This is a travelogue of our recent journey to the mysterious, island nation of Sri Lanka. We began our trip in the popular, beach town of Negombo, located near to the international airport. From there we went north, but not as far as Jaffna, the former home of the Tamil Tigers. We started out in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital to visit the Buddhist shrines and palaces located there. Our journey was cut short by the tremendous downpours up there. Even the locals said, “the rains were about the worst they had ever seen.” To change our luck, we took a bus to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital to dry out for a few days and see folk dances, museums and the famous, “Temple of the Tooth.” When conditions had finally improved, we headed north to the Dambulla Buddhist Caves and Sigiriya Rock. We jammed both sites into a single day, ….. just in case. Dana and I ventured the next day to Polonnaruwa, another ancient capital to see the ruins there. It rained of course, but not as bad as the first time. It dried out later in the day. We returned to Kandy to make our train connection to the famous, mountain village of Ella, for its very picturesque, mountain vistas and active foodie scene. I still miss it! ☺ After we headed to Tangalle, the first of several beach communities and the beginning of our next installment. (End of Part I) I’d like to give special thanks to: freeSFX for the use of their, “bus driving on freeway” sound effect! It worked great! http://www.freesfx.co.uk
