Last day in Kandy..
A decision made - today is the last full day in Kandy since I've pretty much seen most of the place and after a few times that lake seems rather, well, just the same. The same monkeys, birds, bats and monsters, I mean Water Monitor Lizards.
To the train station then to buy an onward ticket for tomorrow - destination Hatton. A few meters before the station is the central market which is next to the bus stand which means good mouthfuls of diesel fumes! Part of the market go's underground, so it's a slight relief from the heat and fumes above and It's a typical market serving local needs. I paid 25p for 2 red bananas, the sweetest most flavoursome bananas ever! The market cafe serves a good local breakfast for about 70p, all quite spicy, but plenty of it. Typically, flat breads cooked on a griddle and served with dahl or a coconut milk sauce.
Tickets for tomorrow are not available, they have to be purchased on the day, tickets to Hatton anyway. So, with nothing specific in mind, I begin to wander along the main road heading south beside the railway line. It's a significantly poorer part of Kandy with dwellings consisting mainly breeze block and cement construction. Tarpaulins propped up with bamboos and corrugated iron roofs for the luckier ones. Dotted inbetween are some pretty smart villas though, well maintained on the outside anyway.
A couple of fairly big supermarkets with such names like "Queens Mall" seem somewhat out of place here, amidst the less salubrious districts, and right on the side of a major highway.
About 1h20 of walking and the town of Paradenyia is reached. Busy, fumes unabated and home to several government buildings. Also the famed botanical gardens are here, about 1/2 a mile further along on the right. Quite pricey for tourists but dirt cheap for locals, who want to spend an hour or two looking at plants, carefully manicured landscaping etc. Not for me so I continue, knackered but something keeps me going, ah yes, a bus ride back. It's a university town, and a uni is often good for a look around, from a cultural perspective I mean!
Actually, wandering down a lane that seems to be leading towards the hills and some quite nice scenery. A coconut seller here, 15p for a big juicy coconut. The drink is refreshing, the flesh is soft enough to be scooped with a piece of the shell - that's my lunch as a group of monkeys look on intently.
There is a cricket ground here, getting good use unsurprisingly since cricket is all the rage here, especially since Sri Lanka trances the Aussies a few days ago!. It's a very picturesque setting, bordered with forested hills and a cool breeze flows across the grounds. It's just like a British summer when football season gives way to the cricket season.
Had to cross the railway line earlier and as i did so, spotted a little station platform. I would think a train to Kandy go's from there, what seems like a locals stop rather than any major station. Since I really don't have the energy to walk the 2 miles back, getting a train seems like a good 1st solution, bus 2nd and tuk tuk comes in at a very last resort. About 1 1/2 hours for the next train to Kandy, so plenty of time for a cuppa tea. The station is called Sarasavi Uyana, very quiet, quaint and sleepy. Just a handful of locals and a couple of tuk tuks. 3 little tin shacks called shops and a cafe that calls itself " The Little Chef".
Ticket to Kandy is 5p for a 3rd and only class seat. It's a local train, rusting floor, dirty and, well you get the picture. 10 minutes to Kandy and time to reflect. Its been a good day seeing albeit briefly communities on the fringes of the town. Then to watch the cricketers at the university, but what actually impacts me most is how everyone acknowledges me with a smile and a nod - and I mean everyone!
A decision made - today is the last full day in Kandy since I've pretty much seen most of the place and after a few times that lake seems rather, well, just the same. The same monkeys, birds, bats and monsters, I mean Water Monitor Lizards.
To the train station then to buy an onward ticket for tomorrow - destination Hatton. A few meters before the station is the central market which is next to the bus stand which means good mouthfuls of diesel fumes! Part of the market go's underground, so it's a slight relief from the heat and fumes above and It's a typical market serving local needs. I paid 25p for 2 red bananas, the sweetest most flavoursome bananas ever! The market cafe serves a good local breakfast for about 70p, all quite spicy, but plenty of it. Typically, flat breads cooked on a griddle and served with dahl or a coconut milk sauce.
Tickets for tomorrow are not available, they have to be purchased on the day, tickets to Hatton anyway. So, with nothing specific in mind, I begin to wander along the main road heading south beside the railway line. It's a significantly poorer part of Kandy with dwellings consisting mainly breeze block and cement construction. Tarpaulins propped up with bamboos and corrugated iron roofs for the luckier ones. Dotted inbetween are some pretty smart villas though, well maintained on the outside anyway.
A couple of fairly big supermarkets with such names like "Queens Mall" seem somewhat out of place here, amidst the less salubrious districts, and right on the side of a major highway.
About 1h20 of walking and the town of Paradenyia is reached. Busy, fumes unabated and home to several government buildings. Also the famed botanical gardens are here, about 1/2 a mile further along on the right. Quite pricey for tourists but dirt cheap for locals, who want to spend an hour or two looking at plants, carefully manicured landscaping etc. Not for me so I continue, knackered but something keeps me going, ah yes, a bus ride back. It's a university town, and a uni is often good for a look around, from a cultural perspective I mean!
Actually, wandering down a lane that seems to be leading towards the hills and some quite nice scenery. A coconut seller here, 15p for a big juicy coconut. The drink is refreshing, the flesh is soft enough to be scooped with a piece of the shell - that's my lunch as a group of monkeys look on intently.
There is a cricket ground here, getting good use unsurprisingly since cricket is all the rage here, especially since Sri Lanka trances the Aussies a few days ago!. It's a very picturesque setting, bordered with forested hills and a cool breeze flows across the grounds. It's just like a British summer when football season gives way to the cricket season.
Had to cross the railway line earlier and as i did so, spotted a little station platform. I would think a train to Kandy go's from there, what seems like a locals stop rather than any major station. Since I really don't have the energy to walk the 2 miles back, getting a train seems like a good 1st solution, bus 2nd and tuk tuk comes in at a very last resort. About 1 1/2 hours for the next train to Kandy, so plenty of time for a cuppa tea. The station is called Sarasavi Uyana, very quiet, quaint and sleepy. Just a handful of locals and a couple of tuk tuks. 3 little tin shacks called shops and a cafe that calls itself " The Little Chef".
Ticket to Kandy is 5p for a 3rd and only class seat. It's a local train, rusting floor, dirty and, well you get the picture. 10 minutes to Kandy and time to reflect. Its been a good day seeing albeit briefly communities on the fringes of the town. Then to watch the cricketers at the university, but what actually impacts me most is how everyone acknowledges me with a smile and a nod - and I mean everyone!
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