WE FOUND THE REAL SRI LANKA 🇱🇰 Kandy & Tea Country

Hinzugefügt: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]So, we thought we'd definitely do it because we absolutely love gardens.

[00:00:04]>> And we actually look wearing a jumper and trousers tonight because it has dropped to 19°, which obviously when we've been used to 35° plus for the past week or so, then this feels much cooler and much fresher.

[00:00:22]Hi everyone, we're Hannah and Johnny, also known as Finding Our Adventure.

[00:00:27]We've lived life on the road, chasing unforgettable experiences around the world. Subscribe and join us each week for epic travel stories, untold adventures, and a journey beyond the ordinary.

[00:00:58]Good morning everybody. We have made it to the Danulla Temple this morning. It's a large Buddhist temple um complex built into some caves. So it's got a lot of shade once you're in the caves. But out in the sun this morning it's very hot and you have to take your shoes off as well. So our feet are burning as we're walking on the stones. But yeah, it's very beautiful, very peaceful and there's lots of different Buddas here.

[00:01:18]They've got several reclining Buddha as well and it's a really peaceful sanctuary. So it's definitely worth coming and exploring if you're on your on a trip to Sri Lanka and you can spend an hour and a half or so walking around, but there is also several stairs you have to climb to get up into the temple complex. So yeah, be prepared for sweating lots and not having much shade until you get into the temple. But yeah, definitely worth it.

[00:01:56]Oh, a Oh.

[00:02:37]Oh. Oh.

[00:02:57]So after visiting a Dambula caves uh temple we have come to Candi and it t took us about two and a bit hours of winding up all through the little villages and towns.

[00:03:11]And um it's very busy here. Very big contrast from Cigaria to uh here in Candi. I think it's one of the biggest cities here in Sri Lanka after Columbbo.

[00:03:24]Um and there's all sorts going on, but we are staying at Candi Treetops and it's a little bit more outside of Candy, so it feels a lot more calm. Um and it was quite an adventure actually to get up here. a lot of like very winding, narrow roads. Um, reminded us of back home. There was a few points where we would like meet other cars and we'd have to like reverse or try and figure it all out. So, we made it and uh we've just checked into our room here and we I will give you a quick tour. So, it's actually really big. Um, we've got like a little desk space here for tea and coffee. And then we've got a mini bar and then some space to put your bits and bobs. And I think this room specifically is like a family room. So, we've got like a sofa here, which looks like maybe it can go into a sofa bed. I think. And this is like a single bed just behind me. But look how big this room is. It's absolutely massive. And then we come in through here to the master suite.

[00:04:31]And we've got a huge bed over here with some lovely botanical prints on the wall. And then we've got some his and hers chairs with a TV, lovely big windows looking out um over the hill.

[00:04:47]And then we've got some space over here for hanging your clothes, suitcases, lovely big full length mirror. And we've also got AC, which is brilliant. Oh, step up into the bathroom. Got a sink and mirror and a lovely big shower as well and toilet. It all feels very modern and clean in here. And um yeah, just very spacious, which is very nice.

[00:05:16]Um compared to some of the other places we've been staying have been a little bit smaller, but so this feels like luxury. We've got lots of room. Um so yeah, really excited to be exploring Candi. We're going to go and explore the town now and see what we can find. So we have made it to Candi. We're right in the city center now. And it is such a contrast to Columbbo. Even as a city, it still is very busy, but it has a very different feel. And especially around the lake, it's like really beautiful.

[00:05:47]You can see nature and all the hills around it. And there's lots of uh churches and temples here. This one is actually uh I think it's is it Catholic or Protestant? Maybe >> uh but it's a yeah, a Christian church.

[00:06:01]And um just next to this church is the sacred tooth relic temple uh which is where they have a tooth or from Buddha.

[00:06:12]And um they have like daily uh ceremonies there. And every year as well in Candi they have a massive festival where all of the elephants are like dressed up and they have like fire dancing and everything. So yeah, it's a place where lots of things happen here.

[00:06:28]And if you want to come shopping, there's tons of shops. Uh we actually just went to the pharmacy and um there's also lots of cafes and restaurants. But yeah, I think we're going to go into the temple now and have a look around. So we have just entered the main grounds of the temple. And at the very entrance, they check your bag. So there's like a security area and there you can actually buy a sarong if you haven't got one. So Johnny has bought one. I think it was 500. um Sri Lankan rupees. And then we've just come to the ticket counter.

[00:07:01]So there's a sign that says go to the foreign counter which is on the right hand side. You go inside and it's got like little ATM. So it's like selfservice um system and it costs us 2,000 Sri Lankan rupees each. So it's 4,000 for both of us. And then there's just a shoe counter next to it where you leave your shoes and you get given a little number.

[00:07:22]>> Um and there's like a little tip box there as well. So when you go back you can leave a little tip. So yeah, so far very easy. And we're going to head inside now.

[00:07:50]Heat.

[00:08:01]Heat.

[00:08:27]We've just made our way into the courtyard outside of the temple and we've been exploring inside and we found where they keep the tooth of Buddha. So this was the original Buddha I think Gautam Buddha I think his name is. And um yeah, they believe that the tooth came from India and it's been stored here as a relic. And what that means is they do this festival every year where they take the tooth out. It's it's actually encased in a metal like um shrine and they put it on the back of an elephant and they parade it around town during a big festival which happens every August I think it is with lots of fire and dancing and it's very extravagant. And yeah, we're just coming to the courtyard now which is much cooler and we're just enjoying the slightly overcast conditions. It feels like it could actually rain, but yeah, we're just making the most of the cooler weather than it's been today cuz it's been very hot again. And we're just enjoying the peaceful sanctuary of this courtyard. Whilst it is very peaceful here, there is also a a slightly darker side um to the temple here and that is the um elephants that get captured and used for their entire lives to serve humans. And we have seen a few instances since we've been in Sri Lanka of elephants being ridden by western tourists, which is really sad. We it's something that we don't condone. Um, obviously it's very cultural here and very accepted by the people and they've used elephants for a long time. So, we're not questioning that. Obviously, we respect cultures and what people do, but as Westerners, we um will refrain from doing anything great putting animals out of their natural habitats or using them in a way that they shouldn't be used. And uh yeah, I mean, there's a museum here um for a big tusker called Raja, and they captured him in 1925, and he served the um the temple for over 50 years. And so his whole life was spent in captivity in chains and um basically carrying the tooth around I think and and meeting tourists. So it's not something that we we would do. Um and we would suggest that if you're coming to Sri Lanka not to do it yourself, but obviously you can still come in and enjoy and respect the the culture and customs that are practiced here.

[00:10:17]>> Well, we have had a really lovely afternoon here in Candi. We were just walking around the lake earlier watching the sunset and it's really nice like the contrast between nature here and the city. Um, it's got a very like unique charming feel to it. We are feeling pretty tired from all the walking we've been doing and also the heat today. Um, so we've just come to have some pizza.

[00:10:40]There are loads of different food options here in Candi. Um, lots of like traditional Sri Lankan restaurants, but also a lot of like cafes and um, kind of more like I guess western food. So, we decided tonight we're going to treat ourselves to some pizza. And we've got a really nice view actually over the street and we can watch everything that's going on down below. Um we've also got some spicy sauces of course to go with our pizza. And um yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting back to the hotel and just having a nice cold shower. Good morning guys. We have made it to the Candy Royal Botanical Gardens this morning and you can hear birds all around us. It is so beautiful. We've just come in through the entrance and it's a very short drive actually from Candy. Um, so we thought we'd definitely do it because we absolutely love gardens and already it just looks so beautiful.

[00:11:34]There are flowers, huge trees, like everywhere you look up, it's everything is absolutely massive and very beautiful and green. So, we're really excited to explore here this morning. They've said to takes about 2 hours, maybe even 3 hours depending on how long you want to take. Um, and they also have a like mini golf mini golf buggy like service. So, if you're um not able to walk uh very well, then you can use that service. But we're going to be using we're going to be walking around this morning and um enjoying these beautiful gardens.

[00:12:10]>> These gardens were officially opened as a royal botanical garden in 1821, I think it was, by the British. And before that it had been a royal garden um since about 1371 I think it was. But when the British opened it as a botanical garden became one of the um most renowned gardens in the world and I believe what they were doing is they were probably growing um plants here and taking seeds back to Q in London. It is another very hot day already here in Sri Lanka. It's only4 to 10 but the heat is already very high. Luckily for us though, a lot of the trees here in the botanical gardens offer a lot of shade, so there's lots of cooler places to walk around at this time of day. But so far, the gardens look absolutely spectacular.

[00:12:49]We're now walking down this uh walkway where they've got these massive palm trees lining either side, and it's just absolutely beautiful here. Yesterday evening, we were looking at a little bit of the history of Candi. Um and I think from what I was reading the Dutch um had invaded Sri Lanka and Candi was the last kingdom um to hold out against colonial rule and basically the Dutch had surrounded the Kingdom of Candi and they were basically oppressed and they didn't like it. So they reached out to the British and they made a deal with the British to basically oust the Dutch from Sri Lanka. Um but the people who um of the Kingdom of Candy, they're very wary of any colonial rule. So not long after they had made this agreement and they kicked out the Dutch that they then started fighting with the British and eventually they fell to the British but they were the last kingdom in Sri Lanka to hold out to any colonial rule. So it was only when the British came that they eventually um fell under colonial rule and obviously this then became the center of British rule in Sri Lanka I think and this is where they built lots of trains and stuff to get to tea plantations and to move things around and it just became um there's lots of colonial architecture here. So it's a very beautiful place to be. You can see why the British established this um botanical gardens here because obviously it was a nice place to walk around.

[00:14:01]Offered lots of shade. They were to grow lots of tropical plants and stuff and yeah, it's just a very beautiful town.

[00:14:07]It's very busy, but it has a very different feel to Columbbo and we really like it.

[00:14:31]These trees behind me have these absolutely massive roots. These are called buttresses. And just like in buildings, they help the tree stand tall, especially in wet lowland areas.

[00:14:42]And it adds this gigantic support for any wind or side movement. And they're just absolutely beautiful. I imagine that's something you'd find in like a rainforest, but they look absolutely incredible here. And there's quite a few of them lining all the way down here.

[00:14:55]And they make us look absolutely tiny.

[00:15:07]We just come into the glass house and with it being like 30° outside, 33° outside, it must be about 50° in here.

[00:15:13]It's absolutely roasting. So, I think we're going to spend a very short amount of time in here before getting back outside into the relatively cooler weather out there. We're now walking down one of the palm avenues. They've got several here in the botanical gardens, but what's really cool about this one is that they've actually like staggered the palms. So, in between every other palm, there's one that's been looks like it's been planted more recently cuz they look a lot younger and they're shorter and they're providing like plenty of shade. And then the other ones in between are really tall. I think they said they're about 50 foot tall.

[00:15:50]They're very, very big and it's very beautiful.

[00:15:53]>> We've just come across this tree which is full of hundreds of bats. I think they might be fruit bats, but they're all kind of like flapping their wing to keep themselves cool in the sun. And also, we've just been walking along this edge part here where the river runs along and there was the cyclone in December and you can see all of the destruction. There's an old bridge that's been washed away. There's lots of rubbish and damaged plants and trees and rocks everywhere. And that's had a massive effect on tourism as well. And obviously now the Iran war is having another big effect in tourism. So it's really making uh damaging the economy here. It's really sad to see there's like I think it was 90% cancellations in the place we stayed last night. So yeah, it's definitely worth planning your trip to Sri Lanka to support the locals and it is an absolutely beautiful country to come and explore. We have made it to the Bluefield uh tea estate and it is absolutely beautiful here. We're just actually in the tea fields at the moment and we're taking a tour around learning about how tea is grown and um yeah, just everywhere you look around is mountains and it's very very green. It's quite hot today still. So, uh they're saying it's still quite hot for the tea, but in a few weeks time they're going to get lots and lots of rain.

[00:17:29]So, we finished our tour and we were went through the factory as well to actually see how it's processed and it was very interesting. And we got to see how they um like sieve the leaves and then it goes through like a fermentation process after they're grounded down. Uh and then they let them dry. And they actually use a lot of the rubber trees here to fuel the fire. So it's actually all dried by a big furnace. Uh and then they've also got a shop and a cafe and you can also try the tea as well. But yeah, we're going to be now heading into Newer Ellia now. Um but yeah, it's just very beautiful here and they have got lots of delicious tea. It also smelt amazing in the factory. Just like a really really nice smell of tea. We have just checked into our hotel and we are staying at Villa Tea Fields which is just outside Nara Ellia and it is very beautiful and peaceful here. We are surrounded by tea fields all around us and we can see workers in the fields at the moment. It feels a lot cooler up here. It's dropped by maybe 10 degrees or so since more. Okay, so from Sigeria it was like 36° and up here it's like low 20s. So it feels so much cooler and what we're used to back in England. U but yeah, we're staying in an attic room. So we're right at the top and we've got some beautiful big windows overlooking the grounds here and it feels just very very relaxing. Got this lovely big bed behind me and these nice comfortable curved chairs. Um, there is no air con in this room, but it is actually a lot cooler up here. So, I'm don't think we'll need air con. There's a fan anyway if we do feel a little bit hot. And then just round here, the whole top is kind of mostly wood. It's quite dark through here, but we've got tea and coffee station with some drawers for your clothes. And then we've got a lovely big bathroom, a nice freestanding bath with a shower head as well inside. So, I think I will have a bath cuz that'll be really nice and relaxing after all the traveling we've been doing today. And we've got toilet also. There is a shower just over here. And then they've got these beautiful like wooden sash windows.

[00:19:56]Everything feels very like it's got a lot of character here. And this beautiful like glass um light is just very nice. So yeah. So we're going to go downstairs and just relax on the balcony for a bit and then hit head into town for dinner.

[00:20:10]>> We've just got ready for dinner tonight and now we're walking down the road from where we're staying, which is just back there. We're going to go to the main road to get a tuk tuk into town. And we've been recommended a place to get really good curries and garlic naan breads. And we actually look wearing a jumper and trousers tonight because it has dropped to 19° which obviously when we're being used to 35° plus for the past week or so, then this feels much cooler and much fresher. And yeah, we're very excited to go get some yummy food and to see what the town's got. But we also have tomorrow morning to go explore the town as well. So we're taking it nice and slow and easy tonight.

[00:20:45]What was it?

[00:20:46]>> Salon kitchen. Kitchen. Yeah. Okay. Uh how much? 700. Okay.

[00:21:09]For dinner. We have come to Salon Kitchen which is right in the town center. Um and we've gone for like so the food here is kind of more um Indian curries. So we've got um I've gone for like a butter chicken and we've also got garlic naan and Johnny went for the chicken tikka masala and it's very good and I'm feeling very tired now. We were very hungry and we realized we weren't filming. So I thought we'd quickly show you what we're having. Good morning guys. is we've woken up to an absolutely stunning of a day today here at Villa Tea Fields and we are out on the balcony this morning having breakfast. You can hear lots of little birds everywhere and um yeah, it's just such a nice setting to wake up to. Everything is green, lush, and it feels still fairly cool, but I think it might be a bit of a hot one again today. Um we've got some fresh mango juice, which just tastes divine.

[00:22:05]We've got some fruit yogurt. um toast.

[00:22:08]We even got some sausages and I think looks like some pancakes. So yeah, really looking forward to today. We are heading into town to have a look around there cuz we got here um late afternoon yesterday and didn't have a chance to like see it in the daytime. So going to go and explore the town this morning and then head to Ella.

[00:22:30]>> After breakfast, we've decided to come into town and we have just arrived at the old post office which I think the British built. There's a red post box just down there. It's still in use. So you can still send post from here. But as it's a Wednesday today, because of the um Iran war um in Sri Lanka, every Wednesday now is a national holiday to try to save fuel. So I think the post office is closed today. And we were going to send some postcards to our nephews, but we'll have to do that from somewhere else. But yeah, it's an absolutely beautiful building. Looks like a red brick building. The foliage around here smells fantastic. And there's the hustle and bustle of the morning traffic and people going to market and stuff and it's just a really cool place to come explore. slightly cooler than down below because we're at almost 2,000 meters. But yeah, starting to warm up as well.

[00:23:10]>> It's really beautiful here. They've got lovely like um flowers and hanging baskets. It feels very very British here. Um and the beautiful red brick building. And actually from here you can see the highest mountain in Sri Lanka which is just behind me here just next to where the uh Buddha is. And um yeah, unfortunately it's closed today, but it was really busy yesterday when we drove past. And uh yeah, beautiful building.

[00:23:36]>> I'm not sure if we've said yet or not, but Newaria Ellia is known as Little England. They grow strawberries here.

[00:23:41]They've got all the colonial buildings.

[00:23:43]Um and this is where all the tea plantations are. So it's very famous for its tea. They sell very good high quality tea. And then they have um auctions where they sell it all around the world as as different brands. You have like Lipton, Yorkshire Tea, all those sort of brands will buy their tea from here. And it's a very nice place.

[00:23:59]As we said, it's much cooler up here.

[00:24:01]And yeah, we're just really enjoying walking around the town and um seeing all the beautiful buildings. Opposite the post office is Victoria Park which is just behind me here. It looks very beautiful and I think it was named after Queen Victoria. You have to pay. It's about a,000 rupees Sri Lankan rupees per adult. So we're going to not do that this morning because we've got plenty of other things to go see and do. But yeah, it's a beautiful location. Looks very green and lots of flowers and it's got a beautiful spot overlooking the um old post office above on the hill. The street behind us now is where the big bus station is and also where we had dinner last night. So, this is kind of like the main street with lots of restaurants. And then up over this side now we're going to is the old bank which looks very beautiful and it's also where the post office that we've already been to is. And yeah, the bank looks very old and very cool. And then there's some also big colonial houses behind as well.

[00:24:45]We've just made it to Gregory Lake which is a big beautiful lake here in Nara Ellia and we think it's a man-made lake and must have been made by a guy called Gregory. It's very well manicured.

[00:24:55]There's lots of flowers everywhere. The grass is cut very short and yeah, it's very nice. It's very peaceful. There's nice breeze coming off the lake as well, so it's much cooler here. And we're just wandering around the outside of it now.

[00:25:04]There's several different restaurants as you go around as well, so there's plenty of food choices. And they are also getting ready for a festival back up there, which is happening very soon, I think. And we're not sure what festival it is, but it looks like everybody's very excited for that. And they're cutting all the grasses, pulling all the weeds out of the lake, and making it look very beautiful and nice. If you've enjoyed following along on our Sri Lankan adventure, then you too can also do the same. um itinerary that we've been doing which has been organized by India Sunday. They have been absolutely fantastic. They've handled everything on the ground here including organizing our driver, all the activities that we've been doing and making sure we have the very best schedule to maximize the time that we have here. And we also have a discount code. So if you book through India Sunday, you can get 5% off which is going to be linked down below. So don't forget to use that. And yeah, we hope you enjoy your Sri Lankan adventure as well because we very much loved our time here so far and we still have plenty of things to do on the rest of our time here.

[00:25:56]>> That is the end of this episode and this part of our adventure in Sri Lanka.

[00:26:01]We've really enjoyed exploring Candy and the tea plantations and now being up in the mountains. It's really, really beautiful and it feels so different from where we've come from in Cigaria. And um if you've enjoyed this episode, stay tuned for our next episode where we're going to be heading to Ella, which we're going to be going on the iconic train ride. And we're really excited. We're going to be spending quite a lot of time in Ella, being able to explore a lot of the the surrounding area, and it looks absolutely beautiful. So, we've got a lot to look forward to. And if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe so you get notified for future episodes. Let us know in the comments what your favorite bit was and we will see you guys in the next one.