Nimnara Lake Sojourn Anuradhapura

... there I was told you could not take the bike and people were already starting to approach me to be a guide and be able to park the bike. To be honest, I just could not be bother with people hassling me today so I just decided to cycle away and go into the countryside.<br><br>It was absolutely brilliant, I really enjoyed it! I was able to catch glimpses of people everyday routine right in the middle of the countryside. People were very ...

... at 3.30am. By 5.45am I was grateful to be winging my way to Anuradhapura on a train!<br><br><br><br>Colombo to Anuradhapura<br><br><br><br>After arriving in Anuradhapura in a tired stupor, I took a rickshaw to a few places to stay, before settling on a nice hotel called Shalini. The staff were incredibly nice and I chatted to one while having a well deserved 2 pints of Lion beer. Then, despite it being daytime, I had to sleep and sleep and sleep! My evening meal ...

... last few internet cafes I've been to I plugged in the drive just to check, and amazingly on one computer they showed up just fine. So I bought a blank DVD and copied them just to be safe. WOOHOO!!!! So here are a few pics from Dambulla and Sigiriya that you missed from the last blog entry... Dambulla Rock Cave Temple... Sigiriya Rock ...

... After 40 minutes we gave up and took a tuk-tuk to the main depot 3km's away and found a bus within minutes. The bus journey took 3 hours and was far from comfortable. We were heading north, closer to the conflict areas, although still 100km's away from the main fighting. However after the bomb attack in Anuradhapura 3 days previous, there were numerous stops by the military to search the bus and everyones bags. We were basically spared having to get off every time as ...

... Polonnaruwe, akorat zabiraji mnohem vetsi plochu. Cast uz je odkryta a zrestaurovana, ale velka oblast je jeste stale pod zemi. Na prace nejsou penize, protoze kvuli valce sem nejezdi moc turistu. Krome ruin jsme take navstivili nejstarsi budhisticky chram na Sri Lance Isurumuniya Vihara. Byl postaven uz ve 3. stoleti pred Kristem. Je castecne vydlaban do skaly a obklopuji ho 3 nadrze, jedna z nich slouzila k prani ...

... thing which is known as the Golden Temple. In the largest and most impressive of the caves there is a vessel which collects water that constantly drips from the ceiling of the cave and is used for sacred rituals. Polonnaruwa Polonnaruwa is a former Royal capital city and is nearly 1000 years old which is a lot younger than Anuradhapura. The ruins are therefore in much better condition and because they are closer in ...

... LTTE) are trying to install fear in local people and threaten the Sri Laknka economy in an attempt to get an independent state (kind of similar to the Ireland situation at home). Without being previously aware the last 3 cities/ towns we have visited have had bombs in the last 6 months. 4,000 people killed in the last 2 years. Tonight's New Years Eve Eve party/festival (that we intended to visit) in Anuradhapura has been canceled because of the ...

... pool with my book. We met at 6 for dinner where after i went for a small walk - a local man came over and we started chatting and he said he saw me at breakfast &amp; wanted to come and say hello... then his next question was "Whats your room number?!!" i said I'm not telling and he replied i know what it is anyway... what the!! After a few drinks at the bar i went back to my room - checking the locks on the doors 3 times!

... Down i came and headed up to see Mahaseya Dagoba and to watch the sunset - and it was a magnificent one..! We walked all the way back down (apparently 1800 steps in the complex and we did about 1000 of them) and met up with our tuk tuk men to take us back. We got stopped at a security point to the police could check our mans drivers license - a hell ride later (being in the back of one of these in pitch black is full on - especially if you are on ...

... centre and a peep at THE Bodhi tree -- or a venerable offshoot of the very tree under which the Big B himself gained enlightenment -- the oldest authenticated tree in the world as its been tended since JC himself was around and a pause before using my cultural triangle ticket NOTE TO SRI LANKA TOURIST BOARD: How on earth are you supposed to see all Anuradhapura has to offer in one day? Answer: You arent...that'll be another $20 please. Ah well. TTFN pop pickers.