Kandy by TukTuk

When we arrived at the bus station in Kandy yesterday, a TukTuk driver immediately spoke to us and told us a fair price for the trip to our homestay (the equivalent of 0.85 euros for a ten-minute drive). On the way he told us that he offers TukTuk tours through Kandy. The price of 8.60 euros for the whole day is unbeatable and we arranged a tour for the next day.

Saman, our TukTuk driver, picked us up at ten o'clock this morning. We immediately noticed that he even dressed up especially for our tour together. Our first stop was a Buddha statue on a hill. From here we had a wonderful view over Kandy. Saman also taught us about the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

Afterwards we drove to an Ayurvedic herb garden. Here we learned a lot about plants and their natural healing powers. We were very impressed by what plants can do and heal. For example, remedies for acne, tinnitus, asthma, varicose veins and much more are obtained from the composition of certain plants. Most of it in the form of oils and creams. We also learned how to make shredded coconut and how to cook with it. We also enjoyed a ten-minute Ayurvedic shoulder and head massage.

During the trip, Saman told us a lot about his life. He lives in a household with his wife, three children and his mother-in-law. He is the family's only employee. So it happens that the family always lives from day to day, with the income that Saman earns from his TukTuk rides on each day. Of his income today, 1/3 goes to fuel, 1/3 goes to renting the TukTuk and the last third goes to his family. His wife uses this to buy rice and coconut oil. Even though Saman and his family don't seem to have much to live for, he invited us to his home. We were very moved by his life story and the invitation home to his family.

Our third stop was the botanical gardens. We spent 1 1/2 hours here. Saman was waiting for us outside during this time. We then visited a wood workshop where furniture is made by hand and a batik workshop for textiles where everything is also produced by hand.

A visit to a tea factory was particularly exciting. Sri Lanka is the main exporter of tea in the world. Here we got an insight into how tea is made. The different quality levels of tea were also explained to us.

On the way back to Kandy is the village where Saman lives with his family. For this reason, visiting his family was the next goal. Since Saman and his family have so little, it was clear to us that we didn't want to come empty-handed. We stopped at a supermarket and bought rice and coconut oil. We also bought crayons, pencils, pens and some sweets for the children. When we handed Saman our purchase, he was moved to tears and very grateful. When we arrived at Saman's home, his family was already waiting for us. We received a very warm welcome. We sat together in the family living room and talked. Even though the family itself has so little, Saman's wife made extra food for both of us. We were very touched that the family shared what little they had with us. The visit to the family really grounded us and made it clear to us how little you need to live a happy life. Over the past five months, we have often met people who have taught us this. At the same time, we are happy and grateful to be able to lead such a good life in Germany. Saman is currently saving for his own TukTuk and to finish his house. The realization of these dreams has been made significantly more difficult by Corona. Nevertheless, Saman sticks to it and works very hard every day for his family and his future.

After we were allowed to visit Saman for almost an hour, our tour continued. We visited the large market in Kandy. It was very important to Saman to accompany us here in order to protect us from rip-offs. We strolled through the market together and tried different spices and all kinds of fruit. The atmosphere among the three of us was very familiar, as if we had known each other for a long time. At a fruit stand we learned that there are 22 different types of bananas in Sri Lanka. After buying fruit for our bus trip to Ella tomorrow, we were even given other fruit as a gift.

The last stop of our TukTuk tour was the "Temple of the tooth". A tooth of Buddha is kept in this. This is one of the largest shrines in Buddhism. Unfortunately, it is not visible to the public, only the golden stupa in which it is kept and this can only be viewed for a few minutes every day from a distance through a small window in passing.

We'll end this long day with wine and pizza. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. Saman will pick us up to take us to the bus to Ella.

This day was very special for us and we are very grateful to Saman for the deep insights into his life. We have exchanged numbers and will stay in touch via WhatsApp.