Kandy

February 18, 2012

We are heading to the central hill country of Sri Lanka for the day. Destination: Kandy.
The hotel has prepared a boxed breakfast with ham and cheese sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, OJ, and a pastry. It’s too early to eat, so we stash it for later.

As we progress inland and upwards the vegetation thickens and the habitation thins. Small thatch
roofed shacks along the winding roadside are loaded with fruit for sale. Each one is dedicated to a
specific product. One holds pineapples stacked like cordwood from floor to ceiling, another displays
watermelon in towering pyramids. We watch truckloads of banana bunches pass us by.

Early on, a hazy vapor hovers above plush rice paddies and fields of tea; soon enough the sun will burn it away. The sun encourages and the vegetation seems to respond: grow, grow, grow. It’s practically time lapse photography right before your eyes. I can identify several of Aunt Mary’s house plants growing in wild profusion.

Near Kandy in Pinnawala is an elaborate elephant orphanage. It was started in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife and is now run by the National Zoological Gardens. In the beginning there were 5 orphaned babies and now over 60 elephants of all sizes are cared for. It has become an essential tourist stopover. The buildings and grounds are attractive and spacious, an indication that the tourist monies are used for the good of the inhabitants. The posted fee structure shows a higher charge for “foreign visitors”, (us).

On the grounds a small enclosure is being constructed. The workers form bricks from the moist red soil and stack them into a wall.

Brick Makers

There are no cages, the elephants roam freely. One large viewing area allows the elephants to be
observed and approached (the handlers expect a tip and they encourage you to come and touch) as
the elephants stand around observing right back at you. They seem quite accustomed to their human
visitors.

There is a large open sided feeding shed where a bottle feeding exhibition takes place twice a day. A
special ticket can be purchased to hold the bottle while the elephant wraps its trunk around it and slurps the contents down in a couple of gulps. Some seem pretty large for bottle feeding, but what do we know? While waiting to be fed, one of the babies picks up a straw broom and pulling one straw out at a time begins to consume it until a trainer takes it away. Another picks up a water hose and entangles it in his trunk.

Bottle Feeding

In a green meadow several elephants have worked away the grass. The red dirt underneath is perfect
for a bath. We watch them inhaling and exhaling until the tops of their heads and their backs are
speckled with what looks like brick dust.

Twice a day the herd is escorted about ¼ of a mile to the nearby Maha Oya River for a two hour bath.
They take an interesting route. A narrow cobbled street lined on both sides with shopping stalls leads
from the orphanage to the river. The street ends in a ramp that disappears into the shallow river water.
The elephants, (all 60+) with their mahouts (handlers) stroll through the narrow way. It’s quite a sight. Jake likens it to running with the bulls, only there is no running only lumbering. We watch while they appreciate the water. The babies, especially, cavort like kids, submerging themselves until only their trunk is visible. The larger, older animals drink and spray and enjoy.

We continue up into the central part of Sri Lanka. As we climb, the roadside drops off into a deep valley and we can see forever. Miles away on the horizon is the rectangular shape of Sigiriya, a huge ancient rock fortress and city ruin located on the flat top of a colossal rock. It’s a world heritage site reminiscent of Machu Picchu. A couple of hours worth of rusty stairs lead to the top. Unfortunately, it's more than a day trip away. I’m coming back.

The road cuts through a gigantic boulder lying naturally on a hillside strewn with boulders. The road
goes where the road wants to go, so a tunnel was somehow bored through the big dollop of rock.

Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth largest producer of tea, known to many as Ceylon tea. The industry
directly or indirectly employs 1 million people.

Troughs of Tea

 A tea processing facility is usually a multi-storied building where each level focuses on a specific
portion of the processing. Fresh green leaves fill troughs where they sit for 18 hours to “wither”
which removes excess moisture. They are then rolled in rotating cylinders which causes enzymes in
the leaves to react with the oxygen in the air bringing out the flavors. After firing, the tea is sifted
through mesh, sorted and graded. Women seem to be the mainstays of the processing work force,
many working in bare feet. Here they sort 7 kinds of usable tea, refuse tea and dust, both of which
are discarded.

The Temple of the Tooth, located in the royal palace complex on Kandy Lake, is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha. According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre.

The actual tooth is kept in a two-story shrine guarded by two bronze elephant tusks. Supposedly, it
rests on a solid gold lotus flower, encased in a jeweled casket that sits on a throne. However, the tooth
is not available for viewing on an everyday basis, only the shrine. Once a year the relic is taken out
and paraded through the streets in an elaborate procession featuring torches, fire dancers, magicians,
acrobats and many, many elephants. Some one million pilgrims show up for the festivities. That would be something to see.

In the temple courtyard is a gnarled tree surrounded by a platform hung all over with prayer flags.
This is the Maha-Bodhi tree. Every Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka has a Bodhi tree on its premises. Since Buddha was sitting under a Bodhi tree when he attained Enlightenment, the tree is considered sacred. In fact, it symbolizes Buddha. In addition, there are believed to be spirits inhabiting the tree that can answer prayers in exchange for offerings.

Maha-Bodhi Tree

A staircase leads to the platform where thick white strips of fabric are tied around the weathered
wooden beams that hold it all together. Could they represent prayers? There are many devotees here
today, openly praying or sitting quietly. We try to tread carefully because we are intruding. Women
empty water jugs around the tree, bathing it in scented water. Tables/altars are piled with flower
blossoms and the scent of jasmine fills the air.

At the base of the tree is a long low enclosure protecting hundreds of glowing votive candles. Incense
sticks are burning in an ashy receptacle sending their scent to mingle with the jasmine. I notice people reaching up to touch the wooden joists as they exit.

Security is in force at the temple. There is a metal detector and a strict dress code. No shorts. In order to enter Jake must tie Claire’s blanket around his waist and since my sleeves are considered too short I wait for Lesley to come out and then borrow her sweater.

At the Kandyan Art and Culture Center actual artisans are demonstrating their skills. One man is
embossing designs into metal sheets. He motions to us to print our names on a rolled up piece of scrap paper. Then he embosses our name and a small elephant on a small square of thin brass and presents us with a thoughtful gift. We present him with a thoughtful tip.

Our driver tosses popcorn into the lake causing a fast moving mob of fish to materialize. We pay to park upon arrival, and are asked to pay again upon departure. Coming and going….

We drive up into the neighborhoods surrounding the lake to admire the view. The hillside homes are
quite spectacular.

The roads are crowded, as usual, and the constant horn honking provides Claire with a lullaby. English influence in both India and Sri Lanka manifests in driving on the left side of the road with the driver sitting to the right.

Our driver seems in a hurry to get back to Colombo. He spends more time driving in the lane reserved for oncoming traffic than the one he’s supposed to be in trying to pass the never ending line up of vehicles, even though the signs clearly state: No Overtaking. Tuk tuks or motorbikes easily dodge us, but busses are a bit more bothersome. At one point a turning bus comes within a millimeter of striking us. It’s like a roller derby for cars. Jake tells our driver in no uncertain terms to slow down. He does, thankfully, and we arrive safely back at Mount Lavinia with time for Jake and Lesley to partake in an overdue Valentine’s dinner.

Re-entering India is no problem for the Culley's. They have resident visas. I have a tourist visa. I'm told to go to the Office of Immigration. We're not sure what to expect...maybe I'll be sent home. The clerk is summoned and he hands me a sheet of paper to fill out. He needs all of my passport info, plus visa info, plus where I've been and where I'm staying in India; when I arrived and most importantly, when I will be leaving. He asks to see my itinerary and my onward flight information. Lesley has foreseen all of the questions and is ready with paperwork galore. She's been worrying over this moment and has taken every precaution to keep her mother from being summarily deported. The clerk copies all of the information from my paper to a paisley covered, worn-away at the corners so the cardboard shows through, green-lined paper ledger. I sign and he indicates that we can go. Back at passport control we tell them I've been approved for re-entry. We have no receipt, no stamp, nothing. They take our word for it and I'm back in India.