Kandy by train

We left our ‘Penthouse above sea’ at 6am clutching our pre-prepared breakfast kindly organised by our helpful hosts. They had also advised us to travel more lightly and had allowed us to store our large suitcases with them while we became true backpackers for the remains of our travels. We realised what excellent advice this was as we were able to fit comfortably into our hailed tuk tuk as we made our way towards Colombo rail station.

We had heard lots of stories about train travel in Sri Lanka and although excited about experiencing the spectacular countryside we were also slightly worried about delays, break downs and overcrowding. Our fears were totally unfounded. The train, although old, was perfectly on time, we had managed to reserve seats in 2nd class which was comfortable and spacious and we were able to move freely between our seats and the open train doors to watch even more of the countryside fly by.In no time at all, well about three hours of attempts to sell us fresh samosas, bhajis, toasted nuts and several other wares, we arrived to the total chaos that was Kandy train station.

After having sat for so long we decided to have a wander with our backpacks to see what Kandy had to offer and to find Rob coffee and cake. Within about five minutes we, mostly Rob, had decided we didn’t really like what we’d seen, our backpacks were extremely heavy and the coffee shop we’d fallen in to didn’t sell coffee, we hailed a tuk tuk and set off on the short but circuitous route to Muduna Walawwa resort. After struggling up an extremely steep drive which the tuk tuk was unable to navigate, we were pleasantly surprised by our £24 a night hotel. It had no wardrobe, but that seems to be pretty normal in Sri Lanka, no hot water in the sink, another norm and as usual we were on the top floor. Despite these minor inconveniences all in all it was clean and pleasant with amazing views. It was also a lovely and very welcome escape from the noise and madness of Kandy.

We spent three nights exploring the area using Muduna Walawwa as our base. Although we did venture into Kandy once more to give it another chance our opinions didn’t really change. After realising we were unsuitably dressed for the catchily named, ‘Temple of the Sacred tooth relic’, they demanded shoulders and knees to be covered, we decided instead to walk around the large, central lake. which just further confirmed our opinion that Kandy was much too noisy and busy with very little to see. When Rob started to swear at every driver who blared their horn, a roughly one a second occurrence, I knew this wasn’t the place for us and we avoided it thereafter.

We did have an amazing day trip out with a few surprise stops on the way. Our hotelier arranged for us to have a large minivan with a driver for the whole day for around £40. In the back where we were seated there were four seats, two facing front, two facing back allowing Rob and I to travel in exceptional comfort with our feet up and later, on our return journey, with our seats slightly reclined. Our driver chose our route taking us on a five hour tour of the area north of Kandy culminating in the spectacular, historical site of Sigiriya.

Our first stop was a very brief one at a Hindu temple. We walked in, had a brief look aroundbefore we were apprehended by an elderly gentleman gesturing to see our ticket and for us to cover our knees. We were escorted to the exit where he indicated we should purchase a ticket and borrow a scarf to act as a sarong. Having seen enough, with an unspoken agreement, we headed in the general direction of the ticket booth before cutting quickly back to the car and hurriedly escaping to our next surprise stop.

About ten minutes further down the road we were deposited at a spice farm. Not knowing quite what to expect we were greeted by an English speaking guide who led us on a personal tour of the farm showing us a selection of the many spices that they grew and their extremely wide and varied uses. We were amazed by the concoctions that were mixed and what they claimed to do. Rob was chosen as guinea pig and had creams rubbed in to various body parts to heal scars and remove hair. He looked slightly worried when we were shown tinctures for haemorrhoids and a natural alternative to viagra but was visibly relieved when our guide skipped swiftly over these. The miracle diet tea couldn’t help but pique my curiosity but as I looked at our rotund guide as he extolled its virtues I couldn’t help but wonder why he hath not healed thyself? After quick refreshments of a cleansing tea, amazing corn flour chips cooked right in front of us and a demonstration of the perfect mix of spices for curry we were seated for a fifteen minute upper body massage. This was great and consisted of a deep heat like product being alternately used with an aloe Vera product giving a weird sensation of heating up followed by extreme cooling. After this relaxing experience, when we were at our most mellow and vulnerable, we were led to the shop and enticed to buy, ‘must have’ products at largely inflated prices. With Rob’s scars already looking visibly better and a hairless patch of skin on his right shin we considered several options before finding the cheapest, a bottle of miracle, red coconut hair conditioner and escaping back to the car. The tour was brilliant, so interesting and definitely recommended but if you ever go then avoid the red coconut conditioner like the plague, unless you like greasy hair that smells like cigarette smoke?

Our next stop was to a wood carving workshop which produced some amazing ornaments, wall plaques and furniture. Again we were given a really interesting tour showing the ten different types of wood used, their various properties and the beautiful colours and textures that treating them could produce. We watched the intricacy of the carvingby a young lady who looked barely old enough to be in secondary school. Her focus and precision was fascinating but she brushed our compliments away with a reference to the template she used. Even with a template the creativity was astounding and I watched in awe as she carefully tapped and chiselled barely raising her head until she was happy with the end result.

After our guided tour we were left to freely wander around the carvings and furniture. Some of the dining room suites were stunning and there solidity and originality would probably have lasted several lifetimes. Unfortunately, without the eight grand to spare for production, shipping and delivery we left empty handed but very impressed by the exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla was our next stop with a small pause on the way to grab trousers from a street stall to cover my knees. The pair we chose were the same design as a billion others we have seen all over Asia. All previous ones come in one size and fit all. Unfortunately, in our haste, we had grabbed the only pair designed for a slim twelve year old. Rob had sensibly thrown in his bag his recently acquired, authentic yoga pants so it was only me who needed further covering. As I attempted to pull our new purchase over my ample thighs they became wedged and a slight ripping sound could be heard. After a little persuasion and various bribes Rob agreed to try them. I hastily donned his yoga pants before he changed his mind. I’m still not sure what was most embarrassing?Was it that my husband’s five foot eleven and a half inch frame could fit into trousers that I couldn’t, albeit fairly snugly, or was it wandering around with this as my companion?Either way we probably did one of the quickest tours ever of this unique temple set in and carved from natural caves. The steep, stepped climb up was punctuated by complaints and fear of indecent exposure every time Rob’s leg was lifted but the ascent was worth it for the brief exploration of the beautifully painted caves.Definitely worth a visit but try to think ahead and arrive suitably dressed so you can take your time and enjoy the experience.🤣

By the time we got back in the car and had hastily changed from our long trousers back to our ‘knee revealing’ shorts we had pulled up for a buffet banquet lunch. As well as satisfying our healthy appetites this also meant we were out of the relentless sun for the hottest part of the day. Our sensible driver told us that we definitely didn’t want to be climbing the many steps to Sigiriya before 3pm so happy to heed his advice we sat back and enjoyed our leisurely meal.

Three pm arrived quickly and we set out for what was definitely the highlight of our day. Before we even started the climb we were entranced by the beautifully preserved ruins and grounds.Although the steps were steep and we were very glad to have heeded our drivers sound advice, the views on the way were pretty spectacular and ensured our continued motivation. We’d also paid over £20 to reach the top so were not going to be easily thwarted even when we saw several others, particularly the other English, abandoning the task half way. The two parts of the climb that I (and many others with leanings towards acrophobia) found most difficult were sheer climbs on metal steps. The first one was a spiral staircase that led nowhere apart from a viewpoint where no photography was allowed. It was lovely but probably not worth the extra physical exertion or mental stress. The second one was the route to the top and was held up by some very strange looking scaffolding.I hurried to the top avoiding looking left or right sharing sympathetic glances with other obvious sufferers. Once at the top the ascent was soon forgotten as we enjoyed the 360 degree views and wandered around the various levels of ruins that had once been the summit of a king’s stronghold.

On the descent we were behind the most frightened lady I have ever known. Instead of getting this horrid part of the way down over with as quickly as possible we had to wait after every step while she clung to her husband or the side shaking. Some people are so dramatic.🤣🤔

Eventually we got back down, braved the numerous street sellers and found our driver. We were extremely glad of the comfortable minivan as we dozed our way home and to an early bed.

For our last day we decided to take a stroll the few kilometres away from the centre of Kandy to the botanical gardens. Some of the views of the river on the way were pretty spectacularand when we clambered down for a closer look it was pretty amazing to see how important the river is for personal cleanliness and washing clothes when there is no running water in many of the homes.The walk generally was dirty, dusty and noisy with the constant blowing of horns and scrambling out of the way to avoid oncoming vehicles. It was an enormous relief to reach our stunning destination and leave the stress of the road behind.That evening we chose a beautiful restaurant in the hills to eat dinner and to watch the sun go down. Bella Vista did have an extremely beautiful view of the river and was a great place to finish our time in Kandy.