Tuesday's Update

Saturday afternoon.

The road trip to Trincomalee, is rough and brutal, only brightened by seeing a large white headed eagle fly to a tall dead skeleton of a tree, in the middle of huge lake.White butterflies swarm from the lake, its like snow flakes. I book into the Sea View, in Nilaveli, just north of Trinco. I eat at the restaurant, alone, swordfish, chips and al-dente carrots and beans, superb. There is an angry sea, in the twilight on the horizon I can see waves exploding on Pigeon Rock. I ask if there are any other guests, I am surprised to discover I am the only one, the Bates Hotel springs to mind.

Sunday

I wake up early and look outside, through the torrential rain I can now see that the hotel ground and beach is enclosed with razor wire, I feel like a prisoner of war in a WW2 movie. Even the coconut palms down to the waters edge don't alleviate the claustrophobic memories from watching too many escape films. Apparently there is a naval base next door. The rain continues, I decide that I do not want to stay another day, I will forgo the whale watching boat trip. I drive through Trinco, I don't think I have missed much, its pretty ordinary (what an oxymoron). I head out to Polonnaruwa. Its raining, suddenly the road changes from rough to a beautifully smooth emery paper coloured road, that runs for miles, and I am the only one on the road. However every half mile there is an army earth ramped redout camouflaged under a tree, with 2 or 3 soldiers inside, its a hangover from the civil war, but its unnerving. I have not taken to this part of Sri Lanka.

I book in at the Devi Tourist Home in Polonnaruwa, recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, then first I visit the Museum, it has many Buddhas and an exquisite selection of miniature (2in) Hindu deities, they are superbly detailed bronzes. I head for the main site its covers many acres, I am so glad I have the car. Its the former royal capitol of the ancient kingdom, its all ruins, but they are covered in a bright green moss, trees shade the green grassed areas even the parrots are green. Its a very spiritual site, at last I relax, its peaceful. The main attraction is the Gal Vihara, there are 4 giant carved Buddhas, 1 is 7Ms high, another enclosed in a sepulchre, a smallish one and a giant reclining Buddha 23M long, all carved out of grey hard granite. The grained lines of the granite create a gorgeous pattern on the robes. The down side they are covered over in an ugly wrought iron roof, that is so opposite and alien to the stone carvings, made worse by monkeys scampering and thundering over the roof.

It is so hot, fortunately I can return to my air con car to the Devi, I sit outside with a beer, large bats the size of folding umbrellas flap lazily over my head, while smaller bats the size of drinks parasols dart after insects. From the kitchen I hear on the radio a song from my distant youth, "All I want is Music, Music, Music". I meet Michelle and Wouter a lovely couple from Amsterdam. They are a very entertaining, a very funny couple I take to them quickly, they speak perfect English, over a lovely meal to discus the problems of the world.

Monday

Up early, Michelle and Wouter, are being taken by Raheem the hotel owner in his car to Sigiriya then on to Dambulla. I suggest that I follow them in my car. We stop at a lakeside for a photo shoot. Wouter says he was here 7 years ago and saw elephants come down to the lakeside. I happen to mention that I have not seen a single elephant in my trip. We move off, within a minute Raheem stops and points out of his window, across the road there is a large female elephant feeding, by the road side. I am less than 20ft away from her. Raheem should have been a magician.

We approach the Sigiriya palace grounds, there is a wide deep moat, a sign says "Swimming is dangerous, due to crocodiles". I am more likely to die from the 200M climb than go swimming. This granite core is the plug of a former volcano. We walk through a shady green glade, its cool, a welcoming cool in preparation for the serious climb up the steps. Climbing several hundred steps, I am breathing hard, fortunately at strategic points we all stop to take in the magnificent views. In the distance we can see the giant gold Buddha some twenty miles away.

We climb up gantries over a 50M drop, finally we get to see the frescoes. They are nymphs, concubines or the Kings consort Tara Devi, are 1000 years old. The paintings are superbly drawn, in a 20C style, 3D drawn as 2D, it was not until the 13C that Europe started experimenting with perspective. They are the highlight of my Sri Lakan visit, they are delicate, exotic and alluring drawings of bare breasted women ( their faces are the size of a hand) drawn in a reddish brown on a creamy yellow background. We continue climbing to the former palace grounds on the top of the volcanic plug. The view commands a view across most of the Northern Area of Sri Lanka, its breathtaking, so is the climb. Its my favourite place, make a great home, problem lugging the shopping up all the stairs.

As we start to climb down we pass puffing climbers coming up the stairs. I am just about to open my mouth with words of some fun when Wouter says "Keep going you are nearly half way there", exactly what I was going to say. Bloody hell, beaten to the joke by a Dutchman in perfect timing and English. I just love this couple.

We head for Dambulla, there is the 30M high golden Buddha at the entrance, another hard climb up the mountain, its hot. But so worth it. There are 5 large caves, each has a giant reclining Buddha cut out of the solid granite, there are a further 150 smaller Buddhas spread through all the caves. You have to take shoes and hats off to enter. Its a very spiritual place 150Ms high, I look back a see eagles soaring above the caves.
I say goodbye to Michelle and Wouter they are off to Kandy, they are what travelling is about, such a lovely couple I wish them well with the future together.

I drive back to Kochikade, I am now less than 30 miles away. Then it all goes wrong, there are no signs, no directions, no sig posts its getting dark, its raining. Its a dangerous situation to be in, some cars drive in the dark with no lights, people walk along the road, no high viz nothing, motorbikes weave in and out, opposing traffic either has no lights of on full beam, buses overtake regardless, for them its a race to collect as many passengers as possible ahead of the opposition. For the first time I start feeling a panic, a fear.

Buddha must be guiding me, I arrive at Angela and Nina's safely.

Tuesday, I take the day off, to relax.