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The trip to Kandy And Sigiriya
The trip started with an early morning call at 5.00am. We had breakfast and were met by Lal, our driver for the trip. This was a two day mini tour of the area around Kandy and Sigiriya and included entry fees to the various sites and an overnight stay at the 4* Earl Regency Hotel in Kandy on a half board basis.
Our first stop was at the Elephant orphanage at Pinawella, which was an extremely satisfying experience. The elephants at the orphanage are mainly babies orphaned as a result of poaching. The baby elephants are taken in and looked after but are never released. They number approximately 50 at present and these include some that are fully mature and very intimidating although they are always under control by their keepers.
We then moved on to the Royal Botanical gardens at Peradeniya, where they have over 4,000 plant species to view. Our driver strolled through the gardens with us and pointed out the various species of tree and gave a little history behind the gardens themselves.
Lal then took us to a hilltop restaurant with panoramic views over Kandy for lunch. After lunch, we went into Kandy to visit the Temple of the Tooth, an excellent site. We were then given some time to ourselves in Kandy itself to soak up the atmosphere of this important and busy city. From there, we were taken to see a show of traditional Sri Lankan dancing which we enjoyed, after which Lal took us to the hotel and arranged registration.
The Earl Regency hotel is a modern hotel set on a hill with imposing views of the surrounding countryside. Our room was, large rather minimal in style, with a balcony overlooking the pool area. Having changed for dinner, we had a drink in the cocktail bar before proceeding into the dining room. The food was buffet style but not of the quality and range available in the Mount Lavinia. The service was inconsistent and not what we would have expected of this standard of hotel. This was particularly prevalent at breakfast, which was also buffet style. When I asked for two fried eggs, bacon and sausage. The egg yokes were broken on three occasions before success and the sausage was uncooked when a tried it.
Lal arrived promptly at the hotel reception at 7.30 am to pick us up and we proceeded to a herb garden where we were shown many herbs and told of there miraculous curative powers. To the unwary a great amount of money could change hands if you believe in these powers. We took away some herbal teas. We next went to Sigiriya, the ‘Lion rock’ which is one of the most important sites in the whole of Sri Lanka and is to be designated the 8th wonder of the world. We picked up one of the local guides who took us through the gardens, explaining the significance of them on the way to the rock. It is essentially a fortress with access only through a garden that leads to over 1000 steps up to the summit where the remains of the fort are visible, although my wife and I only made it up to the half way point, which is around 500 steps. The remaining climb is not for the faint hearted or anyone who suffers from a fear of height. The middle level provides fantastic views over jungle and a chance to see the remains of the lion entrance to the fort. Sadly only the lion’s paws remain. We then descended the rock to meet up with Lal. The going rate for a guide was 500 rupees, which is approx. £3 sterling which I gladly gave to our guide. At this point it was suggested that we go for a massage, which is a speciality of Sri Lanka but we declined. As an alternative, my wife enquired whether it was possible to ride an elephant. Lal said yes and offered to arrange this while we had lunch. Lal took us for lunch, this time to a typical Sri Lankan restaurant serving buffet style dishes and they were delicious. After lunch we were taken for the promised elephant ride, which was amazing and fulfilled one of my wife’s long-standing wishes. The ride lasted around 45 minutes and cost £36 including a tip. We were then taken the long trip back to the Mount Lavinia where we arrived around 6.00pm. The whole trip cost £120 each and we feel that it was excellent value for money.
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