Kandy, Sri Lanka

We spent most of our time in Kandy strolling through the botanical gardens which seemed like an oasis in the middle of a busy and dirty city. The highlights were the giant bamboo, the avenues of palm tree varieties, the cooks pine (a tall wispy tree with what looked like a crooked spine), double coconut trees (coconuts so big there may have been two in each pod!), a tree with a cactus epiphyte, the beautiful flower gardens, and the orchid garden.

We also visited the Buddhist Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. This temple opens the doors to the tooth chamber three times a day (dawn, noon, and dusk) and there was a huge queue to look through the tiny doors and view an aisle of elephant tusks leading to a small golden Stupa supposedly housing the sacred tooth. While we opted to skip the line, Whit managed to snag a picture of the inner sanctum while struggling past the huge crowd.Read more