Lions, Monkeys, Elephants, Pots and Massages!

 Dambulla Day 2

It was a 4.30 am muster this morning in order to get to Sigiriya (Lion Rock) to watch the sunrise, but also importantly to walk the 1200 steps in the relative cool of the morning and without the crowds.   It was still dark as we arrived and we walked the long path to the rock with what looked like archeological remnants to our left and right, so I was wondering whether it would be worth it…you know how some people get really worked up about an archaeological site, and yet all you can see is a pile of bricks….well then you have some idea of what I was thinking.   

AI pic of what they believed it looked like originally

Well, Sigiriya did not disappoint.  It was a little challenging at times, not for the muscles but more for the mind!   At points it was an open metal staircase, relatively steep and my bifocal lenses did not help…by the time I got to the top, the knee was telling me it was time to rest but my stomach was telling me to stay on hard ground for a while!   We climbed the last few platforms to dangle our legs over the terrace walls and watch the sun rise to the east through misty mountains and lineal cloud formations - it was beaturiful.   When the sun was fully up the enormity of the Lion Rock was more evident than it had been in the dark.  At the top of the rock was once a palace - complete with throne and swimming pool - all built into the rock-a huge feat of engineering and labour and Arni advised it was built into 18 years!   I can only imagine it must have been thousands of people and/or they were worked extremely hard!

When we descended, the lion feet were more obvious - we had walked right through them in the dark.  

It was back to the hotel for some breakfast and a short power nap before we climbed into the bus for another adventure…but on the way one of the most wonderful things happened.  We were driving along the road, and blocking the traffic coming the other way was a wild elephant.  He just stood there!  The tuktuks were not game to drive past him for fear of him tipping them over, however our big bus posed no problem so we just drove right up to him and I stared a wild elephant in the eye!  He was magnificent and looked right back to me.  Absolutely magical.  

We drove on further to the Village of Murray Kadawala - to watch a Mother/Daughter-in-law combination of master potters who demonstrated traditional Sri Lankan pottery techniques.   THey use no machinery - one turns the potter wheel by hand, while the other shapes the pot from local clay.  They explained that the process from forming to firing can take 2 to 5 days depending on heat drying the clay pot before putting glaze on.    The firing is in an open kiln that they make each time, smoothing the mound of posts with a mixture of rice hay and mud to seal it.  It was quite fascinating.  

They also served us a local herbal drink made from belly fruit and Jalapa, a sweet treat wrapped in kenda leaves.   

Lunch was in a Farmers Rest Hut in a local village.  A series of locally homemade vegetables, rice and curried fish, topped of with fresh fruit desert.  It was a great experience to visit how genuine locals live, and one of the ladies demonstrated how they weave palm leaves for thatching and how to dehusk the rice and grind it with a grinding stone.   

After the walk up and down 1200 steps, a couple of us felt a little spoiling was in order and attended a local Ashram for Ayurvedic Massages - I had the full massage and foot reflexology topped of with a 20 minute steam room….the massage was full body, including head and hair.  When that was done the masseur worked on all the pressure points in my feet for another 40 minutes.  My skin was buzzing for hours after - all the stimulation was a natural high.  I was covered in oil from all the massage and then taken to a steam room that was the hottest I have ever experienced.  The floor was covered with need leaves and it was to take 20 minutes.  At the 15 minute mark the masseur checked on my - every part of my body, including the soles of my feet were sweating!    I stayed another a few minutes before leaving - it was suffocating!   I took a cool shower which was wonderful but the skin buzzing is still happening some 6 hours later!  

A jeep ride back to the hotel before meeting for a quick drink and dinner with some of the group.  It will be a good sleep tonight! 

Negombo, Kurunegala to Dambulla

So, it was a few days of RnR in Negombo - I really didn’t do very much at all except give the Hotel Spa good business, a walk around and a short TukTuk tour of the main sights, while frequently inhabiting a lounge next to the pool and wading in ‘tepid’ water in the pool to watch the comings and goings of a resort style hotel foyer and poolside.  There were a lot of European visitors who were daily pool goers - for the whole day!   My you…I really couldnt talk at all because I was a daily visitor, though not for whole days.  

The TukTuk tour was conducted by ‘Fernando’ who was very pleasant.  He was a native of Negombo, spoke relatively good English.  He told me he only did tours part time and was a fisherman at other times.   We drove around the roads…relatively narrow but busy (however not by Indian standards).  We crossed bridges over canals that the Dutch had built, and saw forts that they also built that were now prisons.  The tour was average - St Marys Church (which had colourful statues, lots of gold and vibrant frescoes ); the Hindu Temple (also colourful) and the Buddhist Temple (also colourful).  

It was the fish markets that stayed in my mind.  They were a hive of activity with hundreds working in one way or another.   Many were on the beach processing fish - beheading, gutting, splitting to then go into drums of salt and water for 48 hours.   There were others who were emptying the drums and spreading the salted fish on Hession laid out on the hot sand.  In the hot weather as it was, it would only take 48 hours for the fish to fully dry so it could be sold to locals, and some imported.   Apparently Salted Fish is a staple of Sri Lankan diet - particularly for those who cannot easily get fresh fish as it lasts between 3 to 6 months.    It was quite a mesmerising process - these people were working from 4 am ish and were covered head to toe in clothing, hats and even balaclavas to protect themselves even though the temperature was 36 Celsius!

Inside the market - a rough tin covered series of alleys with cloth strung in the not roofed areas to keep the sun off, were a variety of sized stalls.  Each one offered their wares on plastic sheets with some stallholders doing some advertising by calling out….it seems every fresh food market has a similar process.   On the sheets of plastic sat Tuna, Shark, Stingray, Snapper, barracuda, and something that looked like a large gar fish on the ‘big fish stalls’.   On others there were layers of small tuna; sardines, squid and anchovy and sometimes prawns.  Some stalls were purely prawns with four to five different types and sizes and yet others had a variety of crabs.   It was a rather hectic place with the constant movement of people in the laneways, the constant watering of fish on the pallets and a heavy scent of fish….on a hot sunny day it was not the nasally sensitive!   A quick shot of eucalyptus to the nose was a quick way to solve what could have been a ‘heaving’ exercise response!

The next tour group met for dinner at the hotel and then proceeded across the road to Lords Restaurant for a Sri Lankan dinner.  It was another round of’get to know you’conversations with a completely different mix of people than the previous two tours, although the total remains at 7, it consists of one couple and 5 solos travellers.   Gwyn and Peter from New Zealand, Caroline from Ireland, Jo from the UK, Rob from near Myrtleford in Victoria, Liarne from Canberra and me.  Our Tour Leader is Arni - a Sri Lankan from the Kandy area.  

Our bus is much more luxurious than Nepal - which I was very pleased about when I spotted it on the first morning….nice comfortable seats and individual AC outlets looks like it will be a much more comfortable ride for the next week or so.     We departed at a civilised time for Kurunegala to visit Vihara Shrine - a cave Buddhist temple dating back to 2nd C BC!  At one time there were up t 500 monks living at the site, today only half a dozen.   Many visit to offer thanks and respect to Buddha, leaving floral offerings.   There were beautiful wood and stone carvings and images of Buddha - both past and future.  

After that visit, it was a curry and rice lunch at a restaurant - trying many different vegetable dishes, red rice, chicken curry and then a desert plate that had avocado with treacle, buffalo curd with treacle fresh fruit finished the lunch.  

A few hours later were at our hotel at Anaya Lake at Dambulla.  It was hot so a dip in the pool finished the afternoon.  The hotel was once a retreat and is surrounded by by trees with monkeys and monitors, next to a lake and consists of individual hut style accommodation - all very comfortable.  As i sit and write this morning, the sounds of nature permeated the environment and just call you outside to look.  We have been told to keep windows and doors closed to keep ‘naughty monkeys’ out!