Rain and Ruins

07/01

The day in Kandy dawned overcast yet humid. Before we hit the road again there was time to walk a circuit of the lake and visit the Budah tooth temple. Ledgend has it that a tooth was snatched from the funeral pyre of Buddah. A belief grew that whoever possessed the Sacred Tooth Relic had a divine right to rule that land. Hence the wars fought to take possession of the tooth. 800 years after the Buddha's death, in the 5th century CE, the tooth came into the possession of King Guhaseeva of Kalinga, which roughly corresponds to the present day state of Orissa in India . He fled India, with the tooth hidden in the hair of princess Hemamala and brought the tooth to Sri lanka. Whether the tooth now in the temple is the real thing doesn't seem to matter to those with faith. As a powerful symbol of legitimacy of rule the tooth has been subject to various attacks of the centuries. In the 19th century the British seized the tooth and destroyed it, however a story quickly circulated that this tooth was only a copy and the real tooth was hidden by the monks soon to reappear a short time later. In 1998 a huge car bomb was detonated by the Tamil Tigers in which the front of the temple sustained severe damage. Nowadays to enter the temple one has to pass through security check points and metal detectors. Once inside we were beset by beggars and hawkers. Just getting our picture taken with the elephant involved paying the mahout money .
Once we were done, it was time to hit the road.

Each afternoon we have been beset by inclement weather and today was no exception. By the time we reached Damboola we were soaked to the bone. Because of the humidity nothing here is able to be fully dried. Each morning we put on damp clothes. Each afternoon we are rained upon and soaked through. All my clothes stink and are beginning to get moldy. Mmmmmm we must smell great as we roll into town!

08/01
Today since we are in the region of the ancient ruins we are going to visit Sigiryia Rock an insane palace built on a rock about 400 AD. The photos don't do this place justice. This rock must be 300m high with the ruins of a palace on top, including a great swimming pool that is still intact. Its was awesome and although expensive we thought it well worth the money. The tourist hassle here is the worsts we've come across so far. 10,000 Rs to look after the bikes, 20,000 Rs for a guided tour that we don't even want. Sellers of flutes and maps and postcards and various other trinkets persue you along the path. Considering the average Sri Lankan worker earns around 70,000 rupees per month the prices charged here are exorbitant. To be honest it kind of sours the experience.
And it only got worse as we headed up to road to the ancient citadel at Polonnaruwa. Elephant hair bracelets, cards and toys, pressure, pressure, pressure. Will bought some stuff in an attempt to make them go away. Unfortunately it only seemed to encourage them further.

The weather held until the final laying Budah but when it broke it let go with an almighty dump. We had a 60 km ride back to the hotel and dusk closing in. We were further hampered by a flat to Phil's bike. A local guy repaired it on the side of the road for 100 rupees ($1.00 Aus). Ridiculously cheap compared to prices being charged a little way up the road. By now the darkness had well and truly descended. Dark and wet doesn't slow the local truck or bus drivers with their wild overtaking. The journey home was dark and dangerous, so we took it slow. Thankfully we all arrived back safely although we were absolutely soaked through.


09/01 It hasn't stopped raining since yesterday. Today we are stranded in Damboola waiting for it to clear. Maybe a 100mm has fallen in the last 12 hours. And we are talking tropical downpour and lightning. We are looking at the shops for some more extreme rain gear and tomorrow we hope to head further north, hopefully to some better weather. Here is my new wet weather riding gear. Jacket and pants for $14.50. Bring on the wheather there is no stoping us now. Just a note to the ladies at home, we have been warned repeatedly about purchasing jewels or gems here as tourists are guarenteed to get ripped off.