Sri Lanka Part 3 – Central Area

Day 8  (June 13) Ella – Looking at the itinerary, we thought we were in for an easy day, after the rigours of the safari. We had three tours, and all three were just local sights to view. Easy. Not so!

The Nine Arch Bridge on the Kandy-Ella Railway is one of the iconic sights in Sri Lanka and a mecca for train spotters. Built in 1912, it is a stone bridge of 9 arches (surprisingly) over a deep ravine. To access it, we parked on the road and walked down. “Just a little bit more..” was always the answer to “Are we there yet?” Eventually, we emerged from the rainforest walk onto the bridge to join many others, including a large school group. Some had come from the other side by tuk-tuk ride, from a place that cars could not access very easily. We took our pictures and a train arrived, also stopping on the bridge for a while to allow passengers to alight and take photos. It is a beautiful bridge by any count.

I was worried about Christine’s ability to climb back up. The steps are killing on the knees going down but the climb up is physically demanding as well. We set off and got to the point about 40% of the way up where there was a tuk-tuk waiting. For $5, it was a bargain. Nilanka couldn’t fit in and the tuk-tuk had no hope with three in it, it barely made some sections with us two. It was the best $5 we have ever spent.

Then it was off to Little Adams Peak to take in the views. Just a easy walk for 2kms then some steps. He actually meant 650 steps, each one felt about 1 metre high. Christine stayed at the end of the 2km walk where there was a restaurant to keep her happy with a lime juice. Nilanka and I ran to the top. It was brutal. I kept having thoughts like “there are no medivac choppers here” or “I can always Google the view”. Once at the summit, the view was amazing and the fact that I had done it was rewarding. On the way down, I mentally assessed each person coming towards me as a “fail” or a “maybe”. Nilanka and I had icecreams as a reward for our effort.

The final spot was at least easy going. A small pretty waterfall is considered a good swimming spot. We couldn’t be bothered with bathers so we elected to just paddle in the lovely pool. Nilanka said there was a better pool and another fall accessible by a climb up the hill but we both voted down any idea of more climbing. Instead we paddled. The small sucking fish came out in force. These are the same fish sold for aquariums as “algae eaters” but they are quick to target the dead skins cells on people’s feet and we soon had them all over us. Christine hated it and escaped to a rock, while I didn’t mind it and happily let them chew all the old rotting flesh off my feet.

Once back in the town we sought out a restaurant and had a Vietnamese banh mi and an Italian Milanese roll just to spread the love around food wise and had a much needed afternoon snooze.

Day 9 (June 14) – We packed up and after breakfast, Nilanka took us to the Ella Railway Station. A cricket ground is situated next to the station and 6 teams were lined up listening to the opening speeches for a cricket carnival. The ground looked brutal, with the bare earth pitch situated so close to one boundary that bowling was only allowed from one end.

We waited for the train and watched the crowd grow larger, a mix of locals and some tourists, mostly European. Finally the train hove into view and we scrambled to find ur carriage. Fortunately, we did not have luggage, with Nilanka driving to our destination, Nanu Oya. The whole thing is about the journey, with this one of the World’s great journeys, offering spectacular views and a climb over the mountains at around 3000 meters. On advice from tourist blogs, we skipped the air conditioned 1^st class and opted for the 2^nd Class Reserved seat. This allows the windows to be open for a better view. Down in 3^rd class, the young backpackers even hang out the windows and doors for speccy photo opportunities but those days are over for us. The views were both interesting and spectacular, with deep ravines, soaring forest covered mountains, rice paddies, vegetable gardens and small villages. We made a few stops at stations along the way during the 3 hour trip. The final half hour saw the weather start to close in, with thick mist turning to light rain. The temperature dropped too, signalling the higher altitude of our destination.

Once off the train and back in the car, we drove a short distance to the town of Nuwarra Eliya, where we did a hurried walk of the town in the increasingly heavy rain. The market was a highlight. The vegetable grown in this highland region are the finest I have seen anywhere, and they are grown in small plots in people’s yards or small holdings. A huge variety is grown and everything looks amazing, with not a plastic wrap in sight. As we walked, we noticed that most locals were dressed in puffer jackets, and some with scarves and beanies. They knew what was coming. The clothing stores tried hard to sell Christine a jacket, because she still just had a blouse on and nothing warmer.

We left the town and drove up a steep hill to our accommodation, selected to give commanding views over Lake Gregory. Alas, all we could see was white. Once settled in to our room, we headed down stairs to the lounge to watch the AFL and relax in comfort. We were the only ones staying in the guesthouse, which was a beautiful building with rave reviews on Trip Advisor. This has been common for us, such is the depth of the “off-season” and the general decline in tourism in Sri Lanka. Even the proprietor was away, leaving one poor young man to be everything, receptionist, cook, housekeeper etc. He was a very friendly little guy with three and a half words of English but Nilanka managed for us.

We caught up on stuff on our computers and watched the Dockers make hard work out of beating the Kangaroos as the temperature steadily fell away. We both started to shiver badly. The problem is we had no real warm clothing. We asked for a heater, and a small oil column heater was trotted out and soon had us managing. Outside it was near gale force wind and hammering rain, along with a mist that meant that maximum visibility was less than 50 metres. Welcome to tropical Sri Lanka. We had planned to go out for dinner, but the weather rules that out so we order in a Pizza Hutt. Amazingly, we had a choice of that or Dominos and the cost came out at something like $15 delivered. Not only that, it was really delicious. We crawled off to a very early bed after securing extra blankets. It was one of the crazy nights where it got warmer as the night went on.

Day 10 (June 15) – Kandy – We were not sorry to see the back of Nuwarra Eliya, given that the visibility was not much better in the morning, although the temperature had risen a few degrees. Our drive took us steadily down, dropping around 1500m to Kandy. Most of the drive consisted of switch-back hairpin bends, negotiating around the tuk-tuks and motor bikes, which are restricted to 40km/hr. We were allowed 60km/hr and Nilanker never exceeds any speed limit, nor passes on an unbroken line. Most traffic is the same, a far cry from Australian drivers. The police are a very visible presence, and the on coming cars flash lights to warn of the police ahead. The buses are an exception. Their aim seems to be to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Any slow down of traffic ahead earns a loud blast of their twin horns. Nilanker’s skill in negotiating all this is amazing. There is no way I would contemplate driving here. I love it when someone decides they are going the wrong way. Simple. You do a three point turn on the highway. The cars that can get around you do so, the others stop and let you perform the action. No one gets out of their cars and bashes your windscreen in or kicks the front fender.

Kandy on a Sunday is very crowded, especially as the road we came in on is filled with international colleges that specialise in upskilling secondary students so they can get a better university entrance score or secure an overseas student visa.  The sidewalks (and road verges) were teeming with young people heading too or from classes and progress was very slow, even though the police had taken control and directed traffic.

Eventually, we made our way to the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy’s most famous site. Kandy was the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka before the British took over in 1815. The temple was the previous palace of the Sri Lankan King. Now it is a Buddhist Temple that houses the most famous of relics, a molar from Buddha himself. The relic has been a well documented symbol of Buddhism in Sri Lanka for many centuries, and its possession meant power. Many times it was taken and many times it was hidden away from threat. Even in modern times, it was endangered in 1998 when Tamil separatists known as Tamil Tigers, bombed the chamber that housed the relic. Now it has been moved deeper within the temple and is subject to very high security. Even entering the temple grounds, we had to enter through separate male and female gates so we could be frisk searched.

The temple is very grand, reflecting its former role as a palace. It displays a well presented history of the tooth relic and a great many items associated with its history. It is a very sacred place for Buddhists, as meaningful as the Vatican to Catholics and the collection of murals and ceiling art is on the same level.

From there, it was off to our lodgings, Jack Tree Lodge. Once again, we were the only guests in a very beautiful guesthouse. The people were so friendly and accommodating, but a few more guests would be nice. The other great thing about the accommodation is that it is perched on a high ridge, so amazing views are gained on both sides. We lazed around for a couple of hours before heading out to a Cultural Dance Show. Such shows are to be endured. The content bares an amazing similarity right across SE Asia, and usually involves much drum banging and elaborate costumes. This one was no exception, topped off with some impressive fire dancing, and it was actually very enjoyable. We sat next to a UK couple around our age who were just starting their own tour, in the opposite direction to us.

Nilanka took us up to a restaurant high on the hill with excellent views over the city. We paid a bit more than our usual conservative meal budget but enjoyed a wonderful meal in beautiful surroundings.

Day 11 (June 16) – Sigiriya – We left Kandy with the sense there was more to explore and made the decision that it would be our return destination at the end of the tour. We have built in some time to free explore and we will take a train from Colombo to Kandy to soak up a bit more of this interesting city. The drive out of Kandy was another very   long switchback descent for 50kms or so before emerging onto the plains, still dotted with isolated mountains. It was three temple drive. We keep saying we have seen enough temples but each one is so very different they are worth seeing, a bit like a cathedral tour in Europe.

A large Hindu temple in Matale was a working temple, although under reconstruction. The amazing array of colours and ornate decorations were worth seeing and to have some explanation of the workings from Nilanka was useful.

The second temple was an archaeological site a fusion of Hindu and Buddhist influences dating from the 9^th Century AD. It was very well preserved, probably because the huge stone blocks were carved from a hard granite-like stone rather than the usual softer sandstone.

The third temple was both a working temple and an archaeological site, probably the most famous in Sri Lanka. An enormous rock overhang high on a hill contains numerous buddhas, including three huge reclining buddhas. Unfortunately, to reach it we had to climb. Christine elected to take us by the cobbled pathway rather than the stairs but I’m not sure which was worse. The old legs are starting to protest more on each climb. However, the temple was worth the pain, a glorious testament to the importance of faith to mankind. The cave walls are covered with a staggering array of paintings, many depicting stories from the life of Buddha. Again, it is reminiscent of some of the great cathedral ceilings of Italy. I did find myself wondering if the original painters 1100 years ago found themselves painting over neolithic artwork from prehistory. The overhang is so huge it must have support early human life.

Our accommodation is called the Goddess Gardens, sounding more like a house of pleasure than a homestay. It is actually well named, with gorgeous gardens over a large area, beautiful pool and large well appointed rooms. Nilanka had not been there before and we joked about what we might find as we bumped our way across paddy fields and farmlands to the hostel. For once, we weren’t the only ones staying, with one other room occupied. We lazed away the afternoon with a swim and a snooze, before electing to stay in and eat at the hostel.

Day 12 (June 17) – Sigiriya – Today was one of the highlights. We had a booking with a Sri Lankan Village tour. On the way, we stopped at various places to take in views of the famous Sigiriya Rock, or Lion Rock, a towering slab of granite that looks like it is the plug of an ancient volcano. It is amazing to think that a fortress and rock temple was once constructed on the top. You would have to pity the workers.  It is possible to climb it, but the fee is high and so I elected to climb the slightly smaller neighbouring rock called Pidurangala later in the day.

The village tour is highly touristic but still a wonderful experience, the lunch being the highlight. First, we were loaded into a cart being pulled by an ox along a dusty track to a nearby lake. The ox was a large brahman type bull with horns so ingrown they crossed over. The yoke simply sat between his head and the large hump that they have on the rear of the neck so the keeper ensured that we sat in the right spot to balance the load and put a slight pressure on the neck. The cart was wooden and unsprung, so it was not the most comfortable of rides. The connection between the keeper and the ox was wonderful, the beast looking over often to get directions, and receiving affectionate pats for good work. There was no tugging of leads or touching with sticks at all.

From the cart, we off loaded onto a small catamaran pontoon paddled by two young men. They paddled us around the wetland lake for some time, working hard in the stiffening breeze. We spotted a good variety of bird life, the highlight being a pair of eagles nesting in one of the trees. They one made  Christine a beautiful garland out of a water lily while I was fashioned a weird hat out of a lily pad.

Eventually, they dropped us off on the other side of the lake to a pair of girls who took us into a traditional village house. The half walls were earth/brick while the long pitched roof was made from plaited coconut fronds. It was cool and comfortable. The kitchen was at the rear and consisted of a wood fired earthen stove with holes at the top for placing pots in. As heat was needed to different areas, the burning sticks underneath were moved around. It was highly efficient.

They demonstrated a variety of cooking techniques, getting us to join in with some of the preparation, while they prepared potato curry, sweet potato curry, an amazing coconut sambal, coconut roti, fried snake beans and, my favourite, a wonderful dish made with wild mangoes, which were little bigger than roma tomatoes and very flavoursome. They used hand grindstones to grind millet and flat rock with a round rock to grind ingredients for the sambal. The fish was river fish, Tilapia, cut into portions and deep fried with a rich herb coating.

Finally, we sat down with Nilanker to a meal that  would grace any top restaurant anywhere, such was the variety and quality. That all this was done on a simple wood stove with very basic cooking equipment was amazing. It was a highlight.

After a bit of a snooze back at the Goddess Gardens, I left Christine to swim in the pool and headed out with Nilanker to climb Pidurangala Rock. I was not confident that I would complete the climb, the reviews saying it was very difficult. They weren’t wrong. The steps were steep and very narrow, requiring a sideways foot placement at times. I rested quite a lot to keep the breathing under control but eventually the steps gave way to a broad ledge containing the ruins of an ancient buddhist monastery. Remains of stone walls showed where small cells were constructed under the overhang to house the monks and a earth brick and a mortar covered reclining buddha dates from the 5^th Century AD.

From the monastery, the path was mostly a matter of climbing over rocks, sometimes with the aid of a stout rope. There were quite a few tourists on the rock, climbing late  to catch the sunset view. I was pleased to see that most were a lot younger than me.

Emerging from the rocks onto the top was one of the “Oh wow!” moments as the full vista was exposed, the glorious Sigiriya Rock not far away and the backdrop of other peaks and mountain ranges. A couple of other Aussies of retirement age picked up on my West Coast Eagles shirt and we exchanged a few comments. They apologised for being Collingwood supporters.

The climb down proved much easier and I reached the bottom feeling a lot better than I did with the Little Adams Peak climb in Ella.

The Sigiriya area is very beautiful and rightly holds its place as one of Sri Lanka’s key attractions.