Travel around Sri Lanka

Sembuwatta Lake

2014-03-07T16:04:00.000+05:30

Situated at the western side of the knukles mountain range, Sembuwatta lake is a must visit place in Sri Lanka. Even though, it is situated 22 Km away from the Matale city, the journey to there is worth the effort. Not only the lake itself but also the view on the way is as much as breathtaking.

On the way to Sembuwatta

The lake belongs to the Alkaduwa Estate. The lake is maintained and kept opened to the visitors by an association. Therefore, when you enter the lake you will have to pay. If you are a Sri Lankan, you will have to Rs. 250.00 per a person. On the other side of the enterance to the lake you can see the Alkaduwa estate, bearing what's remaining of its glory days.

Alkaduwa State

After entering the estate, you will still have to travel a little longer to get to the lake. On the way you will see the pipe lines which are used to generate electricity for the estate and a small waterfall where the pipe lines get its water.

The Sembuwatta Lake

The lake is created by natural water spring. It is surrounded by mountains and the water load held by a damn which is only few meters long. According to the villagers, the lake is 20 to 30 feet deep. The lake is designed in a way that you can walk right around it. There are huts where you can eat your meal, watch the sunset, or just relax.

Spring supplying water to Sembuwatta lake

On one side of the lake there is a natural swimming pool created by a natural spring. The water is clean because it is continuously been replaced. If you look carefully, you will also see beautiful birds singing on the treetops on the way.

Sembuwatta Boat Ride

Places to visit around Matale

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Belonging to the central province, Matale district is another travel destination of many travelers. The whether is ideal for anybody, not too hot or too cool. If you are planning to visit Matale, never forget to visit the following places.

Sembuwatta Lake
Aluwihare Temple

Kandy to Bahirawakanda

2013-06-16T17:13:00.002+05:30

After a long pause for travelling, the decision to visit a near by Buddhist temple in Kandy was made. It is the Sri maha bodhi Buddhist temple. The temple is famous because of the giant Buddhist Statue that is built in the temple. The statue is famous as Bahirawakanda Statue. Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya is a central place for many Buddhist activities.

The temple was built in 1972 by ven.Ampitiye Dammarama Thero. He started building the statue in the same year with the aid of the Buddhist people. It took years to complete. Finally the statue was opened by president Premadasa 1st of January 1993.

According to this, the statue was created by Dr, S.A Albert wijesekera.

The statue can be seen almost from everywhere in the Kandy city. It stands up in the sky, between the tree tops attracting many Sri Lankans as well as foreigners. If you visit Kandy city, never forget to visit this temple. It is about 1 km away from the Kandy city. You can take a three wheeler, or you can also walk up the hill to the temple.

We decided that the best way to get there would be on foot, because it will give us the chance to experience the environment as much as we could. It also saves money. Climbing up hill was a little hard, because the road was steep, but it was pleasing. You can never explain the joy you get when you are climbing a mountain even it is tiring. As we climbed up we saw the kandy city in different direction and different levels. I never thought that the Kandy city would look so pretty. The Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth) and the lake in the middle of the city reflected the glory of the uphill kingdom.

Kandy City from Bahirawakanda

When we looked up we saw that the is statue getting closer and closer. At some points, the statue disappeared making us wondering whether we took a wrong turn, but finally we arrived to the temple with no difficulty. The surrounding environment was peaceful and there was no trouble from people. We also met some tourist who were also walking to the temple. They also seemed to enjoy themselves. They were so pleased and generous enough to share a smile with us.

Bahirawakanda Statue

The statue is 88 feet in height and it is in 'Samadhi' posture. There was a poster displaying information regarding this statue as well as other large statues in Sri Lanka.

There are stairs to climb up the statue. You can see the Kandy city clearly as you go up. The 'Bo tree' in the temple looked really peaceful.

In side the temple there were painting on the walls displaying events of Lord Buddha's life.

After worshiping the temple, we head back to Kandy on foot. The return journey was easy and fast. We went home with nice memories of the giant Buddhist Statue that rise in the middle of the Kandy city.

From Kandy to Nuwara Eliya

2013-05-26T18:45:00.001+05:30

Nuwara Eliya, also called "Little England" is one of the prettiest places in Sri Lanka. Unlike rest of the country, Nuwara Eliya has very few historically important places. Yet, it is one of the most popular place among both native and foreign travelers. This is m ainly because of its welcoming weather and the beauty. Anyone who has visited there will agree to the fact that it is really 'The Little England'.

Planning the Journey

So, as I was dreaming for years, it was time to put a mission in motion. A mission to travel on my own. I have visited Nuwara Eliya several times with my parents, but this time decided to visit there on my own. But I wasn't alone. Three of my best friends joined me on the journey. Planning the trip was not so hard because it was only a one day journey. My friend suggested that we should go by train because she had heard that you can witness the true beauty from the train. Usually the cost to travel by train is less, but travelling to Nuwara Eliya by bus or the train costs the same. We later realized that this is because the rail road takes a longer path than the main road. On the other hand I had little experience regarding travelling by train, so it was really exciting for me.

April is the best time to visit Nuwara Eliya. The weather is so welcoming at this time of the year. The temperature is at its most comfortable value. But, we couldn't postpone our journey till April because none of us had free time at the time of the year. So we chose to travel late in March. The weather is not very bad in late March. The temperature is optimum and the only problem there will be is light showers that hit the city in the evenings. We also check the weather report of Nuwara Eliya and choose the best date to travel.

At first I thought that I will have to go to the railway station to check the train schedule, but then I found the website of 'Government Information Centre'. Surprisingly the website provided all the information we need. There is no train straight to Nuwara Eliya from kandy. So, we had to catch the train to Baddulla and get off from Nanuoya. The cost for the journey was Rs.90.00 in the third class. There were three trains to Baddulla. We decided to take the earliest train because we had to come back to Kandy on the same day. The earliest train was at 3.30 am. The website said that the train reaches Nanouya at 9.02 am, so there would be plenty of time to look around.

Train to Badulla

The next problem was how to know when we reach Nanuoya Station?'. Yes, it is true that there are boards at every station displaying the name. But, since I had little experience regarding trains, I had to take precautions. So, I look in to the google maps to find the names of stations that comes just prior to Nanuoya station. then we could get an idea about the time we should get ready to get out of the train. After 'Hatton' there are four railway stations before Nanuoya station. They are Kotagala, Thalawakele, walagoda, Great Western and Raddalla. From Nanuoya, we will have to take a bus to Nuwara Eliya.

We planned to go to Botanic Gardens Hakgala, Nuwara Eliya Victoria Park and the Gregory Lake. then we could catch a bus back to Kandy at about 4.00 pm and come home at about 7.00 pm.

The next most important thing we had to include to our plan was food, the most important thing of the day. The basic idea of choosing public transport was to finish the trip with minimum cost. We had heard that the price of a decent lunch packet would be closer to Rs. 200.00, which will be a waste of money. So we decided to make sandwiches for both the breakfast and the lunch. We also planned to make sure of our way by logging in to google maps. After planning that, we put our mission in to motion.

From Kandy to Nanuoya by Train

On the day before the journey, we went to bed early hoping to get some sleep because we had to wake up at least 2.30 am to catch the train at 3.30 am. We came to Kandy Railway station and bought our tickets, got in to the train and waited till it starts its journey. We actually forgot to ask someone regarding the side of the train we should sit to witness the most beautiful scenes. So, at first we took a right sided seat. After a while we thought the left side would be much better and changed our position to the left side and it was a mistake. So, if you want to witness the beauty throughout the trip, right sided seats are the best.

The train was nor crowded or deserted. It was a train carrying goods. There were two oil tanks and three compartment for passengers. We couldn't complain about the seats. The seats were not that comfortable, but was adequate. Anyway we were not going on a train to have nice sleep. Soon all the downsides of the train was forgotten once the sun rose. We understood that it is better to avoid seats near the toilet due to the horrible ammonia smell. There was at least one person in each row of seats. Most of them were preparing to sleep. The passengers were not a problem. Passengers were very friendly except for some young males who were talking and hanging on the the door of the compartment, trying to get our attention. The best thing was to ignore them and then there was no problem. Later we found out that they were a bunch of girls and boys who were in the train to get to 'Siripadaya', the mountain top where the foot print of Lord Buddha is present. We also found out that you have to get off from the train at Hatton Station. One of the passengers said that there is a special bus service from the station for those who are travelling to Siripadaya, since it was the season to worship Siripadaya.

First we passed the 'Sarasawiuyana station', where the train stooped for about a minute. Then came the 'Peradeniya station', Gampola Station' and 'Nawalapitiya Station'. The train stopped for about 25 min in Nawalapitiya Station to get the goods off.

Sarasavi Uyana Railway Station

Nawalapitiya Railway Station

It was really dark until we got to Nawalapitiya. Then the golden rays of the sun started to peek through the mountains. It was the most beautiful scene ever. We tried to capture every ray, but the photos didn't come out the same. Maybe I needed to refine my photography skills.

Sunrise

Bewitched by the breathtaking surroundings, we looked out the windows to grab every moment of it. Since the train was not crowded, we had the opportunity to walk around the compartment and find the best places to look out the windows. We also had the opportunity to stay at the door which is a little dangerous. Not only the sun, but also the mist was also doing its best to enhance the beauty. The mist was there in between the mountains and the trees. It was like the heaven has come down to earth just in front of us.

After passing several other railway halts, we arrived to Galboda and then to Watawala. Even though Watawala is considered as the city receiving the highest amount of rain, at that time it was not rainy. But, there were signs of recent past event of rain.

By this time we passed several tea estates. The mountain tops were covered by tea trees as if they were wearing green color caps. The occasional water streams running between these estates are able to maximize their beauty by thousands of times. Even though we kept our cameras ready to capture every breath taking scene, we failed to capture most of them because the train was going so fast. The waterfalls were long gone when the picture is taken.

Then we passed Rozella and arrived to Hatton. The train stooped at several stations and stayed for a while at some stations to allow other trains to pass through. Judging by the time the train is taking to get here, we knew that we will not be able to get to Nanuoya at 9.00 am, but couple of hours of delay was not a problem, because we had enough time. At Hatton, most of the people in the train got off. Most of them was going to "Siripadaya Peak". We met a local lady who was very friendly. She said that there are special bus service from Hatton to Nallathanniya for those who are going to Siripadaya Peak. She was very helpful and kind enough to share our breakfast.

The train stopped for about 30 minutes at Hatton railway station. They were transferring more goods in and out of the train. This gave us the opportunity to get out of the train and go to the restaurant and to the wash room. The washroom was no different to that in the train. The smell was horrible. What we didn't understand is why people don't flush the toilets even when the water is supplied by tap lines in to the toilets.

The train left Hatton station in about 30 minutes. Then the train was climbing around another mountain. The railroad is made around the mountain, so we were able to see the same scene at different sea levels. We realized that the train was going in rounds when we saw the same seen over and over again. But we never felt that the train was going in rounds. It was a strange feeling. Few minutes after leaving Hatton, the train was climbing the mountain slowly. One of my friends was looking out at the window. Suddenly she started shouting there it goes, there it goes'. At first I didn't understand what she was talking about. Then the train became slower and stopped at last. After a while we found out that the engine of the train has detached from the rest and left. Thank god the rest of train just stopped. What would have happened if it went backwards? I don't know whether there is a way to stop a train that is going backwards without an engine. It took about another 20 minutes for the engine to come back and the staff to attach it back in to the rest of the train. The same thing happened again after we passed Great Western Station. It was a great experience that I will not forget for my entire life. These two incidences made our journey more unique and interesting.

The Engine Left

We also passed Kotmale dam.

Upper Kothmale Dam

After passing Thalawakele station, Watagoda station Great Western and Raddalla Station, we finally arrived at Nanuoya Station. The time was about 10.10 am. The train was about an hour late. You have to make sure that the tickets are with you all the time. There are officers to check them. Our tickers were checked at the exit from the Nanuoya Station. After coming out to the station, we had to walk few meters to get to the bus.

Galboda Railway Station

Great Western Railway Station

Inguru Oya Railway Station

Kotagala Railway Staion

From Nanuoya to Nuwara Eliya

Nanuoya Station

It took about 20 minutes to get from Nanuoya to Nuwara Eliya. The bus fee was Rs.23.00 and the bus was not crowded. We all had seats. It was peaceful. There was nothing much interesting on the way. There were only regular houses and gardens. We got off from the bus at Nuwara Eliya bus station, where we were able to grab a bus to Welimada, since we were planning to go to Hakgala Botanical Garden. On the way we also passed 'Seethaeliya'.

Hakgala Botanical Garden firn

The bus was fast and we arrived to Hakgala Botanical garden within about 15 minutes. The garden was amazing. Then we came back by bus and got off at Gregory Lake. We walked form there to Nuwara Eliya Town It was a long walk and we were able to appreciate the beauty of the Nuwara Eliya city as much as we want. There were number of beautiful flowers on either side of the road. Most of them were the once grown by the house owners and hotels. But there were plenty of beautiful flowers growing on their own. We were able to pick some beautiful lilies, some beautiful yellow and purple flowers of which I don't know the names. In Nuwara Eliya city we were able to buy some strawberries, peaches, some 'wal pera' and some pears from some stalls built in the car park.

A Lilly in Nuwara Eliya City

Victoria Park Nuwara Eliya

Then we went back to the Nuwara Eliya bus station and confirmed the time of the last bus back to Kandy. In the bus station there was a time table beside the office, showing the times of the buses. The last bus to Kandy was at 4.30 pm. It was about 3.00 pm, so we decided to visit the Victoria Park since we had some time left.

From Nuwara Eliya to Kandy

The bus left the station at 4.30 pm. It was fast. The road was amazing. In fact Nuwara Eliya Kandy road is one of the most beautiful roads in Sri Lanka. The road looked gorgeous as it made it way through the amazingly beautiful tea states. Some parts of the road were completely covered with mist, making it impossible to identify anything else outside beside the road. It took only two and half hours to get to Kandy. Finally we went to our homes with thousands of unforgettable memories.

Places to Visit in Kandy

2013-02-28T12:09:00.001+05:30

Kandy is a city with many historical values. It is abundant of many historical and religious places and events. It is the city where the temple of the sacred tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) is placed. It is a very sacred place for Buddhist and thousands of Buddhists all around the country as well as the world visit their every day. The temple of the sacred tooth bears the peace of the Buddhism as well as the glory of the old Sri Lankan kingdoms.

The weather, the people, the environment and everything else is at their best in Kandy. If you visit Sri Lanka, you should never forget to visit Kandy and feel its glory and bring home good memories.
There are many places to visit in Kandy. Out of those, following mentioned are the most popular places.

Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth)
Udawattakele Royal Forest Sanctuary
National Meuseum
Bahirawakanda Temple
Kandy Garrison Cemetery
Ambekke Dewalaya
Gadaladeniya
Commonwealth war cemetery
Natha Devalaya

Paasikuda Beach

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Paasikuda beach is near the batticallo town. It is one of the prettiest and one of the calmest beaches you can find in Sri Lanka. If you love to swim in the sea and not so cleaver at it, then Paasikuda is the best place to start with. Even though it is the sea, the waters are not so rough or too deep. You can do very far in the sea without drowning your self, because the waters don’t get too deep very fast.

You have to go in the Hambarana Batticalo road to reach Batticalo. The road is perfect and traffic free. Most don’t hesitate to jump the speed limits since there is almost no traffic guard for miles after you passed walikanda.

A lot of people, both from other countries and from Sri Lanka it self come to visit hear and they enjoy themselves very much in this safe waters. After the end of the war the country has become a more safe and free place, so is Paasikuda. So, if you ever decided to travel east of Sri Lanka never forget to pay a visit to Paasikuda and feel the salty waters and the calming touch of the wind from the sea.

Visit "Vadda People" in Sri Lanka

2011-04-27T23:38:00.001+05:30

"Vadda" people are a group of people in Sri Lanaka who lived in jungles, fulfilling their needs by hunting and farming. They still protect most of their interesting culture. In their village, you may find many of them, wearing the same dress they used to wear in those days. The "Keteriaya" a cutting weapon they always carry signifies their identity.

Nowadays most of the vadda people have got used to modern type of living, but still there are some who vaddas who continue to protect their culture to show to the world.

The leader of the Vadda people, Wanniyala Aththo is an expert in Ayuruvedic mdicine. He uses herbal medicine, which his ancestors used to cure diseases. He lives in his house in the village. Anybody who visit there is welcomed with pleasure. Anyone can visit him and talk to him about their group, medicine, etc.

The children in their village loves to sign to their visitors. They will please you with their traditional songs written about the animals, the life in jungle, etc.

Dunhida Ella

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Sri Lanka is famous for its beautiful waterfalls present all around the country. Even though it is a small country, it is blessed with a lot of miracles of the mother nature. Out of the hundreds of beautiful waterfalls, "Diyaluma Ella" also plays a major role.

Dunhinda Ella

If you ever visit Sri Lanka never forget to see this beautiful waterfall. If you are a Sri Lankan, then add this waterfall in to your list of places to visit.

Dunhinda Ella

Peradeniya University: Ediriweera Sarachchandra Outdoor Theatre

2011-04-24T12:58:00.001+05:30

University of Peradeniya is a University which has its unique culture. It owns a land area of nearly 5000 acres, which makes it’s the biggest University. It has 8 Faculties. Unlike other Universities in Sri Lanka, the University of Peradeniya has a lot of beautiful places which includes the “The Hanthana Hills”.

Hanthana Hills

Ediriweera Sarachchandra Outdoor Theatre is also a special place. This is the place where they perform dramas. Outsiders also can come here and watch them.

Ediriweera Sarachchandra Outdoor Theatre

At this time of the year, the university is decorated from flowers. Every tree is full of flowers. The whole University is like a Paradise. You should visit there to see its beauty. There is nowhere else in Sri Lanka that you can see such a lot of trees full of flowers.

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is also placed very close by to the University. A lot of tourists come to see the Garden, but they forget to take visit to the University, which is very near by.

Polonnaruwa Galviharaya

2011-04-23T22:02:00.000+05:30

Polonnaruwa Galviharaya is a Buddhist Temple with statues made of rocks. They are believed to be built by the King Parakramabhahu, who ruled Sri Lanka centuries ago. The temple has 4 statues of Lord Buddha and some argue that one of them is Ananda Thera.

At the entrance there is a small pond. After the death of the King Parakramabhahu, there were a wars going on. They were against Buddhist Kings and were destroying all Buddhist Temples and other buildings built by the great kings. Polonnaruwa was also under threat and at some point these enemies were able to take Polonnaruwa into their hand. Sinhalese people took all their efforts to protect the Buddhist temples. So, to protect the Galviharaya, they have covered the whole temple from soil. The pond there was created at the place where soil was taken out from.


Pond at Galviharaya

The temple was protected as it was totally covered from soil.Following is the second statue in Galviharaya.

This is the statue that some believe as the Ananda Thera.

They say that this is the statue of worrying Ananda Thera at the loss of Lord Buddha.

Detail of Stone Face of Reclining Buddha at Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka Photographic Poster Print by Richard I'Anson, 30x40

Three Monks in Front of a Statue of the Buddha, Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka Photographic Poster Print by Yadid Levy, 24x32

Sun Set at parakrama Sumudraya

2011-04-23T21:16:00.001+05:30

Polonnaruwa is perfect vacation pot in Sri Lanka where a lot of travelers visit. If you ever visit Polonnaruwa, never forget to enjoy the beautiful scenery created by the setting sun on the giant tank. Parakrama Samudraya is a tank built by the King Parakramabahu the first. It is one of the biggest tanks in Sri Lanka and the pride to Polonnaruwa District as well as to the whole country.

Sun Set at Parakrama Samudraya Tank

Spending an evening near the tank will be one of the greatest moments of your life, because its beauty is strong enough to calm your mind and relax your soul. All you have to do is sit on a rock. The wind will relax your body while the rest relax your mind.

The tank is also a perfect place to have a bath, especially in the evenings. But, those who decide to bath must keep in their minds, not to go too far or engage in dangerous activities. Also they should never consume alcohol prier to getting into the waters as there are a lot of incidences where many people lost their lives by drowning.

People Bathing at Parakrama Samudraya Tank

So, if you ever think about traveling to Polonnaruwa, never forget to enjoy an evening near the Parakrama Samudraya tank.

World Heritage Site ; Polonnaruwa

Floods in Polonnaruwa

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Due to the increased rainfall all over the country many areas are flooded with water. North central province is suffering from flood more than anywhere else.

The Mahaweli river in Polonnaruwa is pouring out, making thousand of people homeless.


Flood in Manampitiya

The road from Kaduruwela to Baticalo is closed.

Flood in Manampitiya

All the tanks are filled fully and therefore, the outflow gates have been opened. This has made thousands of people down the tank homeless. It is necessary to open the gates since there is a danger that the dam will break down and cause a bigger damage to everything.

Dora Dahaya (Parakrama Samudraya's Outflow Gate)

This is a picture of the outflow gate of Parakrama Samudraya, situated in Polonnaruwa (also called dora dahaya, since there are 10 gates).

Following is a house right near the tank. The people are still living there. It is amazing that the house is still intact with this flow of water. People say that the authorities have offered them a land somewhere else, but these people have rufused to go there.

Dora Dahaya

Here you may see fish trying to get back to the tank, swimming upwards. The bigger fish can jump nearly 10 feet up in to the air. It is very sad to see their useless effort to get back.

Going there is not allowed these days, but there are other ways to get there, but the road is not that easy.

Bat tree in Polonnaruwa

2010-09-27T18:44:00.001+05:30

I was traveling on the Polonnaruwa-New Town Road, to my cousin’s house. It was about 4.30 pm. After traveling for about 2 minutes, I saw in the sky a lot of birds flying in one direction.

I stopped and looked closely. There were a lot of bats, flying to east. When I looked closely, I saw that they were coming from a nearby tree.

It was a big tree full of bats. There were several bats in nearby trees too. The villages told that there are several bet trees like these in Polonnaruwa. Some people are truing to chase away these bats, but they always return to the same place. Chasing away bats from a bat tree is illegal in Sri Lanka.

There was a wood apple tree near the bat tree. There was couple of fruits on the ground. I tasted one and they are really delicious. You should try them too.

I also found a “thalagoya” ( a commonly found reptile in the dry zone) in that place. This is a picture of it. It is not that clear. I couldn’t get a better picture, because I was afraid to go near it, because I have herd that they attack you by their tail. I don’t know whether it is true.

Trip to Udawalawa

2010-09-27T17:32:00.002+05:30

Udawalawa National Park is a great place to visit in Sri Lanka. Many animal lovers visit here to witness its beauty

It is on the road from Bariel Handiya(junction) to Thanamalwila. After passing the Udawalawa town you come to the Udawalawa Tank. The road goes on the dam.

At the end of the dam on your left hand side, you will see the beginning of the jungle. It is protected from an electric fence.

This electric fence is built to prevent from elephants coming in to the village on the other side of the road. There are many human and elephant conflicts around this area, because these elephants are clever enough to break the electric fence and come in to the village. The villages grow sugar cane and elephants love to eat them.

How they break the fence is a amazing story. They bring a huge tree and put it on to the fence. Then the fence is broken and they are able to pass through it without getting electrocuted.

Nowadays the elephants have learned a new method to earn themselves delicious food. All they have to do is waiting near the road. The travelers never forget to give them something to eat.

There were 5 elephants near the road on the day I visited there. In one place there were two of them together.

We stopped to give them something to eat. The bigger one chased away the smaller one and ate the banana we gave it.

These elephants have also made a way for the villages to earn. You may find a little stall in every place where there is an elephant. The villages are selling things that elephants eat in these stalls.

Hay, now you can’t see me.

The following books contain maps of Sri Lanka that could be handy when you travel in Sri Lanka.

I've seen a lot tourists who travel by local transport service in Sri Lanka with no guide. They find their way through these books, without asking anybody.

Once I saw a foreign couple whomade their way to Sigiriya without much difficulty. Even, some of us Sri Lankans it is a little difficult if you haven't being there before.

This shows many aspects of Sri Lankan life.

It worths more than its price. It is a perfect collection of all aspects of Sri Lanka.

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From Dambulla to Polonnaruwa

2010-09-25T11:26:00.004+05:30

Next we started to go from Dambulla to Polonnaruwa. On the way you may find a lot of stalls, selling water melons. These stalls belong to farmers, and some of them are built by those who buy them from farmers and sell.

There are two kinds of water melons. On of one with is dark green in color, and the other is white with green steaks. The later one is tastier than the former.

Dambulla town is fairly a big town. It is called the sleepless city in Sri Lanka, because there are people awake throughout the night.

It takes about twenty minutes to come from Dambulla town to Hambarana town. On the way you will come across a jungle. If you come in this way at night or late in the evening, maybe you will see elephants and dears if you are lucky enough.

Hambarana is a very small town. There you will come to a round about, with four roads. When you are traveling from dambulla, the road straight ahead goes to Trincomalle, one to your left leads you to Maradamkadawala, and the one to the left goes to Polonnaruwa.

On the way to polonnaruwa, after traveling for about 10 minutes, you enter the Minneriya National park. Here you have travel for about 20 minutes through the forest. In the evenings, and early mornings you may find elephants, deers and many other wild animals on the way.

At the end of the jungle you on your left hand side you may see the Minneriya tank, built by King Mahasena. Most of the times there are herds of elephants in this place. Many people stop here for a while to enjoy the beauty.

The Cave Temple

2010-09-23T21:02:00.003+05:30

At the top of the hill, you will reach the caves, but before you enter through the main gate make sure you take off your shoes and caps. When you face the temple, in your left hand side you will find a stall where you can keep them for safely. You can even keep your shoes anywhere you can, because it is very unlikely, that they will get robbed, but you better keep them in the stall, because you cannot trust anyone these days, can you?

When you enter through the entrance, you will see the caves on your right hand side. From out side they don’t look like caves, because the open parts are covered with a wall. At once you will think that you are looking at a long building.

There are 5 caves with hundreds of Lord Buddha’s and Bodhisathwa statues.

The roofs are also full of their pictures.

This is a picture of the door lock of one of the caves.

In one of the caves, there is a place where water leaks from the walls. The ancient people have designed the roof in a way that this water is guided to one place and drop in to a huge pot. This is very famous among Sri Lankans, and they never forget to see it.

Dambulla Cave Temple is a place where you must visit.

The following books contain maps of Sri Lanka that could be handy when you travel in Sri Lanka.



I've seen a lot tourists who travel by local transport service in Sri Lanka with no guide. They find their way through these books, without asking anybody.

Once I saw a foreign couple whomade their way to Sigiriya without much difficulty. Even, some of us Sri Lankans it is a little difficult if you haven't being there before.

Sri Lanka, 3rd (Bradt Travel Guide)

Don't Forget Your Passport - Sri Lanka



This shows many aspects of Sri Lankan life.

It worths more than its price. It is a perfect collection of all aspects of Sri Lanka.

Way to the Cave temple

2010-09-23T16:20:00.000+05:30

This is a famous place in Sri Lanka where a lot of tourists all over the world never miss to visit. If you go there you will see that I am telling the truth, because everyday, even it is a holiday or not the temple is full of tourists.

You have to walk up hill from the Golden temple, to reach the cave temple. You have to climb a rock to reach there. Ancient Sri Lankans usually built the temples at the highest place. This is a characteristic of many ancient places in Sri Lanka.

On the way you may find a lot of monkeys on the way. Many tourists love to take their photographs. They have gotten used to eat from visitors coming to the temple. If they find that you are afraid they will definitely come near you to grab anything that you have in your hands. Therefore don’t be afraid of them.

They are very friendly, and have never attack a person who visited their. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. There are boards everywhere saying that you should not feed the monkeys, but what I’m saying is, what is wrong with feeding them? If they are not causing any harm to us and us to them, what is the wrong with that?

You have two options to climb up, either you can choose the steps or you can choose the path. If you have difficulties in walking, I recommend you use the path. Foreign visitors have to buy a ticket to visit the temple. It is free for Sri Lankans.

This is a photo taken from the top of the hill.

Dambulla – The Golden Temple

2010-09-21T22:48:00.001+05:30

I got the chance to go to Dambulla for the third time with my parents. They were planning to go to Polonnaruwa, to visit one of my relatives and I suggested that I will also come if we can also visit Dambulla. This time we went by our own vehicle.

When you are traveling from Kandy, Dambulla is in your left hand side. You will arrive there few kilometers before arriving to Dambulla Town, the sleepless city in Sri Lanka. There is a parking area beside the temple, and you will be charged about 50 rupees for parking.

When I first looked at the temple, I was charmed by the scenery. The golden temple, it really was ‘gold’. The statue of the Lord Buddha reaches the sky, touching the clouds. I had visited Dambulla 2 times before, but that was before the statue was built. The scenery is charming enough to catch anybody’s eyes. It lightens the whole area, spreading the wonders of the Buddhism far and wide.

My parents and I sat in front of the statue and enjoyed the peace for couple of minutes. We just sat there. I looked at my parents. There were worshiping with eyes closed. Their faces were full of peace and calm.

Aluviharaya

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Aluviharaya is situated in Matale. It is a Buddhist temple where

Kandy to Aluviharaya

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My first Step.

Aluviharaya is in the A9 road. If you want to get to Aluviharaya fast, you have to take one of the following buses.

Dambulla
Kekirawa
Anuradhapura
Polonnaruwa
Wawniyawa
Trincomalee

All these buses are parked side by side in the east corner of the ‘good shed’ bus stand. Dambulla buses go a little slower than others. Therefore, if you want to get their faster, you better one of the long distant buses, like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee, etc.

You may always find any of these buses, except late at night. I choose a Kekirawa bus, and started my journey at about 8.00 am. I was able to take y favourite sheet, the left front sheet, since the bus was not crowded. Half the bus was empty, when it took off from the bus stand.

As usual I starred outside the window. There are a lot of stalls in the pavement. The stalls near the bus stand are mostly full of fruits and some are full of sweets. As we go far, then are the stalls full of clothes, accessories, shoes, anything and everything. I will describe my experience around these stalls in another post.

Then we pass the clock tower, which is about 500m away from the bus stand. After passing this, we start our journey deep in to the city, where major shops are the kings. If you look around there are various shops with eye catching show rooms and banners.

It takes about 10 minutes to get out of the city, since the buses go really slow in order to gather more crowd. Some times the bus is slow due to traffic, especially when the schools are over. Therefore you better not start the trip between 6.30-7.45 am and 1.00-2.00 pm, since those are the hours where schools start and end.

Then we slowly go far away from the Kandy city. After about 25 minutes we arrive to Katugastota. We enter Katugastota city by crossing a huge bridged. This bridge is built across the ‘Mahaweli River’ the longest river in Sri Lanka. Some times the river is brownish, which indicate that it has rained uphill.

Katugastota is comparatively a small town. Here you will see the bus taking a bent to your left. After that the road goes along with a small canal, a branch of the Mahaweli River. There are another three major towns to pass before arriving to Matale, the district to which Aluviharaya belongs to. They are,

Ambatenna
Akurana
Alawathugoda

The road to Matale from Alawathugoda is very steap, and there are a lot of bents. The bus goes very slow, and it shakes like a cradle. This is the best part of the trip to have a little nap if you want, because there is nothing much to see around, except for the mountains and houses. Therefore you can sleep till you reach Matale city. It takes nearly an hour to arrive to Matale from Kandy.

In Matale, the bus will stop at the bus stand for couple of minutes. Do not get off the bus. Prepare your belongings, get ready to get off. After the bus starts again, call the conductor, and tell him that you want to go to ‘Aluviharaya’. All you have to say is just ‘Aluviharaya’ and he will definitely understand. It takes about five minutes to arrive to Aluviharaya. The conductor will inform you when the bus arrives there.

Aluviharaya is in the left hand side. Get off the bus. You may see a white wall with a row of black elephant statues. This is the Aluviharaya.

Cheapest Way to Travel in Sri Lanka

2010-09-16T17:25:00.005+05:30

sri lanka
From my experience, there are few things that you should be aware of when traveling in public transport.

Ask the conductor whether you can go to your destination from that bus before you get in. If your are a foreigner very simple English is enough to get this information. For example say you want to go to Matale, just say 'to matale' and they will understand, and some may even step forward to show a better bus. In some areas, there are several ways to get to the same destination, so better ask for the best bus, which reaches there faster

Choose a suitable seat, where you can sit and see around properly. According to my experience, the left front sheet is the best, both for security and for better view.

Never forget to take the ticket, especially if you are using government bus, because you will never know when the officers would come and check your ticket.

Stay aware of your belongings. 99.9% Sri Lankan people are very nice and kind, butthere are few, who steel in the buses, so be careful! Never take your eyes off your precious items.

Ladies must be double careful, since there are some rascals who try to have some cheap fun. They should follow special method when traveling by public bus. Of course this wont be a problem, if you are a foreigner and look different, because then they wont even come near you.

The following books contain maps of Sri Lanka that could be handy when you travel in Sri Lanka.

I've seen a lot tourists who travel by local transport service in Sri Lanka with no guide. They find their way through these books, without asking anybody.

Once I saw a foreign couple whomade their way to Sigiriya without much difficulty. Even, some of us Sri Lankans it is a little difficult if you haven't being there before.

Sri Lanka (Country Guide)

Sri Lanka Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

This shows many aspects of Sri Lankan life.

It worths more than its price. It is a perfect collection of all aspects of Sri Lanka.