Queens Kandy

... a tomber 10 minutes avant que je parte, et c'est sous des trombes d'eau que je marche vers cet etablissement. En 3 minutes je suis tout trempe, et le mot est faible, tout le monde a un parapluie ici meme quand il fait beau. Moi t-shirt, short, sandales ou tongs ca depend du sol... Arrive a une centaine de metres du but, la pluie se met a redoubler d'intensite. Bien sur tout le long les tuc tucs me demandaient si je voulais louer leur service, mais moi trop fier non non ca ...

... huge Java Willow/Fig tree. Like a giant, living umbrella, its ground spread is 2,500 sq m! My absolute favourite was a structure formed by a 2-tier circular hedge, where the inner hedge was raised up above the outer, lower one. Both acted a bit like pergolas, with covered vines and flowers wrapped around them. Within, there were beautiful plants around the periphery of the hedged circle and a big central display, like an island. It had 2 entrances/exits and was ...

It's hard to believe that we've only been here for three days as we have done and seen so much already! We stayed in Negombo for our first night, in a cute little hotel on the beach. We found the heat quite overwhelming (both the food and weather) and it affected andrew so badly that he snapped our room key - great start to 7 ...

... one for 25 quid while the rest of us wander round trying not to get sales people pestering us. We get to the Thilanka Hotel and after a quick trip to the rooms we head to a dance show - an hour of traditional dance and drumming - and surprisingly cheap drinks. They round the show off with some firewalking - impressive. Back to the Hotel and down for a buffet meal - a good range of Sri Lankan and western meals keeps everyone happy. The crab claw ...

... decided to make the four kilometre treck to visit Pereniya Royal Botanical Gardens on our last day in Kandy we were again saved from drowning by unexpected events. We missed all 147 acres, the 5000 plant species, and rare collection of orchids, spices and medicinal herbs. For the third day in a row play was abandoned because of rain. Well, at least play of the outdoor variety we still managed a couple of jars in the bar of The Queens Hotel easily preferable to orchids any day.

Leaving the mist behind, we soon arrived back in the more familiar sunshine and blue sky. We passed Ramboda Falls and Reservoir, before stopping for a brief but fascinating tour of the Carnegie Tea Factory. As the only tourist present, the tour felt very personal, and provided real insight into the tea production process which remains a labour-intensive, resolutely low-tech ...

... and were bored shitless, the only decent thing was sum dude that was meant to be workin windin a scorpion up by pokin a twig in its eye.we escaped that spot and went off to an elephant orphanage about an hours drive away, that spot was cool to see, musta been around 60 elephants havin a wash in the river and you could get ya photo takin with a couple. we didnt know that the fella stood there with a 6ft pole with a butchers hook on the end of it is gonna demand a tip or we ...

... Del could extend her visa, on the way we stopped at another government building ( the Department of Social welfare ) as madly they had a form she needed and I was amazed that at the end of the corridor in the department we were visiting was a man selling light bulbs, ( Sri Lanka never ceases to surprise me ) form in hand and after declining the offer of light bulbs we made the 2 km trip to the department of Immigration ( where they had a 2nd hand bookshop in the foyer by the ...