Short Tour in Sri Lanka

Friends often decide to visit Sri Lanka while we are there so, after they have explored our beautiful village, I take them on a tour of Sri Lanka's unique historical sights that have piqued their interest. Sri Lanka, although a small island, has very many sites, sights and activities to offer any holiday maker at any time of the year. However, although the distances between places are not great in kilometres, the traffic and conditions on the roads mean that vehicles can travel only at 30 to 50 kmph. With limited time available, in this case just five days, sites and activities needed to be chosen in just one area of the country allowing for a round trip back to the airport. This tour would take in my friends' "must sees" of Kandy, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and, finally a beach stop before departure from Katunayake Airport, near Negombo.

Location of the movie Bridge on the River Kwai, Kitulgala

Leaving from Olu Ella, our first stop was for morning tea at Kitulgala, a small village well known for white water rafting and for being one of the locations where the epic movie, the Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed. This 1957 movie was based on a novel about the POWs held by the Japanese in Burma during the Second World War when they were forced to build a railway from Thailand to Burma. In the story by Frenchman Pierre Boulle, a rail bridge is built by POWs and then blown up as a train approaches. Today only a pedestrian swing bridge  now spans the river at Kitulgala. I believe the government has plans to have replica of the rail bridge constructed for tourism purposes and no doubt, to charge tourists hugely to visit it. I remember the film very well. Kitulgala was also the first stop on my honeymoon almost fifty years ago so it is a place of happy memories for me.

Kelani River, Kitulgala

The Aviswella - Hatton road is rather windy and climbs steadily so we stopped for a short break. It was with amusement that I realised I have had to take a break in the same place for different friends when travelling this route! Growing up in New Zealand, windy, climbing roads have never bothered me!

Paddy fields

Kandy is almost always on a visitor's itinerary, mostly because of the Temple of the Tooth and also because it is a central city for travelling north to Dambulla and beyond as well as east  to the hill country and beyond to the South west coast. 
 

Fire walker preparing to walk the hot coals, Kandy

After attending a less than professional national dance show we walked the few metres to the Temple of the Tooth in time for the nightly pooja.

Visiting the Temple of the Tooth at 6pm is a very different experience to a visit during the day. At night the brightly lit Temple is very busy with devotees making offerings to the sacred relic, one of Buddha's teeth believed to have been picked up from the ashes of his funeral pyre. In ancient times in Lanka, it was believed that whoever had the tooth in his possession was the rightful ruler of the country.

On arrival we found the lower level already packed with people standing in front of the casket shrine watching the drummers as they drummed up expectations of this important ritual. We decided to go up the stairs and join the already lengthy line of devotees waiting to make their offerings and see the casket containing the tooth when it was raised to the next level. Flowers in hand, we joined the line and waited with other devotees, some of whom were seated around the walls praying. The drumming reached a crescendo then stopped as the casket was raised. A low hum from the worshippers indicated that the time was now and our line began to move forward, hurried along by an official. Then we were standing in front of an open window, filled with flowers and plates of money. I stopped to try to focus on seeing the casket but had the flowers taken from my hands while my arm was being pulled by an official to move on.   Worship with speed!

I have posted previously about visiting the Temple during the day and, as I like to see the historical pictures and the museum, that's my preference.

This time we were staying at Thilanka Hotel, a very pleasant hotel on the hill near the lookout over Kandy Lake. The rooms were well equipped, clean and the beds comfortable and, while the dishes offered were rather minimal for such a hotel, the food was good. After an early breakfast we left for Dambulla.

Ceiling fresco at Dambulla Cave Temples

Sigiriya in the distance from Dambulla

The Cave temples at Dambulla are half way up a mountain so there are a lot of steps to be climbed, some of them are on a slope and cut out of the huge rocks that are a feature of this part of the country.

Wewa

As it was the end of the peak tourist season and we had not booked ahead, we had problems finding a place to stay for one night in Sigiriya and ended up at Peacock Resort. I would love to own this guesthouse as it has great potential from an excellent location and grounds to almost completed buildings however in no way does it live up to its self description. It was more like a Fawlty Towers experience with food being snatched from in front of me as I was eating it! Apparently it was meant for someone else! In the morning we came out to enquire about our breakfast to find that it had been sitting on our table for an hour. Cold fried eggs and hard toast! We gave it a miss! I've had some rare things happen in guesthouses but having food snatched from me while eating it and cold unordered breakfast sitting on the table for an hour were firsts.

Royal Palace, Polonnaruwa

As a knee injury acquired while climbing up to the Dambulla caves meant that a climb up Sigiriya was not possible, we went directly to Polonnaruwa- one of my favourite historical sites. I've posted previously about this fascinating and beautiful place.

Circular Vatadage, Polonnaruwa

A visit to Polonnaruwa needs at least half a day and, because the monuments and points of interest are spread over a wide area, transport inside the boundaries is needed. Some young people had hired bikes, others were tuk tukking while some hardy older couples were walking between some of the sites in the hot sun. 

By mid day, the sun is rather intense during the dry season so an umbrella is very useful, along with a water bottle. While there are a couple of places where there is an ice cream cart - near the Gal Potha  for one, food and water is really bring your own. As for other essential amenities such as bathrooms - there are none at all except at the Museum where you purchase your entry ticket. At Rs 3250 for foreigners and receiving very many visitors daily some of this money should be used to provide the necessities. Being Sri Lanka, that's unlikely to happen.

Ancient dagaba, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka