Getting all Cultural in Sri Lanka...

Well, I think I'm almost ruined by ruins travelling the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka -- Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya and, now, Kandy.  But, undeterred and really sweaty (you guys know that is a fact by now), it's been great.

To boot, it is damn hot and humid here!  Which means lots of mosquitoes and a minefield of my joints with bites.

Anyway there have been Elephants, Peacocks, Ruins upon Ruins, Buddhas, Paying $30 to climb a (beautiful) rock...

So, I guess I should share a few shots of what I've been looking at the last few days.

Another Early Morning Safari - Another cheap one, but I might be getting Safari'd out.  

Hard to pass up when you see these guys though!

The sun just came up, but this male ain't fully peacocking yet!

Polonnaruwa - The Second ancient Capital of Sri Lanka - The ruins wer much more impressive here than in Anaradhapura.

Another Dagoba from Polonnaruwa.  I think I like the ones that aren't repainted every year. 

The former King built several reservoirs to help sustain farming in the region.  The locals have maintained them for centuries. 

The Ancient City of Sigiriya sits atop this rock.  Only 1200 Steps up!

The Lion's Gate welcomes you to the last couple hundred steps!

A view of the gardens that line the path to the rock

The view from the top!  Although we got there an hour before it opened, it still afforded us the ability to be the first on the top of the rock and have it to ourselves for a few minutes.  By the time we descended, there were floods of people on their way up.

It was a terraced city with reservoirs, gardens, homes and the palace, which sits at the highest point.  What view!

One of the Frescoes painted onto the side of the rock.

I'm in Kandy now for the remainder of the Cultural Triangle and I think I like this city the best so far.  It's a bit cooler, which is reason in and of itself, and situated around a beautiful lake in the mountains of Sri Lanka.

I've booked into a Home-stay here based on a recommendation by the friends I met on the way from Jaipur to Delhi.   It is amazing.  The family that owns the place are super friendly and cooked the best meal I've had in weeks this evening.  I'll definitely be having my supper here tomorrow night too!

That's all for now.  Will post some pics of Kandy later, along with any others from the last week that are interesting.  

Tomorrow I'm off in search of a relic of Buddha's tooth!  But for now, I sleep...

Last -  One question for the followers out there.  Who are my peeps in South Korea and Russia that I see in my web stats?  Say hello, please!