downsize from the bus into small buses and tuk tuks to get to her jungle home high on a hill. 

She is well known for her work in setting up businesses for locals and the young girls who started in her batik workshop more than 50 years ago still work there.  We had the chance to admire their work and purchase some of their batiks.

 But first we sat on the outdoor verandah looking out over the lush hills and mountains, and enjoyed a lunch consisting of 24 curries!!! 

Mostly vegetarian and made with local vegetables including jackfruit, sweet potato, cashew nuts, eggplant,  peas,  and tomato. There was one that Thushura warned us was dynamite so I avoided that one! They weren't chilli hot at all: but they had an amazing range of complex flavours.

 Fruit salad and jaggery pudding followed. Jaggery is made from palm sugar and is like very dark rich treacle, except solid, so the  pudding was fabulous if you have a sweet tooth like me!

Back on the bus and off we headed observing the life of the locals, many of whom smile and wave as we drive by. One cheeky schoolboy blew kisses at us!

The array of fruit trees that grow wild on the sides of the road reminds us that we are in a tropical zone: jackfruit, mangoes, avocados,  mangosteen and rambutans to name a few.

We kept climbing up to the central highlands and the mountaintop city of Kandy, 500 metres above sea level. It's a bustling city with a population of 3 million and is clearly a commercial centre as every second shop seemed to be a bank or finance business. Many of the houses seemed quite grand perched on the steep hillsides: they may well have been summer houses for the colonials who couldn't stand the heat of the coast.

The Cinnamon Citadel (great name for a hotel!)  is a multi storey hotel overlooking the Mahaweli river - the longest river in SL. As the clouds gathered a few of us plunged into the pool and soon the rain increased into the usual monsoonal downpour.  We'd ordered lime sodas ( made with fragrant limes - delicious! )and they started to fill with water. It was warmer in the water than out so we stayed put until the thunder and lightning started and then made a dash for our rooms.

Dinner was at a very cool pub called Slightly Chilled which was high up the mountain and overlooked the lights of the entire city.

The bus driver did a great job of manouvering the bus around some very tight corners and in some very tight spaces.  He had to reverse on a slope down a narrow road from the pub car park in the rain and mud. We all applauded when he made it! Very impressive!

Back to the CC for bed in anticipation of another busy day,

your slightly waterlogged correspondent

Dianne