Kandy: from the colorful markets to the green plantations and Tooth relics, in this article we will talk about tea and temples and what’s best to do in the second largest city of Sri Lanka.
Getting there
Our itinerary continued from Sigiriya to Kandy but if Kandy is your first stop you can easily catch a bus/train from Colombo.
We took a morning bus from Sigiriya to Dambulla (32LKR). Once when you’re in Dambulla there’s plenty of buses going to Kandy. We were offered to take a private bus for 300 LKR but following our instincts we asked for the regular bus. The ticket cost only 150LKR. I’m not sure if it was because we were sitting on the last seats of the bus or just the driver decided to have some fun driving but the 2 hour ride we had, was quite bumpy :)
At the beginning the bus looked empty but not long after that the aisles turned to be busy, full of standing people.
The beginning of our journey to Kandy
Traveling in Sri Lanka with buses or trains is a unique experience because the scenery is simply amazing. On the way to Kandy stunning green hills and small villages occupied the frame of the small window next to my seat.
Traveling across the country, using a public transport is slow, there’s no doubt about it, but that’s exactly where the hidden charm lies in. I adored every single moment of sweating in the crowded buses or trains of Sri Lanka. If you are interested to step a bit out of your comfort zone, then try it. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
Finding accommodation in Kandy was a bit difficult at the beginning. Me and my Slovenian friends went to Sevana Guest House. I was expecting a basic hotel but it turned out that the place is quite luxurious and also it was all booked.
If you start a conversation on the street with a stranger you have pretty good chances to find a place to sleep. This is exactly what happened to us. We were really lucky to stay at The Lake Round Guesthouse and we paid 2500LKR for the whole room (830LKR) each.
The room was basic but you really don’t have big expectations for 5€ per night, right? The best thing about The Lake Round was the location – in the heart of the city, just 2 min away from Kandy Lake. It’s a good place to walk around. It’s beautiful and peaceful.
You can see a lot of strange birds and not only… Be prepared for surprises like this one:
Kandy is a big city and it looks quite busy. It resembles Colombo but at the same time is not that crazy and I think people are nicer here.
Cute kids in uniforms are hiding from my camera
Take a walk around the lake and chill out a bit. Then go on the main streets and see the difference :)
If you go to Kandy many people will probably tell you that the biggest attraction here is Temple of the tooth. We kept the temple as our last stop and as it often happens we found out that it’s not something special. I can even say that our experience visiting the temple was a bit disappointing so my tip for you is leave the temple for the evening and enjoy your day in Kandy. There’s much more to be seen. Here are some ideas…
What I really liked about Kandy are the street stalls full with fruits. I think I’ve never seen so many different types of exotic fruits in my life.
If you still haven’t done your shopping in Sri Lanka, I think Kandy is the right place to do it.
Go to Kandy Market and spend a few hours exploring new spices and fruits that you will find here. The place is located adjacent to one of the city landmarks: The Clock Tower:
Kandy Market Hall is situated in a two story old building with many stalls and bustling vendors.
From the simplest magnets and souvenirs to the vegetables, fruits, nuts, tea and spices you can find everything here.
The most impressive and beautiful part are the ripe fruits and how they arranged them, hanging from the ceiling. Now it’s the time to try fresh bananas, mango, watermelon, grapes, apples and let’s not forget the king coconut :)
We spent some time at the market, buying some souvenirs and fruits, bargaining and having fun. This place is worth visiting.
After we found our lovely place at Lake Round, the owner offered us a tour to a local tea factory and a herbal garden nearby Kandy. At the beginning I was a bit sceptic but my overall experience was positive. Anyway it started raining like cats and dogs so we didn’t have much choice. We decided that we will visit The temple of the tooth at night.
Sri Lankans really know how to do a business. Often they will offer you a cheap accommodation and then another 10 activities in which you could be involved. Each of us paid 500LKR and surprisingly, out of nowhere, a spacious van appeared right in front of us. Have in mind that if you are travelling solo you could bargain for cheaper since the hotel owners usually get commission from tea factory for bringing customers.
We jumped into the car and our driver took us to Geragama Tea Factory in the suburb called Pilimathalawa (around 10km from Kandy). Established in 1903, the Geragama Tea Factory is a place where tons of tea are going for export each and every month.
Here is the right moment to share with you my small passion: drinking tea.
When I was a kid I was thinking people drink tea only when they have sore throat or they feel really cold :P I couldn’t find anything special about it and I was wondering why all British people love their afternoon tea ritual so much.
When I grew up I start discovering different flavors and tastes of tea. I realized that tea is one of the most powerful plants and there’s a hundred reasons to love it.
Why tea is good for you?
Photo taken at Pedro Tea Factory, Nuwara Eliya.
After I’ve visited India and the tea plantations of Darjeeling I truly fell in love with this magical plant and I found that the good tea has not only a good taste but a great effect on your body and mind.
Tea tourism is getting more and more popular among travelers and I’m definitely one of its biggest fans. For the best tea experience you should definitely visit these two countries: India and Sri Lanka.
I’ve learned a lot about tea processing during my trips and I would like to share it with you.
The differences between the tea from Darjeeling (India) and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) are a lot. They are based on the growing conditions like climate and altitude, but also different methods of processing tea which leads to producing a wide variety with different taste and quality.
During one of my previous crazy tripsI had a chance to visit a tea factory in Darjeeling, India and to discover that the tea is processed using the orthodox method of manufacturing and not by following the standard CTC (Curling, Tearing & Crushing) method which is used in Sri Lanka.
The tea factories in Darjeeling are focused on the quality rather than quantity. 99% of the tea which has been produced using the CTC method and only 1 % of the best quality tea comes from Darjeeling and it has been exported only to three countries: UK, Japan and Germany.
That is the reason why Darjeeling tea has the reputation of being “Champagne of teas”. The quality of Darjeeling teas is controlled by the India Tea Board.
The tea in Sri Lanka has been produced using the CTC method. Crush, tear, curl (sometimes cut, tear, curl) is a method of processing black tea in which the leaves are passed through a series of cylindrical rollers with hundreds of sharp teeth that crush, tear, and curl the tea into small, hard pellets. This replaces the final stage of orthodox tea manufacture, in which the leaves are rolled into strips.
You can learn a lot about tea processing
by this nice lady in Geragama Tea Estate
Ceylon teas are mostly identified by the 6 regions: Dimulla, Galle, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, and Uva.
If you want to make sure that you’re buying a truly Sri Lankan tea look for the special logo, a stylized lion, as mandated by the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Look for this to assure you are getting true Ceylon tea.
Discovering the secrets of producing Ceylon tea :)
Me and my friends from Slovenia sat in the beautiful tea room enjoying the magical drink and sweet memories from Darjeeling came back into my mind. That afternoon I had a small deja-vu, experiencing the tea factories tour again, this time in new country :)
After Geragama Tea Estate, our driver took us to Susantha Spice and Herbal Garden.
During a layover I’ve been to a similar herbal garden in Colombo. It’s kind of a “smart scenario” because a herbal doctor will show you the garden and will explain the useful effect of the plants that grow there and after that you will be somehow “pushed” to buy something from the shop (and the prices are like in European pharmacy) :D
I’m not saying that it’s a bad experience because you can learn a surprising facts about different plants like aloe vera, cardamom, vanilla etc…
But at the end of this nice lecture you find yourself seated exactly like a pupil in front of his tutor. Seated on a small bench, you will be given a pen and “menu” to choose from your next purchase so have that in mind :D
Oh, and you or some of your friends will have to sacrifice some hair, because you will be taken as a model so that the doctor can demonstrate how the natural hair removal cream works out :D
After this funny experience we were driven back to Kandy and our guide left us in front of Temple of the Tooth.
Sri Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth Relic, is the holiest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka.
According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. The tooth came from a place called Kalinga in India and it was brought to Sri Lanka at the beginning of 4th century.
I paid 1000LKR for the ticket (of course the price for local is different) and some small donation to leave my shoes before I enter the temple.
I’m surprised that along with many tourists, the majority of the people are actually locals. The relic has been an important part of the life of many pilgrims who have been visiting the temple for generations. You can see old women, parents with their children. The pilgrims look so humble and devoted.
What I didn’t like about Temple of the Tooth it has been turned from a beautiful legend to a huge donation-box. You will see everywhere plates where people have to leave some money, wanted or not.
What I’ve learned from so many years of traveling is that the most sacred and beautiful places are actually not very popular and people there will never ask you for money. Every religion that is trying to make money out of the people is just another form of exploitation to me.
I didn’t like the fact that in every corner you would see donation boxes. I didn’t like the fact that a lady ask me (and it wasn’t even a question) straight away: “Some donation for the temple?”
Maybe I was a bit frustrated after the herbal garden ( a scenario that I’ve already experienced before in Colombo) but that was a bit too much. At this moment the temple has already lost any sacred value, any ambience that a religious place like this is supposed to have.
I looked at the monks who would give you a blessing and would tie a bit of thread around your right wrist only against a “small donation”.
It’s a blasphemy to me to see monks with crafty smiles, giving blessing of pilgrims in front of Buddha and taking money for this.
The relic of the tooth is kept in a two-story inner shrine far from any sight so actually nobody knows if the relic is there or not. But people still believe that there’s something sacred about that place. I want to believe too.
What I don’t believe is that there’s any humanity left in the monks who are keeping the secret of the relic. I hope I’m the one who is wrong but I couldn’t feel anything sacred at the temple. What I found was an open market for the poor souls of the pilgrims: a blessing and a promise for future health and happiness against some small donation.
After that long day me and my Slovenian fellows wanted to keep our tradition and have our evening beer.
It took us some time to find the liquor store which was hidden in one of the small streets, just behind the supermarket “Cargills food city”. If you can’t find anything, just ask locals :)
Finding a liquor store is not always easy in Sri Lanka.
Just ask locals.
The price (just for us) was 300LKR for a can of Lion. You can always ask for the receipt at the liquor store so that you can make sure they’re not giving you a “special price”. This bright idea didn’t come to my mind that evening.
Overall, one day in Kandy is enough to see the major spots. We visited Kandy Lake, the local market, tea factory, herbal garden and Temple of the Tooth. My best experience was definitely the tea factory and also the local market.
We were ready to leave and step up into our next adventure - climbing Adam’s Peak. Are you ready to hear my next story? ;)
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