Now here's the end....for this time

,In Ratnapura , when on a local gem mine tour, what a silly question....'do you want to go down(into that primitive, leaking hole in the ground, ankle deep in water at the bottom, shored up with rubber tee wood, and packed with ferns to prevent the sides from caving in, via a single rail very non OHS  ladder 40 feet that was still serviced by a hand windlass, and a pipe for communications)into the mine for a look.  Of course I did.   Second real opportunity NJC has had to claim on the super.....the shaft was about three metres square, 17 m deep, with an adit, into the gem gravel was about 1.5 m x 1.5 m and was about 3 m long.  The ground water was constantly trickling from  the roof and walls.  Most of the digging is loosened by crow bar and moved by hand into bags to be lifted to the surface.  .

Note the safety helmet, safety vest and boots

After climbing out. Bare foot, shirt stripped and .yes that's mud.

The gravel is then stored either in a locked room or a pit. When all the usable gravel is lined the pit is filled with water and the gravel is sifted using woven baskets.  Alas there were no sapphires in the  load we brought up.   Animist belief still reigns here as they have spirit houses and ceremonies to bless the site and drive out the evil spirits.

Three and a half hour bus to colombo, including a change of tyre, while we were still in the bus.  The driver and conductor both chewing betel nut...with the requisite red spit marks down the side of the bus.....

Hotel a luxury...hot water, cold water, sheets, air conditioning, towels, a tv that we will never turn on, an elevator, more than one power point, and a view of the beach ...(over the railway line ) about 10 ks south of the city central in Mt Lavinia.  But it will cost a lot more than the average $20-22 night accom we have been paying

Galle face green for kothu meal where we started three weeks ago.

Flag retrieval ceremony Galle face green

 Bus cost $1.00 for both of us, but the ride back to the hotel was amazing.  To say the driver was high spirited, understatement .  Following on I phone maps worried when according to the map we were driving along the sand.  Maximum speed per the meter was 49 kph, seemed like 160. We were starting to get worried when he said the journey would cost us rs1000, when we thought rs 400 max.   Just as well this wasat the end of our time in Sri Lanka, because our heart rate would not have gone over 150 this time.

At the airport now. Heading home.

Highlights

Me.

Galle fort- built 300 years ago still solid and standing

Jaffna- the damage that the war has done

Anurandhpura - 1500 years old and still standing.  And the cobra handling

Sigiriya  lion rock and the elephants

White monkey home stay haptule 

All the local train bus and taxi rides

Nathalie...of course

Low lights

Trincomalee - poor excuse for a hippie beach bum backwater- if you've never seen a decent beach maybe it has some charm.

Next.......maybe Indonesia, but maybe after that India. 

8. Eight oche, the one after seven

Badulla has the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. We stayed at a rather forgettable hotel, which apparently rented some of the rooms by the hour.  The beds were on concrete platforms, somewhat reminiscent of the beds in police cells.  

But it was just a place to sleep, and wash.  And the beds don't move.

Dunhindha water fall is a good half hour walk from the road, along a partly paved, partly dirt and mostly scramble path, but every few hundred meters the path goes through a local food, trinket, or drink shop...all the way to the falls. 

The shop not yet open for business.

The falls, all 64 m of it.   It must be rather amazing in the wet season.

Because we were the first down there for the days we disturbed a rather large gaggle of monkeys, 25-30 of then and it was for a moment a bit of a stand off, as it appeard they did not want us to get past.   Unlike the beggars and touts, one yell, clap of the hands and waving of the arms, they let us pass....we might have outsmarted them ..this time.  

On the way back ther driver took us to the suspension swing bridge over the Budulla river.  I don't think it has seen much maintenance, planks missing mid stream, and a whole section where you had to slide along the edge of a board,  but swing it certainly did. 

I'm sure the nails will hold

With not a second glance the water buffalo took over the roadway, but they apparently 

a.have right of way, 

b.do not need any supervision and

 c.know where they are going

I don't know why we should be concerned....they aren't 

Haptule.

Another local bus ride to the next stop a place called Haptule about two hours, cost us r72 each. (80 cents).   We had booked the previous evening a place called the White Monkey (Dias Rest)guest house.  About 3 ks straight up from town.   The steps down to the rooms are a bit daunting if not downright terrifying, but well worth the effort.

Yes that the reception all the way down there.

 We were greeted with a cup of tea and plate of fruit.

Absolutely gorgeous location on the edge of a mountain 1480 m above mean sea level  (Colombo ) it is a bit smoggy/misty so visibility probably only 50 or so ks.

From our room window,

The host suggested that  we have a walk through the adjoining tea plantation up to the nearby cliff, which one again offered wonderful views.  Don't ever  let it be said that NJC has not had the opportunity to make a claim on the superannuation, in fact she insisted that ABC move back.

The cliff to which we walked.

White monkey is more a home stay than a guesthouse, with wood fire cooked, coconut roti, and tea, lots of tea, mountains of tea....you'd reckon it grows on trees around here.

It is a whole family thing, but as to who is family and who isn't is a bit flexible, as are the nominative terms, uncle, mummy, brother and aunts.  Seems they are the cater for a three year old bundle of trouble, who I think is a great nephew of Dias. His dad is a ner-do-well, who is working in Colombo, and his mum is working in Saudi Arabia, in what appears to me all but slavery.  

Yes that's him.

About half to one third of the family.

Breaking the Ramadan fast.

The interaction between the 18 year olf son  of the owner, and the guests, especially the multitudinous female ones is interesting.    Currently there are four French and two American female backpackers.  

This the birthplace of Sir Thomas Lipton's Sri Lankan tea empire from 1890-1930.  There is palace called Lipton Seat which is a bluff 1970 metres high, with a amazing view northward.

 We did , of course walk it, about 20 k round trip...7.5 hours ..all tea plantation, 

Walking through the tea plantation, 100s of pluckers at work, through small villages, to the top where the charming host at the tea shop, gave us the cooks tour of the view, and a lovely cup of tea. 

The tea shop host at 1970m

The repast. Left to right (if you rotate the photo 45 deg anti clockwise) coconut syrup slice, samosa, and dhal cookies.

The view from the very very top - tea shop in foreground 

We weren't temptet to take gratuitous close up shots of the tea pluckers as they would then idemand money.  The cheeky school aged children will chat with you, then ask for pens, money and sweets, in that order.  If you've got them, see no problem with the pens, but the other two.....nah.  

The pluckers work six days a week from 7,30 to 4.30, with Poya days off.  If they work high on the mountain they dont go home for lunch instead finish at 2.00.  Theyy have to pick 22 kgs of leaf a day, and get $5.00 a day.  According to our source rorting by the weighers is rife, and if the workers arc up they dont work tomorrow.  Need a union here.      

The tiny dots are the pluckers.

Dodging the angry red busses, the beggars, many dogs, and tuk tuks, the walk was not without interest.  The road is switch-back in nature, in very good condition, but very steep in parts.   As we were coming down the school children knew all the short cuts, as in the perilous 'staircase' but it did cut off a few ks...so we followed.

The short cut!

The Sari.

Desi's sister in law in the next villiage, makes saris.  Not big town or tourist pice....so NJC selected and was'fitted' for a sari.  The entrainment value of the local women marvelling at the pale skin, and big feet, was worth a dozen guided tours.   No privacy, the kids and others stood at the window.  It was great.   The good thing is Nathalie had much assistance and advice in respect of selection and wearing of the Sari.

 And that is only some of the crowd.

Stayed there three days, with most of our meals cost only $70.00 ish.  Fascinated with the food,  Nathalie almost was allowed to help with the cooking.     

Nathalie helping to prepare  the meal....Nathalie is the one behind the camera.

Haven't had decent Internet for several days so this one will be posted now, from Ratnapura, the gem area. 

Just had a big chuckle.  A young French couple in the next room quite agitated  came onto to the balcony where we are sitting to ask is we had any la kookaracha, as they had 'one' in their bathroom.   Cockroaches, I would have thought do not even rate a mention....it is the tropics,  it is Sri Lanka, they are staying at a guest house....I don't think they were assuaged by ABCs assurance that the cockroaches don't eat much.   If it was a snake, or a tiger maybe.....

7.Seven, Seitse, sat.

Kandy

Another bus journey to remember.  From sigiriya we got the tuk tuk to Dumbulla where almost immediately, and in (hindsight) blind faith that it was the right bus to Kandy.  the packs went in the boot, which was kept closed with a plastic lemonade bottle wedged between the door and the bumper bar.  It started raining, so the driver obviously drove more slowly, carefully, and to the conditions.  Naaaah! You go faster to out run the rain, and if you honk your horn more you can go faster.   About 4 ks from Kandy we stopped very suddenly, and we had hit the car in front.   by good luck only there were no injuries and manageable damage to the bus...not that you'd notice the distinction, and after about 20 minutes we kept going.quite a bit slower this time.  Trusting the water-tightness of the storage area of these busses is also a mistake.  That will teach us to expect a bit of preparation time before we get onto our busses.

The traffic in Kandy is about the worst I have seen in Asia.  Not as busy as Bangkok, or fast  as KL, but there are busses everywhere trying to out honk each other, knowing full well it is gridlock.   The drivers here do not have the patience or skills of other places, the roads are narrower, and the pollution is horrid.   Walking from our guesthouse to the city centre, about  2 ks we went faster than the traffic.  

Yes that's the conductor shooing people (on the foot way) away from the front of the bus

This is the renowned centre of Sri Lankan Buddhist culture.  Kandy has a temple which contains the left canine tooth of Buddha.  This sacred relic is surprisingly kept at the Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic.   It is a very holy place for Buddhists.    As temples go, it is not so incredibly ornate, ancient, nor large, but apparently pretty important.  We were there during the moving of the shrine, to its bed.  The tooth is never visible, just the golden stupa it is encased in.   It was something to see.   

The temple........yes the temple.

Apparently we should see the Kandy dancers, who walk on hot coals, and cut themselves etc, but we think not....we've seen the real thing elsewhere...but if one more tout asks us.......

The Royal Botanical Gardens, (entrance $12.00 ea locals 50 cents.) is a lovely place peaceful and relatively quite in a bezerk city.  Obviously the highlight was  the world  famous CeylonIron wood tree planted in 1892 by Crown Prince Nicolai , who was of course the last Czar of Russia.

The Ceylon Iron wood tree.

There were also very naughty monkeys in thiese gardens.   There is a big sign at the entrance warning that there is a r9000 fine for picking  flowers......

But the sign did not mention eating them.

   The taxi driver tried to take us to a 'western' restaurant for breakfast, but we insisted he take us to where he would have breakfast.  A huge local meal of hoppers, samosas, curry, tea, $4.00 for two.  

We have a business concept.  Tuk-tuk transport for Dandenong.  Nathalie has experience at driving.  It    was frightening for all.  Now these whizzy little things, cheap to run, don't take up much room....and NJC can be the driver.

Maybe not for Melbourne.

For afternoon tea we 'dined' at the Kandyian Muslim Hotel, mango lasses and pineapple juice we had, and despite the inherent sense of adventure, we did, however, pass on the'chicken gizzards, even if they were only r100 a serving.

Nathalie has always wanted a sari.  A real sari.  The overwhelming contention was that her skin tone was just not right....couldn't put my finger on what it was but....

Camellias 

What is it about the Sri Lankan people, they have thousands upon thousands of acres of little camellia bushes   all through the mounyains around Kandy.  It's not as if there is any evidence of a floral trade..... Ah, Apparently they are tea plants....that explains everything.   From Kandy for 6.5 hrs on the third class carriage journey to Budulla, was almost exclusively tea plantations.

More camellias than you can poke a stick at.

  Scenery from the train was scenic.

Scenic.

There were a bunch of high school students on the train for much of the journey, and they brought a packed lunch, rice, curry, and dhal, wrapped in newspaper, and then they started singing...what we have no idea, but they were having fun, and it was not unpleasant.

Lunchtime.

Postprandial snooze

One week to go.....wifi not a big deal yet in these parts, ( bottom right hand corner)so communications may be sketchy.  We've already had to change NJCs phone provider, as the original one was not reliable.  Now using dialog, rather than airtel.  Not that it really matters to youse.  

6. Six, sies, kuusi (Finnish)...[as in language not the end]

.

Now having left the relatively idyllic Lievi's Guest house ( even though the street sign is spelt as per the jeans....copyright I think) at Anuradhapura , on the local bus three hours to Trincomalle for r150 ea.  lots of white people on this bus..... Just an observation.   Ajith was telling us that he would earn about r2.5 lac a month (r25000) as a driver but he seems pretty contented. R800 mth for electricity, free education, books and uniforms, free health care, food relatively cheap, and I'm not sure he does his BAS.  He does pay the occasional 'tax' to the traffic police...r1000 if we go to court or r500 we can sort it out here.....I think that would not pass the current VicPol ethical test.   .....

Ok-imagine a ride at Disneyland pulling big g forces, acceleration, deceleration, left and right, big jumps, the adrenaline pumping constantly.      You'd pay lots of money for a ride like that!  At least at Disneyland you would.  ...... but it cost us less than two dollars each and it was the bus journey from Anuradhapura to Trincomalle, on the upper right side of Sri Lanka       The road between the two: about three and a half hours, has been completely ripped up, and for the entire length they have road works.   And the dust, we were done up like Bedouins in a sand storm; it was reminiscent of the red dust in the Central Australian out back...Finke river road.  

But there is no way any of the doors or windows could be closed,   How can you have the overflow of passengers hanging out of the doors if you did.  So after this $1.90 thrill ride, we were filthy, not only slightly hot.  Unlike our experiences elsewhere in Asia the Sri Lankans are not backward in making you scrunch so that they can fit four bums in a (Sri Lankan) three bum seat.

But the iPad was up to the task, got some awesome video, but the photos don't quite show the 'thrill' or fear factor, especially when the seats are not really properly attached to the floor.

In one of the less crowded sector.

  

Yes .....that's the end of that T shirt 

Except for the War Graves Commission site seven km north  of town, Trincomalee is an eminently unessential place to visit.   We stayed in a beach front guesthouse north of town little beach called French Gardens-  literally 50 m from the beach, but it would rate as one of the worst we have stayed in.   Monkeys on the roof all night, beach bar and doof doof music to early hours, and the room was, for the want of minor maintenance, crap.  Lonely Planet, when they called this 'basic 'was overrating it. 

At the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site we were  met by a second generation curator who escorted us around.  In this beautiful spot there are 362 graves of which two are Australian,  328 British, and a whole mixture of other faiths and nationalities.  Even the Indian labourers, mostly with only one anglicised name, are remembered here. It was set up in 1947 and even has graves for people who died aftthe 39-45 war.   During the civil war there was an engagement between the SLArmy helicopters and the LTTE (Tamil tigers) which damaged 22 of the headstones, the ones that were not replaced the damage can still be seen. (Eg. Scrivener)  

 Some graves had the usual religious and like epitaph engraved but I loved was a Serjeant (sic) G.A.Kyle whose epitaph was 'curry anything'.  

The Bay of Bengal was lovely and warm, and swimming we did.   

Found out from the king coconut seller across the road from the cemetery that Kate had a baby, (kate who? She hasnt even got a second name anymore) and that the Australian government is settling refugees in PNG.   Such news hounds we are.

And while I have your attention

Andrew got a haircut for $3.00, which included the vigorous head massage after.

And for something completely different.....

Andrew is the one on the right.

Only stayed one night at beach bum and mosquito bedsit, and the owner was not really interested in our decor suggestions.  

The semi luxury bus ride to Sigiri was un-eventful. I think the tattered curtains took it from non luxury to semi luxury...maybe they can close the doors on the 'luxury' bus.

Sigiriya

For the same price as Trincomalee we have doors that close, toilet that flushes, fan that works and in a very peaceful forest environment.  We did have a visit from a local tree frog in the toilet though.   

This place is famous for the palace that a king in the 5th century built on top of a 350 m high rock outcrop.  The rock itself was inhabited since a long time BC by Buddhist monks. In the 5th century king Kassapa, who got to the top by knocking off his dad.  Feeling a little bit insecure, he decided to commandeer, the big rock that the monks had.  He build a huge palace complex with gardens, and three distinct levels.  No one really knows what it looked like, but it was highly defendable.  Even using today's technology of metal stairs, bolted to the rocks and stairs, it was a pretty hairy and quite tiring climb. 

Just the beginning.

 I can only imagine what it would have been like climbing a bamboo ladder and using the footholds and stairs cut into the rock face.  Either they had really small feet, or lots of them fell off during the climbing.  

See the little foot holds.

Around the base of the rock is an enormous water garden, city type precinct.   They were pretty clever dudes.  .  All the building materials, including hundreds of thousands of bricks, were carried up.  The king had several large cisterns dug, one is at least four swimming pools in size.    There are 28 nudie murals on a part of an of hang, and even after 1500 years, the colours are stunning.   

Great colouring.

Twelve hundred and two steps to the top...... If you don't take a wrong turn, which I don't think we did.

Twelve hundred and two steps.....like who counts them after the first 100!!!.     I always marvel at the skills, application and motivation of the ancients.....but.  .....the following are two items that had been carried to the top.

.  Why?  And one more

The safari

At the MinneriyaNational Park near Sigiriya   were elephants, white birds, black birds, peacocks peahens, locals fishing on the lake, using outrigger canoes, water buffaloes, tourists, jeeps, elephants and chaos.   For a national attraction close to Sigiri, the lack of tourist information signs, as to cost, and the one cashier dealing with the 100's of tourists was appealing.  I think we were charged about $30 US for the experience, because in the fee is attached paying for the vehicle we go in,  entrance fee for the driver(( as if we are not going to have a driver) 'service charge' and VAT. More about that later.

The elephants alone made this worthwhile. At this time of the year the lake recedes, and the flocks of elephants gather in their hundreds, to eat the newly grown soft grass.  And hundreds there were.  Big ones, little ones, and in between ones the Sri Lankan elephant are not often tuskers.   

A little one..but he did not like us so he decided to charge

A mob of em

See the elephants...

Getting to feel that there is a lot the Sri Lankans need to learn about the psychology of tourists, and the need for clear and unambiguous pricing.  In bartering for accommodation for example, last night the guesthouse tries to add service charge and tax, adding 25% to the account.  We did not pay.  It's not about the $5.00 or so extra it's about feeling that we have been lied to, and that they take us for fools.   We are now very cautious negotiating to ensure their evasiveness do not cost us $.    But I suppose that's what being a tourist is......