SCAW BLOG: SRI LANKA, 2026: July 3

After the last 3 days of fun, meeting the children and delivering much-needed bedkits, we had a day to slow down and take a breather and enjoy a day of rest. But even rest days are packed with things to see. After a quick breakfast we were off to see the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. As the majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist this place is revered for its special significance. Once inside the temple you can feel the religious significance of the site and the beauty of the artifacts. We were fortunate to be able to view the relic as it is only open for viewing 2 or 3 times per day. We later took time to explore the World Buddhist Museum which was equally memorable.

Next we went to the Gemstone market. The hand mining of gemstones is still done by manual labour and has a very valuable part in the Sri Lankan economy. The Sri Lankans were proud to point out the significance of their place in supplying the world with precious and semi-precious stones.

After a quick lunch by the river we were informed that the recent cyclone dropped so much precipitation that the bridge we viewed from the restaurant window had been under 10 inches of water. The flood occurred without warning and entire villages were washed away, again showing us how important the gift of a bedkit truly is!

We visited a wood carving and batik shop to see the skilled artisans ply their craft and were astonished at the level of skill and time needed to produce their unique creations.

We then departed Kandy for a 3 hour drive through the winding hills to our next distribution town which will be our home for the next 2 nights. 

Team Sri Lanka, 2026

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 + SCAW 🇨🇦