SriLanka - Not Your Little India

Touchdown in A modern city called COLOMBO!

The first look of this city is enough to make you go “hoooolyyyy is this Sri Lanka ?”. The city is way ahead of its time , be it the tall buildings , the cars - most of them are hybrids, the systems in place for eg - the traffic system is on point supporting both 4 wheeled monsters to 2 legged humans along!. My flight was in the evening so couldn’t see much accept for the hustled nightlife and the lotus tower of this city . However will come back on the last day to explore more of this City. I have

a friend here, she took me along to a restaurant named Upalis! I am glad she made my try the Sri Lankan dishes . Trust me when I say they are bloody on point !!!. The kothu, the hoppers, the curries . A must try for all the food lovers I would say. I was staying at this hostel named “My little island hostel” about 700 INR a night , there are cheaper hostels as well if you look about it in Hostelworld.com

Colombo to Kandy!

Before I go on - Sri Lanka is well versed with all its transport systems in place - the railways , the buses and tuktuks add up to the battalion of this country.

I highly recommend a train journey from Colombo to Kandy because 1. It’s super cheap- 350LKR 2. It’s a one off experience- you get some scenic locations on the way, so why not explore Sri Lanka like a local eh?

So my train was at 10 in the morning, thanks to a friend of mine, I managed to get a reservation in a second class , however 3 class are more fun, I shall tell you why? On the route from Kandy to Ella. Colombo to Kandy takes about 3 hours by train, reached Kandy around 1. Kandy city hostel is where I happened to stay - which is about 500INR. I recommend this hostel because it’s super close by to many of the attractions in Kandy .

1. The Tooth Relic Temple

It’s a must visit place if you are in Kandy, it’s a soother on the brain. The tooth relic temple is a Buddhist temple where it is said that a tooth from the ashes of lord Buddha takes rest . In fact at around 6:30 pm everyday the temple priests actually get the tooth out so that the commoners can have a glimpse at it.

However what caught my eye would be the architecture of this place , it’s indeed a marvel in itself - some places of the temple are present from 17 century, I would say it’s a feather in the cap for Sri Lankan tourism.

Kandy to Dambulla

It takes about 2 and a half hours by bus from Kandy to Dambulla . I decided to stay in Kandy for the night so had to leave early in the morning. The bus services start at 7.30 in the morning FYI

Right then , Dambulla is all about forests and the rock cave temple which again adds up to the heritage of Sri Lanka

1. Rock cave temple

The beauty of the temple is that it lies on top of a hill, it’s a bit of a hike in itself . One will have to climb About many steps to reach the top. It’s quite challenging as to the steps are quite highly placed from one another and the sunny humid climate adds up to the challenge!. But the view from the top is just stunning.

It will easily take about 3 hours to explore all the caves and murals . After Dambulla it is now time for Sigiriya

From Dambulla to Sigiriya it will take about an hour with the bus.

Sigiriya is a fort which is in the shape of a lion! Once you reach Sigiriya fort rock you will find the base of the fort carved up in the shape of lions paws . There was once a lion’s head too it seems but then it fell off in some era.

The difficulty you will find here is the pricing of the ticket which is about 30$ to foreigners!, if you are a backpacker you would think twice to go up there . I mean sure it’s a fort shaped in the form of a lion and has ruins of the kingdom upstairs but is it really worth 30$ is what I felt ? However here’s a little secret, there is a twin rock named Pidurangala right beside Sigiriya fortress which is of the same height and is a little treacherous hike when compared to Sigiriya and the fee is about 500LKR!! . The coolest part of Pidurangala is - on the way to the top you will find murals on the walls of Buddhist Era which is still preserved and even a Buddha carved in Stone ! And the view ? You ask ? It’s bloody beautiful . You get to see Sigiriya fort and the nature from the top and below lies the proof

This is what I was here for - a train trip from Kandy to Ella!! - it is said to be the most scenic train rides of all time ? And boy did it live upto it’s expectations !! Don’t even dare to do the mistake of buying reserved tickets in 1 and 2 class . I mean sure you’ll get a seat but you’ll miss out on all the ecstatic views , make sure you get a window seat or hang by the doors , trust me ! you’ll not feel the journey long at all . Make sure you carry some snacks along or there will be people coming in selling snacks now and then - psst just a heads up make sure you try the vada with the prawn embedded in it - it’s super tasty ! . Ahem okay ! So it’s a 6 hour journey to Ella ! Train is at 8 45 and 11 10 in the morning from Kandy ! Make sure you catch the earlier one!

So here we start 5000 steps !!!! holding my breath - panting, waiting , get my breath again and start all over !

At around 4 ish we reached the top right on time for the sunrise! - bloody hell this had to be the highlight of the trip , I shall include the pics in my next blog ! Because it’s a story in itself ! . It usually gets crowded on weekends so if you can! Do avoid weekends !

Yala National Park

After the climb we came down pretty steep and reached yala National Park pretty soon! So we had to sleep in the car . We got in the park around 8 45 ish on request and the whole point was to hunt for leopards through our lenses of course! We found many animals the deers , the elephants , exotic birds like kingfishers too come calling but after a two hour search we finally managed to find what we were looking for. The majestic came calling - it was the wildest hour !