Dagoba Overdose

While Sri Lanka may be best known for its pristine beaches and producing some of the best tea in the world in the hill country, it also contains some of the finest archaeological wonders in Asia. North of the hill country lies the “Cultural Triangle” including ancient Buddhist caves in Dambulla, the giant rock citadel in Sigriya, the endless ruins of Anuradhpura and plenty more in between. With extremely high entrance fees and time for only one site we polled each group of travelers coming from the opposite direction and decided to head to Anuradhapura.

The 3 hour bus ride north of Kandy seemed to pass by quickly probably because we finally had a seat. The smaller intercity buses even have air conditioning for which we were grateful. Kandy is the last town on the edge of the hill country and as soon as you head north to the vast plains, the heat begins to rise.

Since the ruins are spread over huge distances and the entrance ticket is only valid for a single day we decided it was best to leave our site seeing for the following day. Originally we had planned to rent bicycles and self guide ourselves around the site but when we talked to a couple from Alaska about just how much there actually was to see, we decided it was best to go by tuk tuk.

The next day we set off with our driver Vimalay and after expecting to pay 50USD to enter the ruins, he suggested that we pay him 25USD for bribes (and his own profit) to take us on alternate routes so we avoid the ticket counter. We of course obliged as 25 bucks in the developing world is close to two nights accommodation. For the next 4 hours we saw countless amounts of ruined temples and dagobas scattered amongst throughout the surrounding forest. Highlights of the site included the sacred bodhi tree which is the oldest authenticated tree in the world and Thuparama,the oldest dagoba in the world. Some of the sites around Anuradhapura are still being excavated and anyone with some interest in archeology would be in heaven.

While the countless amount of sites were interesting some of our best moments in Anuradhapura came from meeting some of the people including a man and his buffaloes who introduced us to his herd (including a baby buffalo) and a group of young monks fascinated by my camera.

We returned that evening to another meal of rice and curry at our guesthouse feeling glad we had made the trip North but felt the ruins were pale in comparison with the charm of the hill country and the serenity of the southern beaches. Needless to say we were happy with our decision to spend the majority of our time in the other regions.

With 3 extra nights in the country before flying to Kuala Lumpur we were unsure where to spend them and after chatting to the Alaskan couple, they suggested Hikkaduwa. On our way to Unawatuna we carelessly by passed Hikkaduwa hearing that it was busy and knowing there were more pristine beaches further east. Hikkaduwa is known as a great beginner/intermediate surf spot and I spent the day brushing up on some surfing while Lianna soaked in a few more rays. Hikkaduwa really was the perfect last stop before we head into the urban bustle of Kuala Lumpur and Manilla.