We left the hotel around 10 after having breakfast - we each had a thin omelette, a slice of pineapple, a banana and some bread. The bread here is always served stale which is so odd.
The roads were really windy again which again made everyone feel sick but no one actually was sick so it was OK. On the way Ashan stopped at a tea factory in mackwood (they also had a sign like the Hollywood sign) where we got a tour. I really liked the tour. They grow leaves for white, black and green tea and they showed us the difference processes for each and gave us a cup of Ceylon which is a type of black tea.
The next stop on the way was a waterfall which had a really similar name to the previous one but I can't remember what it is. We had a little paddle but the water was freezing. He took us a little further down the road and there was a viewing point which we stopped at. It was really pretty amidst the mountains, the lakes and the waterfalls around us.
Then we arrived in Kandy. We had lunch at the hotel - the Honey Pot - which was quite expensive (but still less than £5 each) - Becki and I shared a curry platter which was really good and amy and Katie had some spring rolls. Ashan booked us some tickets for a Kandyan dance show. It was not good. It felt like we were watching a dress rehearsal of a year 6 play. The end was some fire eaters which was more impressive but it still wasn't really choreographed. He also took us to a gem factory opposite the dance hall which was really weird. They showed us a video of how the source the gems and then walked us through a demonstration room with a fake well. It was so odd. Then we walked through a room with men making rings and shining the gems. Then he lead us to the shop which was huge and very expensive so we kind of hovered around and then scarpered as quick as possible.
We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, Kate had chicken kangkung which was good, Becki and I had some spring rolls and chips and Amy had a sandwhich - the bread was stale.
We left the hotel around half 9 to go to the botanical gardens after having breakfast in the hotel - tea; a plain omelette; some bread and jam; a banana and some melon. We wandered around the botanical gardens for about two hours, stopping for a little lie down in the sun for a while. The gardens were really lovely but a touch boring until we found the bats and monkeys. The trees at one point were covered in screeching and flapping bats and the floor was covered in bat poo, was pretty grim and the bats were absolutely huge. Then on the other side of the gardens there were about 20 monkeys, some tiny little babies which was so cute. We hung out with them for a while and then went back to the car. The drive into Kandy from the hotel was probably less than a mile but the traffic was so ridiculous that it probably took 45 mins, maybe more. We should have just walked in.
We stopped on the way at a Battik factory which was really interesting. They showed us how they make them and some of the designs which were really lovely. They had some adorable baby clothes that I thought would be so good for Alex but they were so expensive because they were all handmade. It's a shame because if they'd have been cheaper I'd have probably bought a sarong or something for myself as well.
From there we went to the temple of the tooth. We hired a guide for 2000 rupees (£10) who told us all about the Buddha, the principles of Buddhism and why the temple of the tooth is so sacred. Apparently the Buddha was cremated but his teeth were left unburnt which showed how special he was. I don't really know anything about Buddhism but it was pretty interesting so I might do some research.
After that we thought we were going to go shopping but Ashan took us to a restaurant for lunch instead. We had a buffet which was pretty unspectacular but we were all starving so it was fine. The view from the restaurant was pretty good though. He's now dropped us back at the hotel and we don't really know what to do. We don't feel like we've seen the real Kandy because everyone has raved about it but the small (very small) part we've seen was pretty grim really, other than the actual tourist attractions we've seen. It's a shame, especially as we're leaving tomorrow to climb Dambulla rock and then staying in Sigiriya.
After we got back to the hotel we went down to the river to take a picture for Becki's Mum's birthday. We weren't sure we knew where we wanted to take it so we were kind of hovering around, but the owner saw us anj thought we thought we weren't allowed so he dragged us down to the river. We got a good shot for her Mum though so it was good. We then basically went and just hung out at the hotel for the evening,at one point the electricity at the hotel cut out but it wasn't for long.
