Day 3: Here for 3 nights. Beautiful!! Set into the rock behind, this large
hotel is like a multi-storey car park in structure, but roof covered with grass
and dripping with vines and creepers. By a the Kandalama tank (lake) and
surrounded by jungle. Many types of birds, also monkeys. All bedrooms have
views and large glass windows including the bathroom...they overlook the tank
and jungle so are totally private! It is an eco-friendly hotel.
This morning we rode Monica, one of the two elephants, on a 2 hour jungle
safari. Guides pointed out many butterflies, flowers and birds. We each had a
go sitting on her neck, which was just like sitting on a moth-eaten coconut door
mat. We rode through the lake. After Monica was unsaddled she was led to the
lake where she bathed. Sam sat on her side when she lay in the water.

This afternoon we went on a walk through the jungle to see the Ali Gala Caves.
These were in fact large boulders with the remnants of walls underneath, to
create shelters for the monks that lived there years ago. We also walked on up
the hill under elephant rock (a large rock that looks like a an elephant, of
course!), to get a view over the jungle. It was spectacular.
The evening drew in and it was time to sample the hotels restaurant. What can I
say...fabulous...many different foods, beautifully presented. The waiters were
stunning in their sarongs and bare feet.
Day 4: Drove to Anuradhapura to see the most ancient Bo-Tree, Sri Maha Bodhi.
This sacred tree was brought as a sapling from India over two thousand years ago
by the Princess Sangamitta, sister of Mahinda who introduced Buddha's teachings
to Sri Lanka. Heavy security everywhere. Slide show:-
Then drove on to Mihintale, 11 km away. Positioned on a hill, there were huge
flights of granite steps (1840 in total) lined with flowering Frangipani trees .
First we visited the caves, near the Kantaka Chetiya, a 12 meter high dagoba.
These were more large boulders with remnants of walls. Evidently King
Devanampiya Tissa (247-207 BC) had 68 cave monasteries built here.
Climbed on up more steps to the Ambasthale dagoba and statue of Buddha. There
were steps cut into the side of a large rock, Arahana Gala (Meditation Rock) to
ascend to a view point.....very slippery...wonky hand rails....little
bridge.....lovely views.
Drove on to Ritigala Strict Nature Reserve, hoping to see more caves. Situated
on a large hill (266m) Walked up through ruins in the jungle. Guide took us to
another boulder and told us that through the small hole (we forgot our head
torches), was a chamber that could hold 50 people!? After a few more ruins we
got to a sign that warned people of the dangers of the forest path up Ritigala
mountain. Our guide told us it was too dangerous to go any further.....so that
was the end of our hope to see the caves mentioned in the book. I think it was
just too late in the day for him!
We drove back to the Kandalama via some rice paddies and Eddly showed us a
look-out built in a tree for men to perch in at night, to frighten wild
elephants away, as they make a real mess of the rice.
Day 5: Left Kandalama....Drove to Sigiriya on the other side of the tank.....a
huge lump of rock, 180 m high, with ruins of a palace on the top. King lived on
the top in the wet seasons and lived in the palace on the plain below in the dry
season where there are pools and formal gardens. There are various caves in the
grounds with the standard drip lips carved into each. There were ruins of walls
around the base of the overhang of the large boulders. Wonderful walk up this
rock, including ascending a spiral staircase to see some ancient frescoes, a
mirror wall, and ascending the steps between the paws of the lion, all that
remains of a huge stone beast that clothed the side of this rock.
Left Sigiriya and drove to Dambulla Cave Temple (1st century BC). Another
flight of steps and sloping rock paths past a massive golden statue of Buddha.
These caves are fantastic. Yet again rock shelters, with drip lips and walls,
this time all in good condition. Inside the caves the ceilings were painted
absolutely fantastically. There were Buddha's everywhere. Monkeys out side and
lovely views. Slideshow:-
Drove to Kandy, to stay at the Hotel Suisse (grotty food) for three nights. We
stopped at a Spice Garden on the way. It rained.
Day 6: Had a look around Kandy city centre to see if we could get another
camera as Sam had dropped mine and it was sick. No luck. Went to the Temple of
the Tooth. High security again. Beautiful temple. Bought some flowers to put
on one of the shrines. Slide show:-
In the afternoon we walked in the Udawattakelle Sanctuary situated near the city
centre. A pleasant forest with good tracks, huge dense trees and vines, monkeys
and birds. Hired a guide to take us to another cave temple.
Eddly drove us to the Kandyan Dancing. Very good...lovely costumes...loads of
drumming....and then outside - fire walking.

Day 7: This was a day to find out about the caves in the Knuckles Range,
north-east of Kandy. We went to the Peradeniya University, (near the Botanical
Gardens), In the geology department we spoke to a monk who was head of the
department. After hearing us out he arranged for us to have a look at maps and
information on various caves. It turned out that we knew just as much as they
knew....so we politely left and headed for the Knuckles Range, to find Nitro
cave. It was a beautiful drive high into the mountains.... the road
deteriorating as we gained height. Eddly was worried about the bus but carried
on gingerly....got to a sign saying Nitro Cave was another 10km. It was pouring
with rain, the road was even more pot holey, and it was getting late, so sadly
Eddly turned back. Slide show:-
Day 8: Left Hotel Suisse. Headed south to the hill country to stay for two
nights at the Hotel Tea Factory, Kandapola, just outside Nuwara Eliya. The
drive went through numerous tea plantations and we stopped for a tour around one

• Mackwoods Tea Factory. We had tea and chocolate cake and then bought various

souvenirs. It was chucking the rain down.....no wonder they call it Little
England. Arrived at Nuwara Eliya and drove on through the most beautiful
vegetable terraces...carrots, cabbages, leeks...lorries of beautifully stacked
muck for the fields. We stopped at Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Sam stayed in
the micro bus with Eddly while we had an enjoyable walk in the rain. The
gardens were very English in places. Birds quite good.....good water gardens.
Then we headed to the Hotel Tea Factory. The scenery was a bit tatty in places
but as we turned into the driveway of the hotel there were terraces of tea
neatly lining the hillsides. A small Hindu village nestled below the factory.
The factory was beautifully converted. The entrance hall was full height with
some of the factory fans still in place. The engine room was in the centre and
they occasionally started the engine up. The brass was gleaming. In the dining
room the food was served off copper covered tea chests, with wheels and cogs
fixed in dramatic places. The food was superb, and the waiters were so friendly
and did their own burst of mad entertainment after people had finished eating.
Everybody could join in. Slide show:-
Day 9: Early start as the sun was rising as we had a long drive to Dalhousie to
the start of the walk up the sacred pilgrimage mountain, Adam's Peak, or Sri
Pada (2224m). As the walk was 7 km, with approximately 4500 steps and would
take 2 -3 hours, we hired a guide to look after Sam and carry him when he got
tired. We got it wrong.....Sam ran up with the guide chasing him...we needed
some one to carry us! So many steps! Beautiful views....very disappointing at
the top as the temple was an ugly, dirty lump of concrete smothering the top of
the mountain, but nevertheless a good trip. Slide show:-
On the drive back we passed the Somerset Tea Factory, which of course amused us
as we live in the county of Somerset!
Day 10: Left the Tea Factory Hotel to head for Bandarawela for 2 nights. We
had to find the Istripura Caves, near Welimada first. Eddly drove to the
village near the caves to find a guide. He had a chat with a young man who got
into our micro bus. Off we drove up a dirt track and stopped beside a steep
path. Out we got and changed into our walking boots and were almost ready to go
when another chap appeared out of the bushes. Five minutes later we were all in
the micro bus with the new chap saying that he could get us much closer. A long
drive then was undertaken up through very rough tracks through tea plantations.
The road was once tarmac from when the British were there but now it was mostly
dirt and plenty of pot holes. We ground to a halt at a junction in the road in
the middle of nowhere in the middle of a tea plantation. The road was too bad
the way we needed to go. We left the bus in the middle of the road and walked
about quarter of a mile to the edge of a nearby eucalyptus forest. The rock
protruded in places and it was generally very gravely. We decided that there
was a lot of pink quartz. Very soon the holes became evident. There were three
holes in the area metres away from each other. The biggest cave was a vertical
shaft about 10ft deep. Graham and the second guide climbed down and explored
the cave. Sam and I stayed on the surface as we had no caving insurance and
felt that it could be a bit dodgy. They were gone for about 20 minutes.
Satisfied that we had found the Istripura Caves (but wondered why they were
marked on the map, for something so remote and small) we walked back to the bus
and made our way back down to the village, walking sometimes so the base of the
bus wouldn't scrape on the road. We had to keep an eye on our belongings in the
bus! Say no more! Slide show:-
Before we went to Bandarawela we did a quick trip to the Resthouse at the Ella
Gap (1100 m ) - a beautiful cutting through the hills with a view to the plains
below. Tried to find out about the Ravana Ella Cave. In his usual style Eddly
asked a few people and we drove up a small bumpy lane to a small Buddhist
monastery, across the valley from the resthouse. Eddly talked to the few monks
that came out to see us and one of them offered to guide us. We made sure our
socks were tucked over our trousers to keep leaches at bay, grabbed our head
torches and shot off up the hillside after him. Eddly soon gave up at the first
rocky bit, as he had a bad knee....we scrambled on up and along a tiny path
through grasses taller than us under a rock face. After about a quarter of an
hour we reached a steep, slippery slope. Sam as usual had shot on with the bare
footed guide. We as usual were puffing and panting behind. The slope led up to
the cave mouth, about 20m high and 10m wide. There was a muddy, slippery slope
up to a ledge....suddenly I felt all motherly and glum as one slip and the
holiday would be ruined. We clung on to a couple of roots and reached the
ledge. The cave then sloped gently up for a 100m or so, to the end. At least
we had found a proper walk-in cave (once we got there!), even though there was
not much to see once in it. Gingerly we picked our way back down with the
occasional leach trying to find a meal on my hand. Slide show:-
Once back at the monastery we were invited to visit the tiny temple. It was a
beautiful little cave temple with a fabulous painted ceiling. There was a
reclining Buddha to one side and painted statues to the front. As it was New
Years Eve a family had come to pray and give their offerings to Buddha. We
quietly listened. They lit candles. It was a lovely moment. A perfect ending
to a very interesting day. Slide show:-
We arrived at the Bandarawela Hotel on Sri Lankan Buddhist/Hindu New Years Eve.
Fire works were let off periodically all through the night.
Day 11: Woke to the New Year celebrations at breakfast. Sam lit one of the
candles on a pretty tall brass candle holder which was strung with small white
flowers. We weren't too keen on the goodies they had cooked but it was
beautifully presented.
Today we drove to Horton Plains National Park (2000 m). Yet another contrast of
Sri Lanka. High plateau of rough, spiky grassland. A national park with
entrance fee, we were left to our own devices (after being thoroughly searched
for any sort of litter that we might drop, including taking the label off my
water bottle!) Made a change not having a guide rammed down our throats! There
are very well maintained tracks that lead to 'Worlds End', a huge drop over the
plateau edge with a view of the lowlands for miles below......if you are able to
get there before 10am, as the clouds come in and obscure everything after
that...you then have to imagine what could be...like we did! It was a very nice
walk, maybe 10km, not too many people...some good waterfalls....it took us a
couple of hours.....the people that we did meet were very friendly and insisted
on hugging Sam, picking him up, having their photo taken with them etc.
etc....needless to say, Sam started to dread the next people and would try and
hide!
After finishing the walk and not seeing any wild animals apart from a couple of
baby snakes (one hiding under a paper bag that hadn't been put in the litter
bin), we headed back to Bandarawela, two hours away.
Day 12: Left Bandarawela Hotel to drive to the Safari Beach Hotel, at Yala on
the South coast for two nights. Went via the Ella Gap and stopped at the
restaurant to view over the valley and try to work out the exact spot where the
Ravana Ella cave was. Satisfied, on we drove down onto the low lands through
rice paddies. Arrived at Tissamaharama at lunchtime, arranged a safari jeep for
the afternoon to take us to Bundala Bird Reserve. After having a splash in the
swimming pool and watching the monkeys run around we were off in our jeep to
Bundala. What a lovely afternoon.....the driver and guide spotted so many
things for us to see.....mongoose, peacocks, painted storks, open billed storks,
wild pigs, deer, woodpeckers, crocodiles, monkeys, pheasant tailed jacanas, and
many more and also the highlight - seven wild elephants. One group of elephants
were happily munching in the undergrowth whilst we stood in the back of the jeep
with the engine off.....suddenly one was a little suspicious and started to
charge....with cameras whirring and the driver banging on the door we drove off
just in time. Slide show:-
We arrived at the Safari Beach hotel. What a place....right on the wild untamed
beach, with a lagoon with crocodiles only a few feet from the bedrooms, wild
elephant tracks right close to the buildings, parrots zipping from tree to
tree....wow!!!
Day13: The next morning was my birthday and I chilled out watching the crocs,
the fishermen, a Brown-headed Barbet feeding it's young in a hollow tree.
In the afternoon we had a jeep take us into the Yala National Park. We had
originally wanted to go early in the morning but we were told that it would be
best in the afternoon.....what a mistake....we think the guides wanted a lie
in....there were so many cars that all the animals hid so we endlessly drove
around seeing almost nothing. I did see a female Paradise Fly Catcher though so
that was good. There was one elephant but it was ruined by the sheer quantity
of cars trying to hog the view. Just as well that we had had a fabulous trip
the day before at Bundala!
Day 14: We now had to head up the coast to Unawatuna. Just a few miles up the
road from the Safari Beach Hotel we turned off the road up a track to the
Nimalawa Hermitage that Eddly knew of. This place, Eddly seemed to think, was a
place where the monks lived in caves. We drove to some buildings where we were
greeted by some mangy dogs. Eddly went and found out about what we could do
while I made sure that I was dressed correctly - not too much skin showing.
He came back and told us that the three monks that were at the hermitage would
shortly be coming down to the temple from the jungle where the caves were. They
came down every day to receive food and clothing from locals who considered it a
privilege to look after these holy people.
Firstly some food was placed on a circular tray. A procession of people took
this tray, four people holding a canopy on poles over it, to the shrine where
Buddhas' of various sizes were sitting behind glass doors. The offering was
made. We then waited a few minutes.
The three monks walked down the track from the jungle and stopped in a line
opposite the door to the temple. They held bowls under their robes. A man
greeted them, bowed and then proceeded to wash their feet one by one. Then the
monks went into the temple and sat down on a bench covered in red cloth and
cushions. In front of them food and parcels of clothing were placed. then the
puja started. We sat down cross legged on the floor on mats with the other
people. They chanted for a while which was nice. Then the head monk gave his
sermon (which went on a while). We politely sneaked out as Sam was getting
bored so we chased lizards around outside. Slide show:-
At 11 o'clock we were told that we could drive down to the hermitage. It was
only open for an hour a day.
We were only to whisper as it was a totally quiet zone. Poor Sam....how was he
going to manage. There were paths, beautifully manicured, leading through the
scrubby jungle. We wandered around, coming across bottles turned upside down,
buried in the ground in long rectangles. These were used for meditation, pacing
up and down to each end. Also we found the caves the monks lived and prayed in.
The caves were yet again large boulders that had drip lips carved along the top
front, with walls built up to form rooms. Inside they were painted white and
were very sparsely furnished. The beds were rock solid and we were told that
the monks had to suffer this for their faith.
We wandered on and were passing a larger cave when Eddly got quietly excited and
told us to stay where we were. He was invited in to meet the head monk which
was quite an honour. Then we were asked to go into the cave. The monk was
sitting reverently and he swept his arm to ask us to sit on the mats in front of
him. We sat down politely and smiled. Then he and Eddly had a conversation,
Eddly translating. The monk told him that we were good people and that he
noticed that we had dressed correctly to respect their religion, and prayed at
the puja. Evidently he rarely met tourists because they didn't behave in the
way he liked. Phew...we felt very honoured. We finished our chat and thanked
him and bowed on the ground....Sam didn't need any prompting - good little chap.
The hermitage was certainly a very special, peaceful place....we were so glad to
have been there.
We now had a long drive to Unawatuna. As you have gathered this was not a beach
holiday, but we stopped frequently to see the coastline. We wanted to see the
stilt fishermen. Eddly pointed out a couple...not quite as dramatic as some of
the photos we had seen...but then the sun was not setting! We arrived at the
Closenberg Hotel. It was a charming colonial building, very quiet, slightly
rundown, but nevertheless superb for our last night in Sri Lanka.
Woke to a lovely sunrise, packed up and headed towards Colombo to the airport.
On the way we visited a Turtle hatchery, tasted coconut milk and watched a man
high up in the King Coconut trees collecting the sap from the flowers to make an
alcoholic drink called Toddy.
The holiday: As we had a young child, hiring a micro bus and driver was
certainly the way to travel. Eddly was good company, thoughtful, and made sure
we saw most of the things we wanted. We had a superb time.
The downside: Guides seemed to pop out of nowhere and sometimes we really didn't
need them, especially two at a time, but we were too politely 'British' to
complain, as half the time it was in Eddly's hands to organise things and we
didn't know what was going on .....it ended up costing us loads in
tips.......This over saturation of tipping for a service we didn't need,
probably means that we will choose somewhere else to go next time! If this
hadn't happened we definitely would go back again.
Any questions? Email me:- [email protected]

الله يهديك يابوعمر
يبيلنا اسبوع علشان نقراه وزين بعد اذا قريناه

أخي الكريم ما جنفقا انا تعمدت عرض هذا الموضوع باللغة الانجليزية حتى نحاول ان ننشئ حقل خاص بالتجارب غير العربية للرحلات فى المنتدى ، لسببين الأول منههما : هو اطلاع الأخوة والأخوات كيف يكتب الأخرون عنىتجارب رحلاتهم ، الأمر الثانيي هو محاولة الوصل بالمنتدى الى مستوى العالمية التى يستحقها. واعتذر عن سوء تنسيق المقال وذلك لأنه لم ينسق بالشكل المرضى . وقد يكون الأخوة فى الاشراف يتكرمون بالقيام بذلك . وربما تجزئنه الى حلقات صغيرة افضل. عموما هذه تجربة اولى وللجميع تحياتى. واتمنى ان تكون الردود باللغة الانجليزية وليس العربية. ثم من يريد مكاتبة كاتب المقال واخباره عن موضوعه فى المنتدى فعنوانه البريدى فى المقال .

مشكور اخوي
ياريت يتطوع احد الاخوة في ترجمة الموضوع وذلك للاستفادة
سباي سباي

انا اشهد انك دكتور يابو عمر .