Pidurangala

After our very wet and not so successful day climbing Sigiriya rock we decided to alter our original plan, which was to walk 1km from Sigiriya to the nearby Pidurangala rock, and decided instead to do this the next day. We'd based ourselves in a hotel just outsidde of Polonnaruwa which is about an hours drive away or an hour and a half by bus, so it certainly wouldn't be hard to do and we hoped for better weather so that we could actually enjoy some of the fine views from the top!

Before we could set off for our next hike, however, we had to make a visit to a nearby doctor's surgery: After swimming in a hotel pool Beth's ears had gotten water in them that wouldn't clear, leaving her almost entirely deaf. We'd been trying to self-treat but with no luck so we took a recommendation from our hotel and went to a surgery. Thankfully we were accompanied by the driver who took us there as we had no idea where to go, who to speak to or how it all worked there and he just ushered us through the whole process with half a dozen conversations in Sinhalese.The first doctor had a look and recommended Beth see a ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialist who was based in the nearby hospital, so off we went.

Now when I say hospital it probably isn't what you picture, in two ways. It certainly wasn't up to UK standard (fair enough though, right?) but it also wasn't as bad as you might be picturing. After a few conversations we were to the doctor who could help, Beth's head was clamped into a headlock by a burly nurse and a quick and very deft use of some tools completed syringing her ears and meant Beth's hearing returned, much to the fascination of the half dozen nurses who'd gathered to watch him working...!

The biggest surprise came next however. Two doctor's consultations, examination, treatment, the nurse's time and being taken from place to place by porter's/security cost us.... nothing! Sri Lanka, like the UK, has a national health service that is free at the point of use for all, but despite this we were still expecting to pay especially given that Beth had been rushed through the queues.

We were stunned and really impressed by the whole situation, not to mention relieved that Beth had her hearing back again although it was unfortunately just in time for our rather loud hour tuk tuk ride to Pidurangala, opting for this over the two bus rides we had done the day before as a way of giving ourselves more time for the climb.

On arrival we passed the buddhist monastery that owns the area, a remnant of the time that the rock housed a temple that was a pilgrimage site and after paying a small entrance fee (2000LKR, about £11) we began our climb. Similarly to Sigiriya rock there were steps built into the hillside, often wonky and steep, but they made the climb reasonably easy to begin with. We climbed at the same pace as a group of about 20 teenagers who were on a trip from Colombo (supervised by one very hot and bothered looking mother!) - this had one major positive and one negative. The positive is we enjoyed watching their interactions, continual selfie taking and joking around, all very similar to teenagers everywhere it seems. The negative is that the climb was slowed to almost a crawl by the group, meaning it took the best part of an hour to ascend the steps to the half way point.

At the halfway point is a huge 6m lying buddha, along with the remnants of monk's quarters and other buildings. We enjoyed exploring the small area, also allowing our new friends to climb ahead of us...or so we thought. At this point the steps built into the rock stopped, leaving us to climb and clamber our way to the top. We'd prepared and wore hiking boots, but somehow the group all did this in flip flops although boy were they slow! For 15 minutes we sat waiting for them to climb the final boulders, approximately 15 feet from where we were standing and only up three-four large boulders. To give them credit, though Lonely Planet's guidebook said "fitness levels are majorly tested here" - see the photo of Beth, they were right! She did better than I did, you may be surprised to hear!

When we made it to the top though, the wait had been worth it. Spread across maybe 1sqkm was the top surface of the rock, with incredible views in every direction and a clear and sunny sky to thank us for our efforts! It was a real wow moment when we scrambled off the boulders and was instantly gratified with that sight. There were only about 25 other people at the top, meaning it was easy to feel like the only people there. As with all places where there are people in Sri Lanka there was also three wild dogs, all relaxing in the shade of the couple of trees growing at the summit, until they were coaxed out by the offer of sharing our homemade coconut cake that we tucked into as a reward!

As you can tell from the photos the panoramic views in every direction were brilliant and we were so glad to have returned to the area, especially as we could see Sigirya rock that we had climbed the day before. Having rested well and enjoyed time at the top we took the same route back down the rock and it felt quite easy, probably because we were pumped up from the experience...well, that and the help of gravity.

PhilRead more