Page 36 - Explore Magazine Spring 2017
P. 36

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                                      ON THE ROAD


                               IN SRI LANKA







                        Hiring a car and driver is the best way to explore the culture and scenery of this
                                    exotic nation, says Liz Ditmer of helloworld Rangiora.


          We had been told that a car and driver was   The next day we ventured up the Sigriya
          the best mode of travel for our two-week   Rock Fortress which is a UNESCO
          trip in Sri Lanka, and the advice was spot-  World Heritage Site. The summit offers
          on. We set out to do a loop around the   spectacular views over the countryside
          southern part of the island and although   but that is definitely for the fit and
          the distances seemed minimal on paper,   energetic. On the way up the rock face
          getting from point A to point B always took   there are several notable historic sites.
          a lot longer: a trip of say, 150km could   One of the highlights in this area was
          easily take more than four hours because   an afternoon elephant safari in nearby
          of traffic and road conditions. But having   Minneriya National Park. We were taken
          a driver made the trip easier for us in so   around in a private jeep with a local guide
          many ways and Silva, our driver from Total   and were lucky enough to see four herds
          Holiday Options, looked after us very well.  of elephants and which we stopped and
                                            watched for a good while. At one point a
          After we arrived at Colombo the first day of   mother and baby walked right in front of
          our trip took us quite a long way northeast to   our jeep.
          the Pinnawalla Elephant Orphanage and then
          north to Dambulla and the famous Dambulla   Next we ventured 100km south to Kandy,
          Cave Temples – about 160 km in all. The   the second-largest city in Sri Lanka. It is
          ancient cave temples, up to 2,000 years old,   set on a plateau surrounded by mountains
          are also known as the Royal Rock Temple   and the weather was volatile with
          and have more than 100 paintings and   thunderstorms happening on and off. We
          statues of Buddha. As it is a place of high   visited the famous Buddhist temple of the
          religious importance we needed to remove   Sacred Tooth Relic and as it happened to be
          our shoes, which was quite interesting when   a full moon day it was incredibly busy. The
          you are walking on stones that have been   60-hectare Royal Botanical Gardens were
          exposed to 36-degree-Celsius heat all day!   also a surprise and are well worth a visit.


          HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : SPRING EDITION
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