Sri Lanka Adventure 2015

 

Banner, Fork-tailed Drongo and Hibiscus. Click on images to enlarge.

Sri Lanka Adventure with Saga Holidays, November 18th to December 5th 2015. This was a mult-centre trip, mainly using the Cinnamon chain of hotels which were excellent. There was a fair amount of bus travel on certain days but our coach was comfortable and we had regular stops on the jouirney. Daytime temperatures were low 30C with a risk of tropical downpour in the afternoon. Our trip to Lion rock was the only totally wet day.

1. Elephant ride.
2. Sigiriya or Lion Rock, Sue and some of our group
3. Toque Macaque, Lion Rock.
4. Cave art, Lion Rock
5. Some of the 1200 steps to the summit
6. Lens and Damsel Fly.

Sigiriya pronounced see-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient palace located in the central Matale district  near the town of Dumbulla in the Central province of Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka.

It was a Sunday but the fact that it was raining nearly all day kept the crowds down a bit. Spectacular place though. En-route, one passes along the mirror wall, once so polished that one could seen one's reflection in it. The summit 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, all rather dampened by the steady rainfall and gathering mist.

1. The huge statue of the Buddha at the entrance to the Dambulla cave temple.
2. The Dambulla cave temple
3. Local children
4. One of the many statues inside the cave
5. Traditional dancers
6. View from the restaurant of our hotel.

Dambulla cave temple is also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site, situated in the central part of the country some 148 kilometers east of Columbo. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres (23,000 sq ft). Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara, and Buddha's first sermon.

We also visited the sacred temple of the tooth, where the Buddha's tooth is kept hidden inside a series of locked chambers. For the uninitiated this was not a particularly impressive site but the relic holds immense significance to Buddhists.

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 of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the 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 World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple.

1. Breakfast buffet
2. Orphan elephant centre. This baby was 3 years old.
3. Bath time, dozens of elephants washed in the river.
4. Towards Kandy
5. Artwork
6. Orchid house, in the splendid Kandy botanical gardens

 

1. Orchid
2. Orchid
3. Sue, Kandy botanical gardens
4. Pride of Burma tree, Kandy botanical gardens
5. Rice paddies
6. Full moon, Yala National Park

We stayed at the excellent Cinnamon Wild Yala hotel for three nights and undertook an early morning safari trip into the Yal National Park, famous for its leopards and Sloth Bears, both of which we didn't see. Lots of bird life though. November 25th was a full moon which was a Poya day and therefore a public holiday. No alcohol served.

 

1. Black-winged Stilt and Eurasian Spoonbill
2. Asian Open-bill Stork
3. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
4. Spotted Dove
5. Painted Stork

1. Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor
2. Green Bee-eater
3. Oriental Darter
4. In deep discussion with our guide.
5. Red-vented BulBul
6. Indian Pond Heron

We also visited the nearby Bendula Bird Reserve which is much smaller than the Yala national park but seemed to have a greater concentration of birds

1. Red Wattled Lapwing
2. Pelica take-off.
3. Black-headed Munia
4. White-throated Kingfisher
5. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

1. Grey Langur
2. Painted Stork
3. Black-necked Ibis
4. Coconut milk
5. Leatherback turtle
6. Baby turtles at the rescue centre.

We visited a turtle hatchery. The turtle eggs are bought from collectors who sell them for food and they are then hatched at the rescue centre. After 3 days they are released at sea.

1. Sue and a damaged turtle
2. Water Monitor
3. Infinity and beyond at the Cinnamon Bey Hotel
4. Our Saga group and Mary - our guide.

Later in our holiday we passed a memorial to all those killed in the Tsunami of December 26th 2004 when over 30,000 people died as a result of the Indian ocean submarine earthquake. Over 1400 people died when they tried to take refuge in a train. I have attempted to join the two halves of the memorial plaque.

We extended the end of our holiday to spend an extra 4 days at Cinnamon Bey Hotel, laying by the pool, swimming in the sea, pottering and putting on weight. It's a tough life.

Thanks Saga and everyone, an enjoyable and memorable trip.

chris.jackson@zen.co.uk