Sri Lanka (Aug, 2004)

I wasn't going to go abroad this summer, as I spent quite a lot for the travel in Brazil and Argentina this spring. Who changed my mind? My younger sister did. She insisted it would be the last chance to take a long vacation for her. From her explanation, she will never go abroad in 20years from now, except honeymoon. She wanted to go, so why did I have to say "No"? She didn't choose any particular countries, so I asked a travel agency.

I wanted to
- go a country I've never been
- go a warm place I can relax　
- get mileage of Star Alliance

The agent recommended Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka isn't well-known country in Japan. My image of Sri Lanka is tea and jewelry. In my hometown, there is a curry restaurant chains whose owner made a school in Sri Lanka. In the restaurant, you can read some information about Sri Lanka.

Honestly, I didn't expect a lot about this travel. But it is one of the best tour travels I've done. My sister was afraid of going to Sri Lanka because she wasn't able to find any books on Sri Lanka before the travel. But after the travel she told me she wanted to go there again.

Day 1 (Aug 13, 2004) from Narita to Sri Lanka (Incl. five hours in Singapore)
In Narita, there were millions of people who were about to leave Japan. When I was a child, I often used to watch the news that Narita airport was packed with people who were going abroad and say "They are stupid! Why are they leaving Japan at the same time?" Finally I was one of those stupid people!

We arrived Singapore at 5pm. The Singapore airport is the most wonderful airport I visited. There is a movie theater, shower rooms, free internet corner, and around the clock restaurants, a supermarket, a swimming pool, spa, showers, massage and a fitness center as well as DFSs. Probable I can live in the airport. In addition that, you can call Singapore domestic line without charge! How generous airport it is! I wish airports in Japan is as good as that in Singapore. I called my Singaporean friend using this service.

We had five hours in Singapore, so we got out of the airport. Without suitcase, we took a day trip in Singapore. First, we exchanged money and asked some stuff where we should kill our time and have dinner. We went to the nearest shopping mall by bus (I guess it was just four or five bus stops). Surprisingly, when I asked, a bus driver and some passengers don't understand English. I never imagined Singaporean didn't speak English. A kind passenger told me to get off. In the shopping mall, we bought bread
s, a glass of soymilk, and had dinner. I was impressed that every foods were made or cooked from scratch. In Japan, most foods that are served in shopping malls would be processed, frozen or canned. This country has a rich culture in food, I felt. My sis w
as scared. As she'd never heard Singaporean English, she felt everyone was angry with her. And I talked the people in English, she noticed they spoke English. For her ears, they didn't seem to speak English. We enjoyed a short trip and got back to the airport.

After four hours flight from Singapore, we finally got to the airport in Sri Lanka at 1am. I was shocked the airport is so small. And my sis was shocked we didn't have any company during this tour, only our guide, and driver. She murmured "Just only us!! See, I told you. Sri Lanka isn't so popular among Japanese! My friends asked me what I was doing here."

A guide took us to Sea Garden Hotel. When we got off the car, the entrance of the hotel was pretty dark The guide walked into the hall and took a receptionist. A receptionist turned on in a hurry and gave us seats. During our check in procedure, a guard is walking toward us, smiling. Then I noticed there were no doors and partitions in the entrance. As I was tired of high and rigid walls and doors in South America, that made a good impression. This is country was warm and safe.


Day 2 (Aug 13, 2004) Dambulla temple, Polonnaruwa, and Ayuruveda
When I got up, I found the hotel is located along the sea. The sea was gray with high and strong waves. On the sea there were many almost sunk boats floating. The guide told me those old boats for catching fish. We asked the guide how to say Thank you and
Hello in Sinhala that is an official language in Sri Lanka, having breakfast. Waiters gave us big smiles when we tried some Sinhala greetings. My sis and I were excited to see a wild squirrel running on the pillar in a half-outside restaurant. In addition to that, we met a Japanese tour group in the restaurant. My sister seemed to relax, when seeing other Japanese and overhearing a conversation in Japanese.

At first, we went to Golden temple of Dambulla, one of seven world heritages in Sri Lanka. A golden big Buddha statue sits. But it wasn't our main purpose.
Sri Lankan put off their foot wears and socks when stepping into sacred area. Following their custom, we put off our sandals and went up hot stone stairs for about *tem minutes* without shoes. It was terribly tough. I wasn't used to walking barefoot. But
none could stand on tremendous hot steps. Even with shoes, claiming the rock mountain would not be so easy. The guide cheered up us who almost cried or gave up. On the top of the rock mountain, there is a gigantic rock. In the big rock, there are four or five caves for placing Buddha statues, religious paintings. There are several reclining Buddha's, including the 15m long sculpture of the dying Buddha in Cave 1. Cave 2 is the largest and most impressive, containing over 150 statues. You can enjoy startling view from the top of the mountain. I though Sri Lanka is a small island, but green was spreading extensively. On the way to the car, we tentatively stepped down hot stairs. The guide bought cut mangos in a plastic bag for us. We ate sweet mangos with great
gratitude in the cool car.

After lunch we went to Polonnaruwa, a medieval capital. The site reminds me of Foto Romano in Rome. I felt I was a reporter in a historical program. In the site, there are many Sri Lankan visitors. They were surprisingly friendly to my sis and I. I guess Asian tourists weren't so common and just only two girls were rare! A Sri Lankan family asked us to take photos with. School kids said "Hi. You are beautiful" in English.

Then we got ayurveda massage that included our tour. Before getting a massage house, the guide told it simplified for tourists. Though we expected it might take 10minutes for trial, a massager told in awkward English that we put off all clothing. Why did we have to? Wasn't it just a trial? Despite all the confusion of the start-up, we followed her order. Put off clothing and wrapped a big towel around our bodies. A massager held our hands and guided a room. We were sat, and dropped good smell oils on the head, then rubbed strongly from head to shoulder. Massage was so strong that I was afraid my hair was removed. Then we got lying down on a wooden bed and were massaged throughout the body. My massager didn't knead my body. She rubbed or patted. It must improve the flow of blood and lymph. After taking careful massage, we were taken into a sauna. In a sauna, applied oil on my body evaporated and
gave off a sweet smell. Then we took a shower, drank a cup of ginger tea. It might take about an hour. Was it trial? We were satisfied from bottom of our heart. And our massages were so friendly, even they didn't get English well. While we drank ginger tea, massagers sat next to us and asked how the massage were, how old we were, and about our itinerary. A guide told a full course is two-hour course. We were trying two-hour course before we left Sri Lanka.

The hotel we stayed was Eden Garden Hotel. The hotel was too good for us. We had to ask the guide again and again that we were allowed to stay such a gorgeous hotel.　At dinner, we enjoyed variety of foods at an outside buffet restaurant. Clearly it was the most expensive hotel my sis and I had stayed. We wanted to stay this hotel in the remain of our trip.

Day 3 (Aug 14, 2004) Sigiriya Rock, A herb garden, the elephant orphanage, the Temple of the Tooth Relic
We left the great hotel at 7 in the morning. Near the hotel, the guide and my sister stopped at a store that sells only water! In front of the store, you can see a gigantic rock mountain in back of a big lake. White birds swam on the lake gracefully. I was so impressed by the scenery that I got out of the car and took some photos. The guide returned. He said, pointing out the rock mountain, "We are climbing the rock" Oh my... It is a tall order. Impossible! I would die. Many negative words were spinning in my he
ad on the way to the rock.

The rock is Sigiriya Rock that designated World Heritage. Sigiriya used to be a city, palace and garden built by a king in 5AD. Surprisingly the palace was build on the summit of about 400m high rock!! He made this "Palace in the sky" to escape from the enemies.

Fortunately, you don't have to put off your wear foot for climbing this rock, specifically 1,200 steps! The guide, my sis, and I managed to climb endless stairs and a weather-beaten spiral stairway. My sis strongly insisted she didn't want to walk up the deteriorated spiral stairway.
She was scared. Our obituary was flushing up in my mind. An elderly man who might be a private guide in this site held my sis's hand and took her. I walked on tiptoe. I made jokes the guide how UNESCO World Heritage selection committee approached the summit. If they walked up in the same way, I was OK. But if they approached by a helicopter or other unfair ways, I would get mad. Or there is a secret elevator in the rock. The elevator is used for only Sri Lankan. I had to go to the summit to confirm the entrance of the elevator!!! The guide smiled patiently, listening to my stupid opinion.

Walking within an hour, we finally got to the summit. The summit was much wider than I'd expected. There were no evidences how the palace stood here. There used to be gardens, water tanks, and ponds, dance halls on the summit, too. We were impressed by spreading greens in four directions. Who thought the summit used to be a palace? How did they manage to build the palace on the summit? How did they carry materials? How many people were required? I've never seen such a significant architecture before. The summit was quite high, enough to hesitate to walk for me (My sister still held the elderly man's hand tightly) . If the king ordered to live the palace, what queens thought. If my sis and I were his queens, we mush have asked for devoice. Of course it is just a preposterous assumption. At that time, the palace in the sky might have been the envy of the world. Every girls might have been eager to be his queen.


One the way to the summit, there is a cave. on the surface, you can see the frescoes that painted women. The women are said to be his queens. He is said to have 500 queens. not only in Sri Lankan but also other countries. The guide told the frescos only remain a few, but 500 queens portraits mush have been painted. A king with 500 queens in the palace on the summit. I understood why the ponds believed to used for bathing were quite big.

After pounding down the danger spiral stairway, the elderly man asked us for gratuity. Our guide was angry that the man overcharged. We paid at reasonable tip our guide suggested. The elderly man looked dissatisfied. Our guide complained that's why Sri Lank
a wasn't a good country. The guide, who studied in Japan where none ask for gratuity, seemed to be more Japanese than us.

Sigiriya Rock is locked at night to avoid that tourists get across wild elephants. Wild elephants! Actually we already got across many animals in this travel. monkeys, goats, squirrels, a big lizard called kabaragioya... Luckily we also bumped into wild elephants after Polonnaruwa. At first, our driver told the guide something in Shinhala and then he pull over. The guide told us we was able to see a wild elephant on the vast meadow. Staring wildly the area the guide pointed out, we found two wild elephants
walking. Though it was too far to take photos, we tried enthusiastically. When we were watching elephants walking, a truck passed from the way we were going. A passengers and driver in the truck yelled us. I was wondering they were get angry because we pull over the car. The guide told us they informed there were more elephants in 5 or 10 minutes from here. We excitedly headed in search of wild elephants. At the spot, five or six elephants were eating leaves, facing the street. The guide told us we were so
lucky to get across wild elephants twice.　The driver told elephants run 60kmh but they can't run zigzag. If we are attacked by an elephant, run zigzag. He is good at finding wild animals along the street. Though he doesn't speak Japanese, he speaks English a little with heavy accent. But we enjoyed talking with him.

On the way to the next city, Kandy, we saw vivid decorative car moved slowly with many people. The guide told us they were celebrating a Hindu festival. The driver kindly drove slowly along the moving Hindu altar, so we gazed around it closely. The people a round the altar looked us smiley.

We also looked into a spice garden. In the garden, you can see some tropical trees like mango, coffee, black pepper, and cinnamon. A store next to the garden I bought Depilatoire aux herrbes（2,500rupi for six packs）and a pack of tooth powder （1,350rupi）. Depilatoire aux herrbes is hair remover. Applying a yellow past on arms and waiting for 10 minutes, then wipe! You have your arms depilated! This remover is made from 100% natural organic materials and used when monks remove their hair, a salesperson told. The tooth powder is also from 100% chemical free. Honestly, I wanted to buy herbs or spices more, but they were too expensive.

After lunch, my sister asked to go shopping. She became interest in dress Muslim women wore. We went to an a clothing shop that is popular among local girls. Everyone at the shop looked stunned when two Japanese girls with a tall Sri Lanka man stepped into
the shop. My sister was excitedly tried on some beautiful Muslim dress, a long embroidered T-shirt and loose-fitting long pants. Salesclerks were puzzled a tourist tried to chose Muslim dress eagerly.

At night we watched traditional dance show, walked to the Temple of the Tooth Relic. As Buddha's tooth are located in the temple, the temple is well-known to a holy place for Buddhist. For me, the temple looked like a mosque because of the shape and the color. There were many people who wanted to join the pray at 7. We put off our sandals and went through the security check. In the temple, surface on the wall is painted gorgeously. The painting described a Buddhism festival in Sri Lanka.


Day 4 (Aug 15, 2004) shopping, beach