Monday 9th February

Village Tour – Sigiriya Rock

Today was a relaxing start, I had a swim at 7.30 am in the lovely pool and then sat on our balcony looking at the babbling brook and the countryside beyond.

On the road to our ‘village tour’ this morning we saw many white flags. Our driver informed us that they were signs that a Buddhist funeral was taking place.  Sri Lankan Buddhists are either buried or cremated.

Black flags are seen at a Christian funeral, this is usually a burial and Sri Lanka’s Hindus are cremated.

After a short journey we pulled into a small clearing with a few bullocks, carts and a wooden ramshackle office.  After paying the 25 Euro per person, we all set off on a cart pulled by two bullocks.

A few minutes later, when we had turned off the main road, the driver stopped and let me take over the reins.

Later it was the turn of Anne. It was great fun, and Anura did a great job running ahead of the cart to take photos!

 

Our friendly and happy driver left the bullocks in some shade and gave us all a life jacket.  I like to think that he was genuinely happy, but he had the tell-tale red teeth of chewing a betel quid (the seed of the areca palm, also known as the betel nut). This has long been a habit in Sri Lanka, and is often offered as a sign of welcome; it is also used in ceremonial traditions.

These days however, it is greatly discouraged by medical doctors due to its carcinogenic properties.

Following the happy chappy through a wooded area, we soon arrived at a pretty lake with flowers and trees, where we boarded a small two-hull wooden catamaran.

The lake had an abundance of flowers including orchids and water lilies.  There was also a large variety of birdlife; we spotted kingfishers, ibis, kites and storks amongst others that we couldn’t name.

Our happy chappy picked a bunch of mauve orchids for Anne and me.  He then made hats from lily pads for Dave and Pete.  Anne and I said they looked like Robin Hood or Peter Pan.  Dave said he would settle for the ‘Lost Boys’.

The smiling guy hadn’t finished with his gifts and when we saw him pick a water lily Anne and I guessed that it was for one of us.  He then spent a few minutes seemingly cutting a piece of stem off with his fingers then another and another.

Both of us were thinking ‘leave some stem on, there will be nothing left’. Once he had completed his work, he tied the stem together, and beckoned to Anne, then placed the necklace over her head.  He had been stripping some of the stem and leaving some of the whole stem creating like a chain effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  ride on the lake was serene and beautiful.  The driver pointed out some grey langur monkeys just before we reached the village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After saying farewell to our driver, Anura led us the few steps to the village where we entered a traditionally constructed house.

This was one of a couple of houses which I believe were purposely built to give cooking demonstrations etc to tourists.

A local lady showed us various traditional ways of cutting, grating and grinding food using different implements.  One of which was a large smooth stone.

I asked Anura if his wife still used such customary ways.  He confessed that his wife now has a blender.

 

The four of us watched while the lady cooked a lunch of mango curry, pumpkin curry, boiled rice and fish from the lake.  It was a tasty meal.  Anne and I didn’t eat the fish, so along with Dave’s leftovers we fed it to a local black cat.

After lunch the lady showed us how to separate the rice from the husk.

She then used large leaves to make a durable roof or cover for shade. We all, of course, had a turn at some of the tasks, although Dave and Pete declined to try turning the rice into flour using two mill stones.  They joked that it was ‘women’s work’.

Apparently, the lady would clear everything away, and then return to her village house.  I was a little surprised that we didn’t actually walk around the place. But with just a couple of houses for the cooking demonstrations etc, it does mean that it doesn’t become overrun with tourists. The ‘village tour’ was both interesting and fun.

Our transport back to the starting point was a rotavator vehicle pulling a cart. Anne and I again took a turn at driving.

As it was just 1.30 pm, Anura offered to take us to a gem shop or a wood carving factory to kill some time. but we all declined.  None of us enjoy shopping, preferring to see the sights.

Sigiriya Rock translates to Lion Rock; it is an imposing sight to see.  The first glimpse of the huge rock outcrop is quite breathtaking; it has many different colours.  At first, we wondered how on earth we would climb it, but as we walked closer and spotted the halfway point which we were aiming for, it didn’t appear to be as high as we thought.

Halfway up, a metal spiral staircase clings to the side of the rock, which leads to a cave with apparently remarkable frescos.  Some say the frescos depict a King’s concubines, other sources say they are Celestial Nymphs.

The rock outcrop has a few remains of a 5th century capital city on its summit.  They are mainly low foundations of a palace and a fortress.  And of course, there is a spectacular view.

Dave decided not to climb up the rock due to a knee injury; he would find some shade near the exit and wait for us.

As we were exploring the gardens, Dave was looking at the remains of a dagoba (a stupa) and I was just about to walk up some ancient steps, when a small rodent ran into a hole close to the bottom step. Then I saw a silvery coloured snake following it, not all of its body went into the space.

The weather wasn’t too hot, and I was anxious to start the climb. I had told Pete and Anne that I would probably see them up there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I headed through the boulder garden and upwards. I hadn’t climbed many steps before I spotted Anne up ahead waving to me, she was on a small bridge between two huge rocks.  I think they were hanging back for me, bless them!

Before I reached them, I had to squeeze past a bunch of Orientals who were making a lot of noise while they were posing for photographs.  They were stood close to a sign stating ‘Silence, so not to disturb the wasps nests’.

The three of us continued together.

At one point, on some steep steps, a self-appointed guide took my arm saying it would get steeper coming down and best to have help.  He was obviously wanting to earn some cash. He took a little getting rid off, but I managed it, and jogged up the next set of steps.

One part of the hike was a bit scary.  Pete said that the narrow walkway was referred to as ‘Suicide Pathway’.  However, there was a wall to protect you from what was, at that point, a sheer drop.

The metal spiral staircase was encased in a metal frame.  Apparently, this had been recently added, so it wasn’t as daunting as it previously was.

Finally, we reached the cave which was no wider than our minibus.  A rope divided the space down the middle, and signs instructed ‘No Stopping’.

Luckily for us, it wasn’t too busy, and we did manage a couple of seconds looking at each individual fresco. Anne was searching for the painting with a six fingered nymph, which we think she found, but it was difficult to be 100% certain. The frescos are over 1500 years old.

A policeman sat at each end of the small cave ensuring people did keep moving and that the ‘No Photography’ signs were adhered to.

The three of us made our way down the rock and met up with Dave and Anura who we found sat chatting in the shade.  From when I had left Dave near the boulder garden, it had taken just an hour to climb up to the cave and return.

With hindsight, I wish I had climbed to the top.

The journey back to our lovely hotel took just 40 minutes. I enjoyed a swim and later the four of us met up for dinner.

 

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