Day 3 Kandy

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After last night's amazing spectacle, we thought we'd better check out the Sacred Tooth Relic in the Temple. So this morning we started with a walk via the station to the market and Temple. The station is this classic 1930s Art Deco building with a departures board that I think London Euston should adopt ! See picture below - same old delays though !

We found the market and a guy who worked in our hotel found us and very nicely escorted us to his stall where dad bought two rather nice Tommy Hilfiger tops - the factory is here and they obviously have seconds/ over makes / off the back of lorry stuff - they are very nice though and we think the real thing! I resisted any more scarves! the town was a cacophony of loud speaker Bhuddist chanting, car horns and people so we found a quiet tea shop for tea and a snack - although I can't remember ever having waffles with maple syrup that tasted of bacon before!

Onwards to the Temple- it was pretty busy as expected - the Temple is a shrine to a tooth relic of Buddha, and highly revered- we were able to take a few photos although there are so many people praying and offering gifts to Buddha that we didn't take many - it seems this tooth has been fought over and was finally given over by the British in about 1815 - if you have the tooth then you have the right to govern! The elephants from last night were around the Temple eating and being washed - didn't like the fact they were chained up.

We then decided to write a few postcards - but really trying to find a postcard in Kandy was almost impossible - clearly no one sends them anymore. Pete saw a "book shop and stationers" advertised down a narrow alley and decided that would be a likely place - it did however look like some undercover adult book shop but, sure enough we walked in and there on the counter were the last remaining postcards in Kandy. Bought those, bought stamps, wrote them and posted them all within half an hour!

We had read about the Sharon Inn - a very good Sri lankan buffet food on a rooftop overlooking the lake - dinner at 7-30 sharp - we found it and they sold beer - result! And the food was super scrummy. Being on the roof, with the kitchen being five stories below wasn't a problem - a rope, pulleys and a large bucket meant food was served in the style of I'm a celeb!!

Back at our hotel now and off to Nuwara Elyiah tomorrow - phew!

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