Sri Lankan Elephants, Caves, and Dead Buddhas

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I hadn't exactly dreamed of going to Sri Lanka. It was never high on my list. But several people told me how great it is and I needed a cheap holiday, which is not easy when I have two weeks to use for travel. So I used airline miles for the flight and when I started making plans, I realized the cheapest way to go was to book a tour. A big bus tour. Limited to 16 people though, so not too bad. I'd never done a big bus tour before, except for a few day trips, but this was my best option financially. So I booked with an Australian company called Geckos Adventures. It was easy, good value, and seemed very organized, which it was.

I left Kuwait at 3:30 am and wasn't feeling too excited about this trip, but I think I was just tired and maybe regretting doing the big bus tour, but it all turned out okay. When I arrived at the airport in Colombo, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot nicer than I thought it would be. I expected something like Kathmandu, but it is very modern, has Duty Free, and plenty of restaurants. My Gecko info said a taxi to my hotel, 35km away, would be about 7 USD. Uhh, no. I was quoted the same rate by all the taxi companies at the airport and it was more like 25 USD. But Gecko wanted 95 USD to organize a transfer, so I still got the better deal. My driver found the hotel in Marawila, north of Negombo, without a problem and I arrived by 1:30. It's a beach hotel with a beautiful beach that I could see from my window.

Met the other group members that night at dinner and it seemed like a good group. Mostly Australian, but one British guy, an American Jon and a Kiwi John. Some young, some my age, some older. A lot of teachers. Seemed like a fun group and no one got on my nerves right away. That's a good sign. I usually know right away. My roommate is Jodie, a 20 year old Aussie. I think we'll get along just fine. She's a nursing student and has traveled a lot.

Our first day was an early start with a 6:30 departure. Another reminder of why I don't like tours. We drove for a while to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. Not sure what the deal is on this place as there wasn't much of an explanation, but they sure did seem to have a lot of elephants born there who were definitely not orphans. It's fun to watch the elephants, but it is not fun to see them chained on a very short chain. We also saw lots of adults on their way down to the river for a drink and a bath. So cute. And there were so many of them.

We left and headed to lunch at a roadside stand. Rice, veggie curry, spicy green beans. It was delicious. Then we went to Mihintale, the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. First time I have had to take my shoes off and walk around outside a temple. Definitely worth seeing. We climbed to the two tallest points on the temple, no easy task for one of them. We were rewarded with stunning views. I'll be honest, I don't really remember much about the temples we visited, like the dates they were built. And because it was a tour, I can't even tell you what it costs or if it did cost to enter. We weren't given the tickets. But Mihintale is worth visiting. It was raining and we all got pretty wet, so we were ready for our hotel. We stayed at Heritage Hotel in Anuradhapura and it was pretty nice. Big rooms, nice pool, free wifi in the lobby, although I also had it in my room, which was weird as I was furthest from the lobby. And Jodie paid a single supplement, so I ended up with my own room! Score! Just hope this continues! I didn't have dinner here. Just a beer. It was about time.

This hotel had a good breakfast too. After breakfast we went to Anuradhapura, and ancient city where we saw several temples and the 2500 year old bodhi tree, the oldest recorded bodhi tree in the world. I think. Lots of Sri Lankans were here to pray. We had another great roadside lunch today. They are cheap, spicy, vegetarian, and good! About 300 to 400 LKR each I think.

Next we went to Sigiriya, also known as Lion's Rock. This is what I was most excited about. The pictures look amazing. So even though it was windy and raining, but not cold, I was excited to get to the top of the rock. Via the stairs. We weren't actually rock climbing. The gardens leading to the rock and the palace on top of the rock are all very well excavated and carefully preserved. New technology is being used for further excavation. The climb up was a lot of stairs in the wind and rain, but it was worth it. Doesn't take long if you're in pretty good shape. Some people don't believe there was a palace up there, but I do after seeing it. Something big and important was definitely on top of that rock for a long time.

Afterwards we drove to our next hotel in Polonnaruwa. On the way, we saw wild elephants alongside the road and Sujee bought us a bottle of the local coconut liquor called Arrack. We mixed it with Coke. It was like a mild coconut flavored whiskey. Not bad. But I wouldn't buy it and smuggle it into Kuwait.

So the first three days were really great and our group is turning out to be fun. Everyone seems to have a good sense of humor and we seem to have found the people we want to hang out with. This tour thing is all right. Relaxing since I don't have to figure out everything myself.

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Photos

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
There wasn't a lot of explanation so I don't know exactly what's going on here, but they said they release 40 elephants into the wild every four years.

Leader of the Pack
Heading down to the river

Getting Scrubbed
Not sure why only these two were getting scrubbed. Maybe they take turns each day. But these guys loved it.