Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xeZ6kwX9N7jCU65Q8

Off to Kandy today, one of the towns hardest hit in the cyclone disaster.

I’m enjoying my final morning in this jungle. It’s quite misty at dawn. Very few bugs last night.

The drive to Kandy was short and uneventful, but more sites of landslides and damage were plentiful.

First stop was the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic - Sri Dalada Maligawa. It is a major place of Buddhist worship, where the left canine tooth of Gautama Buddha is enshrined. A UNESCO site, and a very busy place. A great video about it is here:

https://sridaladamaligawa.lk/sri-dalada-maligawa-history/

It’s much better than my photos, and explains well. Some rooms banned photography.

Every dentist has this as a pilgrimage site as well. I was suitably reverential.

It wasn’t extracted from the Buddha - it was leftover after the cremation. That’s a more extreme method of tooth extraction than practised by most dentists, but I do know of people who had extraction experiences by rough hands that they describe in terms not dissimilar to burning at the stake.

Some of the most important Sri Lankan rituals are held here. There is quite a story about this tooth and it’s history. I probably found it more interesting than many of you would.

Then I did a fabulous walking tour of Kandy with Donald Srimal, who is quite a character. Very passionate about his country & city, and a keen photographer of birds as well. If you ever go to Sri Lanka, you MUST let this guy organise some or all of your trip. His website: https://www.skyfeathersrilanka.com

We walked around town a bit, and noted how there were churches, mosques, temples of all faiths within metres of each other. It’s a very tolerant place. Kandy is a bit generically messy Asian, architecture wise, but does have some nice old colonial Portuguese and British buildings.

I saw so many fruits, vegetables, & greens that I have never seen before. There was a place selling betel leaves, and in take away packs of leaf + accessories (tobacco, spices, the nut, some slaked lime, sweeteners) with all you need for the chew & get high process. I was momentarily tempted to try it, but I didn’t want red teeth.

Donald suggested a ghee dosa, which we shared - it was fabulous.

Then came a mind bending highlight of the trip - Helga’s Folly - self described as an ‘anti-hotel’.

This insane place is an absolute must see in this country. You must read this description: https://www.outlooktraveller.com/stay/hotel-review-inside-helgas-folly-sri-lankas-whimsical-anti-hotel Unfortunately this place suffered some damage in a landslide a few weeks ago, and will need some repairs. The road to it had major damage, and if it fails further, it might be inaccessible.

It was a full day. Dinner, as usual, was delicious.