Sri Lanka

I've switched order! Lastest entry now at the top - it was becoming tedious to be forever scrolling to the bottom! Wish I'd done it in reverse order from the beginning, or used separate pages for each day. The benefit of hindsight!

A day lost in transit. 

My flight departed Colombo airport at 12.30am this morning. I spent the next nine and a half hours doing my best to sleep. With the change in time zone, landed at around 2.30pm Melbourne time, caught the Sky  Bus to Southern Cross Station and walked the 10 minutes to my hotel. I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in my hotel, recovering. 

Short walk to the bus station and easily located the airport bus. One hour later (and far too early), arrived at the airport. You're not allowed through emigration until you have a physical boarding pass (I only had an electronic one). Check-in didn't open for hours. There is nothing between security and emigration except hard seats and of course, my travel adapter plug broke, and my phone now on just 3%! I met a nice Sri Lankan couple who have lived in Melbourne for 40 years and were returning after visiting relatives in Colombo. They had two ports on their charger, so I was able to get myself up to 50%. Really important because I had prebooked a waiting lounge on the other side of emigration, and I was rapidly running through my 3 hours trapped on the near side! Finally made it. Similar to the Koru lounge but not as fancy. The gins come in doubles though. About an hour before boarding, I headed towards my gate and another layer of security and boarded on the first leg back home.

After settling in and cooling off in the beautiful swimming pool, I enjoyed a gin & tonic or two poolside before dinner. I opted for an eggplant curry. Delicious. Unfortunately they turned down the heat for Western palates. 

My start to the day: sitting on the balcony and enjoying a leisurely breakfast while comtemplating how to spend this day. A friendly squirrel is hoping I'll drop something. I didn't know they had squirrels in Sri Lanka. My options are: climb Ella Rock, see the 9 arches and climb Little Adam's Peak, take a cooking class, visit a tea factory, or just relax and enjoy and take a break from hills and stairs.

Having mooched most of the day away at the hotel, I jumped up in the early afternoon and took a tuk tuk to one of the tea factories for a tour. Opted for the plantation rather than factory tour as I had so many questions about growing and producing tea. The tour guide was excellent. I learned lots about tea and drank my first tea (well actually 7 different teas) since arriving in Sri Lanka. 

Arrived Anuradhapura around 2pm and quickly took a tuktuk to my accommodation: Languma Thena Guest House. Lovely, clean, friendly and close to the old city - but a long way from anywhere else! Starving at this point, I took a walk to the nearest cafe, but decided I could wait.

Saliya, my friendly tuktuk driver, returned to pick me up at 3.30pm and I was off to Mihintale. The sacred mountain peak where the Indian monk Mahinda first met King Devanampiya Tissa in 247 BC, officially introducing Buddhism to Sri Lanka  and hence called the 'cradle of budhism'. We stopped at an 800 year old Banyan tree near a monastery on the way. It is a popular place to meditate.

At the foot of the mountain lies one of the world's oldest Ayurvedic hospitals. Unfortunately we didn't stop here to explore. Instead, we visited Kaludiya Pond & monastery. a tranquil and relatively cool spot to relax and mediate....

Next came the 1,840 steps.... to reach the stupa built in the exact spot where the historic meeting between the monk and the king took place. It's surrounded by many smaller stupa.

I had an interesting experience here (story to come).

Having climbed the 1,840 steps twice (refer to the story), I dragged myself up  the many many more stairs to get to Aradhana Gala, a much less crowded spot to watch the sun set. I didn't actually wait to see it. I didn't want to navigate hundreds of uneven rocky steps in the dark, so opted to leave before the sun actually dropped below the horizon. 

A truly terrifying tuktuk ride back to my accommodation, and by this time I'm practically falling over with lack of sustenance! The daughter of the hostel owner gave me a ride to a local restaurant where I ordered chicken Kottu Roti. More spicy deliciousness of vegetables stir fried with sliced up roti (resembling noodles).  I managed half and took the rest home for lunch tomorrow. No photos - I left my phone behind charging. Challenging to obtain a tuktuk at night in a relatively quiet part of town. My first official day in Sri Lanka comes to an end.

Today has been a thought provoking day in many different ways. I opted to be driven around by my friendly tuktuk driver to explore the ancient city of Anuradhapura. I was torn whether to tuktuk or to hire a bike and ride around at my leisure. On the one hand, being driven everywhere is less tiring and you get the cool breeze while buzzing from place to place. On the downside, you always feel like you're rushing. No time to just sit and take it all in. To enjoy just being in this fabulous place. I imagine Anghor Wat to be similarly overwhelming. You could literally ride, walk, tuktuk all day and still not see everything, so why see try and see every stupa at pace rather than just one or two and sit and contemplate? I cannot imagine cycling in this heat and with a head wind, but maybe I would have seen less but appreciated more if I had.

Saliya picked me up at 9.00am, which began the whirlwind tour of Anuradhapura. It is truly amazing. Each site surpassed by the next, building up to my favourite, the Isurumuniya Temple. I missed many 'top' sites but also just happened upon some amazing places too.

Abhayagiri Dagoba & monastery where those 10,000 monks were housed was next on the agenda.

I'll add more pictures later. Suffice to say, the 'Great Anuradhapura Race' continued, until my driver pointed in the distance to our next destination, and I finally said "no more stupas". The most impressive is of course the white stupa (). Here I spoke with a young man who wanted to practice his English (a common occurrence). He explained that the people (there were many Sri Lankans all dressed in white and bearing flower gifts to Buddha) were reciting mantras to honour buddha. That each stupa contained a relic; a physical body part or an item associated with him or writings of his teachings. Buddha's teachings were only written down hundreds of years after he died. We then chatted about cricket - Australia had just beaten England in the Women's T20. It was this moment that I realised that as nice as my driver was, he wasn't as knowledgeable or easy to talk to as some. It is low season here. I have seen only a handful of overseas tourists so far in my travels and run into the same ones wherever I go.

Back to my guest house for left over kottu roti. I was tempted by the airconditioning, to call it a day but forced myself to take a walk after lunch. I walked to the new bus station to check out transport options for tomorrow, passing many beautiful ruins and buddhas and stupas on the way. It must be like the Forum in Rome. People sit on it's ruins to eat their lunch without, in that moment, appreciating the history of their seat.

Leaving Anuradhapura today and still not entirely sure how. There is purportedly a direct bus to Trincomalee at 11.30 this morning. I'm thinking to arrive at 10am and check to see if its running. If it isn't, then I'll hop on the first bus to Dambulla and then another bus to Trincomalee. 

I would like to stay here longer. If I had a 'do-over', I'd choose a guest house closer to the CBD. I have already booked my accommodation for the entire trip, so hopefully I've made wiser choices. It is a lovely guest house and within walking distance of some of the major sites, but the reviews are definitely overstated in terms of interaction with guests. I have hardly seen anyone. 

Went for a walk before checking out. I'd seen an enormous white buddha not too far from my guesthouse. It was in a hostel for pilgrims... but I took a look anyway. Walked from there to the white stupa and then back to the bodhi tree and home. Packed and used 'Pickme' app for the first time. I thought I'd ordered a tuktuk but accidentally booked a motorbike. I must have looked hilarious hanging on for dear life with bags and coats flying! Made it to the New bus station in one piece, and a fruit seller helped me locate the direct bus to Trincomalee. I had over an hour to wait, but there was a very friendly atmosphere amongst passengers who board early to ensure a seat. Lots of laughing and sharing too! The driver shared a very sweet chalky confectionary that wasn't that pleasant to eat. A mother and daughter bought me a steamed corn on the cob and a Pepsi. There was lots of sharing going around. Its funny how some interactions are universal. You don't need to understand what is said to get the gist. The bus trip cost LKR$500, or approximately $2.50 and took 3 hours. 

Trincomalee is very like Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. Touristy and heaving with tourists. Thats probably why there were so few in Anuradhapura - they're all here! Checked in, walked along the beach front, had a quick dip, walked through the town checking out places for dinner, and then sat at a beachside bar and had a beer. Dinner was a vegetarian curry buffet with 8 different curries. I tried them all. My lips are still tingling! So, so good. My first time eating jackfruit - yum! I will go back tomorrow night! Returned to hotel and booked snorkelling trip to Pigeon Island tomorrow morning. 

What a terrible nights sleep! The thumping music, bright light right outside my window (no curtain), winceyette sheets (trap heat), concrete pillow, and a VERY noisy fan, all conspired to keep me awake most of the night. I gave up trying early this morning and went for a walk. The lack of movement before 8.00am a testament to the night owl culture. My snorkelling trip leaves at 8.30. I'm gonna be a wreck!

I was collected at 8.30am (or shortly after - we're on holiday time) and went to the beach and took off on a beautiful sunny day with flat seas heading for Pigeon Island, a marine reserve. There is a complicated system of having to stop in Nilaveli to purchase the tickets to be allowed to go to the island. When we arrived, we stored our gear in the shade and our guide took us out as a group. I think this was partly to check we could all swim and partly to be sure we wouldn't freak out when we saw the sharks. These were black tip reef sharks which are known to be non-aggressive. I was quite brave in a group, but when I ventured out by myself, I was definitely freaked. These sharks were bigger than me and there were a lot of them! They breed and have a nursery on one side of the island, so are plentiful. This side was devastated by a recent storm, and so much of the coral reef had been damaged. The other side of the island was colourful and shark free! Once our competence had been established, we could snorkel whereever we wanted. I could have stayed all day. While the fish weren't exactly plentiful, the variety and colour was amazing, as was the colours and variety of coral. Every time I thought I'd seen everything, something new came along. My favourite were the trumpet fish and turtles. We stay until the majority has had enough. I would have stayed all day. 

Despite applying tons of sunscreen, I am badly burnt. Should have worn a t-shirt. The sun here beats down on you relentlessly, and the heat is oppressive. I decided to walk into town (over an hour) with no shade. Another mistake. Today has been full of them. I wandered around the shops and then started walking back. Ended up taking a tuk tuk part way in both directions. The return driver, Ismal (below) gave me such a hard time about being a black man driving a white person around. He even good humourdly suggested he should pull over and let me drive him around!

Not a flattering photo, but it is the reality. It makes me realise that I AM old even though I don't feel it! This is what I look like now. The island and the water is stunning. Very, very glad I went.

I wandered into town and bought a sarong (its hard to find one that's not bright and bold) and then headed back to the beach for a beer. Have to enjoy it while I can - I suspect there won't be any in Polonaruwa! I planned to go and find somewhere to eat as I haven't eaten all day, except for a spicy roll on the run. Instead I returned to my guest house. I'm feeling quite maudlin tonight, here in Trincomalee. In all my many solo adventures, I have never felt lonely before today.  I've never been to a beachy tourist mecca by myself before today either. I think I am the only person in this whole place that is travelling alone. it is a party town and people come with friends and family to do just that. When you're tramping, or in places off the beaten track, you (and others) see yourself as adventurous, intrepid. Here, I (and others) see a solo traveller as sad. 

I knew I was running on empty, having only eaten some fruit and crackers today, so wandered out late in search of food. Definitely not feeling like anything spicy, I walked aimlessly, back and forth, passing restaurant after restaurant all serving the same food. Finally decided on egg kutta and asked for not spicy. Their 'not spicy' is very different from mine! What I really wanted was a large bag of plain crisps and some good old fashioned kiwi onion dip.

I had a wonderful day despite the 43 degree heat. The ancient city was everything I imagined it to be. I spent about 4 hours cycling around and wandering the ruins until the heat drove me to back to the hotel and air conditioning. I wiled some time away in my hotel until late afternoon, had a coffee and cake ; my first non-traditional food since arriving, then walked along the lake front to see a statue of King Parakramabahu who ruled from 1153 to 1186. He is much beloved because he was responsible for creating reservoirs and canals that now provide the water to make Polonnaruwa the main agricultural centre of Sri Lanka. Apparently, because of the toxic chemicals (including cadmium) contained in the phosphate fertilizer(Triple Superphosphate (TSP)) that is widely used, the region also has the highest rate of kidney disease and cancer in the country. Don't drink the water! 

On the way back, I stopped for a cold beer at a delightful outdoor cafe where I met 2 engineers from Colombo. They work for the Lion brewery (Sri Lankan owned). It was fascinating to learn more about Sri Lankan culture and politics. Yes, we went there. They were very definitely right wing and I'm solidly left, which led to robust conversation. Hearing their views really reinforced my own political and social view. I really believe that it comes down to short-term economic gain regardless of long-term costs (environmental, social, and economic), versus long-term gain that may cost more up front but has lower 'bottom of the cliff' costs and minimises social and environmental harm.

Back to my hotel, picking up a slice of flatbread on the way. Everything in Sri Lanka is suped up spicy!

Another fabulous day. Up early, packed and waiting for breakfast, my first 'breakfast included' hotel. It was substantial and delicious. 2x what might have been toast but probably just bread, a rolled up pancake with a sweet coconut paste filling, a mini sausage in a bread roll, a fried egg, 2 slices of watermelon, a banana, and coffee. I couldn't eat it all. I was in 2 minds: tuktuk to Sigiriya or catch the bus. Steph convinced me to take the bus - I had all day and it was pretty simple. The owner of the hotel took my to the central bus station to ensure I had a seat (they go quickly). He made sure that I hopped on the right bus and offerred to use my phone to pin where to hop off. Wish I'd agreed to that but I said I had that sussed. I didn't. I was to hop off at Inamaluwa junction. I thought that this was at one end of the Sigiriya-Inamaluwa road but it was at the other end. The driver put me right after a moment of embarrassment. Tuktuk to the last wee bit to Sigiriya and my accommodation - the most rustic so far. I love it. Far away from everything. Iwsd, the host, organised a tuk tuk to Pidurungala, my favourite temple so far. So colourful and such intricate designs. I climbed to the top on Pidurangala rock without too much effort and enjoyed the view of Lion Rock in the distance. A group of young people from Myanmar wanted to take their picture with me, even hot and sweaty. They were really impressed that someone as old as me had climbed what was in reality, quite a small hill.

Unfortunately, it was about now that my phone died so I was unable to call my tuktuk driver AND I couldn't find him at any of the carparks, AND I couldn't recall the name of my hotel. I went to the 'information kiosk' and poured out my story. He was amazing. After letting me use his phone to try and access my email, my booking.com account, my google account... anything that would at least get me back to my hotel but all required a passcode to be sent to my phone to verify... and my phone was dead. Mr Fix-it man said that there was no problem that couldn't be solved. He phoned around until he found a staff member with an iphone charger, plugged my phone in so that I could call Anu and also look up my hotel name. Dodged a bullet with the help of the nice information desk man.

The mosquitos are biting, so headed to the comfort of my mosquito netted bed for the remainder of the evening.

Breakfast at the guest house was amazing - I love the pani pol (pancakes filled with grated coconut, kithul treacle (palm syrup), and warm spices, omelette, fruit (I love papaya), toast and coffee. Yet to have my first tea in Sri Lanka!

After breakfast, I took a tuk tuk to Dambulla to see the Cave Temple. The young boy asked if he could join me, and was super helpful in helping me negotiate the protocols of visiting the temple. The 'foreigners' ticket office and entry are often separate to locals because locals don't have to pay to visit sites and I imagine it makes checking ticket entry easier. More steps and lots of walking involved. I loved this temple too. So much atmosphere, with the lotus flower tributes and chanting of local people come to worship Buddha. I received a blessing ( Pirith noola) which includes a sacred, blessed cord worn around your wrist as a reminder of the teachings and the monks' blessings. It is meant to bring good luck, health, and spiritual protection - and must be worn until it falls off by itself.

We parted company at the base of the Cave Temple, as the young man returns home and I get a tuk tuk to the bus station in Dambulla and hop on another local bus bound for Kandy.

I liked Kandy. It is a modern, bustling city, with footpaths, modern shops, lots of greenery. After checking in at my hotel, I went exploring - found the temple of the tooth museum and walked around the lake. 

Because I am now completely out of clean clothes and need something modest to wear for visiting the Temple of the Tooth, I bought what must be the ugliest (but least expensive) dress in Kandy. All this energy required cooling off, which I found in an air-conditioned sports bar. I spent a relaxing time watching the first day of the Women's cricket test match between India and England  and a game of rugby between local regional teams. I didn't know they played rugby! One cold beer later, I returned to my hotel, picking up more greasy, spicy street food on the way for dinner.

The Temple of the Tooth Museum (below) which houses the chamber, hidden behind golden doors (& too many elephant tusks) (above), where Buddha's tooth lies in an intricately beautiful casket. (below).

While the museum is open all day, the inner chamber that houses the seven golden caskets that house the tooth, is closed. All you can see is the entrance way (top right). Despite this, thousands of buddhists come to pray in front of this chamber every day. Twice a day, this inner sanctum is opened, enabling people to walk past and have a tiny glimpse of the casket. The actual tooth is inside a small, lotus-shaped stupa made of solid gold and encrusted with precious gems, which lies inside six progressively larger golden, dome-shaped dagoba caskets, each more ornate than the last (thank you AI). So, you can't see the actual tooth - just this outer casket. Needless to say, I joined the throng of sweaty bodies, beating of drums and chanting in the background, queueing for a very long time, just to see this golden casket. It, and the room was incredibly beautiful. Was it worth the effort for what was literally a 15 second glimpse? I don't regret going, yet, I think it is definitely missable.

The road through the mountains was stunning. Loads of huge tea corporations have their plantations in this region, with massive buildings like hotels with tea houses. Plantations blanket the hillsides on both sides of the road. The bus struggled with the tight hair pin turns and steep grade, but eventually made it. I caught a glimpse of Ramboda Falls which looked impressive. 

Arrived Nuwara Eliya at 11.15 (thank you Gemini) to learn that the train track between Nanuoya  and Ambewella (where I was booked to catch the train to Ella) was now open and that I could save myself the hour long bus from Nuwara Eliya to Ambewella. The person who told me this was also a pushy tuk tuk driver, so I decided to stop and have a coffee and snack (unfortunately all snacks here seem to be deep fried) and do some research. A welcome rest and a chance to dig my jersey from the very bottom of my bag. Its cold in the mountains!

The Plan