Woke very early, must be the jet lag. We hadn't noticed much on our arrival in the dark and were delighted to find that our room had a very large balcony and directly overlooked the lagoon. Down for breakfast we found that the place was almost deserted apart from a wedding couple having photos taken by the water’s edge. We were served our breakfast by a gaggle of very attentive waiters, all very friendly and anxious to please. Great food, as well as the usual eggs etc there was a wonderful array of exotic fruits and fresh juices. Wecome to Sri Lanka!

We were soon on back in the car with our driver, Hashan, and on the road to Kandy. It was a single lane road, hot, dusty and busy and the traffic was awful! Cars and minibuses, hundreds of motor bikes and small, three wheeled tuk tuks, all going at break neck pace with little regard for anyone else. The distance is not far but we could soon tell it was going to be a long journey! Never mind. Hashan is a good driver and there were plenty of fascinating things to see along the way. We loved the ubiquitous fruit stalls selling king coconuts, papaya, pineapples etc, not to mention a huge variety of bananas including some with red skins. We saw paddy fields, cashew nuts growing, pineapple plants, rubber trees and once (yes really! A woman taking two large porcupines for a walk on a lead!

We took a break just before 1 0’clock to visit the Pinnawela Elephant orphanage. The entrance fee for foreign adults is 2000 rupees each, higher than for other people, but I think we will have to get used to that here. The orphanage cares for more than 80 elephants, most of whom have been orphaned or injured in the wild. Increasing numbers are now born there and we saw two really small babies aged three months and seven months which were just too cute to believe! We had arrived just in time to see the elephants being fed, which meant that a huge truck full of branches pulled up and all the elephants come together to enjoy the handout. Definitely a good photo opportunity.

We discovered that the elephants would be led over to the river to bathe after lunch so we started to make our way over to the river. On the way we were distracted by a large sign saying POO PAPER sold here. Simon thought it meant toilet paper as in most places you need to take your own, but I had read my guide book and knew better. A great trade has developed locally in recycling elephant poo and making it into paper products such as notebooks, cards etc. We went inside and a young lady showed us all the different staged in the process from poo to finished paper product. It really was fascinating and a great way to re-use and make profit from something you would imagine that nobody could possibly want.

On down to the river, just in time to see the elephants arriving, and to make sure we were out of the way and out of reach. These elephants are not tame, and some of them are very mischievous. It was a stirring sight to see them all thundering down to the river and then going in to bathe. More than 50 elephants together, all ages, shapes and sizes. In the end we stayed for a couple of hours just watching them in delight and fascination. Bathing, splashing, playing. Some trying to make off when they thought no-one was looking and being chased back by keepers. The naughty teenage boys (we are sure that’s what they were) pushing and nudging each other and then actually pushing each other off the rocks and into the water! It was a very hot day and we enjoyed a couple of beers while watching the spontaneous show. We felt privileged to be witnessing this happy band of elephants and our lives have surely been enriched by such a wonderful and unexpectedly joyful afternoon.

At last the elephants were called together and led back to the orphanage and we re-joined Hashan and were back on the road to Kandy. When we finally arrived it was almost dusk and we turned up a frighteningly steep hill to our hotel, The Swiss Residence. It is a very old building with quaint charm but our room was spacious and comfortable and we had a nice balcony overlooking the valley so we are perfectly happy.

We quickly un-packed and went out to get an early dinner. Hashan had found us somewhere called the Kandyan Arts Residency and there was a huge and fairly empty restaurant on the 5th floor. Again we were served by a bunch of very attentive waiters and we had a selection of Sri Lankan curries and rice plus all the trimmings. Absolutely delicious!