Leaving Negombo we decided to sample two forms of public transport. First the train, which rarely exceeds 20km per hour but is a wonderful way to see the countryside. We took the train up the West coast from Negombo to Puttalam, passing through coconut plantations and tiny coastal towns.
The bus was equally as interesting as we stood for the 3 hour journey trying not to fall out the door. No pictures I'm afraid as it was too packed to get the camera out (plus I couldn't face being that tourist).
The reason for the long journey was to reach the ancient city of Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to 3c. B.C.
We decided to explore the ruins by bike. First stop, and the bit I'd most been looking forward to, was the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree. It is the oldest (historically authenticated) tree in the world, guarded by monks for over 2,000 years. I was hoping to be able to get a bit closer to the tree itself but as it was a weekend hordes of devotees had come to pay their respects.
The chanting was pretty moving and it's pretty incredible to stand there and think of how it's been looked after for so many years.
On returning to our bikes things went a bit downhill as we discovered that mine had a puncture. A helpful guard informed us that we might be able to get help about half a kilometer down the road. At this point it was about midday and bloody hot. We walked about half the way with the bikes before realising that I could just stop with my bike in some shade under a tree and Rich could cycle on to get help...
I've forgotten to mention monkeys, which there are plenty of:
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| Indian Ocean sea level rise |
The reason for the long journey was to reach the ancient city of Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to 3c. B.C.
We decided to explore the ruins by bike. First stop, and the bit I'd most been looking forward to, was the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree. It is the oldest (historically authenticated) tree in the world, guarded by monks for over 2,000 years. I was hoping to be able to get a bit closer to the tree itself but as it was a weekend hordes of devotees had come to pay their respects.
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| Lighting a candle for people's health & happiness! |
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Close by was also the Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba, surrounded by a wall of elephants (336 according to Rich - don't know when he counted them all)?
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After 5 minutes he returned on the back of a motorbike with two other helpers. The plan was for one of the guys to sit behind the other on one motorbike, holding the injured bicycle, and for Rich to ride the other motorbike with me on the back. Knowing Rich had never rode before I was understandably a little apprehensive. We got to swap roles as he boldly rode away and I continued on foot having realised that even I have safety concerns every now and then.
To end on a brighter note, the hostel we stayed in was brilliant. By happy accident we ended up in Lake View Travel Lodge. The owner was lovely, his wife made amazing rice & curry (more on that another day) and he taught us a new game which I can only describe as 'flick pool'.
Once the bike was fixed with a new tube we carried on with our tour. The ruins were fantastic but we got lost quite a few times, got very hot and had lost most of the day with getting the puncture sorted. I'll sum up the rest of the afternoon with a quote from Rich - "I hate cycling with you. We always end up arguing".
To end on a brighter note, the hostel we stayed in was brilliant. By happy accident we ended up in Lake View Travel Lodge. The owner was lovely, his wife made amazing rice & curry (more on that another day) and he taught us a new game which I can only describe as 'flick pool'.
I've forgotten to mention monkeys, which there are plenty of:
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| Monkeys. (Grey langurs). |
That's enough culture. Next stop is back to the beach!
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