Monday 3rd February - Winter Warmer

We are back on earlies today which means that we miss out on the hoppers and dal at breakfast. Eggs and toast with tea, fruit and wood apple juice set us up nicely. Down below we hear military drums. Tomorrow is Sri Lankan Independence Day and rehearsals are in full flow. A local news story has been about the number of schools having to close for an extra day to provide facilities.

 The reason for the early start is that we are going bird watching in Udawattakele  Sanctuary, also known as the Royal Forest Park. We walk down the shortcut and pick up a tuktuk, as they seem to be called here. For the first time we use the tunnel cut through the ridge that the Sky Deck is standing on. It is damp, narrow and full of fumes so we are not too worried if we never get a repeat. We are dropped at the entrance gate where we are charged the curiously precise sum of 864 rupees each. D also has to provide his name which is written down in Sinhalese script. We wonder what he really wrote. Change is not available so D is instructed to return on the way out and claim the balance of his 2000/-.

The first main feature that we see is a small lake that will surely be a magnet for birds. We find a seat where we can observe and wait......and wait..... and wait but see nothing. As we move back towards the main track we disturb a Brown Fish Owl which flaps away into the trees. The main track climbs gently through fairly open forest. We can hear lots of birds in the canopy but there is nothing to be seen. Is it going to be one of those days?

The track circles round onto the sunny side of the ridge and we get a couple of sightings. One is a Lesser Hill Myna but the other is high up and the photos are not great so has to go down as unidentified. We hear a lot of noise in a tree up ahead and move forward to see a group of Crimson-backed Goldenbacks feeding in a decaying tree. There are at least four of them although only two will pose for photos. Their colouring is spectacular.

This stretch of track has a lot more birds. We see a small flycatcher type bird which poses only feet away, then a White-rumped Shama, with its distinctive tail. A hundred yards further on the birds start to come thick and fast. We don't manage to photograph or ID all of them but we do get a few including a very attractive Velvet-fronted Nuthatch.

Things go quiet again on the bird front but the park is starting to get busier with visitors. After completing our circuit we return to the lake but draw another blank apart from a fairly large Asian Water Monitor, spotted sunbathing on the bank. We collect the change on the way out and walk back into town. On the way we pass a field with rugby posts. When we go online to check it appears that Rugby Union thrives in Sri Lanka and has done since 1879. So not just cricket then.

In town the flag sellers are out in force for tomorrow's celebrations. Most of the streets are laid out on a grid with very narrow pavements. The streets running north south have been made one way which means the traffic races along them, making life extra difficult for pedestrians. We find an optician as R wants to buy a spectacle cord to stop her dropping her glasses while using binoculars. After this we stumble across a shady alley which defies the grid and meanders in a roughly diagonal fashion. It is almost total traffic free and much better walking. The shops are for real people, selling hardware, shoes and fabric.  Best of all this alley delivers us close to the Kandy Muslim Hotel.

We repeat yesterday's order of large lime sodas. Lonely Planet waxes so eloquently about the samosas here that D cannot resist sampling. The waiter can barely suppress his laughter as the order for a single beef samosa is placed. It arrives, hot and crisp, looking rather lonely on a large tray. It is delicious and there is almost a wavering in the resolve to skip lunch. 

Instead we engage a tuktuk and head for home via the laundry. There is several minutes panic at the laundry when they are unable to retrieve our package. It is eventually located on the very highest shelf and  Back at the SkyDeck we hide from the sun and plan for later today. Down below the preparations have moved on from drums to fully fledged military bands. One of the local highlights is dance performance. We have been skiving a bit on the culture lately so we decide to give it a go. There are three places to choose from and we opt for the performance at the YMBA. Young Men's Buddhist Association. Think how that might have changed the history of disco music. A quick phone call confirms that the show is on tonight at 5 pm.

We arrive about 30 minutes early as recommended in LP and are offered front row seats at a premium. D wants to get photos so we upgrade, take our seats and await events. The hall fills with pink people. Just after 17.00 a team of drummers file onto the stage and the show kicks off. We have acrobats, peacock dancers, more drummers, a demon, a whirling dervish, plate spinners and as part of the closing section, some drum solos that would see off Buddy Rich. It is a great show, colourful and skillfully executed. 

At the end we are invited outside to watch two of the performers, possibly father and son, eat fire, rub flaming brands up their arms and then walk across a fire pit. 

We complete a splendid evening by returning to the Royal, where tonight's music of choice is Cool Jazz. Not a particular favourite of either of us but less likely to cause strife than C&W. We don't normally eat things that are just described as 'curry' but tonight we make an exception. D has Royal Chicken Curry and R has the House Special Vegetable Curry. Once again we are seated on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. While we wait for our food we see a White Throated Kingfisher perched on a handrail on the balcony opposite. Our waiter tells us that the bird is a regular visitor, dropping in most evenings.

When the food arrives the presentation is A1 and it tastes just as good. Is rice always better off a banana leaf? Outside a tuktuk is lurking and we return to our eyrie to pack.