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.

]]> http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/21/dagoba-overdose/feed/ 3 http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/20/sri-lankan-kandy/ http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/20/sri-lankan-kandy/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:35:30 +0000 Lianna http://theworldonatoilet.com/?p=1220 Nick had good reason to be lazy after he returned from Adam’s Peak, so we decided to shell out the cash for a taxi ride to Kandy and avoid the routine of standing on an overcrowded bus getting a headache. When we arrived at our wonderful guest house, Mcleod Inn, we went for a walk and ended up spotting tons of wildlife in the second largest city in the country.

Kandy is situated around a man made lake where we spotted 5 monitor lizards which are the worlds second largest lizard (next to Komodos.) We even saw a giant pregnant mama sunning herself on a log. Then we walked alongside a huge pelican swimming along the lake fishing with his giant bill, filling it with water and fish and draining the water before swallowing the fish whole. Not a good way to go if your a fish I imagine, but pretty impressive to watch!

We didn’t go to one of the main attractions in Kandy, which is a temple that holds the believed tooth of Buddha (the temple of the tooth) because we had been told by more than one person that it’s not very impressive. Instead we opted to go to a cultural show, which is something we don’t normally go for. We changed our minds because we were told that besides the cultural dance and music, there were fire eaters and people walking across hot coals so we decided to reserve front row seats. It was a really cool experience that we recommend.

The next morning we joined a couple from Boston and woke up early to see elephants! There is some controversy surrounding the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage as there always seems to be at any kind of rehabilitation center. That being said, if we listened to every criticism from anyone with an internet connection we would never get to see any animals so we decided to give it a go. Elephants are truly one of my favourite animals, so we when first arrived and I saw two babies chained up to be bottle fed I was upset because I had read that the elephants were free roaming. We decided to skip the feeding because it wasn’t something I was interested in seeing, and we arrived to the field where about 40 elephants of all ages were walking around eating. I got to get up close to some of them and it was a great experience, I would swear that they love getting their pictures taken.

Some of the elephants were rescued from inhumane situations, such as the two that were found (separately) roaming around near Jaffna. One elephant had stepped on a land mine and had it’s right leg from the knee down blown off. His left supporting leg is very bowed resulting from the extra elephant weight it carries. The other elephant was a mature male (75 years old!) who had his eyes gouged by poachers looking to steal his enormous tusks. They didn’t end up getting his tusks, but he was wandering blind when he was rescued. It was really sad to see such a wise looking animal that had lived so many years having one of his most important senses taken from him. Thankfully they seem well cared for at the orphanage and we had an overall good day at the center.

One of the highlights of the day is when the elephants get bathed in the nearby river. Everyone had to stand up on the curb while all the shops close their doors and elephants come hurdling down the hill excited for their scrub down. It’s very cute to watch them plunk themselves down in the water and patiently wait for a mahout to come give it some attention.

On the drive back to Kandy we stopped in at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which were pretty amazing. I had fun running around from tree to tree trying to guess what part of the world they were from before reading their tags. There were none from Canada but we did see a rubber tree which when tapped, pours rubber instead of maple. Although I would personally go for maple any day and right now I think I would pour it all over any food, it was really cool to see rubber oozing from a tree.

The highlight of the botanical gardens was by far a giant Javan Fig Tree that has taken the number one spot on my list of favourite trees. The branches covered 2500 square meters, and one of the branches even spawned a whole other tree! It was truly breathtaking.

A few hours later we arrived in Nuwara Eliya and spent a lovely evening in King Ferns Guesthouse. If there is a more eccentric and rustic feeling guesthouse I have not heard of it. A group of cycling Calgarian’s and a couple from Holland joined us as we ate family style while being entertained by the charismatic owner’s stories. A highly recommended place to stay.

Due to the Hindu holiday coinciding with the weekend the buses to Adams Peak the following morning were predictably jam packed yet again. After a frustrating journey with more bus changes than expected, we checked into our guesthouse and it was early to bed for my 2:30am departure for the peak.

I was not alone early that morning as I set off with pilgrims of all ages heading up the mountain well before sunrise. The climb started out easy enough but progressed quickly to an endless staircase winding its way up to the summit. Opportunities for rest stops were frequent with an endless supply of tea houses serving up tea with enough sugar that would put a diabetic into a coma. About ¾ of the way up the stairs became even narrower and my pace turned to a slow stumble due to a traffic jam of people clogging both sides of the steps. Using up most of my patience, it was 5am when I finally made it to the summit and after a quick once around the temple I began to regret my hurried pace.

While Sri Lanka might be a tropical country on paper, the summit of Adams Peak feels anything but. Soaking wet with sweat I donned my toque and scarf and curled up in a ball for the long torturous wait for sunrise in the freezing cold wind. At 630am the bells began signaling sunrise and myself and the other pilgrims were treated to an endless view of …cloud cover. I waited around for close to an hour hoping it would clear but when the amount of disappointed faces around me began to thin, I thought it would best to head down as well.

After descending for 10 minutes I noticed the clouds swirling around us and began to catch glimpses of the other mountains in the area. Feeling as if I had climbed a mountain with no final reward, I hesitantly decided to climb back up and wait awhile longer in hopes of a view. My decision was worth it as there were just a few pilgrims left on the summit and I had most of the incredible view mostly to myself.

If going up the mountain was hell I do not have words for coming down. The steps are much too large for treading lightly and cause an endless amount of knee bashing with no relief. Having completed the task, its hard not to think of the sore muscles and joints I will probably feel in the days to come but in my experience these things are always worth their while and I know I will have no regrets having climbed to the top (and back down) Adams Peak.

]]> http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/19/misty-mountain-hop-adams-peak/feed/ 4 http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/14/ella-ella-eh-eh-eh/ http://theworldonatoilet.com/2010/01/14/ella-ella-eh-eh-eh/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:42:30 +0000 Lianna http://theworldonatoilet.com/?p=1181 When I had to take deep breathes and count to ten in order to hold back tears, I mentally checked off the bus ride from Tangalle to Wellawaya as (one of) our worst yet. Standing at the bus stop in Tangalle we saw a bus overflowing with people and when a man told us it was going to Wellawaya we figured we would have to wait for the next one, but he squished us on much to my dismay. Trying desperately not to get pushed to the back where I was sure to have a claustrophobic-breakdown, Nick found me a thin bar that circled the driver where I sat for the next 3 hours causing all circulation to my legs to be cut off. Nick remained standing but eventually shuffled himself to a small corner where he was able to sit on my backpack for the rest of the journey. A quick switch in Wellawaya and we began to climb the mountain roads towards Ella.

When we arrived in Ella we were pleasantly surprised by how quaint the village was. We walked up a bit of a steep hill with our backpacks to arrive at the Hill Top Guesthouse where we stayed for three nights. Hill Top is run by a very friendly family, and we met up with some friends we had spent time with in Mirissa and again in Tangalle, which made the stay even better. The home cooked food and warmth of the owner and his family really made our stay here very special.

Nick and I woke up the next morning at a good hour and did the hike to Little Adam’s Peak which took about an hour stopping for pictures all along the way. Not a difficult hike, but very rewarding with workers picking leaves in tea plantations, and beautiful views at the top if you arrive before the clouds do.

We had some very lovely curries at our guesthouse but the four of us decided to take the advice from Lonely Planet and get some garlic curry at Rawana Hotel on our second evening. If you arrive 2 hours early you can sit in on the cooks and get a step by step Sri Lankan cooking lesson with an extremely enthusiastic chef, along with a recipe to bring home. We sat in amazement as we watched them cook up a mound of garlic that we were told was the equivalent of 100 grams per person! My dad would have had his eyes popping out of his head if he smelt that much garlic cooking. Other dishes served included sweet and sour aubergine, mint potatoes, dhal, beetroot, pineapple chutney, tamarind, spicy coconut sambal and an alien looking vegetable called a bitter gourd which was very tasty. The entire meal was absolutely delicious and we agreed it was our best in Sri Lanka thus far.

The following morning Nick hiked up to Ella Rock which is a much more grueling hike, taking 3-4 hours. I stayed back partly because I didn’t feel well and partly because we needed to get our train tickets at 9am. Nick returned covered in sweat and with some amazing pictures giving a panoramic view of the surrounding hills. It comes highly recommended from Nick although use of a local guide would have been useful to him as he did get turned around on some of the trails but still made it back in 3 hours.

Leaving the beach can be hard, but we knew we couldn’t go all the way to Sri Lanka and only see beach, especially knowing that our next destination will be the Philippines, home to some of Asia’s best. Saying that, we were very glad that we did leave once we reached Ella because it is a very different side of the country that would be a shame to miss. Continuing with this theme we are on our way to see more of the Sri Lankan hill country.

Mirissa Pro’s

Mirissa is a tiny town and is usually the next stop for tourists heading east from Unawatuna looking for a less crowded stretch of sand. There is a wide range accommodation for such a small place and caters to those on a tight budget like us (we paid 6USD a night) all the way up to a few all inclusive types at the end of the beach. Most of the development is placed back enough from the actual beach that it is hidden by palms and the beach offers plenty of sand to put between sun bathers. Mirissa is generally a very nice beach for swimming and although the area known as surf point has a large break, the rest of the beach is great for a dip. This makes it ideal for anyone traveling with kids. As the sun sets, multiple restaurants put out chairs and tables for customers looking to dine on the beach and a variety of budget eating options as well as midrange exist, generally serving up fresh seafood and curries. The option of getting to choose where you would like to eat tonight is another positive for Mirissa. For those who are not content simply to lay on the beach all day, Mirissa also offers whale watching tours and there are places that rent surf boards.

Mirissa Con’s

The town of Mirissa is mainly a small strip along the main road which unfortunately runs right beside the beach. Occasional trucks and buses screeching their horn tends to ruin a some of the tranquil atmosphere. Of course where their is a road in South Asia, there are rickshaws and drivers waiting to hustle their next victim. Walk along the beach anywhere near the road and you can expect many “where are you going sir” and some may even persist and follow you trying to persuade you to take their ride. Of course since the town is placed right beside the beach their is an added nuisance of bits of garbage which can be seen scattered along the shoreline especially at low tide.

Tangalla Pro’s

For those seeking nothing more than a deserted beach and who want to do little more than swing in a hammock all day, Tangalla is the place for just that. Tangalla’s beauty is in its pristine nature. With an endless amount of sand and palms its possible to venture out and find a spot to call your own where not a single thong wearing European can be seen. There are only a few guesthouses sprinkled along Marakolliya beach (Tangalla’s best) and some such as Ganesh Garden’s are real gems to be found.

Tangalla Con’s

Nightlife in Tangalla is completely non existent and even those seeking to try another place other than their guesthouse for dinner may find themselves walking a km or so through the monitor lizard infested mangroves in the pitch black to the next hotel over. Things definitely shut down no later than 10pm most evenings. Of course with a much lower competition prices tend to be much higher and the lowest we found was 1500rs (14USD) and we were unable to find any budget eateries like the roti shops we would dine at in Mirissa. The waters around Tangalla have strong currents and should only be swam in by those who are fully confident in their swimming ability and even then caution must be used. Those with children will certainly want to keep a close eye if they are near the water.

While we were deciding how to divide our time up between the two, various reports from travelers were offering conflicting information over which was best. I think this is impossible to answer because they both have different things for different people. Hopefully this post will help anyone traveling the Southern coast of Sri Lanka make a decision of which beach is right for them.