Sightseeing in the Cultural Triangle

After a quick breakfast we were picked up by our guide, Dilon, for a full day of sightseeing. First stop was the ancient city of Polonnaruwa - don’t ask me to pronounce that!! The city was built around 1070 AD and was the second capital of Sri Lanka. The visit started with the Kings Palace and Baths followed by various Buddhist tooth relic temples and Stupas. The archaeological sites are vast and in various stages of discovery and preservation.
We left for a “farmers lunch” at a local home. The spread was impressive but neither Christina or I enjoyed the food that much - the experience was excellent! Then off to have a massage experience at a local spa - an “Ayurvedic massage”. Neither of us have ever had a head to toe full body - yes I mean full body, massage. Christina’s oiled hair looked like a blond version of dreds.
Our next stop was to see the ancient Dumballa cave temples. A steep climb up the rocks opened up to some of the best preserved paintings and statues depicting the life of Lord Buddha. The pictures tell the story. Exhausted we left to drive back to our hotel for a much needed drink. Unbeknownst to us we finished our drink to find that our tour company had arranged a special dinner with local entertainment at a table for two poolside for our birthdays. Amazing end to the day!!Read more