© Richard Randall

Anuradhapura

After a nice early start and what seemed like all day, (that'll teach me for not getting the bus), on trains I pitched up in Anuradhapura, The last train was a real oddity , more like a bus than a train. Tuk-tuk'ed to the Milano Tourist Rest, a nice clean place with bar and restaurant in a quite location. Now to explore. Rented a bike at the Milano, got to the end of the drive and the tyre runs flat. Took it back, they pump it up, get to the end of the drive and it's flat again, take it back and swap it for another bike, this time get to the end of drive and find out it has no brakes! An hour later I'm on the road. Only off to explore the local area, find there are a few nice hotels close by, and stop at the Miridiya Hotel for a late lunch. There is a very nice garden with pool to sit in while I read up on what I'm going to do the next day. The food is also very good.

Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka starting in 380BC under Pandukabhaya, but it did not rise to importance until Devanampiya Tissa when Buddism first reached Sri Lanka. With such a noble history there are a great many ancient sites to visits, and a push bike, (with brakes), is a great way to get around. To view the site you need to buy a tourist ticket ($15) at the Archaeological Museum, though taxi and tuk tuk drivers will offer you the tour without a ticket for a little less money, but if you buy a ticket at least you will know that your money to going to be spent preserving these ancient monuments for future generations of visitors.

The Sacred Bodhi Tree ( Sri Maha Bodhi) should be your first port of call. It is the oldest recorded living tree in the world. The Tree has grown from a sapling brought from Bodhgaya in India by Princess Sangamitta, sisiter of Mahinda, who introduced Buddism to Sri Lanka. Since the tree arrived in Sri Lanka it has been looked after by by a succession of Buddist guardians for over 2,000 years. The tree itself is not by any means large or imposing, but its history and surrondings make it a real highlight in Anuradhapura, if not Sri Lanka itself. You can watch people make offerings of rice and flowers in the lower part of the temple, and there was even drinking water offered, to water the tree at the top. The local monkey population live very well on the cooked rice that is left, and can be seen scampering all over the temple.

The Brazen Palace is a very short walk from the Sacred Bodhi Tree, though all that is left are a few dozen short columns. It was once home to 1,000 monks and was nine stories tall. It was started by Dutugemunu over 2,000 years ago and has been rebuildt many times, always getting smaller and smaller and less grand. It was last rebuilt in about the 12th century AD by Parakramabahu.

Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba is the next stop on the Swarnamali Road, a paved pedestrian only walkway, (not even cycles are allowed along it), that starts/ends at the Sri Maha Bodhi. There are large areas of park either side of the walk which make a nice spot to stop and have a picnic. The Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba is said to be the finest example of the work of Dutugemunu. It rises 55m, considerably less than its original, after receiving much damage from invading Indians.

Thuparama Dagoda is just north on the Ruvanelisaya Dagoda, set amidst a small wood. It is said to be the oldest Dagoda in Anuradhapura, if not the whole of Sri Lanka. The Thurparama Dagoda was built by Devanampiya Tissa and is said to contain the right collar-bone of Buddha. Spread out to the north of here are a collection of ruins. You will need some form of transport to get round to them all. Abhayagiri Dagoda is massive at over 75m tall and was the centrepiece of a monastery of 5,000 monks. The Mahasen Palace is a ruin, but has a very fine moon stone. Ratnaprasada (Gem Palace) has the finest guardstones in Anuradhapura, dating from the 8th century and depicting a cobra-king. A little futher on and you come to the Samadhi Buddha Statue. This 4th century seated Buddha is said to be the finest in Sri Lanka, and visiting dignitaries and heads of state are always brought to admire it. There are also a good number of other sites to explore in Anuradhapura, though most are little more than ruins of a few stones spread around.

Matara

Metara sits at the end of the southern railway line. I headed down this way so I could visit Kataragama for the Puja, but on arriving in Matara found I could only book one night as there was a sports event on. After sitting with a cold beer or two, and after much deep reflection I decided I had had enough of Buddah's, Temples and the whole cultural bit. I booked into the Rest House on the sea front, which was nice and clean, with big airy rooms. After offloading my stuff I went for a stroll round town. There is an old Dutch fort, called the Star Fort that occupied a hour of my time. The town is a hive of activity and it was just pleasant to sit and watch life passing by. Next morning I headed by tuk tuk to the area of Polhena to find a place to stay. No luck there either, but the owner of the Tk Guest house I think, said they had a place a little further along the coast, so off I went in another tuk tuk. This new place was on the beach, with large rooms and a great view. I decided after all the travelling it would be nice just to stop at this remote and tranquil location for a couple of nights. There were only a couple of other guests so the beach was all but empty.

During my rest I decided to work my way back round to Colombo, the slow way, with many legs of the journey done by tuk tuk. So a hop, skip, and a jump brought me to Galle. The stops on the way were pleasant, but there was little to write home about. The best part being the travelling and not the arriving.

Galle

I had planned to stay at the New Orient Hotel, but my driver told me it was closed down. Not one to take things at face value I got him to drive me there, and yup it is closed down to be refurbished. Apparently in to a 5 star palace, with some rooms costing over $550 per night. My second choice was the Closenberg Hotel, which thankfully was open and had rooms. The Closenburg Hotel was built as a residence for a P&O captain in the 19th century. It sits on a promontory with views over Galle beach and the Fort. The Hotel was charming with massive open public rooms and attentive staff on hand. Off in to town to explore the fort.

The Fort house is the main site to see in Galle. It was built by the Portuguese, taken over and expanded by the Dutch, and finally by the British. Most of the older buildings inside the fort are from the Dutch era. There are a couple of museums to visit, or a pleasant walk round the wall of the fort is a great way to spend some time. The are a number of places to stay inside the walls, and also a good selection of restaurants. If money is no option then a stay at the Lighthouse Hotel should be on the cards. It was designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka's most famous architect, and it is a stunning modern building. The interior staircase makes it worth a visit, and it's nice to take a cool drink on the terrace.

Unawatuna is about 4 km's along the coast from Galle. I visited with the idea of spending a few days there, but for some reason the place did not appeal to me. It seemed a little odd??? Though there is a good range of accommodation. I looked at a few places, and the best seemed to be The Sea View Guest House. Some of the places are very over priced for what you get, and I visited in low season when there where not that many travellers around.

Caribbean

Sundries

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