Today we were lucky to see the reception of a Sri Lankan wedding. The ladies looked stunning in exquisite sarees made of silk and all so colourful. The sarees are a little different here in Kandy with an additional frill around the waist. They are called “up-country” in these parts, and I get the impression it’s a little bit posh round here. The bride and groom allowed me to take their photo….

The music was a mix of local and western. We recognised songs like Cecelia and, believe it or not, The Macarena.

The very next morning we were staying way up in the hills above Kandy. John and Ferg went for an early run on the steep hillside (knock your selves out) and found another wedding party having pre photos taken at 7am!!

Bride number 2 for the trip

We watched them from the balcony above during our breakfast. I reckon the team of photographers snapped off at least a Gig of photos – all before 9am. Apparently the fuss and bother will go on all day with more photos, ceremony, reception – all winding up way after midnight. I’m just wondering what time they got up to look like this by 7am.

Their smile muscles will be aching already.

Then we spotted them in the car park doing more pics in the VW. However, the engine wouldn’t start, and the doors got stuck shut so the bride was stuck in there. Ahh, Sri Lanka.

Unreliable props.

Seeing as we were having a World Heritage kind of day, we went to Polonnaruwa. I can type that but I sure can’t say it.

It’s an enormous area of ancient ruins from the 11th century which was destroyed by invading Indians. Most of it is damaged or was burnt to the ground. But there is one area that was buried before the Indians arrived which has four perfectly preserved carvings of Buddha.

Reclining Buddha

That’s John on the right, sporting his nice respectful sarong, just to give some perspective.

Buddha has big feet.

And you never get just one statue or carving of Buddha.

The meditation pose, with bonus monk in the frame.

We ditched the minibus (yes – we have a 20 seater minibus just for us. It was meant to be a regular car, but when I mentioned five surfboards, well, I think they panicked) and hopped on board a couple of Tuk Tuks.

Crazy Harry at the wheel

Once we were well into the bush we then switched to a cart drawn by two Brahmin cattle. No suspension.

Speeding through the countryside.

After our bones were shaken more than we needed, we boarded a local multi-hulled canoe down the river (weed infested creek) to a local farm. Every plant and tree we saw was either edible or has herbal and medicinal uses. The farmers here have blocks of about 600 square meters to live off. So we didn’t mind paying them a few rupees to see their lifestyle. There are wild elephants in the area, so the locals sleep in theses raised platforms to stay safe.

Safe sleeping quarters. Bonus cool breezes.

And here is their house….

After this we went further down stream on the canoes through this lotus filled lake….

Lotus flowers as far as you can see

And then we had lunch cooked for us by this lovely lady at her house. Curries, fish, sambals, dhal, rice, pappadams, vegetables followed by sweet bananas. Yum as.

Lunch in the making.

Fair to say, we didn’t eat much for dinner.

Sri Lanka has its fair share of World Heritage sites, and the 5th century rock citadel of King Kasyapa called Sigiriya was worth the visit. Some say it’s the 8th wonder of the world, and there’s too many versions of that list to argue.

Surrounded by four enormous symmetrical gardens, still only half excavated and restored, the journey to the top is up 1200 steps.

Sigiriya World Heritage site

On top of that big rock are the remnants of a range of buildings as well as rock art on the way up there. The stories abound about the many features and their purposes. For instance, they say that the two boulders in the pic below were moved there to create a grand entrance. I remain a little sceptical.

Boulders that were rolled here. Staying with the theme, that would be up hill.

We traversed the side of this rock on suspended walkways that were rather more airy than I like. Then also up a teeny, weeny spiral staircase to see some wall paintings from the 5th century, then back down another spiral. Way too much fresh air up there. And did I mention it was seriously windy?

Can you see the spiral stairs?

After more steps, you get to the lion’s feet which guard the start of the next set of steps to the very top.

Lion’s feet. No Lion.

All in all, it was pretty amazing – the engineering and sheer size of the structure they built so long ago, and the technology they used in their use of water, and strategies to protect the palace were ahead of their time.

And boy, was it sweaty.

We saw some cool stuff today. This cute chameleon below was spotted as we were walking through the bush to visit a local family in their home. Apparently it’s not actually a chameleon – but it sure is closely related.

Looks just like a chameleon to me.

Next up, we were wandering past the lake at the museum at Sigiriya, and see a crocodile amongst the water lilies. Could have been at Kakadu!

Just like home.

And here’s the fella that was trying to cross the road amongst the Sri Lankan traffic. Definitely NOT like home.

One of hundreds of wild elephants living outside wildlife reserves.