An Israeli?

This morning, outside my guest-house window, at 7AM, building work starts.

I'm not a happy camper.

I had previously managed to haggle down the cost of my room after being woken up by noise outside, and so I went upstairs to speak to the guest-house manager.

She flipped out. Practically started crying, and said that she wouldn't put up with my behavior. Said that I was just as bad as Israelis, who she will not allow to stay at her place, because of their constant haggling. I took this in stride, and in fact, saw it as a somewhat compliment - Israelis are well known for their awesome haggling skills.

So, the greek girl and I move out (she's next door, and equally bothered by the noise), and find somewhere else 2 doors down, with much less noise, and private bathrooms, for the same price.

After all that fuss, we head off to the Botanical Gardens - by local bus (6 rupees). The gardens were great, and in particular, the orchid room had some pretty flowers (photos to come later).

I've had to delay my plans slightly (I wanted to leave Kandy this afternoon), so I can sort out some health insurance issues that have cropped up in the US - which will take a few hours of Internet cafe time.

The plan right now is to leave Kandy for Dambulla tomorrow morning.