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Sri Lanka

March - April 2023
  • Andrew's Travels
A photojournal of travels through Sri Lanka with Explore Travel on their "Sri Lanka in Depth" tour. Read more
  • Andrew's Travels

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  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    A stylised image of Sigiriya in its heyday
    View of the Lion Rock from the Water GardensBoulder Arch with remains of frescoes1The Lion PlatformThe Summit; View / Remains of the PalaceThe Summit; View down to the landscaped Royal Gardens / Remains of the PalaceOn the way down / Audience Hall Rock / Cave with frescoesView up to the Victorian era spiral staircases / The sheltered recess houses The Sigiriya DamselsCobra Hood RockDown again / Cheeky Monkeys

    Sigiriya (Lion Rock)

    March 31, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ancient Citadel of Sigiriya sat atop a giant gneiss Rock 200m above the plains below.

    Monks lived at the base in the third century BC, but King Kassapa put it on the map in the fifth century AD when he chose the summit for his new Royal Palace, complete with gardens and pools. The Rock was transformed into a recumbent Lion, of which only the paws remain today; unfortunately, his reign lasted just 18 years. The ruins were discovered by British archaeologists in the 20th century.

    The Lion Rock is accessed via the Water Gardens and Boulder Gardens, and the way up is via the Lion Platform. At the summit, there are the remains of the Palace and magnificent views of the countryside.

    On the way down, we pass the highly polished Mirror Wall covered with ancient graffiti and the celebrated Sigiriya Damsels; this is a mural of beautiful, bare chested women (no photographs allowed). Further down, we pass the Audience Hall Rock and the Cobra Hood Cave before getting back to the Lion Platform.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Kandy Clock Tower/ Market Entrance
    Kandy MarketKandy MarketKandy MarketQueen's Hotel / St Paul's Church (neo- Gothic)Pattini Devale; Bo Tree / StupaThe shrine at Pattini DevaleThe Royal Bath House / The City of Kandy sprawls up the hills from Kandy LakeKandy Lake; Royal Summer House / ViewsKandy Lake; View / The Temple of the Tooth

    Kandy 1; Market, Town and Lake

    April 1, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Kandy has a long history of political independence and was the seat of the last Sinhalese government until it succumbed to the British in 1815. Kandy is a cultural centre, and the arts and crafts capital of the island; it is also home to its most revered Buddhist temple, its most sacred relic, and has a tradition of dancing and drumming.

    We start at the Clock Tower and visit the markets opposite it (on both sides of the road) before walking back to the lake. We pass the magnificent Queen's Hotel and visit St Paul's Church; this is close to three of Kandy's four devales - each of the four Guardian Gods for Kandy has a devale (temple) devoted to it and we visit the Pattini Devale (Goddess of Chastity).

    We then walk around the lake, enjoying great views; the lake was created in the 19th century, and this very popular stroll is about 3km in length.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    The Temple of the Tooth and Royal Bath House
    The Great Gate entrance to the Temple with the Octagonal Tower next to itMain Tooth Relic Shrine area / Drummers play during the thrice-daily pujasThe Shrine of the Tooth is upstairs; inset shows the bejewelled gold casket in which it is keptPeople make offerings during thrice-daily pujas (when doors open to view the container)The New Shrine Room; paintings on the walls depict the story of the Tooth relicAudience Hall / King's PalaceRoyal Botanic Gardens; Cabbage Palm Avenue / Flower GardenFig tree with impressive roots / Giant BambooSuspension Bridge/ View / Lake

    Kandy 2; Tooth Temple and Botanic Garden

    April 1, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) is the most important Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka as it is home to one of Buddhism's most sacred objects - the Tooth Relic. Legend has it that it was retrieved after the Buddha's cremation; it has been moved around Sri Lanka, but it has been kept in Kandy since 1592.

    It is to be found in a room above the main shrine, and the golden container that holds it can be seen three times per day as the doors are opened during the ceremonial puja. After seeing the main shrine and attending a puja, we visit The New Shrine Room, Museum, Audience Hall, Raha Tusker Museum (a stuffed elephant) and the Kings Palace, before leaving the complex.

    We visit a jewellery factory on our way to the Royal Botanic Gardens; they are the largest and finest in the country and very beautiful.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Poona Dance (traditional) / Pantheru Dance (with acrobatics)
    Peacock Dance (depicting the movements of the bird) / Salupiya Dance (demons that cause ailments)Raban Dance (with flat drums on sticks) / Kulu Dance (village damsels)Ves Dance (featuring rhythmic drumming patterns)Group Dance (drummers and dancers in harmony) / Fire Walking (outside)

    Kandy 3; Kandyan Dancing Cultural Show

    April 1, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We actually visited this the evening before, but it is convenient to describe it at the end of the Kandy posts.

    After a traditional welcome by the blowing of a conch shell and ceremonial drumming, the show starts and runs through several traditional dances (see captions on images); it finished with a display of fire walking outside the hall.

    It's great to see traditional Sri Lankan folk dancing, especially as I am a traditional English folk dancer myself (a Morris dancer).    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Tea plants / Tea flowers / Tea factory
    Stages in the process of making teaWithering the tea leaves to lose some moisture contentRolling and roll breaking / DryingGradingClasses of teaViews of tea plantationsFirst view of Adam's Peak (Sri Pada)

    En route to Dalhousie

    April 2, 2023 in Sri Lanka

    From Kandy, we leave the Cultural Triangle and head to the Hill Country; this is a higher and cooler area where tea plantations stretch over rolling hills, and there are many tea factories. It was the British who spotted the potential here and helped transform Sri Lanka into the fourth largest tea producer in the world.

    Leaving Kandy, we visit a batik factory first and then drive to the Hill Country to visit a tea factory. It was interesting to see and hear about the stages in tea production (see image captions).

    We then drive through the beautiful countryside to Dalhousie (known also by its Tamil name of Nallatanniya), a popular starting place to climb Adam's Peak. It's an early start tomorrow, so it's an early meal and an early night.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Main entrance to Adam's Peak ascent route / Shrine
    There are many stalls in places / Statues of pilgrims prayingLights showing the way up / A pilgrim / A shrineAt the summitSunriseThe sun rising in stagesDescentShrines and Adam's PeakPagoda / Main entrance / Carvings on main entrance canopyViews from the hotel

    Adam's Peak; Ascent, Sunrise, Descent

    April 3, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) is 2,243m high and makes for dramatic scenery. There is said to be a footprint of the Buddha at the top, left during one of his three visits to Sri Lanka. Pilgrims and tourists make the arduous climb by night during the pilgrimage season (Dec to May) to see it and the sun rising at dawn.

    We are up in time for a 1:30 am departure and make the 7km ascent via 5,500 steps. It takes us at least 4 hours and is hard work. It's worth it to see the sun rise; the footprint is covered, and several metres below the place you "see" it, and no photographs in the shrine area are allowed. It was a fantastic and tiring experience with excellent views on the way down.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Tea pickers in action
    Tea pickers/ Weighing stationTea Castle St Clair / Statue of James Taylor / Outside / St Clair WaterfallThe Blackpool HotelView from hotel / Hotel garden viewsViews near the Hotel (Pedro Tea Estate)Near the HotelHotel dining; Dinner (vegetable curry) / Breakfast (egg hopper)

    En route to Nuwara Eliya

    April 3, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    There are great views of tea plantations and tea pickers (always women) as we head to Nuwara Eliya. We stop for lunch at Tea Castle St. Clair on the way to our hotel; lunch is good, and there is a pretty waterfall nearby.

    Nuwara Eliya is referred to as "Little England" due to its cool and unpredictable climate. The Blackpool Hotel is located in the hills around Nuwara Eliya at 1,876m on the Pedro Tea Estate and is new but built in colonial style. It is a beautiful area and a lovely hotel.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    The Post Office
    Central MarketIn the marketIn the marketVictoria Park; Museum / View on walkWalking in the townThe Grand HotelInside the Grand HotelPictures showing the development of the Grand Hotel; 1826 / 1892 / 2004

    Nuwara Eliya

    April 4, 2023 in Sri Lanka

    The surrounding scenery and climate impressed the early British settlers after the heat and dust of Colombo, and Sir Edward Barnes, a former governor here, established his up-country retreat here as a bungalow in 1828 at what is now the Grand Hotel.

    It is a popular town, and we start our walk at the pink colonial era Post Office before heading through the covered Central Market. Then it is back to the town centre via the pretty Victoria Park. We walk by the new Bazaar to the Clock Tower and then past the Golf Club up to the Grand Hotel; we go in and are given a short tour downstairs. From the bungalow mentioned earlier, this is now a beautiful five-star hotel (costing 55,000 Rupees per night).

    The next stop is the train station....    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    At Nanu Oya Station
    Pattipola - the highest station in Sri Lanka / First classViewsEverybody was doing this!ViewsViewsViewsViewsThe Nine Arch BridgeDinner at the famous Cafe Chill Restaurant in Ella

    Nanu Oya to Demodora by train

    April 4, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    There is no train station at Ella, so we go to the nearby town of Nanu Oya to meet the train (which comes down from Kandy).

    It is a very pretty route passing through lovely scenery. We pass through our final destination, Ella, so that we can go over the Demodora Bridge (Nine Arch Bridge); this was built in the 1920s to take the railway line north of Ella.

    We are met at Demodora Station and taken back to Ella and our hotel. Dinner is at the Cafe Chill Restaurant; Ella is popular with young travellers, and there are many dining places.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSri Lanka
    Street market outside the hotel
    Ella Gap (cleft in the rock) / View of valley (not from the Gap)Ravana Ella FallsLowland views en routeBuduruvagalaCentral Colossus / Left hand group / Meditating Buddha on crown / Right hand groupLowland view / Typical vegetablesElephant by the electric fence keeping him inside the National ParkViews of the area's reservoir en route to park entrance

    Ella to Uda Walawe

    April 5, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Ella is one of Hill Country's most popular destinations and is perched above the Ella Gap, a cleft in the escarpment where the land drops 1,100m to the plains below (it is possible to walk up to the Gap for the view).

    We stop at Ella Ravana Falls (90m high) and then reach Buduruvagala; this boasts 7 colossal Buddha statues dating from the 10th century.

    We descend to the lowlands below and note the very different landscape and vegetable produce before arriving on the outskirts of Uda Walawe National Park.    Read more

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