On the move again, heading back south again to the cultural capital of Kandy. We stopped for a wood carving demonstration / sales pitch which, to be fair, Udi asked us first if we wanted to go to. The demonstration was rather interesting: the man showed us all the different kinds of woods they use in their carvings; one, the rainbow tree, when ground becomes a curry-colored sawdust but when stirred into hot water the water turns red, then purple when a lime-rubbed iron blade was dipped in it, then blue when chalk was stirred in. It was a like a magic show!

Next we had the obligatory Spice Garden tour, the spice trade being one of Sri Lanka’s most important industries. A little garden was curated with everything a tourist might want to buy, then we had a little sales spiel and complimentary neck & back massage! I’m not sure exactly what kind of oil they used in the massage but it sure stimulated many people’s shopping instincts! Lots of shopping bags entered the bus after this stop.

Our drive to lunch was long, the many villages we passed through teeming with people and traffic. Lunch was at a special woman’s cooperative cafe & store on the edge of downtown Kandy that G Adventures supports. It provides shelter, education and training for women and disabled young adults and the shop sells crafts and clothes made by these women and returns the profits to them. I found a nice cotton batik skirt for about $7.

Kandy is the most important cultural city in Sri Lanka as it hosts the Temple of The Golden Tooth, the most sacred temple in the country. It’s therefore also been the center of the Kandy Kingdom since 1592 when the temple was built, as legend has it that to be considered king one must possess this Golden Tooth. And the Tooth? It is the actual tooth of Buddha!

The precious tooth is locked away behind solid gilt-engraved doors on the 2nd floor of an elaborate wooden temple built in 1707. This is set in the courtyard of yet another, larger concrete temple built in the 1950’s. The Tooth is very rarely brought out in public as it is so sacred (it was touched by the words of Buddha!). Only in times of extreme stress such as war or drought would the monks consider displaying it. The last time was 18 years ago when the Civil War was raging. To a non-Buddhist it was a bit underwhelming as the crowds of jostling tourists declaimed from any solemnity of the experience but I did appreciate the grandiosity of the site.

We took an hour or so of free time to wander a few of the crazy busy streets of Kandy, mostly buying a few snacks and ogling the mysterious delights of the bakery shops before being whisked away by our bus to our hotel, high above the city.