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In the morning Lucky’s limp was miraculous gone. His foot showed none of the previous day’s swelling at all.
Sri Lanka 2003 - Part Two: Kandy
Dougburnett2003-11-25 10:58:31
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Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Kandy, Sri Lanka
In the morning Lucky’s limp was miraculous gone. His foot showed none of the previous day’s swelling at all. I had been more than a little skeptical of Lucky's choice of medical service now I was left with a grudging respect. It certainly had worked.
We had agreed to a late start today since we were only going to Kandy, about 4 hours away. On the way Lucky suggested we make a few stops. First, he pulled over at a batik shop where I bought a lovely image of the Hindu god Ganesha. Later, we stopped at a spice plantation where I was given a little tour (quite useless) and then quickly led to the shop where I was pressured to buy some spices. After that I declined anymore shopping.
I had asked Lucky to stop in Matale, which is about 25km north of Kandy. I know someone from there and I wanted to take some pictures back for him. When we arrived we discovered that a large, noisy Hindu festival was going on. Lucky dropped me in the middle and told me to meet him at the post office farther down the road.
At the center of it were several tall, brightly decorated carts on large, wooden wheels. They were almost two stories tall and had a small covered "room" on top, which contained an image of the god. Men and women moved the cart by pulling on two fat ropes as loud Tamil music blared from speakers attached to a nearby temple. Vendors and onlookers crowded the street and the scorching sun beat down on us all.
With great excitement and lots of shouting the carts were pulled a few dozen yards at a time. When they stopped, food (offerings, I guess) were handed up to the men (priests?) sitting with the statues at the top and food was handed back down. This routine was repeated over and over as the carts moved slowly, but surely, toward the temple courtyard. I walked around taking pictures for
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See photographs from:
Sri Lanka Gallery
