Friday, 20th September 2019

Today we explore Kandy.

First, we visit a silk weaving factory with a shopping opportunity. Here we learn how silk is made from the cocoon. The sarong suited me quite well, but we decided to go for t-shirts and lightweight silk pants instead.

Then we learn about the gemstones found here and how they are mined and crafted into proper jewelry pieces. 

On the way there, our tour guide Indike noticed a wedding, which we also got to see and congratulate the bride and groom. A real fairytale wedding. But, considering that here it is initially important that the bride and groom belong to the same caste and that their horoscopes match, a wedding with 300 or more guests costs several thousand euros, there is probably not much room left for heart, love, and romance. They were beautiful to look at though.

Afterwards, we walked along the Kandy Lake towards the market. Unusual for European eyes, noses, and stomachs, but very interesting. The tour guide and bus driver kept us in the middle so that nothing could happen. 🙂 Meat, fish, vegetables, fruits all fresh, but without refrigeration.

After folklore, acrobatics, and fire walking, we almost rushed to the Sacred Tooth Temple. The faithful sometimes wait here for hours just to catch a glimpse of the ivory casket containing Buddha's left canine tooth. This is only possible for a few minutes at fixed times. We were also allowed to join the line and squeeze past.

As a conclusion, we had local food again in a rustic restaurant.