Kiwis, Curries, and Coconut Palms: NZ to Sri Lanka - part 5

Kandy and Nuwara Eliya

Whilst still in Kandy, a visit to another manufacturing jeweller was made.  This was a seriously well set up enterprise with officially qualified staff for manufacturing and grading gems. This was also going to be a frighteningly expensive day by the look of it.

Part of the gem cutting and polishing process

Making an individual item of jewellery

A tray of cut sapphires - absolutely breathtaking

Jennie's birth stone is a star sapphire. These gems are cut to reflect specific inclusions which generate a star pattern in the right light.  No photo can do it justice.  What a surprise when one of the gem experts drew Jennie's attention to the star sapphire below, set in white gold.

What's a guy supposed to do, particularly as she knows that after 53 years together; I'm a pushover where she's concerned. She even has the brass to say it to my face, sigh....  Now she has two sapphire rings to go with her sapphire and diamond bracelet.

Even better in real life, I must admit.

Whilst the deal was being done, I was chatting to the owner of the factory who was also a classic car enthusiast.  Here's some photos from his on-site garage.

Baby Austin 7, MGA and Mercedes saloon

Mk 9 Jaguar (I think)

AA badge says Ceylon, denoting pre-Sri Lanka name

The badge with the stylised deer is the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, apparently popular as car badges on colonial vehicles during the 1940's to 60's.

Before leaving Kandy, there was a guided walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya.  The guide was a wonderful Sri Lankan botanist who could clearly make the most mundane of subjects sound interesting.  We were privileged to have someone of his calibre spend time with us.  The gardens were established in 1821 and seem to have been a magnet for international dignitaries from those early times as many trees have plaques commemorating the plantings.

The range of plants was stunning and the sample of photos speak for themselves.

Steer well clear, methinks

Massive winged seed

Giant fig, about 60 metres across

Mrs J in front of bamboo which grows up to 0.5m/day, up to 35 metres tall

The Bronze Shower tree

This is how the Bronze Shower tree gets its name

Amhertsia Nobilis tree

Planted by Louis Mountbatten

The next photo shows Carat seeds from the Carob tree. These were originally used by traders as scale counterbalance weights for weighing gold and gemstones.  They allegedly had a consistent weight of 0.2gm or 1 carat. No charge for this great pub quiz question!

Carat seeds

These leaves look like fractal patterns as you zoom in

Wonderful avenue of 150 year old palms

One of many large orchids

A Blue Jade vine from the Philippines

Our next stop was at the Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.  Built in a very British expat "tea planting mansion" style, we had high tea of tiny club sandwiches and fancy cakes reminiscent of a past colonial era and very nice it was too.  The quality tea was served black and woe betide anyone who asked for milk.  A bit like asking for a slug of ginger ale in your single malt, I suppose.

Taking high tea on the terrace

A well-maintained colonial era house

The bustle of downtown Nuwara Eliya

Part 6 to come......

Kiwis, Curries, and Coconut Palms: NZ to Sri Lanka - part 4

 Dambulla, Kandy area

To start on a lighter note, it was necessary to refill the coach with diesel for the rest of the trip.  It so happened that Jennie and I were sitting close to the diesel pump and watched the filling operation.  Give or take a bit, there are 180 rupees to the NZ dollar.  With the recent price rises in addition to the small currency value, the huge numbers were just a blur and Jennie thoughtfully recorded it on her phone - quite funny.

Good job it's not in dollars!

The Dambulla Cave Temple is yet another World Heritage listed site.  Sri Lanka certainly has its share of them.  The cave temple dates back to the 1st century BC and has been repainted and generally well maintained over that time.  When we pulled up at the gates, our tour director uttered the immortal line which was used with good humour against him for the remainder of the trip.  That line was "Only 300 metres from the coach".  He omitted a qualifying word from the sentence which was "vertically".  In fairness to Sunil, the gradient was more like 45 degrees of  substantial stone steps and bare rock which went on forever. In temperatures of well over 30 degrees and high humidity, we were soaked through by the time we reached the top and our lungs and legs were on fire.  These are the lower part part of the steps:

Stairway to Heaven

It was worth the climb though, as the following photos depict.

Entrances to the individual chambers

Rows of Buddha carvings

Statue undergoing restoration

An amazing array of colours

A slightly alarming carving featuring a 3-headed cobra

A fully recovered Mrs J at the fabled 300 metres altitude!

A short stop was made at a batik factory in Matale, where a tour member was coached through the process.  There are multiple steps and it takes a skilled artisan to produce high quality work.  The factory was a riot of colour with all sorts of items for sale at realistic prices. Jennie bought a cloth and bamboo fan which was extremely effective in alleviating the effects of high temperatures and humidity throughout the rest of the trip.

An overwhelming riot of colour

Colourful Sri Muthumariamman Kovi temple - dedicated to female deities

Arriving in Kandy, we went to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.  I know this sounds like a skit from a Monty Python episode but is an incredibly important site for Buddhism.  As well as the religious importance, the architecture is mind-blowing and more than matches anything the West produced in the 16th century.

The approach to the temple

Astounding level of carving detail

The most complicated ceiling I've ever seen

Fresh flowers to honour Buddha

Just a passageway but simply stunning detailing

Roadside stalls.  We ate red bananas which were delicious

Suburban Kandy street scene

Motorcycle shop.  Not many over 250cc

One fascinating aspect of Sri Lankan towns was the large number of establishments selling used car parts. They all looked incredibly well-organised with parts in racks or neatly stacked as per the photos below. Sri Lankan traffic consisted mainly of modern, but small cars in generally good condition. Maybe replacement parts kept them going for longer than would normally be expected, or perhaps parts are exported to nearby India.

One of many highly organised automotive car part businesses

Yet another parts business

The standard of accommodation everywhere we stayed was outstanding and Kandy was no exception at the Earls Regency.  In the photo below, our room looked down on the swimming pool and had a gorgeous balcony to take in the views.

Not too shabby, eh?

View from the private deck

Dining was a pretty grand affair in their a la carte restaurant with beautifully presented food in elegant surroundings. Fortunately, Mrs J frowned at my initial choice of a T shirt and shorts which would have been seriously out of place. I think I scrubbed up fairly well in the end and didn't overindulge on the superb wine.

Dining room ceiling.  What is it about Sri Lankans and their magnificent ceilings?

Beautifully presented seafood main course

The following day, we did a walking tour of Kandy and were also free to do our own thing.  The evening featured a lovely outdoor dinner with a performance of traditional Sri Lankan dance.

Nice outdoor dinner setting

Drumming to a fire dance

To end this part on an irreverent note, look carefully at the photo below.  Hotel bathrooms aren't normally the subject of photos (with the exception of our trip to China), but this one was a real head-scratcher.  A small stainless steel object was screwed to the black tiles behind the toilet bowl.  I was trying figure out its function when a closer inspection revealed that it was a bottle opener!  What a bizarre location and created much mirth.  Perhaps the suite was normally reserved for English soccer hooligans (I jest, of course).

Part 5 to come.....

Kiwis, Curries, and Coconut Palms: NZ to Sri Lanka - part 3

Polonnaruwa, Kandalama, Sigyria and Minneria

Polonnaruwa was created in the 12th century and whilst substantial building relics remain, much has still to be uncovered.  There was an archaeological team hard at work during our visit.

Massive brickwork structures

Remains of ornate plasterwork over bricks

Stonework - No gaps between individual pieces

Carved temple remains

Archaeologists at work

Also in the area was the Gal Viharaya rock temple.  Huge Buddhas were carved from solid rock in the 12th century, the biggest being some 15 metres long.  Incredible work considering the rudimentary tools in use.  In the photos which follow, the various rock seams can be seen to run through both the surrounding rock and the statues.

Note the rock seams

Vertical and prone carvings

We were booked in at the Heritance Kandalama on the shores of the man-made Lake Kandalama.  This accommodation was designed by the previously mentioned late architect Geoffrey Bawa to blend in with the rocky cliff and escarpment it was built round. It was certainly an impressive structure but maybe avant garde architects don't offer the most practical solutions. (A personal and biased opinion of course)!

Heritance Kandalama (file photo)

According to the statistics, the hotel is approximately 1km from end to end.  In the heat and humidity, we felt every metre trudging from the central amenities area to our room which took a good 10 minutes through walkways open to the surrounding countryside. Hard work when well fed and watered!  It was also easy to get lost with elevators seemingly placed at random throughout the structure and at all sorts of odd angles. More than once, we ended up not knowing where the heck we were.

Despite the tongue in cheek tilt at the architecture and layout, the fine dining experience in a cave immediately behind the hotel was quite something.  The multiple courses were divine, as were the wines, accompanied by a flautist sitting on a rock.

Waiting for the first course

A pretty substantial cave

The cave floor was completely natural with relatively uneven ground.  The cave itself was connected via a narrow wooden walkway to the hotel with subdued lighting.  I idly wondered whether any inattentive or inebriated guests had ever plunged into the darkness as I noted the firm grip which the dining area personnel had on guests arms as they transitioned the walkway back to the hotel.

The trip to Sigiriya Rock Fortress (Lion Rock) involved driving across a spillway of Lake Kandalama.  Irrigation water was sluicing across the road in some quantity but I suppose it was perfectly safe.  Certainly interesting though.

Water coming over the spillway

Lion Rock is some 200 metres taller than the surrounding countryside and takes some 1200 steps at a very steep angle to reach the top.  As the temperature was in the mid-30's C with high humidity, we decided to chicken out of climbing to the top and explored the ancient gardens in the lower reaches instead.

Aerial view of Lion Rock

Photo taken before abandoning the climb

Elephant rock art on the lower reaches, thought to be several hundred years old

Fig tree roots on a rock face

The afternoon activity was a game drive in Minneriya National Park.  Stopped for lunch at a restaurant with the most beautiful architecture.  The photo below shows the entrance.  Everywhere we went, there were beautiful places to eat.

 

Stunning restaurant entrance

A delightful scene in the adjoining village - someone giving an elephant a scrub behind the ears!

A ride-in elephant wash

Driving to the game park, I managed to capture some unusual scenes.  There was a field planted with tobacco, followed by leaves drying on racks.  Apparently, it's principally for chewing with betel nut and lime by the older generation and carries some significant health risks.

Tobacco crop

Tobacco leaves drying in the sun

The next photo is scarcely believable and I wonder how the authorities would react in the western world.  A case of being highly innovative!  I initially thought that we had encountered roadworks but  no, it was a local farmer drying and bagging his rice crop!  The dark road surface in full sun is the perfect medium for drying the crop before bagging - absolutely brilliant!

Not a sight you see every day

During the game drive, we saw lots of birds, much the same as the previous park  but we were privileged to see elephants with a mother and baby close up.  They were unconcerned with our presence and continued to feed.

 

What a great sight

Before heading back to our accommodation, we had to make a small excursion to rescue one of the other 4x4's which had become bogged in some soft ground.  With the aid of a winch, it popped out easily and it was back to the hotel for a well-earned beer.

....and out she pops

Part 4 to come....