I got dumped by Mirissa! It all started on one fine day whilst was standing waist deep in the picture perfect waters of Mirissa Bay in southern Sri Lanka. I was declaring my love for Niki, looking romantically into her eyes as she stood on the beach. In hindsight I should have realised how [...]
This article originally appeared on The Travel Project
Sri Lanka's First Light
Legend would have you believe that this is the place where butterflies come to die. Whilst devout Buddhists believe that this is the site that Buddha himself ventured forth into the afterlife, where as readers of the Bible believe this is where Adam set forth upon the earth. Whatever your view, witnessing a sunrise upon the summit of Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak as it is also known by, will remain with you for a lifetime. Sri Pada is at an achievable height of 2243 metres in the hill country of Sri Lanka and during the pilgrimage season (December to March), thousands of devotees ascend to the small monastery perched upon the summit. The monastery houses the footprint of Buddha and is an important place that many Sri Lankans travel to yearly. The climb is about three hours and passes by raging waterfalls, small tea houses and harrowing views of the deep valleys below. It all concludes with a juxtaposition of watching the sky turn from millions of stars into the pastel colours of the sun rising over Sri Lanka.
The stunning sunrise over Sri Lanka from Sri Pada
Sri Pada's shadow, a perfect pyramid!
A perfect sunrise over Adam's Peak.....just beautiful
View from Sri Pada Summit
Halfway up Sri Pada
Adam's Peak from Dalhousie, Sri Lanka
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic | Next Post Coming Soon |
Sri Lanka's First Light
Legend would have you believe that this is the place where butterflies come to die. Whilst devout Buddhists believe that this is the site that Buddha himself ventured forth into the afterlife, where as readers of the Bible believe this is where Adam set forth upon the earth. Whatever your view, witnessing a sunrise upon the summit of Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak as it is also known by, will remain with you for a lifetime. Sri Pada is at an achievable height of 2243 metres in the hill country of Sri Lanka and during the pilgrimage season (December to March), thousands of devotees ascend to the small monastery perched upon the summit. The monastery houses the footprint of Buddha and is an important place that many Sri Lankans travel to yearly. The climb is about three hours and passes by raging waterfalls, small tea houses and harrowing views of the deep valleys below. It all concludes with a juxtaposition of watching the sky turn from millions of stars into the pastel colours of the sun rising over Sri Lanka.
The stunning sunrise over Sri Lanka from Sri Pada
Sri Pada's shadow, a perfect pyramid!
A perfect sunrise over Adam's Peak.....just beautiful
View from Sri Pada Summit
Halfway up Sri Pada
Adam's Peak from Dalhousie, Sri Lanka
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic | Next Post Coming Soon |
If you are planning to relocate to a millionaire’s row or to one of the richest streets in Perth and you want to do it with style then get a cheap campervan hire at www.camperhire.com.au. Australia’s way of keeping up with the Smiths, the Joneses, the Chans, the Floreanis or the Kardashians is by living in the place where the most number of self-made millionaires live, Perth. Perth has a booming economy, a lot of employment and business opportunities. It has a free bus system in the city. It is a rich city. They say as long as you are a hard worker and talented you will land at a good paying job in Perth. However, while Perth is a rich city due to the industries in it, it is also one of the most affordable cities to live in.
Moving to an upscale neighbourhood using a cheap campervan hire Australia initially is good for the family. A higher standard of living is a good sign that life has improved, income is better and the business has boomed. A better life offers more comfort and convenience for you and your loved ones. It would also be great to meet the right connections for business ventures and other philanthropic activities.
However, the downside is some people learn the sport of social climbing in the process. Many people pretend to be who they are not. To keep up with one’s neighbours some families go through a great deal of stage playing, acting like everything is doing well when it is not. Some people even have to be deeply indebted to maintain the status quo. This is the reason why when the financial crisis hit the global economies many families had to declare bankruptcy even those who belong to the millionaires’ lane.
However, if you have the means to live a better and more comfortable life then by all means do so and to relocate to that upmarket area all you need is a cheap campervan hire Australia to start off your change of life the right way.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Sri Lanka
Boom!…………..Boom!………………Boom!………….This was no enticing drum sound to woo me deep into the bowel of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic; no, this was a command to follow the many pilgrims into the darkness of the night into the most important Buddhist site in all of Sri Lanka. The site that, as legend would have you believe, contains a tooth from Buddha himself. Smuggled to Sri Lanka by an Indian Princess, the sacred tooth has been at the center of many conquests as for it is popularly believed that whoever holds the Tooth holds the power and the right to rule over the diverse island of Sri Lanka. After stripping your feet from your earth worn shoes and passing over the deep moat, you enter an ornate and spiritual world filled with intricately decorated arched corridors, hypnotic sounds of drums and prayers, the intense aromas of burning incense and the throngs of the pilgrims dressed in white holding offerings to Buddha.
On entering the final chamber, waiting patiently for the door that houses the relic itself to be opened by one of the many monks that form part of an elite sentinel for the temple, you will glimpse a priceless golden vessel. No words can adequately describe its immense beauty, elegance and sense of spiritual power that it holds over so many Buddhists around the world, for the vessel houses the Sacred Tooth of Buddha himself. Draped in exquisite jewels and gems, surrounded by a room of golden light and lush red velvet drapes, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the sight of people praying, placing offerings and crying, as for some, this is a once in a lifetime experience. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a must see in the city of Kandy in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka and will leave an impression on you for many years to come.
The Scared Tooth Relic protected by its guardians
Pilgrims follow the drums to the Sacred Tooth Relic
Burning candles as an offering and prayer to Buddha
The hypnotic mosaic tiles line the ceiling
The Intricate artwork is stunning!
The colourful offerings on display at the temple
The Temple of Tooth Relic Entrance Hall, Sri Lanka
Mosaic Tiles on display at The Temple of the Sacred Tooth
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post Bathing with Elephants in Sigiriya | Next Post Coming Soon |
Bathing the Elephants at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka
There have been a few times in all the years that I have travelled and all the countries that I have visited that I have truly had an experience that has left me so humbled. So as I laid upon the stomach of a small Asian elephant, rising with every breathe that he took and feeling his coarse skin against my hands, I couldn’t help but shed a small tear at how magnificent these creatures truly are. Niki and I were in the small town of Sigiriya, in the central plateau of Sri Lanka. The day before we had climbed Sigiriya Rock and waking up early after a gang of monkeys attacked our guesthouse, we had planned to head south to the city of Kandy.
Magnificent Asian Elephant at his morning bath, Sri Lanka
Just before 8am the sound of a trumpeting elephant erupted through our room and as I peered out through our room’s dusty little window, I saw two mighty beasts lazily walking past our window. Niki was out of the door before I could even mention the phrase “elephants on parade’ and I was content to let her take some photos whilst I finished packing. A good 15 minutes had passed and I thought I should go find my wife who I had a strong suspicion that wherever she was, that she would be surrounded by an interested group of men. As whenever I left her alone in Sri Lanka, men would come in all directions to start up a conversation – whether friendly or with other intentions. So as I strolled down the road to find her, it came as no surprise that she was surrounded by two men whilst she took photos from a small bridge. Her images were of a small Asian Elephant on his side being bathed by a young mahout, who upon seeing us called us down in the river to have a better look.
Bathing Time for the Elephants at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Climbing down the muddy embankment with Niki in toe, I stopped at the bank and felt my jaw drop. There was this creature that I had seen all over Asia, in a natural setting away from the touristic stage. There were no tourist buses, no tricks or elephant artwork, no elephant poo postcards and no amusement park atmosphere. I knew it wasn’t the same as seeing a Wild Elephant, however there was something special about seeing the mahout care for the young elephant as if a child of his own. Beginning to understanding, at least to a small extent, the bond that they share in the form of a working partnership that has been existent for hundreds of years in this part of Asia. Niki and I were then invited to enter the river.
Beautiful Asian Elephant bathing at Sigiriya
The coarse hair ran through my fingertips, the elephant’s eyes gazed upon me before contently blowing water over its back and continuing to rub the cool earthy mud over its body. All this whilst the young man used a sturdy coconut shell to scrub the elephant’s skin of the muddy dust that clings to the air in this part of Sri Lanka. Nervous like I was on a first date, I couldn’t help but lay my ear against the elephant’s skin. I wanted to hear the sound of his beating heart and feel the rise of his stomach as air filled its lungs. I laid there in the moment, tranfixed in a world of discovery and felt humbled at the size and placid nature of the elephant. After I helped wash the young elephant’s leathery skin, which I wasn’t much good at, I slowly retreated back to the bank with a tear in the eye and a sense of awe at some of the amazing experiences you get to partake in when you travel the world.
Bathing with the Elephants at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
The dilemma of elephants in tourism is a juicy conundrum. New technologies are replacing the need for elephants in agricultural and logging industries, coupled with the high expense of feeding them, often mahouts either have the choice of releasing them (which they may not survive), destroying them or potentially engaging them in tourism activites. However elephant tourism if done wrong, can be cruel and tacky, with elephants made to do tricks and ‘perform’ for the paying tourist. Ideally in the wild is the best place to see them, however with this not always possible, many successful elephant tourism operators (orphanages and rehabilitation centres) have been developed that create a sustainable way of fostering a balance between using elephants in tourism to help tourists get up close with the animals whilst meeting animal welfare standards and continuing to promote the growth of the Asian elephant population. It’s up to us and our travel choices about which type of elephant tourism will win out in the future!
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post The Lion fortress of Sigiriya {Photo Junket} | Next Post Coming Soon |
Bathing the Elephants at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka
There have been a few times in all the years that I have travelled and all the countries that I have visited that I have truly had an experience that has left me so humbled. So as I laid upon the stomach of a small Asian elephant, rising with every breathe that he took and feeling his coarse skin against my hands, I couldn’t help but shed a small tear at how magnificent these creatures truly are. Niki and I were in the small town of Sigiriya, in the central plateau of Sri Lanka. The day before we had climbed Sigiriya Rock and waking up early after a gang of monkeys attacked our guesthouse, we had planned to head south to the city of Kandy.
Magnificent Asian Elephant at his morning bath, Sri Lanka
Just before 8am the sound of a trumpeting elephant erupted through our room and as I peered out through our room’s dusty little window, I saw two mighty beasts lazily walking past our window. Niki was out of the door before I could even mention the phrase “elephants on parade’ and I was content to let her take some photos whilst I finished packing. A good 15 minutes had passed and I thought I should go find my wife who I had a strong suspicion that wherever she was, that she would be surrounded by an interested group of men. As whenever I left her alone in Sri Lanka, men would come in all directions to start up a conversation – whether friendly or with other intentions. So as I strolled down the road to find her, it came as no surprise that she was surrounded by two men whilst she took photos from a small bridge. Her images were of a small Asian Elephant on his side being bathed by a young mahout, who upon seeing us called us down in the river to have a better look.
Bathing Time for the Elephants at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Climbing down the muddy embankment with Niki in toe, I stopped at the bank and felt my jaw drop. There was this creature that I had seen all over Asia, in a natural setting away from the touristic stage. There were no tourist buses, no tricks or elephant artwork, no elephant poo postcards and no amusement park atmosphere. I knew it wasn’t the same as seeing a Wild Elephant, however there was something special about seeing the mahout care for the young elephant as if a child of his own. Beginning to understanding, at least to a small extent, the bond that they share in the form of a working partnership that has been existent for hundreds of years in this part of Asia. Niki and I were then invited to enter the river.
Beautiful Asian Elephant bathing at Sigiriya
The coarse hair ran through my fingertips, the elephant’s eyes gazed upon me before contently blowing water over its back and continuing to rub the cool earthy mud over its body. All this whilst the young man used a sturdy coconut shell to scrub the elephant’s skin of the muddy dust that clings to the air in this part of Sri Lanka. Nervous like I was on a first date, I couldn’t help but lay my ear against the elephant’s skin. I wanted to hear the sound of his beating heart and feel the rise of his stomach as air filled its lungs. I laid there in the moment, tranfixed in a world of discovery and felt humbled at the size and placid nature of the elephant. After I helped wash the young elephant’s leathery skin, which I wasn’t much good at, I slowly retreated back to the bank with a tear in the eye and a sense of awe at some of the amazing experiences you get to partake in when you travel the world.
Bathing with the Elephants at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
The dilemma of elephants in tourism is a juicy conundrum. New technologies are replacing the need for elephants in agricultural and logging industries, coupled with the high expense of feeding them, often mahouts either have the choice of releasing them (which they may not survive), destroying them or potentially engaging them in tourism activites. However elephant tourism if done wrong, can be cruel and tacky, with elephants made to do tricks and ‘perform’ for the paying tourist. Ideally in the wild is the best place to see them, however with this not always possible, many successful elephant tourism operators (orphanages and rehabilitation centres) have been developed that create a sustainable way of fostering a balance between using elephants in tourism to help tourists get up close with the animals whilst meeting animal welfare standards and continuing to promote the growth of the Asian elephant population. It’s up to us and our travel choices about which type of elephant tourism will win out in the future!
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post The Lion fortress of Sigiriya {Photo Junket} | Next Post Coming Soon |
Standing upon the top of the Lion Fortress or Sigiriya Rock as it is known by the Sri Lankans, will make you think of two things: Firstly it will convince you that elevators were the best invention ever to be created by man and secondly, it will make you question if Base Jumping is a viable method for bypassing the hundreds of stairs it will take you to get to the bottom!
The view from the top of Sigiriya
Earlier that day Niki and I had travel by bus from Anuradhapura via Dambulla to Sigiriya, a small town nestled at the bottom of the dominant Lion Fortress. After being jostled between buses we came to a sudden halt at a small shrine on the outskirts of town. Our bus driver leaped out of the bus is a sense of urgency and fell to his knees before a small Buddha statue. “Niki, has our bus driver just gotten off to pray?” It was more of a statement than a question. With a nod of her head, I could see in her eyes the same thing I was thinking, how bad was this bus trip going to be if the driver needed to pray for a safe passage? It was about this time I started to pray to any god that wanted to listen that a ‘safe passage’ doesn’t involve overtaking on blind corners and excessive honking.
Lion Fortress Rock, Sri Lanka
Royal Gardens - Lion Fort
Sigiriya Rock or Lion Fortress is a large complex built upon the top of a giant rocky outcrop surrounded by a moat, the impressive Royal gardens and the wild expanses of the Sri Lankan jungle. As we walked in from our guesthouse, there were large signs plastered everywhere telling us that if you’re brave or stupid enough to cross into the jungle, that pretty much you weren’t coming out alive due to the large inhabitants of hungry crocodiles, deadly snakes and the worse of all, abusive poo flinging monkeys. Needles to say Niki and I stuck to the main road like glue.
Golden Staircase - Sigiriya
Climbing Sigiriya through the Lion Paws
After gaining entry to the site, we spent the next three hours wandering the gardens, exploring ancient artwork and ascending the steep staircase to the summit. The complex of ancient ruins is similar to those of Machu Picchu, just on a much smaller scale. Many historians still argue whether the site was originally a monastery or a kick ass fortress built by a king who was afraid of retribution for taking the throne forcefully. Either way, as you scale the near vertical staircases around the mountain and climb between the giant lion paws carved into the rock, you can’t help but feel like you’re on a set straight from The Lord of the Rings. Then as you climb the final staircase to the small plateau dotted with ruined buildings and giant pools of water, you’re gifted with the biggest reward for partaking in this knee destroying climb, a 360 degree view over the central plateau of Sri Lanka.
Ancient Wall Paintings - Sigiriya
The ancient ruins on Lion Fortress
For miles in every direction you can see the encroaching jungles, green rice paddies and small villages surrounded by the dominate silhouette of the hill country, a destination we were heading towards in the coming days. The ascent and decent of Sigiriya Rock, whilst taxing on the knees, is a great way to spend the morning and is well worth the visit. Try to avoid climbing during the middle of the day as the intense heat and limited shelter on the rock can take its toll. Sigiriya Rock is $25 per entry or is included in the Cultural Round Ticket.
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
| Previous Post Ancient Ruins of Anuradhapura {Photo Junket} |
Next Post Coming Soon |
The Sacred Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba, Anuradhapura
As the soles of your feet touch the soft earth, the whimsical smoke from the sweet burning incense floats through the air around you and the soft murmurs of prayers takes you to a enlightened time, a time recorded in stories and by the religious offerings made by the many pilgrims that surround you. The ruins of Anuradhapura is nothing like I’ve ever seen before and will leave an impression on me for the many years to come. For this Photo Junket I wanted to share with you the incredible site of Anuradhapura in Northern Sri Lanka. Never heard of Anuradhapura before? Well, think Angkor Watt without the hordes of tourists! Anuradhapura is a sprawling town that is home to many impressive ruins, colourful Buddhas and grand Dagobas surrounded by jungle keen to return the man-made structures to nature. It’s four hours by train from Colombo or two from Kandy. I hope you enjoy these photographs, they only give a glimpse to the grandeur of this former capital!
Reclining Buddha at the Abhayagiri Dagoba, Anuradhapura
A solitary Monk chanting his moring prayers at Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba, Anuradhapura
The Elephant Guard at Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba
The Crumbling Jetavanarama Dagoba, Anuradhapura
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Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba Prayer Flags, Anuradhapura
The ancient Abhayagiri Dagoba
Abhayagiri Dagoba Buddhism Artwork
Ruvanvelisaya White Dagoba, Anuradhapura
The Intense reds and yellows of the incense burner at Thuparama Dagoba
Jetavanarama Dagoba Ruins
This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.
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