Wander With Stella

BELIZE IT…A Central American Countries Slogan

Belize will soon be a fond memory of a country of happy, friendly people…..

Getting from Bacalar Mexico to Belize involved a 12 plus hour day of vans and local buses. Adrenalina tours – Guatemala, does hotel pick-ups in Bacalar and one van took us as far as the Belize Border where we cleared customs and boarded another van on the Belize side that took us to Belmopan the capital of Belize, but not before we changed vans again in Belize City.

Stopping in Belize City was somewhat of a surprise as we thought our route skirted the city and went directly to Belmopan. The bus depot shares space with the San Pedro Water Taxi dock where strangely, we were treated to a Chinese New Years Dragon Dance and fire cracker display. Loud and smokey we took refuge behind any available nose covering while simultaneously using our fingers as ear protection against the fireworks.

In Belmopan, the capital, it was a several hour wait for a local bus that would take us to Seine Bight our final destination. With the first instruction being “get off at the Jaguar Lanes” the driver and his helper seemed to know exactly where we were headed. The bus loaded with locals was comfortable and part way across the Hummingbird Highway to the coast a woman boarded selling Cinnamon bread and of course a purchase was made. Good thing as it was breakfast the next morning. Passing along the highway you are able to see the Maya mountain area of green fields, plantations and country homes. Beautiful scenery.

By the time the bus reached the “Jaguar Lanes” it was dark and we followed our next instruction which was walk to the junction turn left and keep coming. Even in the dark our noses didn’t fail us and there, just ahead “The Lazy Crab”.

Two prefabricated cabins along with the owners larger home, hover around a pool on a freshly planted garden which one day will provide some much needed shade. Palms and tropical flowering plants are planted in a sand soil which is raked regularly by the gardener.

Our unit “The Sea Horse” is small but comfortable and the front porch gives us another room for outdoor living. The prefabs are made by the local Mennonites and one day two of them came by with a drone to make a promotional video to attract other potential buyers. In this post-covid world it took all three of us to cover the cost of a month in Belize. What a difference from pre-covid days.

One Bedroom, One Bath and Day Bed (Mine)

The Belizean dollar declares itself permanently tied to the American dollar by half, using “pegging” as a means of stabilizing currency. American dollars come as change or you are welcome to pay with them.

Where Are We?

We are on a spit of land that runs north to south along the Caribbean coast of Belize and it is riddled with channels and lagoons on its backside and beautiful sand beaches on its front. Major developments mainly north of Seine Bight are springing up and the wealthy who can afford to are building monstrously big houses in stark contrast to the homes of the locals. Lots of foreign built and owned properties are for sale everywhere you look. Is it speculation, buyers remorse or need or want to repatriate?

Our hosts were helpful in providing information regarding distances, restaurants, beaches and groceries. So we set about discovering our neighbourhood. We are some distance from Placencia which was somewhat of a surprise. The buses and vans are hard to nail down as schedules are allusive and designated stops non-existent but after a few days we worked out how to get into Placencia and back but chose to do most of our shopping here at Maya Beach or further on down the road in Seine Bight.

A cab to Placencia and back costs as much as $60. USD so finding local transport is essential. The Isthmus narrows and widens as it wends its way south to Placencia and is crisscrossed by canals and lagoons, sometimes you can see water on both sides of the isthmus.

Although we have ventured into Placencia a few times and we have taken two tours we have spent most of our time at Maya Beach. It has become our ‘hood’. We have a pub, restaurant, pool hall and bowling alley “all in one” at the end of our lane. Our favourite beach which we have dubbed “first beach” after Stanley Park’s numbered beaches is a ten minute walk and even one drink will buy you a full day of beach, chaise long, pool and palm trees. Their menu is small but the food is good and the shrimp salad is repeat worthy.

Palms Overhead Shade at the Ceiba Beach Resort

Just a little further along the beach are second and third beach, otherwise known as the Green Parrot and Mangos. Similar to the Ceiba Resort, you can use the beach and chairs but not necessarily the pool. If you come to Belize for the beach and you can afford it Maya Beach is a great area and in spite of a large expat community, we’ve been able to meet many of the locals at Jaguar Lanes and other places. Belizeans are very friendly and it’s not unusual to be greeted warmly and even welcomed to the country as I was by an older gentleman in the Belmopan bus station.

In a short span of time it is easy to encounter someone from one of the three main Belizean groups of people. The Creole are decedants of African slaves and Europeans and they speak their own unique and local variation of English. Mestizo is the name given to people with Maya and Spanish ancestry and they generally speak Spanish. The Maya are a small group who claim direct decendancy and speak Maya. English is the official language of Belize as a former British colony, but I read that 64% Belizeans speak all the languages.

Seine Bight – Closest Bigger Shopping Stop

Since we were staying a month, groceries and home-cooking was warranted and the next biggest shopping opportunities were in Seine Bight. Of course getting there was a bit of a challenge but at least a taxi ride back when you’re laden with bags is affordable. The town itself is interesting and appears to be a Creole settlement.

Which Tour to Pick….so much to do!

Diving, sailing, snorkeling, fishing, caving, Maya ruins, wildlife and hiking is a start to what you can consider while in Belize.

Snorkeling on the Great Belizean Barrier Reef

Fortunately, we stumbled across a small tour office on our way to Maya Beach one day and met the tour guide Evers. He operates small tours, which are best, and we booked to go snorkeling with him out on the Great Belize Coral Reef. The second largest next to the Australian Great Barrier Reef, it is heaven for divers and snorkelers alike.

The tour price included transport to Placencia where we launched off to visit the Silk Caye. It was quite a long boat trip but very enjoyable, windy but sunny and the colour of the water was spectacular. Ever was knowledgeable and was both our tour and snorkelling guide, pointing out various underwater species and making sure we were all huddled safely together like the fish we were looking at.

Silk Caye boasts more than 35 species of fish including whale sharks, barracudas, snappers, shrimp and many more. There is a huge variety of coral. All different sizes and shapes it is well worth the efforts to save this endangered reef, now declared a World Heritage Sight. My underwater camera bag failed me and none of my photos give snorkeling here there due.

Lots of Conch Shells Laying on the Sea Floor

There were only five of us which made for lots of time for discussion and questions. The coral reef around Silk Caye was impressive, although earth tones mainly, the variety of coral was amazing and Ever had brought along a laminated sheet listing all the various kinds. Plenty of fish of brilliant colours and the odd lobster too. We also had lunch on Silk Caye which is a national marine reserve and then we were off to visit turtles, manta rays, sharks and various fish further out on the reef.

Homeward bound we stopped at Ray Caye, a private resort island that allows non-guests to eat, drink, use their pool and even zip down their water slide at the end of a double decker pier. Lots of fun and a good way to end the day before heading back to Placencia.

Cave Tubing

Tour Two was a cave-tubing adventure north of Maya Beach so we got to see a whole new area. Cave Bransh or Nohoch Che’en is one of the top 10 things to do in Belize and it is was a lot of fun but there were hoards of people, but Ever kept us all together in our small group of four and even offered us a look at Hopkins a town on the way back to the Isthmus.

Hopkins Another Beach Town

Hopkins, on the northern part of the Isthmus is really cool and is another potential place to stay if you’re beaching it but especially good for easy access to fishing and the Great Belizean Reef.

Placencia

Placencia is a delightful hodgepodge of beachfront restaurants bars, buildings on stilts and a central boardwalk that runs the length of the town. If you’re after shopping and looking for souvenirs it is a great place to wander and chat with the locals. The Maya have a firm grip on the souvenir market, selling beaded goods, hats, baskets and woven goods. Not only are they sold in the shops in Placencia you can also buy them from the lovely Maya women who walk the beaches plying their wares in the least aggressive or offensive way possible. I have purchased some small baskets and some great local hot sauces. I really like the carved wooden bowls and figurines, shiny and smooth to the touch.

An interesting art gallery revealed another ethnic group that calls Belize home. The city of Dangriga on the north end of the Isthmus is home to the Garifuna, a cultural and ethnic group, descendants of shipwrecked slaves and native Caribs. The Garifuna have adopted the Carib language but kept their African musical and religious traditions reflected in the art in this gallery.

Signage is ramshackle and beachy and as a perfect compliment, buildings are brightly coloured, many raised up on stilts. There are also larger well tended colonial looking houses with beach front property right in the heart of town.

Along the boardwalk are various restaurants that provide beach side seating, pools and of course food. It’s such a great idea to allow access to the beach and pools in exchange for consuming lunch and/or drinks. I’ve been in other countries where you pay for the use of the property on top of the restaurant bill.

Homeward Bound

The month of February is done and as all good things must end, I am wending my way home to Vancouver Island. First a lovely over the water flight from Placencia to Belize City for an overnight stay and now waiting to board flight to Denver to connect to flight for Vancouver.

Belize will soon be a fond memory of a country of happy, friendly people, who at least in the tourism sector, are working hard to improve their lives and to capitalize on the money pouring into their country with foreigners looking for a little piece of paradise. I have loved how the various peoples of Belize blend and mix together and learn each other’s languages. In spite of poverty, income disparities and being an emerging and developing nation, I have witnessed their pride in their country and fully applaud their desire to make Belize a country to be admired and acknowledged as a liveable and respected destination.

Changes in Merida and Progreso

Change, the only constant

When you fall in love with a country you have to be prepared to remind yourself that change is the only constant. Especially when your visits, once frequent, have become less so with longer time gaps in between. You are bound to notice some differences and allow yourself to pine a bit for simpler times. Beneath modernization and development can lie the remnants of culture but hopefully Mexico is able to maintain its unique charm as is the case so far in the Yucatán.

Getting There

Not one to take a direct route I had to spend at least a small amount of time in the Yucatan Mexico before heading to Belize for the month of February.

Having been many times there is a real pull for me to return to some of my favourite places in the Yucatan especially Merida and Progreso. I have blogged a fair amount about the Yucatán so will limit myself to some of the changes and highlights for the time I spent there.

New to Me – The Maya Train

Since I first heard about the new Maya Train I’ve wanted to give it a go. You can pre-book your train tickets on the Maya Tren web-site, but while still in Canada, it took a few tries throughout a couple of weeks before I was successful. The web-site indicated that the train left from the Cancun Airport station and the convenience was so inviting that it peaked my enthusiasm to the point that I booked a first class ticket to Mérida, $81.00 CAD.

The new and not quite finished Maya Train stations are monolithic, tons of poured concrete and stylish architecture but situated for the most part in construction zones so they have an eerie quality of not being anchored as of yet. The stations although huge are quiet, deserted and house little in the way of conveniences. What was there was closed for the day. So don’t arrive hungry, thirsty or in need of cash until things are really up and running.

I’m sad to say that the train does not really leave from the Cancun Airport but is located at the farthest end of the airport and I was given to understand that the only way to the station was by taxi. In retrospect I think that if I’d spent more time asking I would have a found a bus or a shuttle to the train station. However, an official at the airport told me that a taxi was the only way to get to the station on time and that the last train left at 6:00 pm which gave me cause to panic as I had a ticket for the 7:20 train. Rookie mistake, I opted for the taxi. The price was exorbitant for a fifteen minute trip and I arrived at the station just before 6:00 pm, discovering of course that my train was indeed leaving at 7:20 as printed on the ticket.

The train departed on time and a short time before departure a fairly good sized crowd had gathered, we were all lined up and a friendly young policeman had us place our bags in a row in front of us and his sniffer dog made it’s way down the line of cases. After that we were allowed into the actual station and then waited for the all clear to ride the escalator down to track level.

The first class train car, all sparkly and new, has two seats on one side and a single on the other so if you are travelling alone you can sit by yourself. Not an issue as I think there were at most about a dozen passengers in the car.

Just over four hours to Merida, we arrived at the station which is way outside of central Merida. The Merida-Teya station again is stunningly big and new and shiney clean and although it is far from town there is a tram (bus) that takes you to another new “station” about forty minutes away in Merida called La Plancha for only 45 pesos.

From there a small shuttle bus takes you to the Center of Merida to a park that thankfully was within walk distance of my hotel. Getting there late at night meant that there weren’t any taxis at La Plancha so I was grateful for the shuttle and the help of a young train worker to get me on it and explain to the driver where I wanted to go, especially since I was yet to acquire a phone card or cash.

New to Me – Trendy Avenida 47.

If you’re going to stay in a hotel in Merida I highly recommend staying somewhere on or just off the Paseo de Montejo as close to the centre of town as possible. The hotel I chose was “The Chariot” right on the Paseo and I was really happy with my stay there. Inexpensive and close to everything I wanted to see and do I discovered a whole new area that has opened up to book stores, antique shops, restaurants, pubs, galleries etc and the art instalments in several of the restaurants are great in themselves.

Now heralded as the “Corredor de Gastronomico” Avenida 47 is busy, fun, great for food and art lovers and leads directly to La Plancha.

International Cuisine, Fusion & Traditional – Delicious

And right around the corner from Avenida 47 is one of the oldest restaurants on the Paseo de Montejo. A favourite spot for the locals and tourists it serves up food in the decor of a fifties diner.

The La Plancha

Wow what an endeavour to modernize and upscale what was once a rundown old train depot. Again sleek, gigantic and people friendly, La Plancha includes kiddy parks, outdoor exercise stations, an amphitheatre, gardens and fountains and covers city blocks of land. Old train cars have been recommissioned and turned into Cafes and Bistros and there is a huge food court with seating for hundreds of people. Very empty the day we went but eventually when this new trendy area and the Maya Train is complete I’m sure it will become a welcome attraction for Meridians. Hopefully one day the train will actually land here!

Progreso

Dear little old Progreso just keeps progressing. Over the years, the Malecon went from a busy traffic street to pedestrian only, there is a now a Starbucks and many of the old mansions have been renovated and turned into expensive dining spots with ocean views. A ramshackle old hotel that I used to pass daily is now the nicely renovated and expensive Scapatta Hotel which is where I stayed in the cheapest room. Quite satisfactory, until a bat took up residence outside my door causing quite a pile of excrement on a nightly/daily basis. Luckily for me the hotel clerk was as offended by the bats behaviour as I was and upgraded me without cost to a much nicer room. I would stay at the Scapatta again but prepare myself for much higher prices than in my pre-covid meanderings. It’s just the way of the world at the moment, what used to be very affordable is no longer the case.

A New to Me Cenote

Of course a trip to the Yucatán must include a visit to a cenote. Every Cenote has its own distinct characteristics and amenities. Some very natural and informal and others organized and regulated. The Hacienda Mucuyche fits in the latter category. It is lovely, not cheap and you need to reserve online to guarantee a spot. You are assigned a guide who first shows you the remains of the old hacienda clearly resplendent in its day. What was thought to be only a well eventually revealed itself to be a series of Cenote joined by underground passages. The guide takes his limited number of people in life jackets into the first cavernous cenote and you eventually swim along an above ground channel only to enter a second dark and cavernous cenote that has a number of interesting limestone formations including numerous stalactites. After your swim there is a restaurant on-site where you can enjoy a meal in your pretty surroundings. See the link below if you’d like to visit.

https://www.cenoteshaciendamucuyche.com/

Certainly if you’re interested in a more expansive view of hacienda life that also includes a swim in a cenote visit the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.

https://www.haciendaviva.com/en/contacto-sotuta-de-peon-yucatan

Also New to Me – Bacalar

Bacalar is within striking distance of Belize so a chance to visit an area that I’d heard good things about and to spend a few days on a fresh water system (sweet water) of lakes and lagoons presented itself. Sadly, the rainy and cooler temperatures of the Yucatan followed me to Bacalar, and between the rain and one day of feeling ill meant that I was unable to take full advantage of the fun things in Bacalar. Riding a bike out to a beach club one day included sheltering from a deluge for several hours before it was safe to ride back to my hotel.

Bacalar is a nice place however and tourism seems to be the main industry. A pretty town square surrounded by bars and restaurants and a growing number of fusion style restaurants along with the beautiful blue lagoon attracts a lot of tourists, International and Mexican.

A November American Sojourn – American Thanksgiving: Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico.

Southern US friends, food and sights!

Headed to Shreveport….Louisiana That Is….

Leaving Nanaimo between storms is the smart thing. I dodged the high winds and bucketing rain of the last few days and the predicted Cyclone Bomb of tomorrow. Once known as rain and wind we now have Atmospheric Rivers and Cyclone Bombs. My first time on the HULLO high speed passenger boat from my hometown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver and we are sailing along at a great speed. Evidence of the recent storms is all around the boat in the form of floating dead heads, a marine hazard of the worst sort. But the HULLO is dodging around them at a great clip and we will be in downtown Vancouver in no time.

I am in Vancouver, positioning myself for a next day flight to the USA to visit a friend who has moved from Nanaimo to Arkansas. Even though I land in Louisiana my destination is Lake Erling in Arkansas where my friend and her husband have a “fish camp”. When I first heard the term I pictured them engaged in a commercial enterprise that catered to sports fishermen, but in fact it is what all homes on a lake are called, like we would say “cabin.”

Lake Country South West Corner Arkansas

If you’re headed to the SW corner of Arkansas the best airport to fly into is Shreveport which is in the NW corner of Louisiana. It is small and easily accessible for the friends, who if you’re lucky enough will drive the 1.5 hours to fetch you.

Arriving in the dark there wasn’t much to see but waking in the morning gave the picture of why my friends live where they live. Nestled in a pine forest down a private but shared road they look westward over Lake Erling. Their private dock affords them the luxury of fishing and wildlife viewing when they are not out on their boat catching catfish and other local fish species. Spotting the occasional crocodile in the water, eagles soaring overhead, herons squawking in early flight and red skied sunsets are daily events for the folks who call the lake-side fish camps home. Some camps are occupied by full-time residents while others are used on weekends or holidays.

Since we were tucked up into the corner of Arkansas it meant that we could easily visit the neighbouring corners of Louisiana and Texas. Our first day was spent crossing these state lines into Louisiana and then Texas to visit a tourist town called Jefferson. Full of antique shops, quaint stores and southern food restaurants we wandered the streets, visiting stores and eventually heading to a barbecue restaurant for smoked brisket sandwiches, hot water corn bread and sweet sauced beans. Not a veg or a leaf of lettuce in sight, but as a nod to nutrition we were able to mix our “sweet cold tea” with non-sweet to cut down on the sugar intake. Very authentic barbecue, and as proof, just outside the restaurant was the stack of wood used to fire up the smokers. The decor was definitely southern and American with flags and memorabilia on every wall. Styrofoam cups, plastic straws and a roll of paper towel for napkins along with plastic cutlery and paper plates all headed for the bin after we ate.

Trying southern food is a real experience but I would not want to be a vegetarian that’s for sure.

Chicken Fried Steak, White Gravy, Fries, Beans and Garlic Toast…chicken friend steak being beef battered like chicken and deep friend…no actual chickens died in the preparation of this meal.

Visiting the shops along the Main Street was fun to see the Christmas Season starting up with decorations and gift ideas amongst the usual collection of antiques, clothing and gift stores. Such a huge array of stock in every store and I even spotted the Red Ryder BB Gun made famous in The Christmas Story movie.

Red Ryder.. You’ll shoot your eye out…..

Having little or knowledge of Arkansas before traveling there I was surprised at the number of lakes, small towns and rural life style that pervaded, at least in this corner of Arkansas.

Next Up – Road Trip Clear Across Texas to New Mexico with a night in Amarillo. Long drive for sure and very grateful to my friends who were willing participants. The highway was fraught with truck traffic and really not much to see, pretty flat and prairie like when you could see around the semi-trucks.

New Mexico

But arriving in New Mexico the terrain changed to mountains and we were able to stop at a Puebla not far out of Santa Fe. The Puebla situated in the Pecos National Park housed the remains of a once thriving community that was located on the Santa Fe Trail a famous trade route between indigenous communities. Preservation work is ongoing and the park has a really great museum that outlines the history of the people that called the Pueblo home before contact.

Santa Fe & Albuquerque

After my Arkansas friends left to return home I was fortunate to revisit my friend Loni-Jo Dunham in Placitas, just south of Santa Fe and my friends the Reeves in Albuquerque. Beautiful landscapes, arty communities and American thanksgiving along with the on-set of Christmas filled the air.

Sri Lanka – Part 5 Last Days in Kandy & Negumbo

Kandy is an interesting mix of old and new…

Kandy was a pleasant surprise. At first it looked like just another polluted city but having a few days there we were able to discover some hidden treasures well worth the effort.

We discovered that our hotel was a short walk to the main shopping district and we easily made our way there on foot. A busy place with a beehive of stalls selling everything you could imagine, the fruit and vegetable stalls blaze with enticing colour. Of course there was stall after stall of spices and teas mixed in with an abundance of trinkets and souvenirs. A fun place to be as long as you can tolerate the touts and the hard sell. The pushy salesmen we encountered were older men and we heard the same spiel from several of them with the classic “hello mam you remember me we met yesterday at the hotel.” I imagine they were fast tracking a personal connection to encourage your cooperation.

Time was short and so on day two we hired a Tuk Tuk for the whole day in order to accomplish our list of must sees. and were whisked about town to see the highlights of the city. Our first stop was the Bahirawakanda Buddhist Temple high on a hill above the city where we had a birds eye view of Kandy.

From the centre of Kandy our Tuk Tuk driver took us out into a suburb to visit a tea factory where after a tour we tasted a variety of teas and bought a few bags to take with us. We learned something here. We thought we were buying tea in a certain packaging for gifts but didn’t inspect the bag when we left the factory. Later we discovered that the tea was not in the gift bags we had selected so we went back the next day and had it rectified.

Next stop was the Royal Botanical Garden. (Sorry but if there’s a garden I must visit). A pleasant but very hot way to spend a few hours. Our driver told us that it was unseasonably hot and normally would have been quite a bit cooler. The gardens had a good collection of over 4000 species of plants including orchids, medicinal plants, palms, ferns and woody trees and shrubs.

Our next stop was the Golden Buddha Temple on the shores of Lake Kandy. A most Holy place it contains the relic of a tooth that was said to be removed from Buddhas funeral pyre. The tooth is kept locked away but on special occasions it is opened for public viewing and as it happens that very evening was such an occasion and the President of Sri Lanka was to be in attendance.

Gold Buddha Statue at the Temple of the Tooth Relic

Our final stop was a Cultural Centre for a performance traditional dance and music. The performers were very skilled and brightly costumed. The show highlighted the distinctive history and culture of the Sri Lankan people.

Kandy is an interesting place. As in all of Sri Lanka, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus coexist in spite of the turbulent past that resulted in a protracted civil war. For the Buddhist majority, temples abound, but Muslim calls to prayer are broadcast throughout the day, colourful Hindu celebrations take place in the streets and Christian Church Bells ring.

Contrasted against the old style commercial centre, mushrooming out from ancient temples and other historic monuments, you can find trendy restaurants, art galleries and even a high end western style mall. The two restaurants below are examples of a growing middle class of well educated Sri Lankans who have the time and money to enjoy trendy eateries. Like in India, education is clearly highly valued and Sri Lanka has one of the highest levels of literacy in South Asia.

Leaving Kandy was a bit sad as it signalled the end of our circle tour of two weeks. Relying on our car hire specialist we made our way back to Negombo, where we began our Sri Lankan adventure. A night in a nice hotel on the beach with a lovely big pool never goes amiss. It gave us time to stare at the waves and watch the sunset behind the tall palms, contemplating the highlights of Sri Lanka before catching our flight back to Gatwick.

Last Tuk Tuk Ride Through Kandy

Sri Lanka – Part 4 Sigiriya – Cultural and Historical Heart of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka history & Culture in the Central Highlands

Arriving in Sigiriya we were very disappointed in our home stay tree house at the Thick Forest. Having friends who recently stayed in a Tree House it did not measure up. It was a ramshackle mosquito haven, dirty and a little shaky. The mosquito sleeping nets had holes and were so old they smelled musty. To add insult to injury we paid more than the usual rate for this experience. The owner begged us not to write a bad review and brought out a book in which he has customers write “complaints” and “suggestions” It was full of unhappy customers but the last time we left a warranted bad review on a booking website we were harassed. Cutting our losses we checked out a day early and went to a lovely home stay with a pool for the same price per night and had a far better breakfast and dinner, it was spotless, had a great pool and the family was delightful. Don’t go to Thick Forest….stay at Sigiriya Peacock Homestay.

Climbing Sigiriya Rock Up To The Lion Fortress

Sigiriya is a town and and ancient city located close to the town. It is awesome, it is a once in a lifetime experience to be there and to climb the great rock. It is a historical and archaeological site that is dominated by a massive column of granite about 180 meters high. As a UNESCO world heritage site is very popular with both Sri Lankans and foreigners. Would you believe that one of the ancient kings built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. It is a steep 1200 step climb to the top of the rock to see the remains of the palace, but it seemed like more in the intense heat of the day.

Entrance fees for foreigners are relatively high, about $35 USD, but not begrudged because the money goes to maintaining this marvellous place. You enter the Park and the first stop is a museum that details the long line of Kingdoms that existed here and the archaeological history of various digs that have taken place since the 1800’s. It is thought that Buddhist monks occupied the rock caves and shelters from as early as the 3rd Century BC. The grounds leading up to the Rock are beautiful and full of ponds and gardens and of course monkeys.

As you start the climb you see immediate evidence of the structures that existed at the foot of the rock. The first 900 or so steps are pretty steep and several stops help make the going easier. Taking your time is essential unless you are young and fit.

About half way up there is a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. Only the claws remain but imagine when the rest of the body and head were intact, it would have been impressive indeed. All this brick work covered with plaster and painted with frescoes is hard to imagine. The Lions paw is a rest stop for sure and there is filtered water for those who have run out. The views from this level are spectacular enough but only serve to fuel the desire to reach the top another 40 meters or so.

The last bit as seen below wasn’t too bad because people moved slowly up the steep steps and as you can see there was quite a crowd. There was no pushing or shoving and for the most part the crowd was Sri Lankan.

Reaching the top was epic for me. The 360 degree views were amazing and you could see that the King who had the palace built could easily survey his Kingdom for miles in every direction. Supplying the palace with the necessities of life was carried out by servants who climbed up and down the rock but the Royals who lived on top were carried up and down in a palanquin. Across from Sigiriya is another Rock, Pindurangala Rock and people with more time and energy will climb it as well.

I couldn’t tell you how long it took to climb Sigiriya, the trek up was so engrossing that I completely lost track of time. I felt on top of the world when I got there and on the way down there was plenty of time to enjoy the views and admire the frescoes that adorned the rock walls. You haven’t been to Sri Lanka until you’ve been to Sigiriya!

Buddhist Caves

After a good night’s rest our next outing was to visit the Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple another Unesco World Heritage Site. A pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, it is the largest and most well-preserved cave-temple in Sri Lanka. The temple is a series of five caves built into the wall of the rock mountain. The Temple has been transformed over the centuries and each of the caves or sanctuary has its own purpose and design. Altogether there are 157 statues important to the life and practice of Buddhism. It’s quite a climb to get up to the caves but nothing like Sigiriya, but like Sigiriya the rock carved stairs are uneven and sometimes very steep.

Girithale and Polonnaruwa

Staying in Girithale at the Agbo Hotel gave us quick access to Polonnaruwa another ancient city site that has undergone extensive archaeological activity.

The Agbo Hotel was one of our favourite stays and our rooms had great views of a lake and the surrounding forest and hills. It also had a large band of monkeys that frequented the property and we were asked to keep our balcony doors closed in the morning and when we were out for the day. However we decided to take our morning tea on the balcony as there was no evidence of monkeys in the vicinity. Enjoying the peaceful view we were startled to realise that some of the red faced nasty mean type macaques (remember they were entertaining in previous blogs) had snuck up on us and one of them leapt up onto our table and attacked our sugar bowl before we could even move. Greedily shovelling the sugar into his mouth with both hands and in between defending his right to it by baring his sharp pointy teeth and hissing at us, completely ignoring our attempts to shoo him away. We were forced to retreat inside but every time we moved he lunged at us, but with some sideways sidling and a chair as a means of defence we both made it safely back inside slamming the sliding door behind us. The monkey then took over the table and made short work of the sugar and the milk with the milk jug being the collateral damage in his rampage.

Mean Monkey

Polonnaruwa

We hired a Tuk Tuk through our hotel and had another great ride through the jungle and the towns on the way to Polnnuarwa.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Polonnaruwa is a a huge ruin dating back to the 11th Century and was the capital city until the 13th Century. The area of the city is huge and it was much easier to see the different sections by Tuk Tuk and one ticket is all you need to get into each section. With hundreds of ancient structures, tombs, temples, statues and stupas it is well worth a visit.

A prosperous city, well situated for trade and defence it was known as a garden-city and irrigation was used extensively in the ancient city. The city was eventually abandoned and overtaken by jungle after a series of civil wars and invasions.

The main event seems to be the Quadrangle as it is known, a huge collection of buildings in a small area, it is considered a holy site and proper dress (no bare knees or shoulders) is required for entry.

Cooking Lesson – A Definite Highlight

We loved our cooking lesson at Jaga Food Restaurant in Polonnaruwa. We Tuk Tukked it back to the restaurant with our now regular driver, Janaka Sudam. Our excellent teacher, Angelee, spoke English and her youngest two children were being sent to an English school so they had a pretty good grasp of what we were saying. It was a family affair with the two older sons and husband all in attendance. The second oldest son is studying Japanese and was doing his homework atone of the restaurant tables.

The clay pots that are used on the wood-fired ovens are seen all an over Sri Lanka. Roadside stands will have hundreds of pots of all sizes on display.

Our Cooker – Temperature Control with Positioning of Wood

Anjalee Wickramasinghe of Jaga Food Restaurant

Master Coconut Grinder- Only the Freshest Ingredients

Of course when all was said and done we sat down to twelve dishes, Anjalee added rice and custard with treacle for dessert and we implored our driver to join us to help out, there were so many dishes. Another one of my favourite things to do in Sri Lanaka. Thank you Anjalee and family, we so enjoyed our time with you.

Sri Lanka Part Two

Safari adventure in Yala National Park

Yala National Park Safari & Tissa Lake

Unawatuna to Tissawara

Another car and driver hired through our hotel in Unawatuna, we headed out to stay on Tissa Lake situated nearby Yala National Park. We were greatly surprised by our lovely hotel and were so happy with the view from our balcony and the fact that we had booked three nights.

First order of business was to check out the pool with its view over Tissa Lake. Finding it quite satisfactory we went about the business of booking a full day Safari in Yala Park.

Our Safari started at 5:00 am and we were up and ready when our driver & spotter showed up in their well used truck, the back of which was converted into three rows of seats stolen from old cars and welded securely onto the bed of the truck. A roof to keep out the sun and a hand picked stick to brace up the window at the front and away we went.

Yala Safaris are the most popular in Sri Lanka and produce a traffic jam of jeeps of various size and quality. If you want to go with other folks it is slightly cheaper but we were happy to pay a bit more and just be the two of us.

Peacocks by the bucketload and lots of small brilliantly coloured birds lots of them migratory and all of them difficult to photograph.

Throughout the course of the day we say both black faced and red faced Macaque monkeys and judging by the number of babies the population is quite healthy.

Black Face Macaques

There are said to be sloths in the park but like the leopard they alluded us. But we did spot plenty of mongoose and a chameleon, both of which were highlights.

Hard to see and harder to identity we had snakes pointed out but didn’t really see them. Yala snakes include the cobra, rat, viper and python to name a few. Apparently cobras favor the tall reddy brown nests of the termite as a locale for home base. But even armed with that information I can’t say I actually saw one. Crocodile were present but other than a few lazing on muddy banks in the far in the distance they would appear as long dark bumpy lines in the water. Naturally there are various types of lizards skittling about, crossing roads and climbing trees.

Wild boars were fairly frequent and of course we saw and enjoyed the water buffalo especially their comical raft like behaviour in the water. We saw some babies in the herds and were told that they are accustomed to the jeeps but it would be very dangerous if we were to step down out of the jeep. (Which isn’t allowed anyway) We also saw several herds of deer of various types including spotted and barking.

Of course my favourite for last….the elephants. There are 250 elephants in Yala and only 10 have tusks, so very rare and given the slaughter in other parts of the world, very smart. We saw babies with their mothers and aunties feeding from the tree tops and the occasional solo male. Only the females herd together with the babies led by a matriarch. The males will leave the herd when they are eight years old to live alone.

Mother and Baby

Bath Time

A Slow Wander Into The Deep

We had two breaks in the day, we stopped for breakfast on a sandy beach used by local fishermen who have built huts and some were busy repairing their nets inside and out of the sun. We stuck our toes in the Indian ocean and returned to find our breakfast spread out on a blanket under the trees.

Our second break for lunch was two hours because this is when the animals quit moving about and so must we. We picnicked beside a river and before long we were joined a band of red faced macac. So entertaining to seem them scrapping and cavorting about, leaping and climbing as fast as well…monkeys. Some of them looked a little worse for wear and being the red face macaque they can be a little tricky and have been known to attach and scratch and bite people. Surprisingly some of the guides across the river were feeding the monkeys although there are signs asking you not to, but it was entertaining to watch.

We exited the park along with the sun happy with our day and our driver and guide having come to the conclusion they were the real deal on authentic local guides. As much as possible they managed to keep us away from the clusters of other jeeps although it did mean some rough rides on some tracks less frequented.

Bumpy Roads

Tissamaharama

The Ulo Villa hotel was perched right on the edge of Lake Tissa and from our deck we were constantly entertained by the water buffalo and birds of all sorts.

Called Water Buffalo for a Reason

In addition we were parked right beside a local bathing spot on the lake and as soon as school let out swarms of kids came to swim and play and jump off a railing into the lake. At least until their mothers hailed them into shallower waters and gave their heads a good lather of shampoo and plastic buckets of rinsing. Dirty laundry was pounded and rolled on flat rocks and wrung out by the mothers in their long sarongs. After safari’s were done for the day the men drove their trucks into lake to give them a much needed wash down having collected a goodly share of dirt and mud in Yala.

Our three days in Tissamaharama came to an end and we had to say goodbye bye to our talented chef and our great views.

Where Are We?

Seine Bight – Closest Bigger Shopping Stop

Which Tour to Pick….so much to do!

Placencia

Homeward Bound

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Getting There

New to Me – The Maya Train

New to Me – Trendy Avenida 47.

The La Plancha

Progreso

A New to Me Cenote

Also New to Me – Bacalar

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Lake Country South West Corner Arkansas

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