17-18 Nov. 2025

Travelled from Ella to Kandy on the train. Blimey! 6 hrs of sheer joy and amazement. 2nd class merged into 3rd, and any time a seat came available it was snapped up by anyone nearby: window seats being the first to go. What could have been glorious landscapes, and idilic views of the hills and tea plant terraces, were often clouded in mist/fog/gloom
Pouring with rain.
Kandy looks busy and very wet.
Not much to add yet as the Internet in my Kandy digs is on the blink. The lack of photos might tell the story 😒
(I may come back to this…)
And I did - a day later!
The internet situation in the place where I'm staying has only got patchy wi-fi access. I had to move my laptop downstairs nearer the router to allow me to connect and safe the long-in details. How complacent we become...
With hearty breakfast in my tummy, it was off to the bus 'station'. Actually, it's just several streets rammed with buses going everywhere, anywhere, who-knows-where.
Today, 18th, I decided to try and make it to Sigirya where the famous (Unesco recognised no less) rock is. It's usually given the English name 'Lion Rock', but it looks nothing like a lion.
There being zilch trains going this far out into the countryside, three buses and 5 hours travelling got me close - Sigirya town. It's more or less a few restaurants, bars and gift shops surviving on the back of the famous rock.
Me being me, I wasn't about to pay the $70 to climb it. I don't think I had time anyway. I needed to make the.return journey.
All things considered, it is actually very impressive, in a rocky outcrop sticking out of jungle kind've way. With the ridiculously long roads leading up to the entrances, and the moats around the periphery, think a mini-Angkor Wat and you wouldn't be far off.
But I had to catch several buses. The longest stretch had me sitting on a seat next to a young monk. And do you know, all the way.... he never said a peep. Just fondling hid very swish mobile phone (much newer than mine). Curiously though, he's taken colour coordination to another level. Even his umbrella was orange.
Eventually, back in Kandy, I'm warming to this city a bit more too. There are some interesting riverside areas and a large lake to explore in more detail tomorrow. That's before I sample the obvious cultural offerings.
I'm starting a new series: 'Faces of Sri Lanka'.
Meal tonight: dal curry, veg, sweet pickled something, rice, black tea. A little later I even found an ice cream parlour.
Today's flavour: blueberry.
Amazingly, it wasn't half bad, and at 80 LRP a pop, I'll have to work my way through the menu.Read more