After days of exploring ruins of old palaces and temples, we knew that the boys needed a day like this and, although it meant waking up at 5:45 a.m., it turned out to be the perfect day for all of us. We started at the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage. Established in 1975, this orphanage began with the mission of helping orphaned or injured elephants and its population has grown from 5 baby elephants to over 100 elephants of various ages. It's a busy place so we're glad that we arrived right at opening time and were able to see the morning feeding as well as the morning "bath" when the elephants are released to the river to bathe and play. It was a very special experience for all of us. We capped off the day with a stop, on the way back to Kandy, at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. These beautiful gardens were once the gardens for the Kandyan monarchs but, once the British colonized, they converted the gardens into a botanical garden with hundreds of species of plant and tree. We couldn't believe the contrast between the peace and tranquility inside the gardens, and the noise and chaos just outside the gate. Inside, it's easy to forget that the towns and cities outside are all lights, noise and action. Outside, we were left wondering why some of the peace of the park isn't brought to the day to day life of Sri Lanka in its streets and towns.
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