Blogs from Sigiriya, Central Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 2

Day 6: Sunday 10 September - Sigiriya - Dambulla - Kandy This morning we explored Sigiriya, home to the 5th-century UNESCO World Heritage listed Rock Fortress, also known as ‘Lion Rock’. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. Before starting our climb, we visited the Museum which told us the story of the rediscovery of the rock and the ruins. Even the museum was surrounded by water-lily covered ponds with many monkeys playing in the trees and around the rocks. Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. According to ... read more

Sri Lanka day 6: A safari, a village tour, a peckerhead, a mountain and more The day has broken, there is an elephant about 100 metres away, you want to photograph it....would you: a. Set the camera to auto, it's light enough so you don't have to worry about the flash going off and potentially scaring the elephant away. b. Set the appropriate ISO on your camera and maybe shoot in aperture priority so the camera sorts the shutter speed for you. c. Slap a bloody great flash gun on the top of your camera which will make no difference whatsoever to the picture as you're so far away but it may still startle the elephant? If you chose c you join the ranks of peckerhead first class and join the idiot we saw this morning ... read more

Decided to move on from Anuradhapura and go to Sigiriya given the "resort"was not really doing it for us and we'd exhausted the tourist highlights. Got a van and this time driver and co-driver, both looked a like Sri Lankan wide boys complete with bling, tats and a big as amp and subwoofer in the back of the van. Interesting journey, as we left Anuradhapura stopped at a roadside alter and the made a donation/offering for a safe trip, then duly blessed drove like crazy. We did come to a quick halt at one stage when a lizard walked in front of the van and waited for the lizard to make his/her leisurely way across the road. Although there was little concern for human life or potential injury apparently killing animals is a big no no. ... read more

Again, this is another aspect of the holiday I was really looking forward to – going up the Sigiriya rock! It’s not hard to notice as you make your way towards it, standing 700 feet over the surrounding plains. Before I went I was most looking forward to standing at the top of the rock and taking in the views, but when I got there I was surprised at the historic gardens that surround the rock and they are well worth exploring either before or after you make the climb. We saw the famous lions paw, mirror wall and frescoes on our ascent to the top and then I wasn’t left disappointed with the views when we finally made it to the top. My only reservation here would be to ensure you wear comfortable shoes and ... read more

Today we had to get up very early so we set an alarm. However, we were awoken by the sound of chanting. It was the full moon and a Buddhist holiday and the council was broadcasting the morning prayers at full volume. Then there was the sound of a mechanical “Fur Elise” which went on for a good hour! This we discovered was the tuk-tuk driver who delivers the bread! Basil came for us at 7:00 am to go to Sigiriya Rock. . We drove past Lake Kandalama which, again, is a reservoir. It is one of the main tanks for the irrigation of the area. The roads were no more than country lanes and everywhere was green and lush. The houses are single storey and the shops and businesses are also houses along the road. ... read more