The next morning we actually changed our plans around a lot (which was a little problematic with our tour agent but we all worked it out in the end). We found out luckily from our driver that Yalla National Park would be closed in 2 days for elephant counting. Since we were supposed to go there later in the trip and since that was the only park that has leopards, we decided to change our itinerary around a bit so that we wouldn't miss out. Our driver was extremely easy-going and helpful with the changes.
So, instead of going to the elephant orphanage and staying in the same area for another day like the original plan, last minute we decided to pack our bags and we moved on to our next destination: the ancient city of Sigiriya.
This could possibly be my favorite part of the trip. One reason for this was our tour guide. He was pretty young and had the positive attitude of …well, keith! Lol He made the entire hike up to the top of the ancient cliff very fun. Even with my little fear of heights and with fear of the hornet nests (yes, gigantic hornet nests!!) after reading the sign about being quiet so that the hornets don’t attack, the guide made me feel so much more comfortable. He just made joke after joke and before we knew it we were already at the top. I really appreciated his humor. He even took a picture of us climbing the final step at the very top, and asked us to do all sorts of funny poses. I should also mention that before you reached the top, you come across these huge stone tiger paws. They were really neat to see. Back in the day, the head of the tiger was also in the stone, but now only the paws are left. Take a look at the pictures we took. On the way up we also saw very ancient paintings which are still on some of the walls of the Sigiriya rock.
After we quietly passed the HUGE hornet nests, we successfully reached the top. From the top, you could see mountains, Buddhas/temples and jungles off in the distance. It was beautiful and very very windy. Our guide also showed us where the king used to sit and how certain spots at the top used to be rooms for dancing or for meals. The whole scene came to life. The guide created this imagery of what the ancient city used to look like when the king lived there thousands of years ago. There were fountains and baths all over (at the bottom of the cliff), elephants, monkeys, green grass, flowers and trees and the king had hundreds of beautiful wives. There were always celebrations, parties and music. If you look at one picture at the end of the tour, you can see what the area looked like back in the day. Oh and on the way down, we saw a cliff that was in the form of a cobra and also a real cobra, trained by a Sri Lankan.
When we left Sigiriya, we went to the Golden Temple and then we also stopped at an herb and spice garden. Surpringly, both Keith and I found this extremely interesting. We were taken around the owner/guide’s garden and he showed and let us try many different things. He had vanilla bean, cocoa bean, aloe vera, cinnamon, raw honey, etc. These were all things that were 100% natural and were grown right there in his garden. He has had his company for about 20 years and he seemed super knowledgeable about everything he informed us on. Believe me, we had many questions and Keith quizzed him! We were even given a free 15 minute massage and keith was able to try this hair removal cream (a sample on his leg) which we were also impressed about (it was quick to remove the hair and so smooth). Keith and I discussed with the guide for a while about the products and its uses and we have decided to order some things once we get settled into our new housing. However, we did leave with some vanilla and curry powders. The rest of the night was driving to get to the tea plantations and Lil England area which is in Ella and Nuwara Eliya, and which is on the way to Yalla National Park.
Our wonderful tour guide!
No comments:
Post a Comment