By Richelle
Wednesday 9th of August 2017
It was dark and drizzly when we left Andres homestay and headed for the bus station. We half expected to see all-nighter festival-goers still partying on the streets, but aside from a couple of streets dogs, it was relatively deserted. We had to ask around for the bus headed north to Trincomalee, where we could jump off in Habarana, our base for exploring the northern reaches of the ancient triangle. The triangle, obviously, consists of three primary points, once the ancient capitals of this island dating back over 2000 years - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy. This week was dedicated to the more ancient of the ruins, and all the sites that are dotted between. We managed to find our ‘Homly Guest House’ just of the main road, tucked away in a garden of tropical delights. Our host, Nelum was the closest I have come to a mum since leaving home. She immediately took a liking to me, Daniel didn't really exist to her. I have a funny feeling it's because she thinks I am some sort of rain-bringing sorceress. Our first night there was apparently the first drops of rain in over 6 months, and every subsequent afternoon the storms rolled in. Whatever it was, we immediately felt fed, safe and protected. The tropical garden surrounding the home was also dotted with over 10 stray dogs and their puppies, which were easily mistaken for fallen coconuts scattered around the manicured beds. We hung out for the rest of the morning, before heading out again to explore the first site on our long list - the Dambulla Royal Cave Temples.
The local bus dropped us right out the front. We climbed past the huge golden temple, heading up to the top of the rock mountain, before realising that the ticket office was all the way back down on the other side. So, back down we went. We bought a Mango cut like hot chip wedges to keep us going. A sharp eyed monkey spotted Daniel holding the fruit, and immediately leapt onto his torso. Daniel wasn't letting that mango go for anything and spin kicked the monkey into the bushes. I watched it all in slow motion, wishing my hands had the time to grab my camera and capture the action. Standing at the ticket office, 3000 rupees later, we discovered that Daniels shorts were too short to enter the temples respectfully and it took some serious pleading / convincing to borrow a sarong - which looked great on him.
Finally on our way back to the top, we climbed the stone stairs admiring the views and watching monkeys eating lotus flowers. Buddha after Buddha, this place definitely felt holy. It is thought to have been a place of worship since the 1st century, when the King Valagamba took refuge here. When he reclaimed his throne, feeling indebted no doubt, he had the interior of the caves carved and decorated into magnificent rock temples. We took our time taking all the Buddha faces in, jostling for space inside the smaller temples and petting the temple cat. Cave number two was the most incredible, it was a large irregular rectangle room, covered top to bottom in cave paintings and statues of Buddha, and the two kings. I couldn't help but wonder how much work must go into restoration, they are in an amazingly vibrant and clear condition.
After a few hours, we headed back down the other side of the rock face - catching a glimpse of Sigiriya on the horizon. We arrived home to a delicious Sri Lankan home cooked meal of rice, curry and an assortment of vegetables sautéed and stewed and pickled all the colours of the rainbow.