게시됨: 16.02.2019
Hello dear ones,
The karma account has been filled up again. In the last two days, we visited Kandy, strolled through the markets, visited the royal botanical garden, and got closer to Buddha. Basically, these are the highlights that can be visited nearby.
Our accommodation (Jasmin Hill House) is beautiful and peaceful, located on a mountain. The manager of the bed and breakfast was incredibly accommodating and gave us many good tips and assistance. The best one, however, was an app called 'PickMe', which allows you to order tuk-tuks based on location and pay a fixed price. This option is more than half as cheap as negotiating with one of the thousands of tuk-tuk drivers on the street. Simply fantastic and very convenient.
In addition, the manager was always concerned about our well-being and even went to the supermarket multiple times late at night to get us beer, ketchup, and other small things. A 'sorry, we don't have that right now' would have been enough for us, but we were even more impressed by his hospitality.
Since there was such great food, we also decided to walk different routes. If you get used to the local traffic and don't mind sweating uphill, it's a great way to see the hidden alleys and original ways of life of the people here in Kandy.
We also decided to walk to the 30m high Buddha statue on a nearby mountain after a sly tuk-tuk driver simply refused to negotiate with me. We donated the saved money to the monks up there and received an official receipt, a smile, and a few karma points for the karma account.
We used today to visit the Royal Botanic Garden. 80 hectares of pure nature with 400 different plant species. A peaceful oasis that makes you forget for the moment of the visit that you are actually in a city that is mainly warm, loud, and crowded with traffic and people.
We will use the rest of the day to refill our backpacks and recharge a bit before tomorrow morning when we will go to Nanu Oya with a private driver. We treated ourselves to this luxury (about 40€) because, on the one hand (despite several attempts), we couldn't get a reservation for the train, and on the other hand, because the driver will not only drive us but also accompany us to special hotspots along the way for the whole day. Our host said that this is the best way to travel in order to enjoy waterfalls, tea plantations, and other places with sufficient time and good guidance. We will see...
Have fun with the photos and see you soon! Kisses, Sina and Matti