I flew into to Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, at 7am. It took all of 10 minutes to negotiate a day rate for a car and driver ($35) and head off on the 3.5 hour journey to Hill Country.
Our first stop was the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, which houses 67 elephants that were abandoned. We arrived at feeding time and then walked around a muddy field to see them roaming. We even saw a one month old baby drinking milk from her Mom. I am crazy about elephants and this was a real treat!
The capital city of Hill Country, Kandy, is stunning. It's set on a lake and surrounded by lush green hills. It's always Spring in Kandy alternating between bright sunshine and rain all day. It feels tranquil and almost divine.
While Sri Lanka has many religions, Kandy is a Buddhist town. Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist relic is here in the Temple of the Tooth. You guessed it, a gorgeous temple was built to house one of Buddha's teeth, which was taken from his funeral fire back in 543 BC. The temple is magnificent. We waited for the evening "puja" or viewing time and filed passed to see an ornate gold casket which is thought to house the tooth. Locals and pilgrims come bearing flower pedals and the whole scene is lovely.
I also took in a quintessential Kandy experience, a Kandyan dance performance. The Kandyan dance which is fantastic with imaginative costumes, exotic moves and an exciting drum beat, is the national dance of Sri Lanka. But the highlight of the evening was the grand finale of fire walking! Those guys are hot!
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