Kandy, Sri Lanka

On our first full day in Sri Lanka, we woke early from our hotel in Colombo and hopped in the car towards Kandy and the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage. A spice garden tour was our very first stop. We walked around the garden and sniffed at plants. Having forgotten to pack bug spray, we gladly purchased the overpriced citronella cream (which smelled quite nice) as the area we were in still had malaria present.

We headed towards the orphanage in time for some elephant-watching before feed time. We were able to get startling up close and personal to the elephants which seemed to vary in age dramatically. A baby elephant had just been born about 10 days prior to our arrival but since it was so young, he/she was still being kept away from the masses. We did see Sama, the three-legged elephant who lost her fourth leg in a land-mine accident, and a couple other toddler elephants.

We went for the feeding session where tourist can pay outrageous sums of money to "feed" the younger elephants. This really only means keeping one hand on a bottle while the staff held the rest (and the elephant). It was crowded, hot, and not particularly earth-shattering so we beat a hasty retreat. Our guide offered us the opportunity to ride elephants (outside of the orphanage) but we'd driven past some of these "vendors" earlier and didn't get the greatest impression of the conditions these animals were kept in.

Instead, we headed straight to lunch - at a restaurant overlooking the river where the elephants went to bath. Now that looked like fun. As we sipped local brew (Lion, very good, served Lagos-style in gigantic bottles) and ate delicious curry, we jealously watched the elephants frolic in the water, splashing themselves and each other.

We continued heading towards Kandy after lunch but made time for an Ayurvedic treatment on the way. A great (and cheap) massage was followed by a sauna. I felt great but in the HOT Sri Lankan temperature, I began to feel a bit ill from the dehydration. We arrived in town in time for a local (Kandyan) dance show. The Uda Rata Natum (the traditional name for the dance) are actually several different dances and we were able to watch a sampling of each. The costumes were elaborate and the music percussion-based but catchy. The best part was a whirling thing that one of the dancers did - he practically went perpendicular to the ground as he whirled in circles.

After the show, the dancers quickly set up for a fire-walking show outside. We had prime standing space and it was pretty amazing to watch. I think I was most nervous when one of the performers swallowed propane. I knew what he'd do with it but it was still a shock to watch. We then headed to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth but more on that will come later...