Sigiriya and Dambulla

Our penultimate stop in Sri Lanka didn't disappoint. A quiet little town famous for its first century fortress atop of Lion Rock. It was a 2.5 hour drive north of Kandy and within minutes of arriving and grabbing a drink at the local shop I walked out onto the street to see an elephant calling in for his afternoon snack from the shop. Unfortunately this place has an elephant safari business set up for tourists but it certainly was a surprise to see. The kids gave him a wash in the local creek but no money was contributed to the business. The kids were surprised how rough its skin was (science lesson for the kids...pachyderm means thick skin). This is also where I had my favourite meal of the trip (a $4.50 chicken curry with Paratha) right on the river where the elphants had there daily bath. Stayed at a really nice homestay in the middle of the village and set off in the morning to climb Pidurangala rock which is the same size as Lion Rock with views of it. Price was a deciding factor but made the right choice. Once again we were surprised by more cultural artifacts at the top with a huge Buddha. The views were amazing and was stoked to see a Chrysopelea taprobanica ( Sri Lankan Flying snake) on the walk down. Finished the day with our biggest drive yet to Negombo for our last night in Sri Lanka. It was a 5.5hour trip in Tiki including a wrong turn and lunch. Due to the wrong turn we ended up on a road not part of the normal tourist route which meant lunch at a local hole in the wall created some amusement for the owner/locals. All told samosas, rice, curry, drinks, tea etc totalled about $5. Completely forgot about Dambulla (how could I)...it was probably the best cultural site of our trip. Dambulla Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple was a standout. Multiple Caves with Buddhist statues carvings. Absolutely amazing...the photos say it allLæs mere