This morning, we checked out of our little guesthouse, and caught a very crowded, very hot public bus 90 minutes to the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa (note: it's quite OK if you can't pronounce these place names. We can't pronounce them either, or anything else. In fact, we've had a swell time inputting the names into my talking alarm clock app, and having my phone wake us with garbled Sri Lankan city names). Polonnaruwa is the second city in Sri Lanka's "Cultural Triangle," Sigirya being the first (and we're skipping the third, so never mind). They are all former seats of Sri Lankan royalty, and ooze with ruins and history.
We arrived in Polonnaruwa at 11am, and were pleased to see that the guesthouse we'd booked last night on the intertubes was as cute as we'd hoped (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GECKO THAT IS STILL HIDING UNDER THE BED AS I TYPE) (I AM TERRIFIED). We set out to explore the ruins of Polonnaruwa, set over many acres in a woodsy, parklike setting. It was a lot of ground to cover in the heat, so we rented fixie bikes from our guesthouse owner and set off to the park (note to non-cyclists: "fixies" are 1-gear beater bikes, also known as "pieces of hipster sh*t" in Seattle).
The guidebook was not kidding- this park was huge. I really liked what Sri Lanka had done with its ruins, though- they left the crumbling ruins as-is among the trees and grass (the site had been overgrown and lost for centuries), but added a lovely bricked cycle pathway winding through the park, with lots of picnic spots and food vendors. Being right by a lake, it felt a bit like a ride around Greenlake, if Greenlake had 2,000-year-old palaces crumbling next to the Baskin & Robbins. And speaking of food vendors, we stopped at a stall for some roti and hot tea with molasses. The couple cooking the food were calling out their wares to passersby, and Matt showed an interest in what the word "bellimal" meant (herbal tea, apparently)...and suddenly he is hustling business for the family. The locals were very, very amused.
Some of Polonnaruwa Park's ruins are magnificent- a wall of nearly intact, giant Buddha sculptures; a dagoba (temple) so huge we thought it was a water tower; and a gorgeous all-white dagoba (note: "dagoba" is not "Dagobah." There is no "Star Wars" connection. And I had no idea what either of them were before today). But two things made it diminish a bit: 1) our incredible trip to Ankgor Wat last year made it hard to compete, as Angkor Wat's major temples are nearly intact; and 2) it was so freaking hot and humid that al the life was being sucked right out of us. Two thoughts kept running through my head- "we're going to see this sh*t and like it WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT," and "I really want some ice cream." Luckily, ice cream tuk-trucks (as I call them) could hear my thoughts and conveniently put-putted up to me. Problem solved!
After several hours, we cycled back to our guesthouse for beers and showers. However, like Dambulla, there's no beer. That of course prompts a WTF reaction from me, because this is not a Muslim, Mormon, or otherwise dry nation. I am stymied here- this is a deliciously cheap place to backpack, the food is pretty good, and the two national beers are quite cheap (about $1 USD for a huge bottle). Problem: NOBODY SELLS THEM.
This country is really screwing with my "beer index" (the lower the beer price, the more fun and cheap the backpacking). We can't find any bars or pubs, restaurants rarely stock alcohol, and there are no liquor stores. We noticed by accident that the Food City grocery had an upstairs, which consisted of a storeroom of alcohol and beer, locked away in a cage with an attendant. And, we received the side benefit of Shameful Foreigner Stinkeye when we made our purchase. So what gives?? This is a mainly Buddhist, and partially Hindu, nation. Thailand is both very Buddhist and very liquored up; same with India and Hinduism. We can't figure it out, but in the meantime, we're very, very thirsty.
Tomorrow, we head to Sri Lanka's second biggest city, Kandy!
Cycling the Citadel
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
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