Arriving here, we asked the tuk-tuk driver to take us to a good and cheap hotel, and here we are at Lievi's. It is a welcoming, clean, and green, place $20.00 a night, and no hot water...but you don't need it. There is however the Colombo to Vavyunia train track next door though . Hot and cold running geckos though-which I love.
Green. Something not overly common this time of year.
The resident gecko
Love the pink mossie net.
We Australians have to appreciate that we have certain advantages when it comes to recognising and dealing with creepy crawly creatures that can kill you dead. Like the North Queensland man eating canus toadus, the kangaroo bite creeping necrosis, brown snake, red backs, Melbourne stickle back crocodiles and other like things that we deal with every day. So the frog in the room of the two female Swiss tourists was no cause for screaming for us.
Ajith, the tuk tuk driver who took us to Lievi's has been lined up to take us to see the local sights for r2000 for the day. 
Nothing like a bit of advertising
Ajith's tuk-tuk
We have no idea about old... These people were building lakes, fresh water and sanitary systems thousands of years ago, they were building stupas bigger than the pyramids, they had systems of government, which if not perfect, worked well for them. Then Buddhism came to Sri Lanka, in the form of a monk Mahinda, arriving in this area. We saw at least 10 separate temples, each one requiring bare feet, virtually from the car parks. Just as well Ajith had told us to take socks.
As it was Poya, the full moon public and holy holiday, there were at least seven or eight MCG crowds there paying homage to various temples and shrines. Whole villages hire busses, and travel from 100's of km to visit. If they are lucky they have accommodation in public type guesthouses, 6-7 families to a room, or they sleep under the trees. Food can be got if you want to line up, for free, provided by government, corporate, and charity groups, alternatively there are hundreds of food vendors floating around.
The photo does not really do justice to the grandeur and size of the stupa, the heat and the crowd....!!!!
It was like the royal Melbourne show, but dusty, noisy crowded, x a hundred
At a place called twin ponds, there was a busker, who was allegedly a snake charmer. Was not very charming. He had the traditional baskets, and several large cobra that he enticed out of their baskets. Of course handling the largish python was not much of a chore it was a lovely if not shy creature. The locals did not think the white guy was very sane, even less so when the cobra came up for handling. I think they just wanted to see the stupid tourist get bit. Ajith was decidedly uneasy at this stage as a. We had not paid him yet, and b. it would not look good on his CV to have an almost paying customer die from snake bites. But it was funny seeing the locals part and run when the python decided he wanted to go 'that' wayto stay in his bag.
See the chick in the white......in horror, but can't look away.
After a full, day of templing and stupaing, we were pretty tired, and surprisingly a tad sunburt. Surprisingly because the cloud cover has usually been so thick as to have a uv rating of 0.
But in the evening there was a treat in store.
Parehenia- this is the once a year celebration of poya posan, and there is a parehernia. This is a parade along the main streets of the new town. The best estimate the locals could give was that it would start after 8 p.m maybe before 10. Well it was a midnight Moomba, starting at about 10.45 pm. Lead by whip crackers, which was not to heard cattle, but make a big sound to scare away the evil spirits in leiu of fireworks. Then there were thousands of dancers, fire twirlers, kids on bikes dressed up as fish, and rats and various other creatures( the bikes not the kids)and then not one, or three but eight elephants dressed in ornate robes and lights festooned ( i like that word..Marie) across their ears, trunks and head. The last one, a huge bull with a shrine atop.
The bull elephant, note the blokes with the sticks on each side. They push the power lines out of the way of the Howdah.
Then they went down to the local park and there was free food, and a 10 m high device festooned with bright lights which told the story of lord Buddha , and pulsed to the music. 
The thing that had the lights and whizzy bits.
Following day, 22nd July, we got Ajith to take us to the nearby Mihintale sacred mountain where Buddhism is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka over 2000 years ago. The main purpose for the pilgrims is to travel up the mountain several hundred steps, then the last bit on a single lane stairway to a pinnacle rock, said to be where the monk Mahindra invited the then king of Sri Lanka to embrace Buddhism. Wagin has its big sheep, Kingston has its big lobster. Dandenong has its big.....it's big..... But this mountain has its big Buddha, repleat with languin monkeys, jumping from knee to knee, etc.
The invitation rock climb..single lane. The one hour to top just due to crowd.
Surprisingly a Buddha in a teaching mudra..at a Buddhist shrine
Always cheeky monkeys eating the offerings at the big Buddha.
Didn't know this but the guide, who took us up the mountain (Ajith left and Mr Kapliarathne on the right) told us that the Buddhists here put a little Hindu shrine in each Buddhist temple not necessarily as a sign of tolerance, but more as an insurance against destruction by the invading Hindus, as happened from time to time.
Then having a swim with the thousands of locals at the nearby lake.
Yep the odd one out again, the only one not wearing a dress.(sarong)
And a tour of the stupas, lit up splendidly at night. But had to stop at the Poya feed and drink stations, set up all over the place, with tea, or feeds or medicine drink for free. But like stop revive survive run is Australia
The stupas look wonderful, but not photograph well.
Off to bed. To Trincomalee tomorrow.
Love the tuk tuk idea. I will subscribe!! The kids loved the frog on the toilet seat lid!!. (nice haircut!)crtgr and mitch
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