Sri Lanka, the teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean is a remarkable destination. I spent a fortnight there with my Australian friend, Cathie. We’d been plotting a trip for a very long time – the Rough Guide I’d bought to inform an itinerary was purchase in 2008. Armed with an updated version, we followed a route planned by Cathie’s travel agent who had also appointed a car and a driver. (The original reason we’d delayed our plans was due to the difficulty in getting around by public transport on a time-limited visit.) Of course, the car and driver were a luxury but also a necessity due to the suspension of rail services caused by cyclone Ditwah which ripped up sections of the track.
To recover from jet lag (a direct flight from London takes 11 hours), we stayed at the beach resort of Negombo on the West Coast. Afterwards, we headed inland to the impressive rock fortress of Sigiriya. The 200 metre ascent starts by entering the mouth of a carved lion and culminates with the ruins of King Kasyapa’s palace (477–495 AD). The climb is a challenge including walking along a ledge to see the mirror wall (once coated in reflective white plaster) and now covered in ancient graffiti in praise of the wall frescoes known as The Damsels.
Two ancient cities were also on our itinerary, starting with Polonnaruwa. I was amazed by the sleeping Buddha at Gal Vihara in the ancient city. Craftsmen utilised the grain of the granite to carve an image that it was hard to take my eyes off.
This further image shows how the three statues of Buddha were hewn from one single piece of rock.
Anuradhapura, the other ancient city, was a different experience. It remains a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists so many of the ancient sites have been restored, giving a real sense of what it must have been like during its long history.
The cave temples are Dambulla are especially beautiful with amazing paintings and statues depicting the life of Buddha. I craned my neck to gawp at the images on the ceiling which unfurled like a magic carpet.
We had a busy time in Kandy with its rich history as a Sinhalese kingdom. There were many temples to visit and time for a cultural show.
And some pictures from a morning spent at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in Kandy.
In the hill country, we stayed at Nuwara Elia where we visited waterfalls, tea plantations and some of the colonial-era buildings.
At Galle Fort, we walked around the rampant at sunset and enjoyed the many Dutch colonial buildings.
And back to Colombo for one night before our return flights home.
Have you ever thought about a trip to Sri Lanka? It’s well worth visiting.
the writer is a lonely hunter 