The Golden Temple of Dambulla

We hired a tuktuk for half a day, and set off for Dambulla.  Our driver was a good salesman, and was very proud of his deluxe tuktuk with extra room at the back.  We paid LKR 1,200 for the half day - although we think we probably paid a bit much.

Our trip from Sigiriya to Dambulla took about 20 minutes.  Compared to sleepy Sigiriya, Dambulla was a bustling town, but we passed through on our way to the Golden Temple.  

Like many Sri Lankan tourist attractions, the Golden Temple complex was an expensive affair: it cost us LKR 1500/person to get in.  One quirk was that one needs to buy tickets underneath the giant golden Buddha before ascending the many steps to the cave complex.  While your ticket is checked at the top, you can't buy tickets there.

We bought our tickets and began walking up the hill.  On the way we made friends with monkeys and dogs. They were pretty friendly and didn't appear dangerous at all. But you need to be careful as sometimes the groups of monkeys will fight each other near the stair on the way up to the Cave.

To get to the cave we needed to climb 300++ step. There are beautiful views around. We tried to walk off the track and take some good pictures.

Because July is a hot month here, don't forget to keep your hat and bring a bottle of water. 

Ther Rock Temple at Dambulla is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It dates back to the first century BC and contains no fewer than 157 images of Buddha.  Mostly these are in amazing condition, given their immense age.

The caves themselves were cool, dark and quiet.  You're not allowed to turn your back on Buddha when taking photos, so selfies are out of the question.  There are some good photos to be had though, although you need to turn the flash off on your camera.

Here we tried to take our pic and follow the rules. You can try our pose too.

Mrs. H love this place because it was full of coloured statues.  The style reminded her of the Tibetan style of buddhism. And the way that people so long ago carved and drew on the cave walls is so amazing. Just imagine what kind of paint they use in the past!

Over all we enjoy our trip here. And we rate this cave 8/10 to be place on list to visit when you are around Sri Lanka.

Hotel Sigiriya Sri Lanka

We arrived at Habarana around 12.30 pm after 8 hour tran journey. Habarana is a small station outside a small town.  It was hot and dry as we struggled off the train with Mrs H's backpack, and set out about finding a way to Sigiriya.

There were a couple of tuktuks available at the station.  One was taken by another party.  We entered negotiations with the remaining tuktuk driver, and settled on a price of 1200 rupees to be taken to Sigiriya.  

We later learned that this was far too much, and that we could probably have paid closer to 700 rupees.  At the time though, we didn't seem to have many options and we weren't sure where we were in relation to Habarana town.

The drive from Habarana to Sigiriya was mostly via a one-laned road that ran through the jungle.  It was sealed and well-maintained, and the drive was comfortable.  The jungle in question was part of a reserve and although we saw evidence of elephant dung along the sides of the road, we didn't see much wildlife on the trip. It takes around 20-30 minutes from Habarana to Sigiriya.

We choose to stay in Hotel Sigiriya for our 4 day trip. This hotel is 15 minute walk from the main area of Sigiriya Village. 

This hotel is in the midst of national park where many wild animals like elephants roam around.  There were electric fences to keep the animals away from the village.

We arrived at the Hotel Sigiriya, a pleasant hotel comprising semi-detached rooms set in gorgeous gardens around a pool.  From the lobby, we looked out across the pool, towards the famous Sigiriya Rock.

Our room (number 3) looked out across the gardens towards the pool.  It was well-appointed, and comfortable.  It came with tea and coffee making facilities, but lacked an iron (one was available on request).    There was no wifi in the room, but it was available in the lobby.

The hotel was full of wildlife. Around 6 to 7 species of animal were easy to spot around the garden and the pool. We stayed 4 days there, and found monkeys, squirrels, big lizards, small reptiles and even a snake!  While none of the animals appeared dangerous (although we weren't sure about the snake), you do need to walk carefully around the garden, especially in the night.

Onee difficulty is that the Hotel Sigiriya is a bit far from the small restaurants around Sigiriya. While it's an easy enough walk during the day, it's not so easy at night, so we hired a tuktuk in the evening.

Overall we had a lovely  stay here. And we recomend this hotel to be place to stay when you are around Sigiriya. We give 8/10 rate. And will be back if we visit Sigiriya Rock again.

The Train Journey to Habarana

We arrived bright and early the following day to wait for our train. We found it hard to know where to go.  There are 11 platforms at Colombo Fort, but they are not clearly marked and we found that we had to ask for help from local travellers, as there are no Railways Staff to ask either. 

(On a later trip, to Negombo, we were variously told to wait at platform, 2, 1 and 9, while the one information board in the station said platform 11, and even when we found staff we were just told to listen for announcements - the train eventually left from platform 1).

We boarded the train, but it was really hard to work out which carriage we were supposed to be in. An enthusiastic local helped us (but wanted money to support a supposed charity).  

There was no electricity on the train until a locomotive was connected which made it very difficult to see seat numbers, but we got there in the end.  Thank goodness for the torch app on phones!

Our train to Habarana left Colombo Fort station more or less on time.  The carriage was old, dirty and unairconditioned.  There were (ineffective) electric fans in the roof - and its saving grace was that we could open the windows.  This meant that, despite the frightful heat, there was a good breeze through the carriage.

The train trip was fairly uneventful. We weren't entirely sure we were seated in the right place until the guard checked our tickets, a couple of hours into the journey.  

It didn't really matter because, despite the Tourist Information Office's advice that the trains would be jam-packed because of the Ramadan holidays, the train was mostly empty.

The trip to Habarana was long: close to seven hours.  We saw the landscape change from the lush rice paddies and jungles of the lowlands to the drier interior of the north.  

We saw cows, birds, people and towns, rivers, hills and the jungle, as well as a large number of broken railway wagons, left by the side of tracks to disintegrate.

We could more or less track where we were on our big map of Sri Lanka, but it didn't have all the station names, so we again found ourselves wishing that there was an official map of the railway network.  It really would have made life easier for us.

A steady supply of refreshments was available on the train.  There were people selling water and a variety of fresh snacks, tea and (instant) coffee. 

The snacks, ranging from pakora-style fried vege patties to rotis, were delivered in baskets, with little apparent regard for basic food hygiene.  But the food was fresh, vegetarian, delicious, and we suffered no ill-effects.  We enjoyed it.

The train ride was long, and it was hot.  But it was a great part of our trip, and far more fun than a chauffered car.

We give our rate 8/10. Recomended !, if you want to feel the real local of Sri Lanka.