Can do Kandy

If you like to fly first class and stay in five-star hotels, then Kandy is probably not the place for you.

Sitting pretty in the hill country of Sri Lanka, this is a city where cows wandering the roads and jumbos on a jaunt share street-space with zooming tuk-tuks.

There are also scenes more exotic, such as troupes showing off their skills by swallowing fire and walking on red-hot embers.

Add to these vibrant delights, the soothing lushness of the hills that hem in the city and the breathtaking views from those above the famous temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and it becomes apparent why luxury, or the lack of it, is only a small price to pay.

Fire-walkers

Once the capital city of Sri Lanka, Kandy (three hours east of Colombo) has the look and feel of a small town — and is all the more charming for it. But with an economy largely founded on tourism, the place is struggling to cope with a sharp decline in visitor numbers after the recent Tamil Tiger terrorist bombings.

I checked into the magnificent Castle Inn, an Art Deco guest house perched on the hills overlooking the temple, and was surprised to learn I was the only visitor there. The pineapple, coconut, papaya and mango trees laden with fresh fruit that surrounded the guest house were a visual feast.

This year, many guesthouses have remained shut and those open for business have seen only a trickle of tourists since the bomb blasts. That did not stop me though.

I was there this month, in peak tourist season. Kandy impressed me instantly with its tropical lushness, a welcome change from the deserts of Dubai. Having coffee at a roadside café, I was thrilled by the sight of an elephant ambling by.

It may have been the height of the tourist season, but without too many of them around — the odd European wandered the streets barefoot and I saw a tourist or two in the old colonial pub — I got the impression that people were pleased to see travellers.

Each time I entered a restaurant, the 'unexpected' sight would surprise them; great food accompanied with a pleasant smile would follow soon after.

A friendly-looking man approached me, offering to show me something spectacular. I followed him to the Cultural Centre, where a small group of Western tourists were watching a show of traditional drumming, dancing and fire walking.

As the dancers flaunted their spectacular 'respect to the moves of the peacock', fruit bats flew among the roof beams overhead and a shameless English toddler behind me whined: "Is it nearly over yet?" The gripping performance climaxed in an extravagant display of fire-walking and fire-eating.

Elephant orphanage

A far grander feast awaited me soon after. I was at an elephant orphanage — a visit to Sri Lanka would be incomplete without a trip to the orphanage — where a herd of elephants were feeding in front of inquisitive crowds of visitors. The pachyderms were making their way to the gates as it was time for a bath.

At bath time, the entire orphanage of romping elephants went cascading across the road, into the river for two hours of fun in the waters.

Tourists lined the route and the restaurants overlooking the river filled out as the sashaying herd of elephants approached.

I waded into the river to take a closer look and then retreated to the rocks by the water's edge, from where I took in the scene. Baby elephants bumped into each other with delight, the adults waded out to the far bank or simply immersed themselves in the cool water.

Despite a touristy feel, the orphanage made for a memorable experience.

Exclusivity

Browsing through my guidebook for restaurants, I picked one that promised "good south Indian food" in a "wonderfully colourful setting featuring Hindu devotional art".

I would have gone straight past the inconspicuous Rams restaurant had it not been for the man outside trying to usher me in.

The unexpected customer must have caught the staff unawares, as I waited for an hour for the food to come. I suspect they had nipped out to a nearby shop to buy ingredients for my meal.

I ordered dessert, but began to regret doing so as the banana fritter took another 30 minutes to arrive. The elderly waitress apologised profusely for the delay. But then the guidebook caught her attention and she began leafing through it to read the latest review of her restaurant.

It is, perhaps, the fewer number of tourists and the show locals sometimes put up in their presence that gives Kandy that feel of exclusivity. Of course, restaurant and guest house owners are not very happy with the visitors' drought.

My guide, Sarath, told me that many guest houses had remained closed this season and that tourism was badly affected since the ceasefire collapsed between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government last year.

"All the guest houses were full last year and the place was swarming with tourists. This year, many guest houses have remained closed," he said.

"Because of the fighting, they expected about 35 per cent of the usual number of tourists to come this year, but only 30 per cent came. Many people are worried that their businesses will fold."

True, the news of the blasts was enough to make many people in Dubai shudder at my holiday plans. But Sri Lanka is a place not to be missed. The areas safe for tourists to travel make for an unforgettable holiday experience, as I soon found out.

Temple and tea

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic houses one of the Buddha's teeth and attracts hundreds of visitors every day. It was bombed by the Tamil Tiger rebels in 1998 and since then, policemen toting machine guns have lined the streets, frisking every caller at the temple.

The temple itself was crowded, with people squeezing in to catch a glimpse of the tooth casket.

Visitors are required to take their shoes off and walk barefoot — a challenge in itself for those who are not used to walking over pebbles or scorching footpaths.

I took a guided tour and had a look around the museums afterwards. It was well worth the visit.

A trip to tea plantations was also on my list. A large part of Sri Lanka's income is based on Ceylon tea — called after Sri Lanka's former name. Tea plantations line the landscape of the hill country, housing countless tea factories.

I visited one such factory and was shown the different stages of the tea-making process, from the drying of the leaves to the packaging. This was followed by a tea tasting session and the chance to buy fresh Ceylon tea.

On my last night in Kandy, I wandered up to the Salika Inn guest house. Sitting on the balcony, I could hear the sound of drums in the distance. Above me, hundreds of bats hunted for food in the dusky sky. I could not have wished for a better way to spend the evening.

I asked my guide if there were any areas of Sri Lanka he would refuse to go to. He said "no" and excitedly went on to tell me that an Italian couple had already booked a trip to the Tamil Tigers area, in northern Sri Lanka, next year.

"I think things will be much better next year," he said.

I hoped so too.

Go there...Sri Lanka

From the UAE
The nearest airport to Kandy is Colombo. I flew from Sharjah to Colombo with Air Arabia. (Fare: Dh1,250)

A train ride from Colombo to Kandy costs LKR150 (Dh5).

Emirates flies daily to Colombo from Dubai.

Etihad flies daily to Colombo from Abu Dhabi.

How much
Dubai fare: Starts from Dh1,400, exclusive of taxes.

Abu Dhabi fare: Starts from Dh1,120, exclusive of taxes.

— Information courtesy Al Tayer Travel Agency

Where to stay

I stayed at the Art Deco Castle Inn guest house overlooking the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at LKR3,200 (DH108) per night. We hired a driver to take us from Kandy down to Adam's Peak and then down to Hikkaduwa and on to on the south coast. We were charged LKR 16,000 (Dh540).

What to do
Botanical Gardens: The Botanical Gardens have something for everyone. Fruit bats can be seen hanging from the trees above and the sight of monkeys fooling around as only monkeys know how, is worth the visit in itself.

Take a boat ride round the lake: LKR500 (Dh17) will buy you a quick zoom around Kandy's great lake, where you can soak in the sight of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic from another angle.

Adam's Peak: A three-hour drive from Kandy is the pilgrim's mountain called Adam's Peak. Travelling there on the potholed roads is a bit of a trek, but one that is well worth it. The four-hour climb starts at 2am.

Watching the spectacular sunrise from the top of the mountain makes every one of the five thousand steps worthwhile.

Where to eat
Devon — A busy and very cheap canteen-style restaurant offering Chinese and Sri Lankan food.