Dambulla and Sigiriya

As we arrived at our hotel in Dambulla in the mid afternoon, we dropped our bags at the hotel and grabbed a tuk tuk to the cave temples. It is a decent 200 meter uphill walk, which Eleanor managed all of by herself with just a little convincing.

There are five caves containing about 150 Buddha images in total and the interiors are beautifully painted. The caves were converted into temples in the first century BC and changes have been made by successive kings over the years. They are fascinating and the view from the top out over the countryside towards Sigiriya is amazing.

Afterwards we returned to the hotel for a swim in the pool. A storm started just as we left our room, so we swam in the rain until the first flash of lightening then got out, much to Eleanor's annoyance. In our defence, we did not want to risk being fried!

The following morning Rolland drove us to visit the rock fortress at Sigiriya. It is a huge rock in the middle of flat land that archeologists think it has been used as a monastery since the 3rd century BC, while locals believe it was a royal palace.

The hike to the top is massive, climbing numerous stairs (someone told me it is 2400; I didn't count, but it didn't feel like that many) through gardens and via some beautiful frescos. Eleanor walked the majority, but it was too much for Leo, so Adrian carried him most of the way up. We were sweating buckets by the time we finished the climb.

Near the top, there are two huge lion's paws that were once part of a massive crouching lion; people would have walked through the paws and into its mouth to climb the final stretch. It must have been incredibly intimidating!

At the summit there are amazing views, the remains of some buildings and a throne/meditation seat depending on your perspective.

We were all exhausted after the climb, so had a rest before another swim in the late afternoon. Perfect for cooling off!

That night we said goodbye to Rolland, who was heading back to Anuradhapura to collect his next tourists and booked a driver to take us to Kandy the following day.