The Royal Bar & Hotel restaurant.
A crazy night at a haunted house, I decided to treat myself to a wonderful room in the classic Royal Bar & Hotel. For USD 80 a night, I had a beautiful four-pollster bed, running hot water and most importantly, a place filled with people! I just needed to be around people after having no one around accept an invisible plus one that kept moving things around in the room to freak me out.
Anyways this hotel and bar is just 2 stories high and is nestled right in the heart of Kandy. As soon as you step into the establishment, the honks of the vehicles, noise from the vendors and everything else just disappears to a serenity of chirps and soothing music. This place has a beautiful courtyard in the middle, a restaurant on the 1st floor and also a gallery featuring old pictures of Kandy and other areas surrounding the city. The rooms are spread across the 1st and 2nd floors.
It has a colonial charm with good western food (they don’t serve any local food so if you’re looking for some like me, you’d be disappointed). I ended up spending almost half my afternoon just chilling out at the bar or the restaurant catching up on my journal or reading as it was so peaceful and I had a squirrel that kept me company. During my time in Kandy, the weather was dreary. It rained and it was a little chilly as it’s hill countryside so temperatures are lower than Colombo.
It has a colonial charm with good western food (they don’t serve any local food so if you’re looking for some like me, you’d be disappointed). I ended up spending almost half my afternoon just chilling out at the bar or the restaurant catching up on my journal or reading as it was so peaceful and I had a squirrel that kept me company. During my time in Kandy, the weather was dreary. It rained and it was a little chilly as it’s hill countryside so temperatures are lower than Colombo.
The critter that kept me company at the Royal Bar & Hotel.
Kandy is a very small town. Unless you are willing to drive around there is nothing much to do or see really. Jewelry in Kandy is absolutely beautiful and absolutely expensive! So there goes my sightseeing. After having a creepy night at the haunted house, I skipped Helga’s Folly (it’s a wonderful and quirky place, but its also creepy in terms or architecture and I didn’t need anymore trauma) and headed for the Temple of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa).
It is said that this temple houses the tooth of Buddha. It’s free for the locals but as a tourist, you’d have to pay Rs.1500 to visit the temple. History has it that the tooth of Buddha was smuggled into the island of Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha, and was placed in Anuradhapura. As the ruling empire shifted over the years, so did the relic and it landed in Kandy and has stayed there ever since.
The tooth is physically not visible as it is kept in a golden stupa. The stupa is visible however during prayer rituals which is done 3 times a day (mornings, afternoons and evenings). This is the only time worshipers have access to view the relic.
It is said that this temple houses the tooth of Buddha. It’s free for the locals but as a tourist, you’d have to pay Rs.1500 to visit the temple. History has it that the tooth of Buddha was smuggled into the island of Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha, and was placed in Anuradhapura. As the ruling empire shifted over the years, so did the relic and it landed in Kandy and has stayed there ever since.
The tooth is physically not visible as it is kept in a golden stupa. The stupa is visible however during prayer rituals which is done 3 times a day (mornings, afternoons and evenings). This is the only time worshipers have access to view the relic.
Flowers for offering.
This evening, I choose to head to the temple as I felt I needed some ‘protection’ and also thanking for keeping me safe and sane from whatever it was that was sharing the room with me the night before. I got there early, and walked around the grounds. The temple is divided into two floors and has another room at the back (or temple rather) that housed a Thai Buddha. Now there is a big difference between Buddha’s faces and expression and the one’s in Thailand have different features if you will, from the one’s in Sri Lanka. You have to see it to understand what I’m on about.
Just around the corner of the temple is a museum (this one has separate charges) and also a beautiful open hall space which was once the walls of the palace. All that is left is the pillars and the roof, or what’s left of it.
After a few enquiries, I was told that I had to wait for another hour for prayers to start. I didn’t know what else I could do so I asked this couple (which I found out later were friends) if it was okay for me to join them in their wait. I knew I was imposing but they didn’t seem to mind, in fact they made my trip to Kandy a little more memorable.
Just around the corner of the temple is a museum (this one has separate charges) and also a beautiful open hall space which was once the walls of the palace. All that is left is the pillars and the roof, or what’s left of it.
After a few enquiries, I was told that I had to wait for another hour for prayers to start. I didn’t know what else I could do so I asked this couple (which I found out later were friends) if it was okay for me to join them in their wait. I knew I was imposing but they didn’t seem to mind, in fact they made my trip to Kandy a little more memorable.
The temple of the Tooth.
Dave is a professor at a university in Canada and was down on holiday and Dr. Kusum worked right here in Kandy. They both told me the history of Kandy and a little bit more about this strange stuffed elephant. This elephant, known as Tuskers, has its own museum within the temple grounds. Now everything is written in Sinhala except the plaque next to the elephant so these two had to explain things to me, other wise it was a question of “what’s so special about this elephant that is has its own museum?”
Every year in Kandy there is the procession known as the Perahera. The Escala Perahera is a grand one and on this occasion you will find elephants all dressed up and taking part in the procession. Tuskers was one such elephant but he was important as he was carrying the relic on his back. These processions are grand with dancers, firewalkers and such. During one of the Perahera’s, one of the elephants in front stepped on a hot coal and went wild. Due to the rouge elephant, naturally people ran in every direction, there was death and all the other elephants too ran in panic. All accept one, Tuskers. It was said that Tuskers walked calmly back to the temple grounds and just stood and waited patiently for someone to attend to him.
The priest and the king were shocked to find this elephant calmly waiting for them at the temple with the relic and all the ornaments on it, intact. It is as if it knew that it was carrying something so precious that it would be careless for it to be zealous with panic. Since then Tuskers has had a special place in the king’s heart hence after it’s death, it has a museum dedicated to it.
Every year in Kandy there is the procession known as the Perahera. The Escala Perahera is a grand one and on this occasion you will find elephants all dressed up and taking part in the procession. Tuskers was one such elephant but he was important as he was carrying the relic on his back. These processions are grand with dancers, firewalkers and such. During one of the Perahera’s, one of the elephants in front stepped on a hot coal and went wild. Due to the rouge elephant, naturally people ran in every direction, there was death and all the other elephants too ran in panic. All accept one, Tuskers. It was said that Tuskers walked calmly back to the temple grounds and just stood and waited patiently for someone to attend to him.
The priest and the king were shocked to find this elephant calmly waiting for them at the temple with the relic and all the ornaments on it, intact. It is as if it knew that it was carrying something so precious that it would be careless for it to be zealous with panic. Since then Tuskers has had a special place in the king’s heart hence after it’s death, it has a museum dedicated to it.
The inner sanctum where the tooth relic is kept.
I have to say, Dave is very informative; He was practically my information download point about Kandy. Prayer was about to start so we headed off to the prayer chamber and joined in, what seemed to be a queue. As I was asking Dr. Kusum on what rituals do I follow? Do I need to do anything particular? And so on, only to be told,
“You prayer the way you normally pray. It doesn’t matter which way, you just pray the way you always do at home. There is no special way”
I suppose God is God, and I’m sure he wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t get things right but as long as he knows I’m grateful, I’m happy!
The drums were playing, followed by prayer chants and soon the line was moving. You only have 15 seconds in front of the tooth to say your prayer, give your donations or offerings before you are shooed to be on your way. Even though it was a super short prater, I felt good and it was great to be around lots of people. I stayed back a little longer watching people bringing offerings of flowers, some sitting in prayer at the back and kids going along with their parents. Rather interesting I have to watch and take everything in.
On my way out, I finally see the musicians, and their costumes, which is similar to in Indian vesti. And their instruments are very similar to Indian classical instruments as well.
“You prayer the way you normally pray. It doesn’t matter which way, you just pray the way you always do at home. There is no special way”
I suppose God is God, and I’m sure he wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t get things right but as long as he knows I’m grateful, I’m happy!
The drums were playing, followed by prayer chants and soon the line was moving. You only have 15 seconds in front of the tooth to say your prayer, give your donations or offerings before you are shooed to be on your way. Even though it was a super short prater, I felt good and it was great to be around lots of people. I stayed back a little longer watching people bringing offerings of flowers, some sitting in prayer at the back and kids going along with their parents. Rather interesting I have to watch and take everything in.
On my way out, I finally see the musicians, and their costumes, which is similar to in Indian vesti. And their instruments are very similar to Indian classical instruments as well.
The two people that made my evening wonderful.
Dave and Dr. Kusum insisted I accompanied them for dinner, which I was happy to do so as it gave me a chance to get to know them better and know a little more about Sri Lanka. I have to say these two are fascinating! The professor was ever so sweet as he kept telling me how his niece and I have the same name. Plus I think I reminded him of his younger days back in England as he was reminiscing the good old times of University and of his good Malaysian friend.
In the end, it turned out to be a wonderful meal that went on for longer than I expected but it was wonderful. I have to thank the two of them for giving such a wonderful evening, and trust me, I needed some company and conversation (yes as you can tell I was pretty spooked!!). These two thought I was bold to do what I do, travel a country I’ve never been too all on my own. We exchanged numbers and went off our separate ways.
I’m so grateful for that night. Although I have to admit, if it wasn’t for them, Kandy is pretty boring. It was just after 9pm that we left the restaurant and it felt like it was way past midnight. The streets were dead! I hardly saw anyone and my hotel was just 2 streets away. I power walked my way back, but my god, it was dead as the grave!
In the end, it turned out to be a wonderful meal that went on for longer than I expected but it was wonderful. I have to thank the two of them for giving such a wonderful evening, and trust me, I needed some company and conversation (yes as you can tell I was pretty spooked!!). These two thought I was bold to do what I do, travel a country I’ve never been too all on my own. We exchanged numbers and went off our separate ways.
I’m so grateful for that night. Although I have to admit, if it wasn’t for them, Kandy is pretty boring. It was just after 9pm that we left the restaurant and it felt like it was way past midnight. The streets were dead! I hardly saw anyone and my hotel was just 2 streets away. I power walked my way back, but my god, it was dead as the grave!
Garrison Cemetery. Actually it's very nice out here...
The next morning I headed to the Kandy City Center, which is pretty much the closest you’ll get to a mall but it has everything you need under one roof. From moneychangers to tourist information counter and postal service, it’s all there. The shops around the area are pretty and it’s a quick walk around the block to see everything.
The lake is beautiful, but on a rainy and windy day it a bit of a challenge to walk. But I did and manage to get to the back of the temple where the Garrison Cemetery is. This cemetery houses a lot of the British people who lived here and obviously died here too. Most of them died quite young and mostly from disease.
Now monkeys are not unusual in Kandy, they are every where and they like to take shiny things so I was warned to always keep my room doors shut and locked, just incase these monkeys visited. Due to that, it is common to see and hear firecrackers going off as this scares them off and clears them off the premises.
The lake is beautiful, but on a rainy and windy day it a bit of a challenge to walk. But I did and manage to get to the back of the temple where the Garrison Cemetery is. This cemetery houses a lot of the British people who lived here and obviously died here too. Most of them died quite young and mostly from disease.
Now monkeys are not unusual in Kandy, they are every where and they like to take shiny things so I was warned to always keep my room doors shut and locked, just incase these monkeys visited. Due to that, it is common to see and hear firecrackers going off as this scares them off and clears them off the premises.
Beautiful head stone at the cemetery, and no it's not creepy or eerie at all.
In a nutshell, I didn’t do much in Kandy. The weather was limiting outdoor activities and the city itself didn’t offer much. It was so boring I cut my trip short in Kandy as there isn’t much to do. If you are into elephants than there is an elephant sanctuary not far from here, known as the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and also the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. But the next destination is what I’m looking forward too, Nuwara Eliya and World’s End.
Next up: Tea country, Nuwara Eliya.
Next up: Tea country, Nuwara Eliya.
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