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Part II: Colombo temples and Lion Mountain |
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Feb.
20: We were to have an easy day
so that our bodies could catch up with us.
After breakfast, I managed to get on line in the Hiltons
business center and send email to family and friends so theyd
know we had finally (and safely) arrived. A briefing at 11 a.m. found us in a meeting room with officials from the
SL Tourist Board and VIP Tours, the largest tour company in SL, owned and
operated by a German family. Flower
leis, tote bags and brochures were handed out and we were royally welcomed
to a country that does not see many American tourists. I would say that a major part of that problem is distance! We were introduced to Newton Fernando who was to be our local guide.
Newton was a great guide with the perfect background for this trip
since we were to visit many historic sites.
He is a former history and English teacher and speaks German, too,
in addition to his native Sinhalese.
Before our 10 days were up, we found that he also has a very nice
voice. He sang Sri Lankan
folk songs for us several times as we traveled on the bus. Our city tour took us to the Catholic Cathedral, a Hindu temple and a famous Buddhist temple which had its own elephant. The elephant had huge tusks and was getting a shower from two attendants with a hose when we arrived. We also drove through Cinnamon Gardens which is the very upscale part of town and out to an area that skirts the Indian Ocean. The tropical foliage is really beautiful, especially the frangipani (or plumeria as it is called in Hawaii). The main street of the city is lined with 20th century
buildings, but the side streets still have small, less substantially built
shops. The streets were
clogged with all sorts of traffic from our huge touring coach to
wooden-sided lorries to tuk-tuks to small cars to motorbikes and bicycles. There were a fair number of cattle, goats and dogs wandering
the streets as well. Everything
seems to coexist. The cattle
and goats were not strays. Each
of them sported a brand, usually the owners
initials in HUGE letters. Since we were fewer than 10 degrees from the equator, it was hot and
humid. Quite a change from
February in Colorado. We were
happy to return to the hotel for a shower and short rest before dinner. Feb.
21: On the road at 9 a.m., we
left Colombo and passed through a number of small villages.
Stopped at roadside stands to purchase wonderful fruit: mangosteen
and rambutan. Saw some durian also but Newton told us that we would not be
allowed back on the bus if we bought one.
You see, durian is the notorious fruit that carries the axiom
smells like hell, tastes like heaven.
But even after a person eats it they exude the terrible smell from
every pore of their body. Several
of us took a whiff of the durian that was for sale and it had a strong
garlic-like odor. So no one
tried durian. Our next stop
was for cashews, which were great. They
were just roasted, not salted. The
ladies who operated the roadside stands had them packaged in cellophane
envelopes and they were delicious. We
also ate some very small bananas that were extremely sweet. The scenery changed as we climbed in altitude and went inland, passing
through teak and mahogany forests as well as coconut palm plantations.
People were working with rattan in one place we passed, and in
another area we saw lumber made from coconut palms.
Stopping for lunch at a small wayside restaurant beside a reservoir
was extremely restful. Lotus were blooming and there were birds in the shallows:
little cormorants, little egrets, paddy herons and red-wattled
lapwings were joined by a swan, several white-chested kingfishers and the
ever-present house crow. Immediately after lunch we visited a local batik factory and shop.
We saw a demonstration on how the fabric is prepared and dyed which
was very interesting and extremely involved.
Then the shoppers were let loose in the showroom!
I purchased two scarves but some made major investments. Mid-afternoon we reached Sigiriya Citadel or the Lion Mountain.
There is now a proposal to name this World Heritage Site (restored
by funds from UNESCO) the Eight Wonder of the Ancient World.
It dates back from over 7,000 years, through Pre-Historic to
Proto-Historic to Early Historic times, then as a rock-shelter mountain
monastery from about the third century BC.
King Kasyapa built the garden city and the palace in the fifth
century AD. After his death
it was a Buddhist monastery complex up to about the 14th
century. Sri Lanka's ancient
architectural tradition is well portrayed at Sigiriya with its combination
of buildings and gardens with trees, pathways, water gardens, the fusion
of symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, and the use of varying levels. The rock itself rises 600 feet from the green scrub jungle.
Impressive even today, imagine how it must have looked 15 centuries
ago when crowned by a palace! Ruins of the fabled palace spread across the peak of Lion
Rock
- so named because ancient visitors began
the final ascent through the open jaws and throat (giriya) of a lion (sinha)
whose likeness was once sculpted halfway up the monolith.
The paws are all that are left of the huge lion that once formed
the gateway to the fortress. Within a grotto on the sheer west face, beautiful maidens still smile
down from phenomenal fresco paintings.
As we joined the throng in the long hot climb, the pathways of
ancient devotees were pointed out. Carved
into the sheer cliff face were weathered handholds used by past pilgrims.
So many had fallen to their deaths that the British government
constructed a series of stairways to more safely accommodate the numerous
worshipers and visitors. For
centuries sightseers have scaled the citadel to gawk at the Sigiriya
Maidens and admire the view. Sri
Lanka's oldest graffiti verifies this.
Incised in tiny script in the wall are prose and poems more than
1,000 years old. In order to actually get to the maidens, we climbed a caged spiral
staircase that seemed to be suspended out in space. My fear of heights came rushing back to me as I glanced at
the landscape so far below. But
it was worth it! The frescos
are absolutely beautiful! Leaving the maidens and continuing along the route, we came to another
wonder. Although most of the
10-foot high Mirror Wall has fallen, we could still see portions of the
original wall distinguished by the extraordinary coating of polished lime,
which still today, 1500 years later, gleams and reflects like glass. On we traveled to the Lion Terrace, which allows one to stop and rest a
bit. Here was once the one
narrow path to the city on high, but today there is a steep metal stairway
that leads to the windblown summit. Buildings
once occupied that entire summit, nearly three acres. Running water trickled through channels beneath the floor of
the Royal Summer House. Bathing
pools were strategically placed. It
stretches the mind to fathom the work that must have occurred in order for
this place to be built! It must also be noted that Sigiriya Rock is the setting for Arthur C.
Clark's Fountains of Paradise. It was after 6 p.m. when we reached the Habarana Lodge
which was to be our home for the next three nights.
Built beside a reservoir, the grounds are lovely with a great variety of
trees, flowering tropical plants, monkeys and all sorts of birds. Hot and sweaty from climbing Sigiriya, everyone headed for
the showers before dinner. The
rooms are in groups of four. We
were upstairs and could look out over the grounds - very pleasant indeed.
In retrospect, Habarana Lodge was my favorite of all our hotels. Dinner was an excellent buffet. A few of the dishes were extremely spicy. There was enough of a selection that one could avoid the hot ethnic dishes and still get more than enough to eat. One thing was for sure: we were not going to go hungry on this trip. The dining room was an open-air pavilion right next to the swimming pool |
(Click thumbnails for larger versions)
Guide Newton (left) with Jimmy Lyons.
Hindu temple in Colombo
Inside Buddhist temple
Rambutan and mangosteen at roadside market. Note the notorious knobby green durian in rear.
Lotus blooms in restaurant reservoir.
Sigiriya Citadel or Lion Mountain, a proposed World Heritage site.
The Sigiriya Maidens are the reward for a long climb.
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