Sri Lanka (Part 1)

Now that almost two months have passed since we were in Sri Lanka I am finally able to write my travel blog for this amazing and unforgettable trip. Frank, Alex, everybody, sorry it took me so long but I have been pretty busy… with traveling ;)

Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, plenty of elephants, killer surf, cheap moderate prices, fun trains, famous tea, flavourful food – do I need to go on? Sri Lanka is set to be one of the up and coming travel destinations over the coming decade now that the civil war and violence are a thing of the past. So if you want to experience the true Sri Lanka easily before the tourism industry will fall foul of tourist money greed, you better hurry as at some places you can encounter this state already. :(

What’s cool

• Off the beaten tracks It is easy to avoid tourist herds. If you head up North or to the East Coast, you will not find many tourists.
• Lovely people The people of Sri Lanka a so lovely, kind and welcoming.
• Head nod One thing about Sri Lankan that I really need to mention is that they do this head nod or shake, that made us a bit puzzled at the beginning. Does it mean yes, OK, or no?! It is a lot about this head shake in travel blogs and travel guides, so it is apparently well-known, especially in India. Well, the head shake is also in Sri Lanka. And everyone does it, from small kids to grown-ups. Apparently, it is kind of an acknowledgment to what you said. Whatever it means, it is a strange and funny head nod. :D
  
• Delicious food The Sri Lankan food is amazing! Their rice and curry is so tasty and full of flavor and supposedly one of the hottest in Asia.
• Perfect climate Sri Lanka has sub tropic climate, making it a nice warm country to visit.
• Great beaches You will find some of the world`s most stunning beaches in Sri Lanka! And many of them you have all to yourself.

Not so cool

• Increasing prices One thing that is not so good regarding a travellers budget are the increasing prices in Sri Lanka. Just a few years back, the accommodation, transport and entrance fees to sights and temples were much cheaper than today. The prices stated in our guide book were already outdated at printing.
• Tourist have to pay WAY more than the locals at sights Another thing is that foreigners have to pay much more than the locals to enter sites and temples in Sri Lanka. It can sometimes be frustrating having to pay ten times of the locals. Just be aware that entrance fees eats up much of your budget while traveling in Sri Lanka.
• Annyoing touts They are everywhere were a tourist infrastructure exists and try to get you into any kind of a deal. Whether they want you to sell a trip or guide you in “friends” shop.

Trip itinerary

Negombo – Starting Point

Negombo, located approximately 35km north of Colombo and 8km north of the international airport was of no real interest for us as we just like the majority staggered off our long-haul flight straight into our guesthouse here. Negombo’s beaches are very sprawling, but in my opinion rather shabby compared to the more pristine beaches we came across later on. I would say Negombo is Sri Lanka’s very own version of Pattaya.

Here it was also were we had a very unique culinary experience during dinner. After we got our rice served, Tanya just said “I think my dinner is moving”. Well, I expected an ant or something like that at most. But it turned out to be a leech! They had garnished her rice with parsley and a leech. Yum!

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

After one night in Negombo we headed inland to the East for Pinnawala and its famous Elephant Orphanage. Whereas I must say I was very upset and disappointed by the orphanage itself. It probably started with the best of intentions of helping elephant orphans back in time. However from our visit, we judged that nowadays it is maintained as a tourist attraction (could even call it a tourist trap) more than a sanctuary for orphan elephants found in the wild. As far as I understand they have a breeding program, and most elephants there are born in captivity and live in captivity during their lifetime. So it is sad to see a lot of these great creatures chained up by the leg, so a tourist can stand next to them for a photo. The repetitive movement of this chained up clearly shows that these animals are stressed and we could not wait to leave. Also, ticket prices were exorbitant for foreigners!

Although, I had my personal one-million dollar experience; having breakfast on the porch of our old colonial style hotel overlooking the stunning Maha Oya River and watching the elephants having a bath. Here you can see that in comparison to the orphanage the elephants are enjoying their bath and their peace as tourists are not allowed in close vicinity to the elephants.

Before Machu Picchu Was – There Was Sigiriya

Sigiriya is one of those ancient places, where the journey is as astonishing as the destination. The long drive into the heart of Sri Lanka along endless rice fields, the surrounding wilderness, the steep stairways that lead to the top, the stops at the frescoes and at the Lion’s Paw Terrace, and the summit with its magnificent view.

Build by the Singhalese ruler Kasyapa I in the 480’s AD, Sigiriya is a unique witness to the civilisation of Sri Lanka during the years of his reign. Surrounded by jungle, the palace/fortress he had built on the summit of a rock outcrop which towers above the plains of central Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura, some seventy kilometers to the north, had been the capital for the past 700 or so years; for seven years labourers worked to create the new one in Sigiriya. However, like Machu Picchu, it too would be abandoned by the next ruler and fall into disuse.

Some say, Sigiriya certainly rivals and even surpasses Machu Picchu in scale and in ambition. Although, I haven’t been to Machu Picchu yet and so I cannot confirm whether this would be mine impression as well. To be fair it should be noted that Machu Picchu (built around 1450 AD) was meant as a “weekend retreat”, Kasyapa (who ruled 477-495 AD) created an entirely new city and principal residence, a combination of palace and fortress which makes use of the two-hundred meter rock monolith (apparently remains of a volcano) and the surrounding plains of central Sri Lanka.

However, without the years of publicity and fame that Machu Picchu has received, few outside of Sri Lanka have even heard of Kasyapa and the achievement of his builders. The Ancient City of Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya – Lion’s Rock

Sigiriya Aerial Overview – source: http://www.sunwayholidays.lk/sigiriya/

One hundred meters above the plains – this area of the rock surface was prepared with a number of the frescoes below. It is thought that once some five hundred images were on the rock face. Today as visitors make their way up to the Lion’s Paw Terrace, they see only the few which survived.

On the same height level after you pass by the Frescoes you come to a terrace – the image below sets the scene. In the centre of the rock is a staircase which takes you up to the summit of the rock and the palace of Kasyapa.  Those days all one sees are two gigantic lion’s paws at the base; the original entrance would have ascended into the body of a crouching lion.  It is what gave the rock its name – Sihagiri or Lion Rock. Only the paws remain! Too bad, I haven’t taken more pictures as the place was too crowded. Now try to imagine how it must have felt like passing thru a mighty lion head on your way to Kasyapa’s palace.

What the Lion’s entrance might have looked like…

Finally, you come to the top – and what a magnificent view and what an elaborate site. The ruins of the palace, the enormous pool with the king’s special seat, and the sense of aesthetic appeal is remarkable. The view extends from all points in the palace to as far as the eye can see. Down below the wilderness looks like a green carpet and just above you the clouds look so close. The wind is strong and cool, and you can spend long minutes just admiring the view.

Sigiriya needs to be admired for its workmanship, its artistry, its vision and ambition and the way the natural landscape was integrated into the man-made plan. I really loved that place and enjoyed being there – so if you are around, don’t miss it!

Golden Temple of Dambulla

The next stop on our way thru the Cultural Triangle in the heart of Sri Lanka was the Golden Temple of Dambulla. As Sigiriya, the Golden Temple of Dambulla is also a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and is famous for its cave monastery with its Buddhist mural paintings and Buddha statues (157 in total!), most of that from the 18th century – boy, someone must have been pretty busy…

Make sure you come well prepared as the climb to the cave temple may be challenging, especially in this climate zone. Further, keep your food and belongings close to you as the ascend and descend is full of cheeky macaques.

The town of Dambulla is of no interest, cursed by heavy traffic heading for one of Sri Lanka’s biggest wholesale markets. So we spend our night that day in the more relaxed Kandy – if relaxed fits to any bigger Sri Lankan town or city ;)

Kandy to Ella

After the night spent in Kandy and another dinner experience (if you ever order prawns in Sri Lanka, tell them to peel them before they chop them in small pieces and fry with rice :D )  I was eager to do another highlight of our trip. One of the world’s most beautiful train rides, from Kandy to Ella. Taking the train to or from Ella is the most popular stretch of train travel in Sri Lanka, and is nearly a tourist attraction in itself.

And due to this popularity it is recommended to buy your tickets in advance. Of course that is the one thing I haven’t done as I don’t like to stick to strict time schedules on my journeys. At least I tried the night before but was declined by the station master and advised to come again in the morning. Luckily, we were still able to get tickets for second class (ceiling fans instead of air con).

Looking back now, we are glad the first class was sold out as due to the air conditioning they keep the windows and doors shut all the time. Whereas in the second class, as soon as we got on board everybody opened the windows and the natural breeze is ample ventilation as the train rides through the mountains. It’s also a much more authentic experience and better for photography.

The ticket prices were 240LKR (roughly 1.50EUR) per person. This might be even one the last cheap experiences you can get in Sri Lanka as the prices for everything have been going up and up and up over the course of the last two years.

The history of the railway system in Sri Lanka begins in 1858 and was initially founded by the British. The main reason was to transport tea and coffee from the Hill Country to Colombo for shipping internationally. Today there are train tracks between some of the biggest cities in Sri Lanka and the network is still in development. Especially in the south as we would encounter later.

At each train station on the way, the train cabins were filled with sellers hustling treats like freshly cut fruits, cold and hot drinks and Roasted Peanut Salsa. Yummy!!

The train from Kandy to Ella is supposed to be one of the most scenic and beautiful journeys in the world. And it’s definitely the case, it is undoubtedly among the world`s most beautiful train trips. The journey is a bit long though, 7 hours for roughly 160km, but as long as one have a nice view and interesting things to see and experience along the way, one can survive a sore ass :).

To be continued… Second part of our trip to Sri Lanka will follow as soon as I am back from my trip to the Flinders Ranges here in South Australia were I am currently based. You can find the second part of our trip to Sri Lanka here.

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