Kandy: The beautiful lakeside – 19th January, 2018

In spite of the congestion and pollution elsewhere, in the vicinity of the lake, which was created by the last king of Kandy, the city is still very beautiful.  Far away on the highest hill a large white statue of Buddha looks down serenely, while nearer to the lake are several fine temples and the remains of the old Royal residence.  On the lake itself there are small floating islands of flowers visited by a variety of birds, while young lovers, pilgrims, tourists, schoolchildren and ourselves stroll along the lakeside.  Here the city has retained elements of how it was before the British conquest in 1815.

At the other end of the lake is the venerable Queen’s Hotel, once the British Governor’s residence before it became an archetypal mid-Victorian Colonial hotel.  Although somewhat battered by time and no longer elegant, it does have the distinction in our view, of serving the only decent food in Kandy – here we had excellent curries and a reasonable Chinese meal, unlike elsewhere.