Climbing rocks in Sigirya

Our day started bright and early at 04:45 am. In the attempt to see a beautiful sunrise we made our way to Pidurangala Rock and hiked up the steep and dark way. The hike only took about 25-30 mins but involved some climbing especially towards the top. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and positioned ourselves nicely. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side and we didn't end up seeing a romantic sunrise as such. However, the view up there in the early morning hours was still magical.
When we got back to the bottom, it was time for some coffee before we returned to our homestay to enjoy some well needed breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to Jiggle Bells. 😭💔
As heartbreaking as it was to part with him, we now have a "new" TukTuk that mechanically is in a far better condition. So please welcome (Rudolph the) Rusty Nose.
To get us a little more in the festive spirit, we decided to put some Christmas decorations up that we inherited from some other tourists when we picked up Jiggle Bells in Negombo two weeks ago. 🎄

In the afternoon we decided that we hadn't climbed enough rocks yet so we drove over to the famous Sigirya Rock (Lions Rock) and began our summit. Again the hike involved countless stairs but somehow felt way less strenuous, probably because it wasn't 5 am in the morning. The views on the surrounding area were stunning but overall it's probably a little too touristy for our taste.Read more