Kandy: Buddha's canine tooth and a significant encounter with Namal

Next stop was Kandy. The city that we would have skipped in our previous plan. In hindsight, maybe Nuwara Eliya's bad weather was just right for us :)
The train ride, which is the most famous in the country and recommended in every guidebook, was an experience in itself.
We traveled through tea plantations, valleys, and tiny villages, with huge mountain peaks touching the clouds on the horizon. The journey took five hours, enough time to be pierced by countless gazes, take classic train photos, write a blog, and watch local families hungrily devouring large amounts of curry and snacks they brought along.

Arriving at the hostel, we met two nice Englishmen, whom we later met for a drink in a rooftop bar. It was a nice evening, but the big city with all its smells, noises, and crowds somehow made me feel uncomfortable.

The next morning, we, to our surprise, woke up at 5:00 a.m. We took a tuk-tuk to the famous Tooth Temple to witness the morning ceremony of revealing the tooth.
The temple is one of the most important Buddhist places of worship, as it is believed to house the canine tooth of Buddha. Three times a day, the doors to the tooth are opened, and countless offerings are made in prayer.
At first, I think we were the only tourists among hundreds of locals, and we were also the only ones not dressed in white. I felt like everyone was looking at us at least once. Strange, but no wonder considering how conspicuous we were.
It was crowded, and the temple was packed. People squeezed past each other, all with the same desire to get as close to the tooth as possible. We had to be careful not to step on anyone's feet while protecting ourselves from elbows and other body parts.
The many people, from young to old, so intensely devoted to their beliefs and prayers that suddenly everything else, like the bad air, lack of space, and the intense noise, which was also drowned out by screaming children, seemed so unimportant, impressed me in some way. I had no idea of the scale at which Buddhists bring offerings to the temple every day. For example, there were expensive flower arrangements, rice meals, as well as clothing or jewelry.
It was a great experience to witness such a significant Buddhist ceremony, and I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.

The rest of the day in Kandy was spent sightseeing. We bought new cheap shoes for Merle since she had lost hers on the bus to Arugambay, walked through a clothes market, and went to see a huge Buddha statue.
In the evening, we took a walk by the famous Kandy Lake.
What happened next, we still can't believe it.

The same tuk-tuk driver with whom we had an argument the day before when we arrived in Kandy suddenly stopped next to us.

To explain: It was about different price expectations, and eventually, we agreed, but he kept explaining to us how to negotiate properly in Sri Lanka. Tired and not very friendly, I told him that I just want to be driven and not be talked to by him, which he responded by making a derogatory gesture towards me, saying 'Shit Woman,' and walking away before we reached his tuk-tuk.
Somehow, this encounter troubled us a lot, and we talked about it a lot since we hadn't experienced such an unpleasant encounter on our trip before.

But now back to the lake. He stopped next to us and greeted us, but we kept walking without paying him any attention. We thought he would continue the argument from yesterday. But he drove slowly next to us until we finally stopped and listened to him.
All he wanted to say was that he was extremely sorry for his behavior yesterday. He kissed his hand, then touched a small Buddha figurine in the windshield of his tuk-tuk and placed his hand on my foot.

I don't think anyone has ever asked me for forgiveness with such genuine remorse and honesty before.
We also sincerely apologized for our unfriendliness.
Then Namal, that's his name, showed us two fully written guestbooks in which previous passengers had written. It was incredible how many people had written grateful and appreciative words. Quite often, it said that Namal is the nicest tuk-tuk driver in Sri Lanka and that we should give him a chance. The sentence fit perfectly.
We sat by the roadside next to his tuk-tuk for at least 10-15 minutes, leafing through the books and talking to him. Finally, he offered us a super affordable price to drive us to Sigiriya the next day. Since we had already planned to go there and would have taken the bus otherwise, we made an appointment with him for the next morning.

The feeling after this encounter is hard to describe. I felt both uplifted and incredibly happy. What a coincidence to meet Namal again in a big city like Kandy. How nice that the only really unpleasant experience in Sri Lanka so far turned into something beautiful.
Thanks, Namal, this encounter was very valuable and influential for me, my further journey, and I believe for my whole life.