Sri Lanka is not only a jacket with elephants, but much more.
Well, less than half a year has passed since I was going to write about my trip to Sri Lanka. Which took place from 3 to 15 December 2018. But first things first.
It is known that Sri Lanka is a historically very interesting country, and there is also a sea there - more precisely, the Indian Ocean - I wanted to see both. After reviewing the excursions available from local tour operators, it became clear that “it won’t be enough”, and they don’t carry everywhere. Therefore, it was decided to look for a beach-something-there tour, with the opportunity to visit interesting places, and still warm the belly on the Indian Ocean. And such a solution was found - in the form of a site https://life4travel. com, namely - in the form of a trip "Classic Sri Lanka 5.0" - through the historical places of Sri Lanka and seaside resorts, for 13 days.
After a little hesitation - after all, you will have to take a visa and tickets yourself, and what else is ahead - I joined. A visa is issued via the Internet without any problems for $ 35.
Looking ahead, I will say that the program was carried out by the host party at 100% and 20% from above, at the most convenient time and in the best possible way. So if the goals and the route coincide with the plans, then go only with them.
Flight. Since the tour program started at 6.30 (like this! ) at Colombo airport, and the non-stop UIA arrived as early as 9.30, it was decided to fly with Arab Fly Dubai with short transfers in Dubai (1 hour there, and 3 back) (there are a similar Air Arabia flight), then even when our plane from Kyiv took off late and was 1 hour late to Dubai, the airline waited for those who arrived in transit, and very quickly and in an organized manner led us to the next plane.
Some flew on other flights, and spent the night 1 night near the airport.
The meeting at the airport was on time and without problems, and now we are driving around Sri Lanka. And we even visit a temple of Sri Rama and Shiva, not included in the program, but very interesting.
And here we are at the hotel at last - and hello, Indian Ocean.
And if nothing like that is foreseen from the side of the fence, then
This is what paradise looks like. - Ocean at the Paradise Hotel in Kalpitiya - cute bungalows, ocean, sun and lots of delicious food.
And we traveled around the cities and villages of this Sri Lanka.
I'll tell you right away - they frightened me with dirt, garbage, annoying beggars and other "local features" of India and its environs.
So. In Sri Lanka, all this is NOT! GENERALLY! Even in small towns. Even at temples. And having driven a long route around the island and through tourist areas, and through towns, and in mountainous areas of 1500 km, this can already be argued.
Garbage - well, definitely no more than in an average town or village anywhere, from Egypt, Turkey, etc.
Civilization is here too :
Yapahuwa rock and amazing climb + temples
Climbing this "ziggurat" turned out to be not easy, but further climbing followed steps carved into the rock. And here we are at the top.
We descend already in the dark and spend the night in a beautiful hotel almost at the very rock, with a pool and... all other pleasures : )
Buddhist temples and white Buddhist stupas of Anuradhapura
Ride a boat on the lotus lake,
Ride on bullock carts - rural entertainment.
And here we are at the hotel, before visiting the main goal for me - Sigiriya.
Sigiriya.
Another huge thank you to the organizers of the tour. Yes, we were pulled out of our beds at 6am. But only for us to be FIRST on Sigiriya. When we got there, the park was completely empty. And we were the first to go to this rock. The frescoes were the first to look without crowds and fleas. We were the first to reach the top. We took a photo. Looked at everything and thoroughly. What was going on there after the buses of travel agencies from all over Lanka began to drive up, and there was a queue all along the entire ascent - I don’t even want to think.
This is exactly what the Sri Lankans built. From red, please note, brick. And what - a red brick - it is also a brick in Africa. Where would it be without him. : ))
And here is something interesting. Brickwork attached to something completely different :
And how did they hook wooden structures onto these ledges?
You do not know? I don't pretend either.
But the guides on the "blue eye" assure us that wooden structures clung to it. How? But who knows these ancient ones.
Are you sure these paws are cat's? At least that's what all guidebooks and guides say. "Lion Rock". Okay, attaching a brick lion's head on top is not a problem. But what about cats? Have they ever seen cats? And lion paws too? In my opinion, this is something dragon. Strangely, Lanka is mentioned in the Ramayana, but there is not a word about dragons in it either. Something is wrong here.
And already at the top - again we are dealing with the buildings of the Sri Lankans:
Here's something interesting. The notorious pool of the king, his throne.
Only here is some strangely out of harmony with the surrounding red brick, and - in the environment it is not clear what.
And here are the fasteners - vertical cuts in the stone - visible when descending from the cliff. What was here? Gate? Lifts? But surely something solid, since the fastenings have not yet fallen apart - at least now insert the beams and work.
And more "thrones". This time already at the bottom, almost at the level of the park. Yes, and on a polished platform. And what are the cutouts, joints, and indeed the whole structure.
And the final chord - "stool" - even lower than this platform, the usual one, of our human size, but. . . again, not from this civilization? :
It seems that if you search well in the surrounding forests, then you can find something else.
Well, with Sigiriya, it seems, everything is clear. More precisely, nothing is really clear. Let's go further.
On our way is the mountain Kandy with its Temple of the Tooth Relic, the Botanical Garden and other benefits of civilization.
By the way,
about the blessings of civilization. When a spring burst on a mountain road between settlements near our bus (who knows, they will understand that the breakdown is not the easiest to repair), the group was sent on a passing bus - and the insurance company had to deliver a new spring to the bus and change it. So - the Sri Lankans coped with all the repairs in 3-4 hours, so that when the group checked into the hotel, our bus had already arrived. This is about the readiness of the country for tourism. Quite worthy.
Temple of the Tooth Relic.
"Is there life on Mars, is there life on Mars... " i. e. "There is a tooth in the Temple of the Tooth - isn't it... " - no one really knows this - but it's still worth a visit.
And a show of masks :
AND TEA - where would we be without it. First, a tea factory, with units from the beginning of the last century (one of the machines was produced in 1936),
Well, after the tasting - welcome to the cashier : )
By the way, the tea was excellent. You won't regret it : )
And through all the tea plantations, having already spent the night in a mountainous area in a quite decent hotel, we get to Lipon Seat.
And again thanks to the organizers. Again raised at 6 am. But. We, as well as on Sigiriya, were the first there. Inspection, photos of amazing landscapes. And then half an hour later, just in time for the arrival of other groups, the valleys began to be covered with fog. They say it's always like this. You need to know exactly when to come in order to see everything. Those who are late will see only fog.
A separate quest - climbing Sri Pada, aka Adam's Peak. 6000 steps up, and the same (of course) down. And thanks again to the organizers.
When we were there, climbing Sri Pada depended only on our own endurance and capabilities. But after 2-3 weeks, the pilgrimage period began. And then climbing the mountain could take much longer - because on each step there is a person waiting for his turn to climb the mountain and bow to his shrine, whether he is a Buddhist (the footprint of Buddha), a Hindu (the footprint of Vishnu), or a Muslim or a Christian (the footprint of Adam). They go out to climb the mountain at about 2 am, rise all night with flashlights, and meet the dawn. Higher powers did not show us dawn, but the photos were taken.
Further along the route - Yalla National Park - jeep safari. We get up at about 5 am, and at night on a strange structure called a jeep, we move out to look at the animals - aah - hippo monkeys, aah, sperm whale crocodiles, aah, and a green parrot.
And there were elephants, and buffaloes, and parrots with peacocks, and everything, everything, everything.
But here's the bad luck - on one of the rock outcrops of this park, the same cuts on the rock as on Sigiriya were accidentally noticed. This "zhzhzhzh" in Lanka is clearly not without reason. But nobody does it.
And what a rock on the horizon! Here, obviously, some ancient outpost, fortress, or temple is asking for it. That dragon civilization. But this brought us something in the wrong direction, into the realm of fantasy.
And now to the sea!
Long mighty waves and deserted beaches (few people) Tangalle.
By the way, beware of peacocks on the roads!
And the beaches of Hikkaduwa.
And it's time to go home.
For the money - a flight of about $ 500
The tour itself to the organizers (hotels, etc. ) - 500 $
Excursions - here everyone decides for himself, I got $ 450
Feeding - from $ 5 to $ 15 per day, then depending on appetite, alcohol, fruits and other things.
Souvenirs and purchases - we also consider everyone to ourselves.
