Day 4 – Kandy / Elephant Orphanage

After leaving the Lagoon Hotel at 10:00 Mill Hill set off for the elephant orphanage in high spirits. Before leaving, Matthew Thal was rewarded with his bow-tie, to be worn at all times except when playing cricket.

We arrived at the orphanage before lunch and proceeding into the grounds. We immediately came face to face with a heard of majestic Asian elephants. The orphanage was in beautiful surroundings and was home to around 70 elephants. 

 
The boys were allowed within touching distance of these wonderful animals and they had a great time feeding the elephants with pineapple, bananas and watermelons. 

The pupils were able to fill their own elephantine appetites when our lunch was served in a Hotel overlooking the river where soon enough the elephants were brought down to wash. 

 
After some great photo opportunities we returned to the coach and continued our journey into Kandy. Kandy is a beautiful colonial city, and it wasn’t long until we reached our next destination, the Suisse Hotel.

After two hours of relaxation time, we were treated to a visit to Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Tooth Temple in central Kandy. This is home to the tooth of Buddha, which was collected after his cremation and placed in a shrine in the Temple. 

We returned to an excellent dinner at the hotel, followed by an impromptu sing song in the restaurant by the boys. The guests of the hotel were treated to a rousing rendition of the Sri Lankan classic ‘Mau Lanka’ taught to us by our guide Priya.

Following dinner, the boys gave short presentations to each other on their highlights of the day. Adnan ‘the elephant man’ Rahman gave a stimulating talk on elephants with Ethan Bamber. Meanwhile Henry Webster and Matthew Thal spoke knowledgeably about Buddhism.

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