Chilling out by the lake in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
You’ll forgive me for a personal and long awaited random blog post, I hope. Kandy is a city in Sri Lanka. Its the second biggest one in the country none the less and I headed there on my tour of the island earlier in 2013. Sometimes in life though, you don’t bother to see all the sights of a city, you don’t “tick off a top 5”, you just do what you want. And that’s exactly what I used Kandy for.
Relaxing with my Dad over a beer in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
My parents were over. That’s my Dad Joe and my Mum Muriel. They don’t see me much (as you can tell) and because they knew how much I was loving Asia, the only chance they had to see me in the last 18 months was to fly to Sri Lanka and join myself and my girlfriend on a backpacking journey. Don’t worry – we kind of went easy on them…
My Dad outside a pub in Kandy, Sri Lanka
Well except for getting up at 5am for whale watching in Mirissa, getting the local rickety train to Colombo, hiking up Adam’s Peak (yes, my Dad made it to the top – so proud), a bumpy safari also a 5am wake up call and a horrendous misty drive up the mountains. They know what my lifestyle is like now.
Taking my Mum and Dad on a Sri Lankan train ride with the locals.
And then we went to Kandy. For a day I just couldn’t be arsed backpacking the city. Sorry, Kandy. We had a nice hotel, spacious, comfortable, old school and fancy. Namechecking it here (and worth booking – even for a backpacker) – it’s the Queen’s Hotel in Kandy. Life was made for relaxing in places like this.
Travel Blogging in the Queen’s Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
A few e-mails came through to my travel blog at the time and I had to respond to some advertisers using the wi-fi in the lobby. My girlfriend wanted to sleep and relax. My Mum the same. My Dad wanted food and a beer. So we relaxed.
Having a milkshake with Mum in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Dad and I got our beers in. We also got a swim in the hotel pool. Mum and Panny relaxed.
My Dad and Panny in Kandy, Sri Lanka
There’s probably a top 5 things to do in Kandy somewhere. But I didn’t bother, this is my journey remember.
Sightseeing in Kandy, Sri Lanka apparently – some temple I never went to!
We did see the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (I didn’t bother going inside and hadn’t even wore long trousers the day either!) and Kandy Lake and that was it.
The relaxation of a luxury pool in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
All you can eat breakfast at the Queen’s Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Our time in Kandy was over in a flash and we got straight back on the trail of sightseeing as we headed away from the city for this lifetime and we did this:
– Watched an elephant parade in Pinnawala
– Ticked off a top 5 things to do in Kurunegala
– Ticked off a top 3 things to do in Dambulla
– Climbed to the top of Sigiriya
A few videos I made while relaxing in Kandy, Sri Lanka:
Thanks for the memories Kandy and in case you wondered, the title of this article comes from the song “Kandy” by Ash, with the line “Kandy such a joy to me”
I completely understand the need to just forget about all the ‘to-dos’ and just relax in a place for a while, like you did here in Kandy. Looks like it was a nice place to do it, too!
Sam recently posted…Eco Hotel Review: Samai Ocean Lodge Spa, Montañita
It was a great place to chill out Sam and yes I “missed a few temples and top sights” but it’s what’s important at the time eh?! Was nice to see family again and I’m sure you’ll agree with that when you head back to the UK before the year’s out. Safe travels. Jonny
I completely agree with Sam, as well. It’s not necessary to “see and do everything” every time you go to a new place. A well written blog for sure, so thank you for the reminder! Plus, it is less about “being in Kandy” and more about having quality time with the family. Very cool of your parents to make the trip down!
Besides, there’s nothing really stopping you from ever making a return trip to Sri Lanka in the future, right? 😉
If I do go back to Sri Lanka Ray, I’ll do the north – I hit the south at the wrong time – it was getting a bit touristy. Apparently the north is still an untouched backpacker haven. Safe travels, Jonny