WE CLIMBED THE ROCK OF SIGIRIYA-THE 8TH UNOFFICIAL WONDER OF THE WORLD

WEATHER: Hot hot hot and 34C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Making it up 1200 steps to the top of the rock

BUMMER OF THE DAY: It is just so damn HOT

WORD OF THE DAY: Tooth Fairy

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 62km

BUDDHA QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

There were 2 things that were worrying me on this trip.  One was today's climb to the rick fortress of Sigiriya and the other is in a few days’ time when we hike through tea plantations for 2 days.  I am not fit and the thought of holding up the group terrifies me but at the same time I know I have the determination to do it, so I am going to do the climb this morning as this is one of the highlights of my trip to Sri Lanka and I was just going to have to toughen up.

It was an early start which didn’t worry us as it was mainly to beat the heat of the day and then also the other tourists.  So we were up at 5.40am and on the road at 6.15am.  We were going to have breakfast at the top after our hike up which was packed in my backpack along with 1.5L of water.  It was a 20 minute drive to the entrance and we were 15 minutes early before the gate opened.  So Indika told us to wait in line so we would be first in the compound and be able to take photos without other tourists in them.  As we waited in line Indika had to go to the ticket counter to buy our tickets and left us with a bunch of bananas to eat while we waited to get something in our tummies and give us some natural energy.  We had to watch our backs as there were a few monkeys’ only meters from us watching us eat them, we had learned from the monkeys in Anuradhapura and we weren’t going to make the same mistake twice. 

Indika was back at 7.30am and we headed in.  We walked through the water gardens which were empty as we were in the dry season but in the wet season they are full and the irrigation from hundreds of years ago still work today.  The Gardens of the Sigiriya city are one of the most important aspects of the site, as it is among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The gardens are divided into three distinct but linked forms: water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and terraced gardens.

The water gardens can be seen in the central section of the western precinct. Three principal gardens are found here. The first garden consists of a plot surrounded by water. It is connected to the main precinct using four causeways, with gateways placed at the head of each causeway. This garden is built according to an ancient garden form known as char bagh, and is one of the oldest surviving models of this form.  The second contains two long, deep pools set on either side of the path. Two shallow, serpentine streams lead to these pools. Fountains made of circular limestone plates are placed here. Underground water conduits supply water to these fountains which are still functional, especially during the rainy season. Two large islands are located on either side of the second water garden. Summer palaces are built on the flattened surfaces of these islands. Two more islands are located farther to the north and the south. These islands are built in a manner similar to the island in the first water garden.

The third garden is situated on a higher level than the other two. It contains a large, octagonal pool with a raised podium on its northeast corner. The large brick and stone wall of the citadel is on the eastern edge of this garden.  The water gardens are built symmetrically on an east-west axis. They are connected with the outer moat on the west and the large artificial lake to the south of the Sigiriya rock. All the pools are also interlinked using an underground conduit network fed by the lake, and connected to the moats.  It was all brown and no grass so it took a little bit of imagination to picture it all green and lush.  With my first glimpse of Sigiriya I thought what have I got myself in to.  It is a massive rock that you have to crane your head to see the top.  The sides of the rock look like they are at 90 degrees and we were going to walk up it to the top.  It really is very imposing when you first see it and I was a little nervous about what lay ahead.  The Sigiriya rock is a hardened magma plug from an extinct and long-eroded volcano. It stands high above the surrounding plain, visible for miles in all directions. The rock rests on a steep mound that rises abruptly from the flat plain surrounding it. The rock itself rises approximately 370m above sea level and is sheer on all sides, in many places overhanging the base. It is elliptical in plan and has a flat top that slopes gradually along the long axis of the ellipse.  I told you it was massive and intimidating. 

Sigiriya is a town with a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. It is one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.  Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees of the Buddhist Sangha. According to the chronicles as Mahavamsa the entire complex was built by King Kashyapa (477 – 495 CE), and after the king's death, it was used as a Buddhist monastery until 14th century.   It is within the cultural triangle, which includes five of the eight world heritage sites in Sri Lanka.

In 477 CE, prince Kashyapa seized the throne from King Dhatusena, following a coup assisted by Migara, the king’s nephew and army commander. Kashyapa, the king’s son by a non-royal consort, usurped the throne from the rightful heir, Moggallana, who fled to South India. Fearing an attack from Moggallana, Kashyapa moved the capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to the more secure Sigiriya. During King Kashyapa’s reign (477 to 495), Sigiriya was developed into a complex city and fortress.  Most of the elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces, and gardens, date back to this period.  Kashyapa was defeated in 495 by Moggallana, who moved the capital again to Anuradhapura.  Sigiriya was then turned back into a Buddhist monastery, which lasted until the 13th or 14th century. After this period, no records are found on Sigiriya until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was used as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy. When the kingdom ended, it was abandoned again.  The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kashyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kashyapa murdered his father by walling him up alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape being assassinated by Kashyapa but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka which he considered to be rightfully his. Knowing the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kashyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace. Mogallana finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kashyapa's armies abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.  Chronicles and lore say that the battle-elephant on which Kashyapa was mounted changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as the King having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon the king altogether. It is said that being too proud to surrender he took his dagger from his waistband, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly, sheathed it, and fell dead.  Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, converting Sigiriya into a monastery complex.

So we started the ascent and I waited for everyone to pass me before I started to climb the first of the 1200 steps.  They were pretty steep steps to start with and some of them were big and I had to hold onto the wall to help heave myself up.  It didn’t help that I had a dodgy arm, so I had to use my left where I am naturally a righty.  But Nic and Omar would be proud and I just thought of the ‘Spirit of the Turtle’ and just took my time to our first stop to get a view of what we had climbed so far.  I was sucking in some big ones at this stage and we had only been going for 15 minutes, crap this was going to be as tough as I thought it was going to be.  But the group was very encouraging and happy to wait for me and I am happy to report I was only 10 minutes behind, so it wasn’t hours.  The next section to climb was a staircase to see the frescos and back down a spiral staircase.  I didn’t think I needed to push myself that hard so decided to wait for them and have a little more of a rest.  Serena offered to take my camera up and get some photos of the painting, so that was nice and I got an extra 10 minute break.   John Still in 1907 suggested, "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery... the largest picture in the world perhaps".  The paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, covering an area 140 meters long and 40 meters high. There are references in the graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, many more are lost forever, having been wiped out when the Palace once more became a monastery − so that they would not disturb meditation.  The true identity of the ladies in these paintings still have not been confirmed. There are various ideas about their identity. Some believe that they are the wives of the king while some think that they are women taking part in religious observances.  The frescoes, depicting beautiful female figures in graceful contour or colour, point to the direction of the Kandy temple, sacred to the Sinhalese.

After the guys came down the rusty spiral staircase our next point of interest was the mirror wall.   The Mirror Wall was originally so well polished that the king could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. Made of a kind of porcelain, the wall is now partially covered with verses scribbled by visitors to the rock. Well preserved, the mirror wall has verses dating from the 8th century. People of all types wrote on the wall, on varying subjects such as love, irony, and experiences of all sorts. Further writing on the mirror wall has now been banned.  It was interesting to see centuries old graffiti and they take it that seriously that there is a guard that sits and keeps an eye on the wall from when the rock opens to when it closes.  What a riveting job……NOT. 

From here it was the push up to the second last stage of the climb and besides my fitness and a few uneven steps we made it quite easily following the rock ledge as we crept up the side of this impressive piece of mountain/ex volcano in the middle of the plains.  Some of the steps were original and some of the stairs actually protruded from the side of the rock, so you could see below as you walked along them a more recent addition for the safety of the tourist.  There was always something to hold on which was my main aim and at 7.45am we made it to the first flat mid-level terrace.  Here you could see a set of massive lion feet made out of stone and they were pretty impressive.  In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British army, while returning on horseback from a trip to Polonnaruwa, came across the "bush covered summit of Sigiriya".  Sigiriya came to the attention of antiquarians and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the Government of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work began on the entire city for the first time under this project. There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head broke down many years ago.  Here we had a great view of the surrounding western plains and this was where the last section was to begin to get us to the top.  Indika told us some information here, time to rest up, get some photos and then start the final ascent.  All these steps were not original and they were the see through steel steps, so if you have a fear of heights then this last section maybe a little challenging but I can tell you it is certainly worth putting yourself through it to get to the top.  So at 8.15am we made it to the top of Sigiriya.  This was an incredible feeling for me and Sue and Gary were there with words of encouragement as I climbed the last steps.  You need to look at a picture of Sigiriya to see just how steep the rock looks and even now when I look at pictures I need to remind myself that I actually climbed it.  What an incredible feeling. 

At the top Sigiriya consists of an ancient castle built by King Kasiappan during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site has the remains of an upper palace sited on the flat top of the rock.  The site is both a palace and a fortress. Despite its age, the splendor of the palace still furnishes a stunning insight into the ingenuity and creativity of its builders. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock that still retain water. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are still exquisitely beautiful.  Sigiriya is considered one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium, and the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The plan combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical plan; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface hydraulic systems, some of which are working even today. The south contains a man-made reservoir; these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals. 

What a view of the whole plains and to look over the ledge to the gardens that we had passed this morning, they looked so tiny below us, to think we came that whole way!! High five to all of us is all I have to say.  It was also an amazing place for breakfast as we all took up a spot under some shade of the trees and ate our breakfast, with the wind in our hair and a magnificent view and not a monkey to worry about this high up.  I had some dry biscuits, some ‘happy’ cheese (laughing cow), some tomatoes and an onion washed down with an orange popper and then Indika supplied some fruit and cheese as well.  And all this before 9am.  The sun was really starting to heat up though and when we started to pack away our scrapes and get the last of our photos there were more tourists making their way up as we were coming down and the sun really had a kick to it already.  As much as we like to not get up so early, the benefits certainly outweigh the downside of getting up so early and we were the only ones up there for around 40 minutes.  We circled the lower terrace on our way out and it really is mind blowing on how all this was built.  How did they get all the bricks up here?  How did the Royals get up here?  Were they carried?  Who carried them?  It was hard enough for me let alone carrying someone on my shoulders or in a carriage or however the king got up here.  What about food?  It really is mind boggling and I rate it right up there with the Egyptian Pyramids and Macchu Picchu.  I knew this would be a highlight for me and it didn’t disappoint and I MADE IT!!!

We were able to take a ‘short cut’ back down and it only took 35 minutes to make the descent.  My legs got the shakes though so I had to make sure they weren’t going to give way and to make sure you didn’t have a straight leg as you came down to try and stop the pressure on your knees.  It looked like a different place when we came down, more tourists, the souvenir shops were open, more sellers trying to flog their wares and there was a guy with a carpet snake that you could get your photo taken with.  Um it was a definite no from me but Janice and Pops got in there with no qualms.  This thing was massive and I don’t care if it was a carpet snake, it was scary.  So I took some photos for Pops and then we were back on the bus heading for the 25 minute drive back to the hotel.  We were given 45 minutes to finish packing and freshen up and then checked out of the hotel and were on the road to Kandy.  We had the luxury of a private bus, but we are finding the public busses are in better knick than our private ones and today’s bus was probably the most ‘rustic’ so far.  They haven’t been air-conditioned which I am okay with as long as we have windows and with a puff of smoke we were on our way.  Driving past lush green scenery and through villages with mountains popping out of what seems to be like no-where it was a beautiful drive. 

We had a lunch stop at 12.30 at a Spice Garden.  It was like an oasis, somewhere to get out of the heat of the day.  There were massive shady palms and trees, dirt paved paths through vegetation it felt 15C cooler once we stepped into the gardens.  Lunch was in an open air building, surrounded by the gardens and everything we ate had been cooked and grown on site but I have to say it was all a little too hot for me to eat.  I gave it all a try though.  There was banana flower curry, aurbergine, some bamboo stuff, dhal and some other things that I have never tried before.  I have never been a curry eater, I can handle mild stuff, but anything hotter than that and my taste buds have something to say about it.  Christine rekons I could have built up a spice intolerance, as mum never cooked with spices and I in turn also have never cooked with spices.  The rice is always reliable and thank goodness I wasn’t the only person that can’t have curries too hot, Suzie Q and New Garry also can’t eat anything spicy.  The rest of the group were always happy to have hot stuff…….  After lunch we got a tour of the spice garden.  I have done a few ‘spice tours’ over the course of my trip, so I had an idea on what to expect but the guide we had was very hands on, very charismatic and got us involved asking us questions about the spices.  He really was very knowledgeable and we learnt so much.  He showed us plants, what they are used for, what they cure, what they smell like and how they are packaged.  We saw cinnamon, pepper, lemon grass, citronella, coca tree, sandalwood, turmeric, nutmeg, vanilla, cocoa and lime oil.  After the tour we got to sit on some benches in the shade of the garden and sample some of the products made from the spices we had seen in the garden, a small cup of tea and then the piece de resistance at the end was a 10 minute massage of whatever part of the body we wanted.  I don’t like the whole get your clothes off massages, but feet, head and shoulders I could do any day.  So there were 13 masseuses on hand, one came over to me, so I told him about my sore arm and he started on that and then he just went to my back, my neck, my arms and then he got a bit ballsy and did my lower back where he ran his hand just below my short line.  Cheeky I think, but man the massage felt magic even though I don’t think it did my arm any good it felt fantastic.  We were asked to tip our guys at the end of the massage and not knowing how much to give I gave 400LKS (3AUD) he looked stoked with that and like any good salesman, there was a shop where you could buy the products made from the spice garden.  I tell you I knew it was a sales pitch, but he was good, the massage was good and I bought a bottle of lime oil that is supposed to aid in lowering your cholesterol and also your weight.  Now I know there isn’t a miracle cure to losing weight, but if something helps then I should give the natural remedy a go right?  The bottle was 1L and you have 2 teaspoons with tea each morning for 3 months.  What have I got to lose, well except the 35AUD I paid for it?  There were a lot of sales cranking through the cash register from hair removal, to red oil, to sandalwood. I think they had a good day from us.  But what a nice way to spend the afternoon.      

We left a little after 3pm and at 3.35pm the bus started to fill up with smoke?  Uh oh…  We pulled over and it started to get steamy rather than smoky and everyone had to get out as the bus had turned into a sauna!  Mel and I were sitting down the back, so we didn’t bother to get off as Indika and the bus man went back and forth with a water bottle filling up something for the next 15 minutes.  It stopped smoking and steaming and then we limped our way for the last remaining 1 hour 20 minutes to Kandy.  We are heading up in altitude, with Kandy 600m above sea level and you could tell by the vegetation and also the temperature was at least 10C cooler up here.  The roads were windy, so we got a few toots as cars, busses and trucks wanted to pass us as we were going pretty slow in spots. 

We arrived into Kandy at 4.45pm and it looks quite modern for Sri Lankan terms.  It has a few western shops and they look like they may have a bit more money in this region.  Our hotel was located on a mountain that overlooked part of the city and other mountains on the other side of the valley and it was beautiful.  The restaurant had this outlook and on the other side there was a pool and to top it all off they had free Wi-Fi!  What else could we possibly need?  We had 2 nights here and I think they were going to be just what we needed, well me at least.  We were given 45 minutes to get to our rooms, freshen up and then we were loaded into 2 vans to take us to what Kandy is most renowned for.  The Temple of the Sacred Tooth.  The drive back down the mountain was quite hairy as it is windy and you can’t see traffic coming the opposite way and if you hugged the ridge too hard you would fall into a ditch and the other side you just fall off the mountain.  Careful driving driver……

It was only a short drive back to town and we were dropped right in front of the Palace as the sun started to set.  We walked along a path that led to the entrance where as usual we had to take off our shoes and then enter the Palace.  Lucky I am not a germaphobic but I guess if you were you would keep your socks on so that you aren’t walking on all that toejam from other people, but in saying that the floors are just about spotless, the days that I did wear socks because the ground was too hot they really weren’t that dirt when I took them off, so in the temples defence I don’t think there is a lot of toejam around.  Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy.  It is located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple.  Monks of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings. On Wednesdays there is a symbolic bathing of the Sacred Relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers, called Nanumura Mangallaya. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.  The temple sustained damage from bombings at various times but was fully restored each time.

So what is the story of the Sacred Tooth Relic?  After the parinirvana of Gautama Buddha, the tooth relic was preserved in Kalinga and smuggled to the island by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha on the instructions of her father King Guhasiva. They landed in the island in Lankapattana during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Meghavarna (301-328) and handed over the tooth relic. The king enshrined it Meghagiri Vihara (present day Isurumuniya) in Anuradhapura. Safeguard of the relic was a responsibility of the monarch, therefore over the years the custodianship of relic became to symbolize the right to rule. Therefore reigning monarchs built the tooth relic temples quite close to their royal residences, as was the case during the times of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa kingdoms.  During the reign of King Dharmapala, the relic was kept hidden in Delgamuwa Vihara, Ratnapura in a grinding stone. It was brought to Kandy by Hiripitiye Diyawadana Rala and Devanagala Rathnalankara Thera.  King Vimaladharmasuriya I built a two story building to deposit the tooth relic and the building is now gone. In 1603 when the Portuguese invaded Kandy, it was carried to Meda Mahanuwara in Dumbara. It was recovered in the time of Râjasimha II and it has been reported that he reinstate the original building or built a new temple. The present day temple of the tooth was built by Vira Narendra Sinha. The octagonal Patthirippuwa and moat was added during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. Originally it was used by the kings for recreational activities and later it was offered to the tooth relic. Now it is an oriental library. It was attacked on two occasions, first in 1989 by the JVP and in 1998 by the LTTE.

We got a chance to walk around the main shrine which is a 2 story building known as the lower floor and the upper floor.  There are several signs around the grounds reminding you to stand on an angle if you are getting your photo taken with Buddha and you weren’t allowed to have your photo taken with the shrine at all.  The doors of the upper floor are carved in ivory. The actual chamber which the tooth relic is kept is known as the "Handun Kunama" and is located on the upper floor which is where we headed to next.  Under Indika’s instruction, he told us to go and wait in line, so we were at the front of the queue, as the chamber that houses the tooth relic is opened to the public form 6.30pm-7.30pm and people come from all over the county to see it and the line goes down the stairs and out the doors.  It was 6.15pm when we got there and there were a few people already in line.  There was a long table at the front of the shrine where people could make their offerings all in the form of flowers and as the time wore on more people came to make their blessing and tables filled very quickly with blooms.  There were a few guys behind the tables that were moving flowers towards the back, taking leaves off some of them as to keep making room for more offerings.  In the meantime Indika took our camera’s and was taking photos for us lucky for us he was also there early as people arrived and stood in front of the shrine hoping to catch a glimpse of the relic tooth without having to line up.  Down the other end of the hall were people congregating with what looked like gifts wrapped in cellophane, but when we looked closer they looked like the monk ‘packs’ we had seen in the museum in Dambulla, maybe they were entering the monkhood today?  The golden canopy built in 1987 over the main shrine and the golden fence which encircles the main shrine are other notable features.

I always try and be respectful when I am in churches, temples or places of worship as I hate to think I am upsetting people who are trying to have their time with their religion.  I am always worried I am going to do something to offend them without knowing.  I try and not stare and not take too many pictures if there are a lot of people around.  The chamber opened exactly at 6.30pm to the beat of drums that were downstairs and were really loud.  With the small push of people behind us we made our way, single file, to the shrine.  It was like seeing Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, you were quite, respectful and the line had to keep moving, you weren’t allowed to take a photo and you weren’t allowed to stop.  The room was brightly lit with a few monks inside and you could clearly see the caskets that the tooth relic is housed.  The tooth relic is encased in seven golden caskets which engraved with precious gemstones.  The caskets have a shape of a stupa. The Procession casket which is used during the Esala Perahera (Kandy Pageant) is also displayed in the same chamber.  So you don’t get to see ‘the tooth’, but this doesn’t seem to worry the believers.  I wonder when the last time someone actually saw the tooth?  I guess like any religion you just have faith and it doesn’t really matter if the tooth was in there or not?  What baffles me and some of the others in the group is the shape of the tooth, it looks like a tigers tooth and not really human, I should have asked Indika about that, but it certainly has been around that tooth and had a very colorful history.  When we exited the other side of the hall the room was now packed with people, some lining up to see the casket, some standing in front to get a glimpse, some praying, some meditating, some offering their blessing and then the ‘to be monks’ all lined up.  This happens every night; can you image how busy the Kandy Pageant would be?  Too busy for me.    

We looked into 2 small shrine rooms, again in the push of people as you enter in one way, single file, do a loop of the small shrines and then out again.  We watched the drummers while we waited for the last of the group and then we headed outside to one of the old palace verandahs with the tall roman looking columns where Indika gave us some more information on the tooth relic and then what our plans were for tomorrow.  The weather outside was quite pleasant and it is amazing what 600m above sea level does to the weather conditions.  We have a tea factory tour tomorrow and then a free afternoon, I know what I will be doing and that is chilling at the hotel.  There are some botanical gardens too see here and a few markets, otherwise there isn’t too much to see in the actual city itself, so knowing that I was happy to chillax knowing I wasn’t missing too much. 

Dinner was at a western place tonight called The Pub and it was nice to see something other than rice and curry or curry and rice on the menu.  They also had a massive projector on the wall where the semi- final of the Twenty 20 was being played between the West Indies and Australia.  I hate to say that Australia were playing atrocious, we looked like amateurs out on the field and the West Indies were playing super well.  There was an over there that 5 sixes got hit, in one over!!!!  They were on fire and deserved to get to the final playing Sri Lanka!  Now what a great game that should be!  From here we went to the supermarket for supplies and then in 3’s we caught tuk tuk’s home.  Well we thought coming down the mountain that our hotel is located on was scary coming down in vans; it was scarier going UP in tuk tuk’s at night!  You just couldn’t see where the road ended as we wound our way up and you really could see the oncoming traffic if you stuck to the middle of the road.  But we made it safe and for 300LKS (2.30) they really are a cheap mode of transport especially when you divide that by 3 people.  It is sometimes hard to wrap your head around the amount, that 300LKS isn’t 300 dollars…..

So another BIG day and after saying goodnight to everyone like the granny that I am Lenore and I were tucked up in bed at 9.15pm.  We had the luxury of watching a little TV tonight and it was lights out at 10pm.  The days start so early and we are so active the thought of a late night is actually hilarious at this point of the trip.  Even if I wanted to stay up I think my mind and body would just shut down anyway.  I am looking forward to a day off in Kandy and getting some sun and reading my book that is all I can say.