Sri Lanka: Kandy

The Kandy Downtown Hostel is, like the name implies, in downtown Kandy. This is just too far, you have to walk 30 minutes to get anywhere. Also, only 1 bathroom for 10 people and in the middle of the night, I wake up and see a huge cockroach crawling over my backpack... I recommend to go for another place closer to the centre, preferably with a view of the very nice Kandy lake.

Sure the lake is beautiful, but you have to ignore all the noise and smelly traffic, Kandy is a big city. A recomendation in the Lonely Planet urges me to grab a drink in Helga's Folly. It's an expensive hotel built by the Sri Lankian architect Esme De Silva. It features bizarre paintings and creepy decorations. The rooms are supposed to have individual themes, but the only guests willing to try it seem to be some devious monkeys who have to be chased out by the barkeep. After this I join a friendly German couple who followed the same Lonely Planet recommendation.

Having absorbed enough wackyness, we continue together to a traditional Sri Lankian dance show. The venue isn't very professional but it's still packed (lots of locals!) and the show is very good. Especially the fire walking at the end.

Afterwards we have some good Indian curry and okay Sri Lankian beer and exchange stories about the trip. It's nice to meet some organised and prepared travellers with a similar itinerary. But because they travel counter-clockwise we have to say our goodbyes.

Rai from Bangladesh was not so organised. We meet in the morning at the hostel and I suggest to go together to the temple of the tooth, the must-do thing in Kandy. Now I'm used to big festival crowds, but this is entire another level. The place is packed with shouting, praying, pushing people. They al want to catch a glimpse of the cask supposedly containing Buddha's tooth.

Thank you google for the better picture :) After the glimpse, there is also a museum, temple and stuffed elephant. Running out of ideas, we decide to tuktuk to a big Buddha statue looming over the city. Up close it's not that impressive, just a huge concrete construction, but now I can say I have been inside Buddha's head! We make the descend and take a wrong turn to a dead end. When we turn around there is a gnarling dog awaiting us. 'Don't look into his eyes and slowely walk past it' says Rai. So I do until it gives me a bite in my calf! Luckily the owner arrives (with another barking dog) and takes the biter by the neck while we quickly speedwalk away! It wasn't a hard bite but dogs will put me ill at ease for the remainder of the trip.

We recover in the hostel before going to eat & drink something. Daniel from Germany joins us, and tells about his crazy travel plans. You can see his video blog here. Afterwards we decide to return to the hotel on foot, but this takes us trough a bad neighbourhood with little lighting and many scary dogs. Daniel explains in German. The next day I leave by train onwards to new adventures!

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