Month: September 2017

Random stuff from my first week of travel:

Smoking

I’ve not seen many people smoking, and all those I have have been westerners. Maybe it’s not part of the culture, maybe it’s too expensive. Or maybe Sri Lankans are very health conscious. Either way, it makes a nice change.

Sun cream

Superdrug have stopped making their super-duper Baby Solait Factor 50+ (*sob*), so I brought Boot’s Soltan Kids 50+ instead. Big mistake. Very unimpressed. Whereas I applied Superdrug’s first thing in the morning and despite very sunburn-prone skin and lots of sweating, it lasted all day, three hours after liberally applying Boots’ version, I was burned to a cinder. Not happy. Might write to Superdrug’s CEO, or start a petition for the return of their awesome suncream.

Local buses

With an extensive network, you can pretty much get from anywhere to anywhere in Sri Lanka using local buses. Local ones are always crammed, but fares are low and you get a ticket, so you don’t get scammed (although I did notice locals giving the conductor a, errr, “contribution” and not receiving a ticket). “Luxury” buses have slightly bigger seats (including one up front, which I was lucky enough to get once), but they’re still crammed.  On either vehicle, however,  you’re guaranteed a fast transfer – buses are easily the fastest thing on the road.

Blackness

When the sun goes down, it gets dark. Really dark. Lack of light pollution means a deep, never-ending blackness. Love it 🙂

Technology newbie

My travel buddy has just discovered the joys of the iPhone. It’s a bit like the way children make you see the world in a different way. For instance, a reminder popped up about his niece’s birthday. He proceeded to explain, with more than a little wonder in his voice, that if you have something in your diary, it’ll remind you: “I wasn’t expecting it to do that”. He was clearly impressed. I was impressed that he was impressed.

Eaten alive

I may be single-handedly sustaining the entire Sri Lankan mosquito population. I have evidence of this. Lots of evidence.

Similarities and differences

After spending time in SE Asia, there is much of Sri Lanka and its people that remind me of it. But also many differences.

Similarities

• Beeping (horns are used to warn people you’re overtaking as well as all the situations we’re familiar with. It makes for noisy journeys)
• Crammed buses
• Dogs (but better kept – they’ve got glossy coats and, apart from the odd invalid, appear to be in very good health)
• Shops open to street
• Scams (*sigh*)
• Small bananas (also larger versions – still not the same as the ones we get in England, but much tastier)

Differences

• Scaffolding (whilst bamboo scaffolding can be found, the important bits use metal struts)
• Paved roads (I’m really rather amazed by the quality of the roads – all the main ones are tarmaced)
• Everyone required to dress respectfully, not just women (whereas temples in SE Asia required women to cover shoulders and knees but let men in wearing whatever the hell they liked, in Sri Lanka all attendees are asked to dress respectfully)
• No penchant for long fingernails
• Prices often displayed (which is a breath of fresh air for someone who’s tired of always being on guard for scams, and hates haggling)
• Fat stomachs (they’re podgy, with pot bellies – maybe a sign of greater affluence and the high sugar content of some of their foods – and surprisingly it’s the women, too; whereas western women tend to put on weight around their hips and thighs, Sri Lankan women get fat in the same places as men)
• Motor insurance (stickers displayed on tuk-tuks were rather a surprise – never saw this anywhere in SE Asia)

Little Britain

British influence is everywhere in Sri Lanka, but often subtle:

• Road signs (many look just the same as home)
• Road markings (ditto)
• Driving on left (nuff said)
• Familiar brands (sometimes it’s the same logo but with a different name)

A wonderfully relaxed morning: lay in, breakfast in the courtyard, some internet research, writing and a Coke.  Oh, and a good chat with the owner who’s leaving for a holiday in Malaysia, via Singapore, tomorrow and wanted to hear all about his destination.  Didn’t really want to leave, but we’d done all the area had to offer, and the town wasn’t really one you’d hang around in, so we finally left.

On arriving at the bus station, the conductor put our bags on board and gestured to the best seats in the house. Up front. With no seat belts. I didn’t want to appear ungrateful, but the best view wasn’t worth risking my life for. Decided to go with it, and I needn’t have worried – the roads are good. Very good. UK-standard good. And there’s virtually no traffic – even on long, straight stretches, you couldn’t see more than a dozen vehicles.

We’d only just started when the bus pulled over, and the conductor jumped out. To pray for a good journey:

Twice:

For some reason, I decided to take pictures of road signs.  Well, there were no bugs, and they reminded me of home:

I sat in the front and spent a very happy 3.5 hours wondering in the place that is Sri Lanka:

Slogan t-shirts are back:

A bling temple:

And metal scaffolding has reached Sri Lanka – they use metal for the important bits, and prop the rest up with bamboo:

Oh, and buses are the one of the fastest things on the road, overtaking tuk-tuks, vans, cars.  And they’re the opposite to London: you get on the back, and disembark from the front:

As we neared Kandy, the world became greener, there were more mosques and motorcyclists were wearing jackets (a sign of cooler temperatures here in the mountains).

On arrival, the conductor suddenly wanted paying. Twice the price, as it turned out the price he’d quoted us was, yet again, a “tourist price”.  Two tuk-tuk drivers seemed very upset about this. One of them, Anas, took us to view some hotels. Checked into a deserted one, and headed back into town for dinner and sunset:

I’ll start with a gratuitous picture of today’s chameleon:

Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka until about C11 AD, when it moved to Polonnaruwa.  Nature has gently embraced the ancient city, which is now a sacred place for Buddhists, and makes for a pleasant stroll among the ruins:

But first, to the bodhi (bow-dee) tree. It was under a bodhi tree that the Buddha found enlightenment, and it’s now revered in Buddhist culture. The oldest bodhi tree in Sri Lanka draws crowds, mostly natives:

And then to a tour of the main sites.

Guardstone: stone tablets guard the entrance to many buildings in the city. This one depicts two lovers coming out of the cobra above the figure holding the “pot of abundance” which is interpreted as meaning that fertility promotes prosperity. It is considered one of the finest examples of guardstones in Sri Lanka:

Moonstone: Stone semi-circles at the base of the steps (“moonstones”) are very common. Two of the finest artistic examples are here.

• Palapeti (which I think refers to the lotus-flower, although it’s difficult to see whether that’s what the carving shows) symbolise the “world in flames”;
• the next layer (of animals) symbolises birth, old age, illness and death (which seems to emphasise the end of life, rather!);
• next, rambling creepers symbolise craving, and the smaller creeper the diminishing of craving;
• swans symbolise the pious people;
• and, finally, the central lotus represents the “Supreme Bliss”:

Near the stone, a woman was cutting the grass… by hand, swinging a golf-stick-like implement:

It later became apparent that “gardeners” were positioned at all the main sites (some of which were a distance from the roads), I assume to unobtrusively ensure their protection.

We’d started early, so even though it was only just past ten, we were getting hungry. Most of the stalls around the tourist areas were empty, another sign that it’s shoulder season:

But we managed to find some water and a very tasty, freshly-cooked banana roti – yum:

Then a tour of the other main sites via tuk-tuk, starting with one of the main events – the Abhayagiri Vihara (“stupa”):

Founded in C2 BC, it was a major monastery but fell into disrepair when Anuradhapura was abandoned. In 1997, the Central Cultural Fund began its reconstruction, using 2,833,431 bricks and costing 530m LKR (£25.8m).

It was also here that I spotted an ice cream van, Sri Lankan style (later I also saw an ice cream tuk-tuk but wasn’t fast enough with the camera):

Then to the Samadhi Statue, an eight-foot high granite sculpture of Buddha in the meditation position (hands overlapped in lap with palms turned up):

Via the twin ponds (28m and 40m):

To “Jetavana”, now standing 73m high, and originally conserved by the British upon colonisation:

By this time, we were definitely “stupa’d out”.  It was gone midday and it was *hot*. But we just had two more to see, starting with “Thuparamaya” where the third relic (collar bone) of the Buddha is housed (which Tharanga mentioned yesterday):

And finally, the “Great Ruvanweli Seya Dagoba”, with it’s impressive wall of elephants:

The dilemma of whether to be thorough and finish with the well-respected archaeology museum was made when we arrived to find it closed.  Inside, I breathed a small sigh of relief.

We headed back via the outdoor swimming pool-cum-bath:

A lotus pond (shame the flowers weren’t out):

To a well-earned rest.

Tiring and long, but a good day – glad we made the effort to come.

BOTD:

Whilst some days you know are going to be good, others you expect to be uneventful and then pleasantly surprise you.  Today was one of those days.

Standing at the wrong stop for the bus to Anuradhapura meant I got to see a real-life chameleon:

He would skit somewhere, do a few press-ups and then sit dead still.

Later in the day, there was one showing his camouflage abilities as he blended into the bark of the tree:

 

The bus ride (75p) took half the time we’d estimated:

And when we arrived, a tuk-tuk driver took us to what turned out to be a great “tourist rest”. This might be a first – usually they take you wherever they get most commission. He then suggested an afternoon trip to Mihintale (Min-ta-lay), the “birthplace” Buddhism in Sri Lanka).

After a proper Sri Lankan lunch at a local cafe (£1.50 for the best food so far):

…we set off and were greeted by a friendly, but not pushy, guide – Tharanga.  Decided to risk his fee, and we weren’t disappointed as he brought the place to life.  Let’s start with the main story:

Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka when six monks came to the area and met Mahinda, the son of the king who was there to shoot. Killing is against their religion (ok, Buddhism isn’t a religion, it’s a philosophy – but it’s close enough for now), so the monks wanted to stop him. They asked him four questions about the trees, and his answers proved he was intelligent. He decided that he wanted to stop killing and so converted to Buddhism.  Mihintale is where all the action took place. Under a mango tree.

We started at the alms house or “monk’s canteen” (see the long rice trough, and shorter curry trough):

Then the relic house – the large bowl at the entrance is for them to wash their feet, and the old Sinhalese script on the stone entrance slabs list the 56 rules for monks:

Round tombs of important monks are built around their ashes:

The Buddhist flag – the colours symbolise confidence (blue), holiness (yellow), wisdom (red), purity (white) and desire (orange). Monks dress in orange in recognition of the fact that all humans desire:

There are three “relics” of Buddha in Sri Lanka – his tooth (in Kandy), his collar bone (in Anuradhapura) and his “third eye” (here, although it’s moved to the main stupa now):

We went to the main stupa next where we encountered a small group of monks in the main shrine:

… who were really keen to chat. So keen that they fetched an English-speaking monk to translate. Some monk facts:

• They retire at 10:30pm and rise at 4am (for prayers)
• They will be monks their whole lives
• The monastery has about 30 monks
• They rely on donations from people, both Buddhist and Hindu
• They travel for free (they have no money, but are given vouchers, but rarely have to use them)
• They have “sister” monasteries in Basildon and Uxbridge (who knew?!)
• They were at the temple today because it’s the death-day of Mahina, so had come to pay their respects (how fortuitous for us 🙂
• They forgo all worldly goods… but also all worldly stresses 🙂

We chatted for ages, and then they wanted to give us gifts: some incense sticks, fuel and wicks.

The youngest monk had clearly taken a shine to me.  All the signs were there: the shy smile, the way he didn’t take his eyes off me whilst we were talking and how his face lit up when he found out Rudy and I were “just friends”. Oh, and he followed behind us as we wandered round the site, smiling shyly when I turned to find him watching us.  I look young for my age – he was probably young enough to be my son. Mind you, dating a monk has gotta be good karma, right? 😉

By this time, Tharanga had popped up to see where we’d got to! Chatting to him gave an insight into a Sri Lankan life.  He is one of nine children. When their father left, their mother couldn’t support them, so him and one of his older brothers joined the monastery as assistants. When the monks had finished eating, they took the leftovers back to their family. The experience has shaped his outlook on life – he is grateful for what he has, doesn’t want for material goods and is keen to build his “karma” for the next life.

Then to the Buddha:

And strategic angles for photos:

Buddha’s hands are in the “teaching” position. The three erect fingers represent Buddha, philosophy and monks. The position of the thumb and index represent the “circle of life”, which can be good or bad. Following the Buddha, philosophy and monks mean that it will be a good life.

We caught sunset on the descent:

Then, whilst putting our shoes back on, Tharanga warned us of the local tuk-tuk driver tricks: they’ll offer to show you around Anuradhapura without a ticket, but you’ll only see the minor places. Or they’ll keep hold of your ticket (which gets stamped at key sites), show you copies of the famous sites and then sell your unused ticket to another tourist. He repeatedly asked that we didn’t tell the drivers what he’d said. Back at base, the tuk-tuk driver did exactly as he’d predicted – promised a tour for a low price and for “a small amount extra” he’d get us in without a ticket.  Sometimes travelling is relaxing. Mostly you’re on your guard.  Thanks, Tharanga.

An unexpectedly wonderful day 🙂

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Random stuff from today:

I wish I had hands like this woman’s (well, I say that, but working for a multi-millionaire early in my career taught me the value of money – what it can and, more importantly, want it can’t buy):

Walking back to our hotel, some monkeys hopped, skipped and leapt across the bridge, into the trees and off over the roofs. Free-runners, I’m afraid you’ve a long, long way to go before you can compare to these beasts 🙂

As Sri Lankans often eat with their hands, a sink is a feature of most restaurants and cafes:

Bars on tables are back – specially installed so I can’t get my long legs underneath.

Bus conductors remember everyone – who’s going where, who’s paid, who’s owed change. And with up 56 seats and another 14 standing, that’s one impressive piece of RAM.

And finally, another impressive bug of the day:

… although this one came a well-deserved runner-up:

Knew it was going to be a good day when I saw the kingfisher (I always seem to just see a flash of blue):

Sigiriya (see-gri-ya) is ancient palace and fortress complex built on top of a striking rock plateau, formed from the magma of an extinct volcano:

Sitting 200 metres higher than the surrounding jungle, it’s easy to see why it was chosen as the site for a monastery (C3 BC), a royal residence (C5) and then a monastery again (until C14 when it was abandoned):

Some interesting facts (not verified) about it:

• Known as “Lion Rock” when King Kasyapa built a gateway in the form of lion’s feet (apparently the head and body have long since been lost, and tourists are now shown the “‘lion” in the natural rock which needs some imagination, but could work)
• Due to its inaccessible location, its construction required “advanced architectural and engineering skills” and it is of “significant archaeological importance”
• It’s surrounded by an extensive network of fortificatons, gardens, ponds, canals, alleys and foundations which are amongst the oldest landscaped gardens in the world
• It’s widely considered to be one of the finest examples of ancient urban planning (although I couldn’t find any detail to explain or justify this – even at GCSE you have to back up any statements you make 😉

It’s also *very* touristy. Entrance was an eye-watering £24 – much more than attractions of equivalent historical value in the UK. But then we’ve got a few more of them, so maybe each one becomes a little less important*.

So, skipping the “shopping complex” (which I’m guessing is not original):

… I headed up Lion Rock. Here’s the natural lion’s head:

… and its paws:

Half-way up there was a small overhang naturally sheltering dozens of ancient pictures.  One Aussie had violated the “no pictures” rule and was treated rather heavy-handedly – the guard had physically grabbed him and his camera, telling him he had the power to put him in jail and the right to hit him! I arrived when they’d sat him down and were going through his pictures. Demanding his passport, he said he didn’t have it with him, so they wanted to send his girlfriend back to the hotel to get it.  Eventually, after giving them his visa number, they let him go – he just hoped that the system wasn’t efficient enough to get his visa info to border control within the next 10 days.  And the photo wasn’t even of the ancient pictures…!

Amazing views from the top – well worth the climb:

*This reminds me of my visit to Rome: the place is literally littered with incredible pre-Christ history, so you find yourself saying stuff like “oh, that’s only 4 AD” and deciding to give it a miss!

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My first safari. Here are the money shots:

We were lucky enough to get a volunteer guide who was a mine of information:

• Elephants flap their ears to keep cool

• Dirt on back is sun cream
• Shake grass before eating (to remove insects) and birds hang around to eat the cast-offs
• Sleep standing up (they’re so large that moving from lying to standing will give them a serious headrush)
• Mud bath to keep cool and protect from insects
• Only sleep for three or four hours
• Groups are mostly females and children, with one dominant male
• Other males live alone or can stay with the group but can’t mate: if he tries, the leader will kill him
• At the age of about 16, young males will leave the family group
• Asian elephants usually live between 65 and 75 years (in contrast to African heffas who live for 90 to 95 years)
• Mating season is Jul to Dec
• Gestation period for elephants is 21 – 22 months (oh my!)
• Only milk can be taken direct into the mouth – everything else (water, food) is via the trunk (6 – 8 litres of water each time)
• Elephants need to drink 60 – 80 litres of water per day
• Elephants need to eat 250kg (mostly grass) each day – that’s why they spend most of their time feeding
• Children only stay with their mother – if left with their father, he won’t look after them (not exactly the modern man)
• Can walk up to 45 km per day: they stay in the jungle in the morning, and venture into the open in the (cooler) afternoon
• They can run at 45 – 55 kph, but only for about 200m
• Conservation is important: numbers have fallen from 13,000 (2010) to 6,300 (2017) due to habitat destruction and accidents (e.g. being hit by trains that now run through their homes)
• If an elephant is dying, the group will stay with them; they often die in the jungle

Tourists come for the elephants. Indeed, some 4WDs sped into the park, and then straight back out again. Which is a shame, because there’s lots of other amazing things to see, too.

Like the chestnut bee eater (there are also green and blue varieties) which, apparently, flies very fast (to catch the bees, I guess):

An Indian roller (beautiful bird):

The male peacock is the only bird in the world with a royal blue neck (he sheds his tail feathers in Jul/Aug when he looks very similar to the female):

We also saw: emerald dove, painted stork, fish eagle and sea eagles:

… as well as weaver nests (they build many nests to make it a bit of a lottery for the snakes, and the entrance is at the bottom where it’s difficult for snakes to get in):

And a massive beehive:

A long, tiring, but amazing day 🙂

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Random stuff from today:

The lack of domestic cats was very noticeable. Today I saw my first one.

Road sign of the day is fairly predictable:

And it’s not a road sign, but this one’s worth a mention, too:

Bug of the day was difficult to judge today, so I’ve separated it into two. Here’s dead BOTD:

And live BOTD:

Ancient temple ruins were supposed to be the highlight of today and they were, indeed, wonderful. But were totally usurped by the amazing wildlife: monkeys, a wild deer (who was surprisingly tame because strict poaching laws mean they have no need to fear humans), beautiful butterflies, a lizard, ibis, lemurs, Nandi (OK, so he was in stone, but impressive nonetheless and it was great to see an old friend again), termites (well, their homes anyway) and dogs:

Oh, and green parrots. Can you spot one in each of these photos*?

We’d left about 9am for the one-hour drive to Polonnaruwa. We arrived at 2pm.  Lots of unplanned stops meant we only just had enough time to see the main sites, which was a shame because the museum looked quite good.  But it was more important to see the actual stuff, so I skipped round – here are some random, interesting facts:

• Sri Lankan civilisation started in the protohistoric iron age (c. 900 – 800 BC)
• Anuradhapura was originally the capital of Sri Lanka, but its strategic position weakened and it became more susceptible to invasion from South Indians. So the capital moved to Polonnaruwa until 1236 when civil strife and war brought it to an end.
• Buddhism was introduced in C3 BC and became the state religion
• Sinhala script emerged from Brahmi script
• The divinity of the king was an accepted norm
• Pallava period (C7) showed the modest beginnings of South Indian architecture: a roof structure formed by the repetition of the ground floor design, in receding tiers, topped by a stupa

And then to the main quadrangle where all the buildings were either “shrines for the tooth relic, or connected with its worship” (Buddha’s tooth was allegedly salvaged from his funeral pyre and brought first to Anuradhapura, but moved when the capital was transferred here):

Impressive guardstones:

And wall decoration:

Then to the first of many (many) stupas:

And to one of the main events: Gal Vihara consists of three Buddha statues carved from a single piece of granite. Widely considered some of the best Sinhalese sculpting and carving, they were created in the C12 by Parakramabahu (King of Polunaruwa from 1153 to 1186). Well, that’s what Wiki says, but I’m guessing he commissioned them, rather than sculpted them – kings have other people to do that. From left to right: seated Buddha, standing Buddha and reclining Buddha:

Alahana Parivena is the largest monastery complex in Polonnaruwa, and was probably built on a former cremation ground (based on archaeological excavations):

Monks’ cells surround the main stupa and behind it was Lankatilaka – a quiet place with high walls that gave it a cathedral-like atmosphere:

Outside, the walls had many carvings of buildings which I’ve not seen before:

And it was nice to see this advice for those not familiar with Buddhist “rules” (which is far preferable that reprimanding people when they violate conventions, but not as good as tourists doing a bit of research before they arrive):

Heading back, we took a detour to the main road – headlights confuse the elephants and they’ve been known to charge.  There are many things I’d like to experience before I hit the soil, but being attacked by a frightened wild elephant is not one of them 😉

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Random stuff from today:

Lion rock (hoping to climb this tomorrow):

Road sign of the day was a two-way tie:

Curry for breakfast is the way to go. Especially dhal, rice and spicy veg. Added to my beloved noodle soup, my breakfast repertoire is expanding most pleasingly:

Leaving Colombo on the bus, to the cacophony of horns:

With a bus conductor who doubled as the left indicator:

“I think we’re going on the local roads, not the expressway”, said Rudy. But we were indeed on the expressway, Asia-style – with dogs, tuk-tuks and shops lining the route.

Past school kicking-out time during a downpour:

And eventually out into the beautiful countryside:

Each town we passed had a speciality, including weaved baskets, fruit, toilets and second-hand car seats.  We sped past houses of all different kinds, but almost all were better “quality” than the corrugated shacks lining many of the roads in SE Asia.

The bus got gradually busier til it was standing room only:

But when the monk got on, he was respectfully given the best seat in the house.

A very short four-and-a-half hours later, we arrived at the junction where we were to meet our tuk-tuk driver… only I’d lost his contact details. For the first time ever. And I’d not taken a photo of the note. For the first time ever. Oh dear.

Waiting at the bus stop after being quoted an unreasonable tuk-tuk price (same the world over), another driver pulled up and not only offered a decent fare, but a homestay at the end of it. With breakfast. Sold.

The friendly residents included three generations… and some lemurs:

A coconut tree and beautiful birds:

And gigantic ants (who’d turned the washing line into a super highway):

I often hear westerners moaning about “red tape”. Admittedly, it sometimes goes too far, but without regulations, showers would look like this (who, exactly, thought it was a good solution to put the plug next to the shower?!):

Just before sunset:

… we wandered into “town”, which consisted of a few shops and restaurants along the main road:

… where we sampled the local coconuts – the water of these orange coconuts is slightly sweet, refreshing, and not anything like their brown, hairy cousins:

… before homemade dinner back at the ranch:

An unexpectedly fab day 🙂

All the signs were good. Approaching Colombo by air, we were treated to a breath-taking aerial view:

Then, once in the airport, I nipped to the ladies – the Bum Gun is back 🙂

After a nice chat with the tourist information lady, we stepped outside and the heat me like a tsunami.  Ah, Asia heat. I’ve missed you, old friend.  The bus was waiting (63p for the 45 min trip into town):

He dropped us off too early, but some friendly locals called the hotel on our behalf and hailed a tuk-tuk. He gave them the name of our hotel, then “How much?”

“100.”

About right, so we hopped in. We’d been travelling less than 2 mins when the price increased to 200 LKR.  Ah, Asia scams. I haven’t missed you in the slightest, old friend.

Back on the street, we started walking.  And the hassling started.  But I’m ready for it now.

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The smell of sewage was our first welcome to the sea. But we persevered walking down the promenade and it was soon replaced by pelicans:

Further on, we were rewarded with an amazing, local evening of socialising, stalls and food. Everyone seemed to be out, chatting with friends, entertaining children, flying kites:

Nice to see the locals are a little rebellious:

We talked, we laughed, we drank in the atmosphere, we ate.

What a great start to a new adventure 🙂

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Random stuff from today:

As a Brit, the road signs were familiar:

Logging the old-fashioned way:

Ingenious way to stop the bins dancing in the wind:

“Coal” made from coconut shells:

Life has been insanely busy over the past few months. Which is why, 24 hours before leaving, my packing table looked like this:

But I soon collected some bits and, without any finesse, stuffed it into my trusty backpack:

Time for another adventure 🙂