Kandy; captivating, creative and chaotic.. The cultural capital.

We spent the train ride playing cards, reading the lonely planet, and watching out the window as sunshine over tea plantations turned to torrential rain in tall forests! Snacking on our pre purchased Rotties and dry chicken noodles, we were more than pleased when after 7 hours we stopped at our train station! 

Not Kandy after all that, it wasn’t direct so we had to wait and change into another train which was promised to us be a 10 minute wait, only to be told it would be one and a half hours!!! We saw a familiar face at the station; Gemma, a friendly English gal we briefly met in Colombo at Bed hostel! 
The three of us decided to share a 700 rupee tuk tuk to both our places and then we would head out for a well deserved beer! It didn’t happen so easily as we were searching for our accomodation; the jungle view for about 40 minutes! Driving around the twisted hills we had a view of the man made lake, a Buddha which glanced over the whole city, and many flash houses scattered on the hills, which was much like Wellington in New Zealand! 
After several phone calls and circles we finally were welcomed into a really nice house by a friendly couple, only to drop our bags and run back to the tuk tuk in search of Gemma’s hostel! Not so hidden; we found it down by the town centre and we were dropped there! 
Following TripAdvisor, Sean guided us to a open air Chinese restaurant/bar! 3 cold lions and shots of tequila later we finally felt at ease! We ordered a few dishes to share; an eggplant hotpot, a plate of sizzling beef and some devilled chicken (literally the devil in chicken form…!) This one made sweat drip form all four corners of our face, tears roll from our eyes and beer was guzzled to cure the pain! Defeated by chicken, beer and a very long day, Sean and I made our way home to crawl into crisp white linen sheets and sleep sweet! 

We were woken at 9pm by a knock on the door; ‘brekky is ready,’ our lovely host called out! We crawled out of bed and up to stairs, greeted by the biggest smile and most impressive spread of food we have woken up to in Sri Lanka! Top of the table was fresh pinapple and watermellon, toast, eggs and speads. Then down past the rottis, around the coconut sambol and over the curry sauce there was something incredible… Her famous pancakes! These little babies even got air time on Qatar in flight ‘discover Sri Lanka’ advertisement! It was a delicious thin pancake rolled up, in its centre was an incredible cruchy shredded coconut, honey and ‘secret’ ingredients! It was an absolute treat! We chatted with a sweet Dutch couple over breakie and then decided we should start our day!

Our host then called a tuk tuk for us, & we headed back to the hostel to meet our new friend Gemma! She had left a message with the manager that elephant feeding had taken longer than expected & she’d be back in a few hours! We decided to check out ‘Helgas Folly’ as it wasn’t a far walk up and around the hill! Having read about it online & in the Lonely Planet, it was definitely top of the list for me to see in Kandy! It’s a hotel.. But unlike an other hotel I have ever seen in my life! If Wes Anderson needed inspiration for his ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ then I would say this is where he could have been enlightened! It is the most extraordinary hotel in the world, it was as if Gaudi and Dali created this mansion together.

As we walked up a steep dirt road, jungle lined it the entire way! Signs were posted with an almost ‘Alice In Wonderland feel.’ We finally got to the top & before our eyes was a huge hotel with absurd cartoonist paintings all over it! We entered into a dark lobby with quirky lamps and impressive decor, to be greeted by the manager. We paid our $4 each to view this masterpiece. 
The first room was Helgas gift room; she is very well liked around the world and people thank her in gifts; incredible colourful paintings, gold frames, furniture and letters to name a few. Helga grew up amongst the 1950’s Hollywood celebrities and creatives, and she much be the only hotel owner who actually prefers her property not full! Walking into the main lounge area was like walking through an antique shop with the most creative buyer. There were extravagant lounges covered in cushions, coffee tables, every piece of wall was covered in a different mural, and ornaments hung from the ceiling. There was tables and chairs hidden in corners and a small caged window that served as a bar. Big windows let in some light but it was still dark enough to set the ambiance. 

Then we followed the wooden stairs up into my favourite which I named the blue room; by its theme colour. It resembled a dining room, with a large table and chairs, crockery was stuck to most surfaces of the wall and light gave it a lovelier feel. Then there was another room again covered from the wall to the floors in a creative abstract collusion of furniture, paintings, and it was it was a juxtaposition of gothic and oriental styles. At the other end was the impressive main dining room, again illustrating a gothic feel with red as its main splash of colour! Emphasising this theme the grand chairs were black as steel with a stalian sculpted on the back rest. Chandeliers hung as old waxed dripped candles decorated the tables. 

Further into this magical maze we stumbled along deep dark empty corridors leading into the rooms. We took a peek in one & discovered that each was exuberant as the other were all painted and decorated accordingly! It was eerie, exciting & intriguing. I would hate to be staying here alone, but just visiting I could appreciate its beauty and uniqueness. On our way back down we ran into two friendly girls having lunch, Nan was a guest but was staying for a few months as she had made friends with Helga over lemon tarts. After a green tea ‘on the house’ she invited us back to view once the sun had set and the candles were burning! Accepting the kind offer we left the Foley heading back down the jungle road, crossing paths with a luminous green snake and around the corner towards the hostel to meet Gemma. 

We had waited for about an hour when she had burst through the door, with a tuk tuk waiting we jumped in it and make tracks for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. We entered the busy and expensive attraction amongst locals and other tourists, into the gates of the golden-roofed temple. It is ‘believed’ that beyond the heavily guarded room there is the Buddhas tooth.. However this is also protected by 7 gold cases much like a babushka doll! We wandered around the large complex and offered flowers and prayers to Buddha statues, before heading out into the garden area. Large pots of incense were burning, and small candles were flickering in a large glass room. We found a small temple hut with 3 stone seats. Taking the opportunity to sit in peace for 10 minutes, the 3 of us meditated in this sacred spot. In a distance we could hear rumbles of thunder and once 10 minutes was up my alarm sounded. At the very instance we all opened our eyes, simultaneously there was an electric flash of light and energy that zapped between the four poles.. Our hut had been hit by lighting! It was insane and we could feel the energy, enlightened & frightened, I was ready to leave the storm and head for the tuk tuk. This time we drove up the hill in search of the Buddha which overlooked the city, reaching the top we were ordered to pay another few to enter. 

Declining this, we decided to set back to Helgas Folly in hope to see the sunset over the hills. Greeted by Nan, the four of us wandered around as it was Gemma’s first look. Our setting sun was blocked by the pouring rain and the dark clouds, but it added to the eerie ambiance of Helgas. Nan also showed us this time to a luminous pool & out door area which was stalked by the jungle. In all our time spent up here it was just crazy to think I am yet to find an uninteresting corner! 

Thirsty for a wine we order the house red (an Aussie Shiraz) enjoying the conversation & environment it soon led to two. We were all really eager to meet Helga, however she wasn’t feeling well but insisted we stay for dinner for only $5 (usually it’s about $12.) Before too long the smiling boy’s from the kitchen served us dinner; labrais (rice and curries cooked in a banana leaf,) it was tasty but pretty rice heavy for me! 
We said our goodbyes to our new friend and resident ghost at the Folly; Nan, & walked Gemma back to our hostel & then got a tuk tuk back to our guesthouse! What a wonderful day in Kandy.. Full of creative & captivating chaos, no wonder it is nicknamed the cultural capital! 
The next morning we woke almost with the sun to devour another delicious feed with the Dutch couple, & then the four of us were to join forces for our next adventure to ‘the Ancient Cities.’