Home » Sri Lanka » Sri Lanka travelogue, part 5: Anuradhapura

Moonstones on new years day...

Sri Lanka travelogue, part 5: Anuradhapura

Ben van den Anker
2006-05-02 01:51:08

Displayed times (last time: )

only 11 kilometres and with this bike it will take half an hour. People get friendlier as I drive through the countryside; I enjoy life so much on these kinds of days. It get a bit cloudier, I finally find the centre of Mihintale where I should turn right, it's uphill and when I reach the steps I hand my bike over to a cola vendor. He promises to take care of the bike and I promise to buy drinks with him when I come back.

In 247 BC King Devanampiya met the Indian prince Mahinda while deer hunting and was converted to Buddhism this way. Every year a great festival is held here on the Poson full moon night. It seems the steps never end; it's quit a walk till I reach the top. After paying the foreign tourist entrance fee I walk around the area. I want to climb up a rock and ask a monk for the right direction, I was already heading for the monk's refectory as he shows me where to go. A sign explains that pilgrims are only human too. On top of the hill there's a small site with a reclining Buddha. The monk who waits at the door to "welcome' visitors, demands "Donation!!!" I want to take a picture first but again "Donation!! here!!! sign your name!!" I've never heard a monk talk and order this way before, he knows how to scare people off, I haven't been in the army but this must be something like it. I don't give him anything but give to the crippled that lay before the entrance.

As I drive back it begins to rain, just enough to cool down a bit. It's been a beautiful day. As I pass the checkpoint in Anuradhapura again the guards don't even leave their wooden shack now. Rice and curry again to close of the day. There's a lot of quality difference in the rice and curries. To fully appreciate the flavour combinations you should only eat with your fingers, lead a heap of rice on your plate, followed by the curries. Mix the end of the fingers of your right hand in and mix things up a bit to mingle the flavors. A finger bowl is put on table to wash your fingers after dinner. Coward as I was I only used western gear to fill my stomach!

A huge snake, longer than I am tall, makes his afternoon break in front of my room. The owner scares it away with some rocks. The only snakelike thing I ever saw back home must be a worm, so I didn't want to show too much initiative to this snake! I skipped Nuwara Eliya on my way to Anuradhapura, I've got time enough so, one day in Kandy to fill up some energy and then up in the mountains, I want to see that cold English town.

Pages: 1 2 [3]