MAC was awoken just after 5 a.m. by a huge kerfuffle outside the room. Although I slept through it, she said it sounded like animals fighting, maybe dogs or monkeys, growling and yelping. Soon the guards came down and there were flashlights and footsteps. Maybe, at breakfast we will find out what happened and what was the outcome. This is the price of being close to ‘nature red in tooth and claw’. We got up at 6 a.m. and started packing for our trip to Colombo and onward to New Delhi. At 8.15 a.m. we took a ‘tuk’ tuk’ up yo yer main building, dropping off some small bags on the way. Our larger bags would be brought up by the staff while we were at breakfast.
Then it was on to breakfast. I had ordered the Sri Lankan breakfast. MAC had the granola and curds. After we were both served with a big bowl of fruit, mango, pineapple, water melon, papaya and star fruit, MAC received her granola and I three egg ‘hoppers’ which are cup-shaped crepes filled with egg into which you add curry of fish, dahl and curried prawns. The whole is delicious and makes a very different breakfast. One of the hoppers had egg yolk and one egg white. They can also be eaten with honey, or other additives. They are very light and crispy and make excellent containers for the spicier food.
Having finished breakfast, we went to inspect the spa which we had not had time to use. While there we met the doctor who supervises some of the treatments and she recommended a health drink comprised of ginger, garlic and fenugreek which could be boiled together and after cooling drunk after meals.
Walking on to the reception area, we checked out and boarded Mendis’ car for the trip to Colombo which is about 120 Kim’s from Kandy. Kandy is about 40 minutes drive from the hotel so we settled in for day of travel.
We passed through a number of busy small towns. At one point we stopped at a fruit stand to sample an Alphonse mango, a red banana, and an extra long banana (there are 64 varieties of banana that grow in Sri Lanka). Further on we stopped at a tea factory where the process of drying, sorting, grading and processing tea takes places. The whole process takes about 27 hours from start to finish. The leaves are dried, the leaf and the bud sorted and the whole batch sieved and the stalks and chaff are removed. The different grades of black and white tea were explained. The factory processes one ton of tea per day. Of course, we ended up at the shop where we were served tea and then invited to buy some which we did.
Then it was on to the Millennium Elephant Foundation. This private foundation rescues elephants from temples and other places where they are not adequately cared for and looks after them. We joined Rani a 37 year old female on her walk around the grounds while the attendant and mahout explained about elephants, their amazing intelligence and gentleness, Although male elephants enter a stage called musth which lasts for three months or so and can make male elephants very unpredictable and aggressive, During this time they have to be separated from other elephants, even at the foundation. At the foundation you can touch, feed and even bathe the elephants. We decided not to bathe the elephants but we did feed Rani who loved sweet corn. Around the foundation there are interesting signs giving data and facts about elephants. I will include thee later.The differences between African and Asian elephants was described and much about the conservation and care of elephants. This place which is privately funded shows a real care for the animals and the fact that there are very few, if any working elephants left in Sri Lanka is a tribute to the country’s efforts at animal care and conservation.
After leaving the elephant sanctuary, we drove on towards Colombo in increasingly heavy traffic. One amusing place we passed encounter was a restaurant called Burka King!!! Not sure what they sold!! We arrived at the Galle Face Hotel right on the sea front at about 5 p.m. and soon checked in to our ocean-view room in this old Colonial edifice which is very redolent of the British time in what was then Ceylon.
We walked to our restaurant called the Ministry of Crab but got a bit disoriented and had to get a tuk tuk for the last part of the journey. The Ministry of Crab is a very popular restaurant and our tour operator had booked us a table many weeks ago. People trying to get a table without a reservation were told that there was nothing, even the following week.
We had crabs, (of course) for dinner. MAC had a chili spiced crab and I had a ‘butter’ crab. MAC was very happy with her crab, mine was, I think, a little over-cooked but very tasty nevertheless. We wore our “Keep Calm and Eat Crab” bibs to avoid too much damage to our clothing!!
After dinner we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel and a night’s sleep before leaving for Delhi on the 2 p.m. flight tomorrow.
Then it was on to breakfast. I had ordered the Sri Lankan breakfast. MAC had the granola and curds. After we were both served with a big bowl of fruit, mango, pineapple, water melon, papaya and star fruit, MAC received her granola and I three egg ‘hoppers’ which are cup-shaped crepes filled with egg into which you add curry of fish, dahl and curried prawns. The whole is delicious and makes a very different breakfast. One of the hoppers had egg yolk and one egg white. They can also be eaten with honey, or other additives. They are very light and crispy and make excellent containers for the spicier food.
Having finished breakfast, we went to inspect the spa which we had not had time to use. While there we met the doctor who supervises some of the treatments and she recommended a health drink comprised of ginger, garlic and fenugreek which could be boiled together and after cooling drunk after meals.
Walking on to the reception area, we checked out and boarded Mendis’ car for the trip to Colombo which is about 120 Kim’s from Kandy. Kandy is about 40 minutes drive from the hotel so we settled in for day of travel.
We passed through a number of busy small towns. At one point we stopped at a fruit stand to sample an Alphonse mango, a red banana, and an extra long banana (there are 64 varieties of banana that grow in Sri Lanka). Further on we stopped at a tea factory where the process of drying, sorting, grading and processing tea takes places. The whole process takes about 27 hours from start to finish. The leaves are dried, the leaf and the bud sorted and the whole batch sieved and the stalks and chaff are removed. The different grades of black and white tea were explained. The factory processes one ton of tea per day. Of course, we ended up at the shop where we were served tea and then invited to buy some which we did.
Then it was on to the Millennium Elephant Foundation. This private foundation rescues elephants from temples and other places where they are not adequately cared for and looks after them. We joined Rani a 37 year old female on her walk around the grounds while the attendant and mahout explained about elephants, their amazing intelligence and gentleness, Although male elephants enter a stage called musth which lasts for three months or so and can make male elephants very unpredictable and aggressive, During this time they have to be separated from other elephants, even at the foundation. At the foundation you can touch, feed and even bathe the elephants. We decided not to bathe the elephants but we did feed Rani who loved sweet corn. Around the foundation there are interesting signs giving data and facts about elephants. I will include thee later.The differences between African and Asian elephants was described and much about the conservation and care of elephants. This place which is privately funded shows a real care for the animals and the fact that there are very few, if any working elephants left in Sri Lanka is a tribute to the country’s efforts at animal care and conservation.
After leaving the elephant sanctuary, we drove on towards Colombo in increasingly heavy traffic. One amusing place we passed encounter was a restaurant called Burka King!!! Not sure what they sold!! We arrived at the Galle Face Hotel right on the sea front at about 5 p.m. and soon checked in to our ocean-view room in this old Colonial edifice which is very redolent of the British time in what was then Ceylon.
We walked to our restaurant called the Ministry of Crab but got a bit disoriented and had to get a tuk tuk for the last part of the journey. The Ministry of Crab is a very popular restaurant and our tour operator had booked us a table many weeks ago. People trying to get a table without a reservation were told that there was nothing, even the following week.
We had crabs, (of course) for dinner. MAC had a chili spiced crab and I had a ‘butter’ crab. MAC was very happy with her crab, mine was, I think, a little over-cooked but very tasty nevertheless. We wore our “Keep Calm and Eat Crab” bibs to avoid too much damage to our clothing!!
After dinner we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel and a night’s sleep before leaving for Delhi on the 2 p.m. flight tomorrow.
Ahhhhh that ‘musth’ be the stage my eldest is going through....
ReplyDeleteAs you were. x