The Mudhouse Anamaduwa

... or that's just what they think. Let me first enlighten you to what a tuktuk or rickshaw is. First cross a golfkart with a motorbike, and then include a driver who is willing to take you anywhere for a fee as long as it isn't the hotel you first mention. The reason being, obviously, that it is a bad hotel, thieving proprietors, all kinds of animals, beasties and funghi in the rooms ...

We've now reached Pollanurawa where we expect to continue the cultural side of our visit to Sri Lanka. Very tricky as well, because "old-stone-syndrome" - the problem where an overfeeding of ruins, temples, dagobas, image houses, statues and fountains leads to total indifference and an overload of the brain - is bound to set in at some time. Another thing which is not necessarily particular to hindu and buddhist countries ...

... If you're a beach babe like a few of my friends back home then this would be an ideal holiday destination, but still I can think of better places to go. We go for a stroll down the road side; passed Asda and Tescos! We walk back along the beach, stop for tea then get some sleep. We leave at 9 am and will drive up to the ancient city of Anuradhapura. To be continued. . . . .

After driving through a sunset of fire, night and darkness hugged the land. only because of the darkness did oliver and i notice the hundred twinkling tea lights spread out in neat rows...we didn't see any signs, any temples, anything Grandeur, but we could feel immediately that it was Something. Spiritual. it had that feeling. we pulled off the road and stopped the motorbike in the soft earth and hard rock parking lot. Oliver was anxious to check out the scene, while i ...

Next stop, Sigiria (meaning "Lion Mountain"): city, palace, and royal gardens ....we also rented a motorbike today, but got a late start and arrived in Sigiria at 11:30 a.m., already too hot to enjoy anything in the sun. We paused to drink fresh lemon soda and ginger beer, and then decided to drive to Habarana and get an ayurvedic massage and visit the couple who runs Eagle's Wings, and return to Sigiria around ...

Oliver and I traveled direct to Dambulla from Mihintala on the most comfortable InterCity bus in the whole country--the InterCity buses are small and air-conditioned (sometimes broken) with cushy seats, and we had seats in the front which i likened to those puffy lounger chairs fathers sit in to watch t.v. at night. they were also low-riding, very comfortable for the legs, and i dozed off easily. as oliver says about me all the time, i can ...

Mihintala is the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and right next to the ancient city Anurandhapura, home of the oldest documented tree in the world--a bodhi tree over 2,000 years old. oliver rented a motorbike, but the night before i was sick with a horrible headache and vomiting, and spent most of the day recovering and sleeping. I was okay to go ...

We hired a car and driver to get back to Kandy from Polonaruwa as there are two places on the way to stop, and the transport is a bit of a nightmare, expensive, but as Rudi came along with us it ended up being a reasonable investment. Sigyria is a huge rock, sticking up out of the plains. An ancient ruler of Sri Lanka decided this was a good place to build a fortress and palace as it would be easily defendable. When the expected attack came, instead of sticking to the original, and ...

We left the ship early to get on the bus to Kandy. At the port in Colombo armed soldiers arrived as we docked, two on each motor scooter, they looked ready to shoot anyone should the need arise. There are lots of containers waiting for loading here, huge cranes to do the work. It is foggy this morning and humid at 7A.M. The drive to Kandy was about 3 hours, not because of distance but because of winding roads and masses of people ...

Sigiriya is one of Sri Lanka's ancient cities, and consists of a humungous rock fortress towering above a small village and lots of green jungle. We stayed with a lovely Sri Lankan family who fed us lots of rice and curry, and we got up early to climb the rock and try and beat the heat of the day and the tourist buses. The rock itself is 200 metres high, and was used as a fortress in the year 491. It's surrounded by water and rock and ...