Day 6 – Dambulla to Kandy
Yesterdays steps played havoc with my knee (bit of arthritis), so I had a lay in whilst Mrs Dude climbed Sigiriya Rock (Lion Rock).
She left at 5:30 in the morning to head over to this giant natural rock that sticks out of the relatively flat area. History has it but the King married off his son. Son had an altercation with his mother in law and the son ended up killing his dad (and they say kids today have no respect). The people revolted against the son and the son went into hiding at the old monastery at this huge rock. The son decided to build himself his own little empire up the rock using a lot of money but (we’re told) no slave labour. (History is always written by the victors).
There are gardens and courtyard and pools and everything is made from brick which had to be carried by hand up the rock face.
There is an image room a cave with paintings on the walls and the ceilings full of saucy naked women but to keep inline with local principles, we are told that they aren’t naked women but they’re wearing very thin invisible clothing! Amusingly no photos are allowed to be taken in there.
So it would seem that the murdering prince son was also a bit of a perv and had his own ‘private’ room.
There around 1200 steps to get up to the top. Near the top it’s quite narrow with no passing places, but the views are well worth it.
On the return they stopped at a cooperative food market restaurant for a light breakfast.
We set off south towards Kandy, slowly climbing into the highlands. The landscape became more green and more intense. Rice paddies were tiered but still navigable. Busses were chugging out more fumes than usual, struggling to overtake laden trucks up the hill.
Stopped at Luck Grove Spice Garden and Ayurvedic Medicine practice. Spread over 30 hectares, the very knowledgeable Bonnie treated us to an education in herbs and spices.
We learnt about the 3 varieties of cocoa plants (where chocolate comes from) and the differences between them.
Lots of natural organic herbs and spices and how they are harvested. Learnt that folic acid is in fact an alkaline!
Fruits that grow off a trunk (mangos, bananas, papaya) are higher in fats than fruits that grow off branches.
Mixing lime powder with honey and water affects how your body deals with lipid fats and can help weight loss (guess what the most expensive thing in the shop was).
Had a knee massage with red oil (mixture of spices that are meant to help arthritis, we will see.
Chewed fresh cinnamon off the tree trunk. Smelt cinnamon flowers.
Then had an amazing lunch containing a load of vegetables, herbs and spices from their plantation, washed down with masala tee sweetened with vanilla!Amazing!
Then back on the bus to Kandy. Visited the Sacred Temple of the Tooth. The left molar? of Buddha was found in his funeral pyre and after travelling around India it ended up in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka it travelled through the cities we had already visited and ended up in Kandy.
Legend has it that whoever owns the tooth is the true ruler of Sri Lanka hence the king of Kandy built a whopping great building to protect it right next to his palace and here it still lives. It has such power over people that the British had to give it back to the people when they were in charge for fear of revolt.
Security is understandably tight. There’s a locals entrance and a separate tourists entrance a little closer to the main building. Don’t bring bags, as they won’t let you in with them and it’s a shoes off place. Drop your shoes at the kiosk for a few rupees and they’ll give you a shoe ticket. It’s far more expensive for tourists but pricing is clearly marked. There’s really no need to have a guide take you in.
It’s a very pretty place to be and the local worshippers/pilgrims didn’t mind us tourists being there. In fact, anyone and everyone was very happy to answer whatever questions you might have.
Bring cash or flowers for the offering to the upkeep and feel good about yourself for the rest of the day.
Onward to the Senani Hotel. This hotel sits high up overlooking Kandy.
We have an amusing sign on our veranda door that says please keep this door closed and locked because monkeys might steal your handbag.
Dinner was at the hotel which was again a huge buffet. On the plus side they also have a cocktail list and I tried Aarak. This is a distilled version of coconut toddy and tastes like ethanol mixed with cognac, with a sweet oily aftertaste.
It’s 1:45am. A dog on our hillside is having a chat with a dog on the other side of the valley. One is whining about something, the other barking in agreement. When they finish, a third tries to join the conversation but the other two quickly object and it starts over again.
Travel Dude 