This is going to be a short post about the time we spent in Kandy, one of the most important cities in the history of Sri Lanka.
Attractions
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Kandy Lake Viewpoint
Recommend this stop point to enjoy the breathtaking view of whole Kandy town from its heart, Kandy Lake.
Food
Cafe Divine Street
As it was a short stay in Kandy (literally less than 24 hours), we didn't get to explore a lot of food options in Kandy. My bro was craving for Western food so we found him one. Cafe Divine Street is one of the top ranked cafe in Kandy. Just don't expect a beautifully decorated cafe with fancy menu. The food was rather decent in my opinion (forgot to take pictures of the food as we were famished!)
Accommodation
Kandy Travellers' Home
Stay per night = USD12.7/night/person (3 rooms to fit 2 people each; only 1 with air-conditioner)
(+) Highly affordable, friendly host, yummy traditional local breakfast
(-) Slightly old and under-maintained (especially the toilet), certain room types do not come with air-conditioners (please check properly)
This was the cheapest accommodation throughout the trip and we were actually quite worried about its condition and cleanliness prior to our arrival. I only realised few days before our trip that the cheap price tag was because the rooms I booked were not air-conditioned. Oops, I was terribly sorry to my family but it was too late to amend the booking without any surcharge.
Luckily it wasn't as stuffy as we thought. The rooms were basic but good enough for one-night stay. More importantly, the host was a very friendly local lady. Her kids were so adorable, especially the elder son who helped us to carry our luggage into our rooms. Did I forget to mention the delicious local breakfast? The very kind lady even baked Christmas cake and made pretty bracelets for us! Overall, it was a pleasant stay and the smiles on their faces made up for the slightly run-down condition of the place.
See you in my next post on our cooling getaway to the hill country 😁
Attractions
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Opening hours: 5.30am to 8pm
Timings for puja: 5.30am to 6.45am, 9.30am to 11am, 6.30pm to 8pm
Entrance ticket: 1500 rupees
Despite the traffic jam and poor road conditions, we managed to arrive the temple prior its closure for the day. We only left with about an hour to explore the place. The golden-roofed temple houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic - a tooth from Buddha. Well, if you think you can see the tooth, you are entirely wrong. In fact, you can only admire the jeweled casket that contains the tooth. Don't feel disappointed, the temple itself is an amazing piece of art. However, beware that he place can get really busy during puja as there are many worshipers, including the locals who will be queuing to leave their floral offerings.
A photo of the casket.
Kandy Lake Viewpoint
Recommend this stop point to enjoy the breathtaking view of whole Kandy town from its heart, Kandy Lake.
Traditional masks, we're told that these will bring lucks.
How gorgeous these paintings were! The colours really stood out!
Kandy Royal Botanical Garden
Opening hours: 7.30am to 5pm
Entrance ticket: 1500 rupees for adults (kindly flash your student card for additional discount) and 750 rupees for children
Our last stop in Kandy. Other than the must-visit Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, I was indecisive on which other attraction to slot in our schedule given that we had a free morning to spend in Kandy. Mommy likes green plants and that explained how we ended up here.
Once reserved for the royalty, the garden is now open for the public to enjoy its scenic view. Actually not a lot of flowers here as I had anticipated, but there was a wide variety of plants, such as bamboos and palm trees (supposed to be the key highlight for instagrammable photos, but somehow the photos turned out to be too dark, hence i decided not to post here, sorry!). The garden is huge indeed and we spent our entire morning exploring the place yet we had to skip a number of attractions.
Odd-shaped trees growing know different directions?!
Like this backdrop.
I could have spent the entire afternoon chilling and reading a book under the tree.
The couple dressed in delicate and dazzling traditional Sri Lankan costume for wedding photo shoot. But I had to say that this was a bad spot to take photos.
Cafe Divine Street
As it was a short stay in Kandy (literally less than 24 hours), we didn't get to explore a lot of food options in Kandy. My bro was craving for Western food so we found him one. Cafe Divine Street is one of the top ranked cafe in Kandy. Just don't expect a beautifully decorated cafe with fancy menu. The food was rather decent in my opinion (forgot to take pictures of the food as we were famished!)
Accommodation
Kandy Travellers' Home
Stay per night = USD12.7/night/person (3 rooms to fit 2 people each; only 1 with air-conditioner)
(+) Highly affordable, friendly host, yummy traditional local breakfast
(-) Slightly old and under-maintained (especially the toilet), certain room types do not come with air-conditioners (please check properly)
This was the cheapest accommodation throughout the trip and we were actually quite worried about its condition and cleanliness prior to our arrival. I only realised few days before our trip that the cheap price tag was because the rooms I booked were not air-conditioned. Oops, I was terribly sorry to my family but it was too late to amend the booking without any surcharge.
Luckily it wasn't as stuffy as we thought. The rooms were basic but good enough for one-night stay. More importantly, the host was a very friendly local lady. Her kids were so adorable, especially the elder son who helped us to carry our luggage into our rooms. Did I forget to mention the delicious local breakfast? The very kind lady even baked Christmas cake and made pretty bracelets for us! Overall, it was a pleasant stay and the smiles on their faces made up for the slightly run-down condition of the place.
See you in my next post on our cooling getaway to the hill country 😁
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