Queens Kandy

... of the dancer over the fire (running a stick of fire up and down their arms and in their mouths) and finished with a fire walking act over hot coals. Those performing apparently seek the divine blessing of the goddess Patini before performing this ritual, which obviously works, as both pairs of feet looked fine to me!

After leaving the theatre, I went on to the TSTR, constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries as a temple complex that was part of a royal palace ...

... the suicide truck bombing of 1998. The LTTE blew up a part of the temple and with it a little bit of history. There were also temple elephants chained to random parts of the temples.. These elephants are used in special ceremonies or festivals. In the mean time they just hang out. There is a nice picturesque lake in the middle of Kandy that many people stroll around as it gets late in the day ...

... bend and jerked to a halt with 3 Sri Lankan soldiers there one guiding us to a stop where the other 2 pointed there fully automatics through the windscreen at me and the driver. After my heart had removed itself from my mouth, I discovered that it was a security point similar to the ones at the airports. We got out, got searched got back in again and proceeded to what turned out to be a plantation house owned by the brits back in the early 20th century. It had ...

... m bedrooms, radically underlit overlooking a dried fish foreground for the princely sum of US$9 per night, sans AC, or whatever that is worth per night in the fading Bush era. A decision had to be taken that royalty had it's own standards, and I, completely another. A clean beach seemed rather more comely than competing with salted sards, and row upon row of genocided sun-dried bonito. Unlike tomatoes, this doesn't make them any ...

... see the 'tooth'. Again those crafty folks at the tourism board were aware of the temples popularity with whities so decided to slap a $5 fee on us getting in. HAHA HA not likely we said. We had heard from one of the tuk-tuk drivers that if you went to the early punju (celebration) at 6.00am, the ticket man wouldn't be there and you could get in for free - Score!! So we were up early on our last day in Kandy and quickly made our way to the ...

... as we advance further into the thicket, we suddenly reach the point where he scratches his head and glances to all sides; a look of utter confusion on his face. The Vedda`s golden era as hunters and collectors seems to have definitely passed.

Suddenly I stand before the official museum of the Veddas, the Wannilaeththo Heritage Centre. I have washed the dirt from my clothes and feel refreashed. The resident anthropologist, Nalien, climbs down from his tree house. The museum ...

... hot all the Mahouts took the elephants into the river for an extra long soak and splash around before they (the elephants not the Mahouts) went to bed around 5pm After last night I am thinking an early night might be in order as tomorrow we have an elephant blessing ceremony at 8.21 in the morning (another auspicious time) and I need to be up well in advance to help clean Rani before the Monk arrives Goodnight and hope you are all well Sam

... when I gave in and fell into bed ( after nearing falling asleep in my dinner which was curry and rice ! ) Around then I remembered that it was my Birthday although I am not sure if it counts if you are in International airspace when it starts (that's my story and I am sticking to it) So much happened on Saturday that I will need another entry to cover it, but the main thing is I am here and it already feels like I never left Sam