By Paul Topping

I recently spent a half day in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, Kandy, which was my first visit. Appalling, considering I've lived in Sri Lanka for more than twenty-two years. More surprising with a holiday home in Victoria, forty-five minutes from Kandy. I’ve likely been to or through Kandy 120 plus times. So, in the company of three ladies, two Sri Lankans and one Australian, collectively known as "Charlie’s Angels", arrive at the gates of the botanical gardens and buy entry tickets for a nominal amount. One in our group is a foreign tourist and gets charged $20; she is far from happy. There are over four hundred foreign visitors a year to the gardens. Many ladies are dressed up well and taking selfies around the park with friends. The rest of us look quite drab.

This enormous place and its array of trees hit me. I start by reading every plaque I can see in front of different trees, can’t keep up with that approach, so we stroll on. We walk down a row of amazing trees, including a Java Fig Tree and get to the great circular lawn of two hectares. Space here is measured in hectares, not acres. We walk along the side of the Mahaweli River, which is sadly not encapsulated or utilised by the gardens; the area needs some attention, maybe they draw water from it. In fact, without the two monsoons a year, the park would not be able to have the extent of flora and fauna. There is a mini suspension bridge over the river, but it’s closed; maybe it’s just a folly, they have them in parks in Europe for a bit of excitement and nowadays photo shoots.

The brochure says the gardens have two hundred years of history. In fact, in the fourteen century there was the King's court with extensive garden areas. Further references in 1747, then 1821, the gardens were officially reopened by the British. There was a focus on coffee and tropical plants, including tea from China, especially those with commercial value. During the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British, the gardens were renamed, extended and developed.

I'm very impressed with the green bamboo trees by the river; they are so thick. There are 4000 trees, 8900 plants and other rare and different plant species to seek out. Not that we see many, but they do list 36 sculptures in the park. The Arboretum of sixty hectares has twenty species and flower gardens. Sadly, they are not on our team's list. 

So the three Charlie’s Angels have had a few hours in the park, the norm we are told is ninety minutes, in which you would have to sacrifice missing a lot of areas to visit. The toilets are not so good; perhaps some people can live with that. One point two million people visit a year. Jezzabel, the wife, insisted on plan B, the need for lunch at the Royal Bar and Hotel. I want to return again at dusk to see over twenty-four thousand big flying fox bats take flight by the river, but it is likely to be on my own. I’ve got my hat.