14th January – 5th February

14th January – Travel Out

We flew with Emirates Airlines from Heathrow via Dubai to Colombo. A very civilised departure time of 1430 from Terminal 3 but a slightly less civilised arrival time in Dubai of 0030 with a 2 hours stop over before catching the 0230 connection to Colombo. As ever we got on the flight with a determination not to eat every meal that was placed in front of us and failed! With a 5hr30min time difference to Uk we landed at 0800 in the morning. Customs was very efficient, having obtained our e-visa before leaving UK. Luggage was awaiting us on the carousel and we were met by Nick and Carole, the hosts from Not Out.

15th January 2025 – Nagombo Hotel Jetwing Blue

The hotel was located in Negombo just north of Colombo on the western coast. There is always the choice to make having got off a long haul flight with little sleep sitting upright in economy class whether to have a ‘quick sleep’ which inevitably turns into a long sleep or battle through. It was only 1100hrs when we got to the hotel so we went across the road to the Lord’s Pub/Cafe/Restaurant. A good decision. We share a local curry for lunch before going back to the hotel with the intention of walking along the beach. However the sand was so hot that even walking on it in sandals was too uncomfortable. So we did then succumb to a short doze before sitting outside by the pool to catch the sun set over the Indian Ocean. A glorious sunset.

Many of the locals as well as those on holiday gathered on the beach to see the golden ball sink below the horizon. There was a gentle SW breeze and shook that sail of the sailing boat beached on the sand. After leaving UK with the temprature at -3 deg, this was bliss.

Supper was at Lord’s where we again shared a chicken and cashew nut curry, meeting the rest of the tour group for this phase of the tour and our tour guide Manorge. We spent time with Tony and Linda who were from Birmingham.

16th January – Travel to Dambulla and Anurdhapura

We decided on an early start – 0600 – to pack rather than pack the night before. A combination of too much rice, alcohol and long flight made the for a difficult start to the day. With bags outside our door at 0700 we had a pleasant breakfast overlooking the sea. Daal and noodles for breakfast with Ceylon prepared us well for the day ahead.

This phase of the trip was the cultural week. We drove 4 hours north west to the first capital of Sri Lanka – Anurdhapura. We had a stop for a few minutes to ease springs which turned out to be a supermarket which had a single toilet. We aroused some curiosity from the locals we descended the coach and marched into the supermarket. We did pass storm damage from the recent cyclone which had killed around 1.000 but the true number will perhaps never be known. Sri Lanka is not a rich country and still one that has not fully recovered from a very long civil war between the Tamils (Hindu) and the Sinhalese

Isurumuniya Rock Temple 3c BC

There are a series of temples that date back to 3BC to around 6AD which was the height of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. They were renowned for designing and building irrigation networks allegedly as far as Egypt. Buddhism was introduced around 3 BC from India and as a result of this large and complex temples were created for the rulers and Buddhist monks. Two of the remaining temple complexes are World Heritage Sites. However by 9AD the Anuradhapura Kingdom fell apart as a result of invasions from the Chola armies of India who are that time had one of the largest empires in Southeast Asia. Most of the temples were destroyed it is the ruins that now remain.

The Isurumuniya Rock Temple has the bathing pools of the King and Queen and then monks nearlyby – Kuttam Pokuna. To visit the temples requires everyone to remove shoes and hats. Normally this is at the temple door, however here it covers the whole complex. Soft western feet were not used to walking and climbing stairs and rock barefoot!

The next stop was to Jetavanarama Museum which housed collection of objects excavated dating back to 3cBC-6cAD. The Jetavanarama Dagoba lies within the vast grounds around the museum and is one of the best-preserved monuments in the ancient city of Anuradhapura. The stupa towers over 89 metres, shorter than its original 121 metres. The foundations were laid on bedrock, stamped down by elephant feet, and the dome was built from strong sand bricks. The stupa was then covered in lime plaster. Overall the process took around 15 years to complete and required skillful brick workers, layers and stonemasons. Until 1909, the colossal stupa was covered in jungle. It was then that Monk Jumbuke Dhammarama gained approval to clear the building. Excavations revealed that Sri Lanka was the primary location for trade activity connecting the Indian rim countries with the Mediterranean and the Far East.

Unfortunately we only got to see it from a distance as we were running short of time and the guide was keen to pull into the programme as many sites as he could!

We had lunch at a local restaurant. Expensive for what was essentially rice and dhal with some fish or chicken. But it filled a gap and gave us all a bit of a rest

From here we moved to Ruwanweliseya 2cBC. It originally was a perfect dome and has been reconstructed but they have not been able to replicate the beauty of the original Stupa.

As with the other temple sites we had to remove our shoes to walk around. It was quite a long walk on very hot tiles – 500m. Where the tiles were particularly hot it was a bit of a race to get across without them being burnt and seek some shade. POst the visit I did read that it was suggested Westerners wore socks! Gillian decided not to come and go back to the bus – however it had left – so she raced back to catch us up but we had departed. After trying to enter via a ‘Monk’s only’ entrance she was directed by the Police to the correct entry point. She eventually caught up with the group looking hot and bothered. Whilst there a ceremony was taking place which involved wrapping the entire circumference of the Stupa in an orange ribbon. It was fascinating to watch and sense as well as see the complete dedication and faith of the followers of Buddha.

Having retrieved our shoes we then walked to the oldest recorded tree in the world. About 2,600 years ago, Lord Gautama Buddha sat with his back against an Esathu (Aśvattha) tree on the banks of the Neranjana River in Bodhgaya, India. It was at this moment, as he sat against the tree, that the Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment. In doing so, the tree also gained a venerated status. It became known as the Bodhi tree, and pilgrims came to see it even within the lifetime of the Buddha. Later, in 236 BC, the Buddhist nun Sanghamitta Maha Theri was sent by Emperor Asoka from India to Sri Lanka. With her, she carried a southern branch of the original sacred fig. This branch was ceremoniously presented to Devanampiya Tissa, one of the earliest kings of Sri Lanka whose reign was notable for the arrival of Buddhism. In 236 BC, Tissa planted the branch of the Bodhi tree in his Royal Park in Anuradhapura. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, as it became known, has since been cared for and protected by Buddhist monks and dedicated kings. 

The photo is of a group of worshippers who study beneath the tree and hope a leaf migh fall which they are allowed to take home with them.

After a long day we arrived at our next hotel Jetwing Lake Dambulla – about 1.5hrs drive. Set around a lake surrounded by jungle it was a beautiful setting. It had been a long day and after a shower and change we had a communal meal in the dining room. The buffet supper was fantastic and whilst Gillian was restrained I had too much! After dinner we sat around a table outside with a paraffin lamp to keep the mosquitos away having a drink and chat with Tony and Lin.