Breakfast hoppers are becoming a favourite with the whole group. If only the lady who makes them lived in Brisbane. She makes about 200 a day! And they are delicious.
After breakfast I wandered around the hotel taking photos. It’s a beautiful design with so many attractive features. Not a Geoffrey Bawa design but so lovely and in tune with the environment.
Into the bus and away we drove through lush countryside almost jungle like right to the road.
Arriving at the gates to the temple we were told the temples in the caves were once overgrown with jungle.
We climbed the hill to the entrance removed our shoes and tackled the hot cobble stones into the temple. Time for a group photo. The boys had to cover their legs with sarongs and the ladies their legs if wear shorts above the knee and shoulders if not wearing sleeves. We made a great looking group.
There was a series of caves, each with a reclining Buddha and a series of other Buddhas.
After visiting southern India early this year I was taken back to the temples we visited. This was different. Small caves where the Buddhas were carved from rock in the caves. The ceilings were painted and the Buddha reclining on a pillow of stone that looked like a fabric tapestry. Only it was painted stone. It was extraordinary.
We headed into Dambulla to visit the fruit and vegetable market. It is a wholesale market and distribution centre with every kind of vegetable you could imagine. Most grown locally.
There was the same kind of wheeling and dealing you would expect from any wholesale market place.
From the market we headed out to the Geoffrey Bawa designed Kandalama Hotel. It has won the ‘green’ award for design for many years. It blends into the jungle environment seamlessly.
There are huge areas with minimalist designed furniture and the hotel backs into the cliff behind looking out to the reservoir in front. 
Lunch on the verandah was more western style and the beef was cold.
A traditionally dressed man took us on a tour it’s beautiful but expensive. I don’t think occupancy is very high so it must be struggling to run at a profit.
The pool areas were beautiful. One has the natural rock in the pool and tiles designed to compliment it. Stunning.
Following lunch we had 45 min drive back to our hotel and some swam in the pool while some had naps before we came together for drinks on the terrace near the pool.
Our third night in the dining area had some opting for the a la carte menu over the buffet.
Kathie and I had collected everyone’s list of favourite songs. I typed them up and has them printed.
We leave here in the morning and somewhere along the way we’ll have a competition to nominate who chose which songs ? Could be tricky.
I got to type the 17 lists of 5 songs and there are a few repeat.
Yoga at 6.30 tomorrow so off to sleep in the beautiful flower decorated bed.
We walked for an hour or so before heading back to the hotel to collect our bags and head to the airport hotel. We have reached the end.
And at the moment in each room are shoes.
Not just any shoes but Manolo Blahník works of art. They have been arranged to match the colours and the themes of art in each room. It’s extraordinary.
the Saatchi Gallery has a lovely setting with a small oval in the front, tall white pillars and flags advertising Free Entry. That’s good I thought. I went in and the rather sullen lady on the desk looked at me with no smile and said ‘£10’.
So I walked to one of the 7 galleries with the special exhibition and just walked in. No one on any of the doors to check tickets. Lucky! Also because I didn’t really love it! It was called Rave and it is…….
frans travel tales 