Hi everyone and Happy New Year! For those of you who were out having fun last night, I hope you are also feeling good today. For those of you who went to bed early last night like me, and those who didn’t, I hope that regardless of how you spent New Year’s Eve, you will find plenty of joy in the year ahead.
So, Day 2 in Sri Lanka started at 7:26 AM with a standard rite of passage for arranged tours, the breakfast buffet. Similarly, buffet lunches and buffet dinners are also quite common when travelling on a planned trip like this. While part of me wants to trash on buffets in general, to begin with, where does all the uneaten food go? These tend to be good ways to quickly feed a diverse set of travellers, and sometimes serve as ways to introduce us to foods that we otherwise would not have tried.
Erik then picked us up in our ridiculously large van at 8:30 AM, and we were off to see some of the local sites. We had some doubts about the fish market where we arrived at 8:40 AM, but it turned out to be far more interesting than I would have guessed.
While not an absolutely full proof deterrent, the salting process before the fish are left to dry in the sun keeps all but the most determined birds away, as they have evidently learned that at least by bird standards, these are not conveniently served tasty morsels to be quickly snatched up and carried away. This is evidently the way most Sri Lankans have traditionally stored fish before refrigeration became widely available, and it continues to be fairly popular for its convenience. I was pleased to see this, since it affords these artisanal fisherfolk a way to continue to have a livelihood. However, for those wanting fresh fish, that was also possible, and there seemed to be some birds on the lookout for those as well.
However, as we were not actually in the market to buy anything, at 9:02 AM we walked nearby to the remnants of a Dutch fort. As I have found is frequently the case in South and Southeast Asia, despite its “protected monument” status, nobody actually seemed all that interested in really preserving it.
Either within the area of the fort, or perhaps just in the immediate vicinity, at 9:08 AM we checked out St. Stephens Anglican Church, but no pictures were permitted inside. While it was tasteful looking inside, I honestly did not feel that they needed to be worried about it becoming an incredibly popular tourist stop.
From there we walked around a bit more before heading back to the hotel at 9:40 AM for a quick bathroom break before we started our road trip for the day.
Once we were on our way, we made a quick stop at 10:50 AM to get some fresh pineapple and coconut water.
Then connected to the aforementioned coconut water stop, we unsurprisingly stopped at 11:29 AM for a quick toilet break. I was very impressed by the cleanliness of the roadside toilet. Those of you who have travelled a lot will understand why I was understandably pleased. I wondered if all/most Sri Lankan public bathrooms would be like this.
Now do remember that I told you to expect a lot of this. at 1:00 PM we stopped at a tropical lunch buffet place. There were plenty of options, and I was very happy with the variety of vegetables. The cost for the three of us was 7720 LKR ($26.41 USD).
At 1:39 PM we left the buffet and continued on towards our nearby lodging, Palitha Homestay in Sigiriya, where we arrived at 1:55 PM to drop off our bags before immediately heading out again at 2:19 PM to go to Sigiriya Lion Rock where we arrived at 2:23 PM. The cost of admission for non-SAARC citizens was $35 USD per person, but they accepted international bank/credit cards with no surcharge. The area was interesting, but I thought it would have been better to go with an actual guide; yes, Erik was along with us, but his real function was that of driver.
At 2:36 PM we started the actual walk up to the top of the rock, and by 3:01 PM I was even more convinced that this would probably have been a better experience with a properly trained guide. Having Dorothee and Laurianne along made it still be nice, but it really just turned into a test of physical endurance. I did not check, but the entry fee (as is logical) must have been WAY less for Sri Lankans, as the place was packed, and there was only one way up and one way down. Since so many people were struggling, and there was no way off the path and also no way to pass people, the pace was certainly manageable, and also less physically demanding than when I had visited the Great Wall of China in October, but it was still a bit of a challenge.
Once we were actually at the top, it did not seem so incredibly overcrowded, and there were many beautiful views, but we of course had no explanation for any of the ruins themselves. Still, it was pretty.
We dragged it out for a while, but in the absence of any explanations, and also acknowledging that sooner or later we were going to have to get in the line to go down, and we certainly didn’t want to be doing it in the dark, at 3:34 PM we got in the line to walk down, but it was not until 4:01 PM that we were actually able to start the descent. Even more so than when we were going up, the many times unevenly shaped and sometimes slippery stairs were a bit of a challenge walking down.
At 4:21 PM we arrived at the yellow wall with apparently ancient graffiti and the fairly short flight of spiral stairs which led up to the paintings. No pictures were allowed there, presumably because if more people knew what they actually looked like, they might not go there. Don’t get me wrong, assuming they had not been retouched, the simple paintings were in good condition, but I would say that their true value was more in their age than in their artistic mastery. We were only in the actual area of the paintings for two minutes and then at 4:27 PM once more started the walk down the narrow stone stairs.
We passed the reasonably interesting “cobra rock” at 4:36 PM and then were at the bottom with the souvenir shops at 4:40 PM, quickly getting back into the vehicle at 4:42 PM and heading back to the nearby homestay where I was dropped at 4:47 PM while Dorothee and Laurianne went for Ayurvedic massages.
I am not really a big fan of all the oil they use, and to be fair I am not a big seeker of massages in general. I don’t know why, but unless it is an actual medical massage, I just find it makes me uncomfortable to be touched like that by strangers. However, I know that a lot of people are really into it, so maybe later on I will change my opinion. Anyway, while they were off getting soaked in oil, I took advantage of the opportunity to wander around a bit in the area near the homestay before it got dark.
While it was pleasant to look at, the paved road ended at 4:56 PM and I thought it unwise to continue along the rough dirt path, since I couldn’t really tell if it was meant for public access or not. Thus, at 5:05 PM I was back at the Homestay where I put the popup mosquito net on my bed (I’m not really sure why only one of the beds has a “permanently installed mosquito net”) and at 5:21 PM decided to take a shower and shave. I couldn’t figure out the hot water, so I just showered with cold water which given the heat was not so dreadful, but still a bit unpleasant. Furthermore, it was one of those horrible showers where you end up getting water everywhere since the toilet and shower and not actually separate. Then while shaving, the stopper got stuck in the sink, making it impossible to drain the water.
While waiting, at 6:17 PM I decided to do my Duolingo practice for Hindi, and at 7:53 PM we all sat down for a pleasant dinner before going to bed.
The sleeping arrangement was less than ideal, since the way the air conditioner was placed, it meant that the people in one bed would freeze, while the other bed would not get much coverage. This could also not be resolved by using the fan, since it did not actually work . . . Still, while not especially photogenic, the food at least had been fairly good.
And that was how the second night in Sri Lanka ended. The lodging was proving itself to be a bit of a challenge, but the Sigiriya rock, if somewhat overcrowded, was a nice place to visit. Honestly, it is hard for me to guess if I would have gone to the rock had I been on my own. I mean it is one of the “must see” spots of the area, but it is a bit expensive for what you get. For the most part, the food had been decent today, but not particularly outstanding. Still, it was nice to share with Dorothee and continue to get to know Laurianne while experiencing a change of scenery for a few days.
For those who are curious about what happened during our next day in Sigiriya, you will just have to keep on reading Day 3. Of course, if there were any details about Day 2 which I left out which you would like to know, shoot me a quick note in the comments section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Travels with Jay 