If yesterday was characterised by not doing much, then today was exactly the opposite. We woke up a tad after 6 in the morning and with only a pot of tea to keep us going we set off to visit Sigiriya rock. The reason why we woke up so early was two-fold: to beat the heat and to beat the crowds, plus we had another major visit planned in the afternoon.
Of all the ruins we have visited so far in Sri Lanka, I would argue that Sigiriya was the most impressive. Sure Anuradhapura was extensive, but had nothing on this fortress. We first walked for a good twenty minutes through two defensive walls with moats and and a series of gardens and chapter houses that were used by the Buddhist monks who inhabited the site after the 5th century ad. After this we passed under a boulder gate and climbed up over 60 metres on a staircase that varied from precarious to held on by spit and prayers. There was a nice break near the middle to view some cave paintings but it was still intense climbing. Just before the end we were met by two massive lions paws carved into the rock by the stairs to the summit. These are all that’s left of the original gate, which is theorised to have made visitors walk through the mouth. It was by far the most metal ruins I have ever seen and made the fantasist in me giggle with glee.
Another set of wobbly stairs later and we were on the summit. The view stretched out for miles and miles around. We were able to see where we were standing yesterday and even further afield. The history behind the fortress was that after a palace coup the incumbent King built this city after he was forced out of the existing capital of Anuradhapura. It was a massive construction effort that is impressive today in ruins and must have been breathtaking at the time. It was only the capital for a few years before the returning king gave it to a Buddhist monastery but for those few moments it must have been a sight to rival Constantinople. It was extremely windy on top however so it was good to be down after a good half an hour at the top. The museum that accompanied the sight was also very informative and was fun to walk around, but could do with a bit of spring cleaning around the edges.
After a very late breakfast and some time to relax and unwind we were picked up by a seasoned looking jeep and hurtled along at full speed to Minneriya national park for our afternoon safari. It was a very bumpy and dusty experience that very nearly cost me some of my teeth. The upside of this though was the elephants. They were not specks in the distance but only about 15 metres away from us, and there were easily over a hundred of them ranging from ancient matriarchs to tiny babies only a month old. Every single one of them was adorable and we all happily watched as they ate and ate and ate some more. There were so many jeeps at one point that we wondered if we made as enjoyable a viewing for the elephants as they did for us. Apart from elephants there was what appeared to be a mongoose, some water buffalo and a variety of beautiful waterfowl. A diverse safari it was not but I was so enamoured by the elephants that it did not matter one little bit. I was a bit disheartened when we finally left, but we got some beer on the way back to the hotel so it lessened the pain somewhat.
And so ends our stay in Sigiriya. Tomorrow is another transit day as we make our way toward Kandy. There is a higher chance of rain there than in other places so we might finally see some precipitation in this monsoon, but that is for tomorrow to see. My main highlight for tomorrow is the temple of the tooth, which allegedly holds a tooth of the Buddha. That or a good swim, either suits me perfectly. So until tomorrow.