Sri Lanka, Part 1 - Negombo, Wilpattu, Anuradhapura

On February 1, 2020, I flew on Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka(SL).  It's a three and a half hour flight and I arrived there late in the evening.  My driver, Mohan, picked me up at the airport and drove about 30 minutes to the Rani Beach Resort in Negombo.  Looking out the window I could see people hanging out on the beach even this late at night.  At breakfast the next morning I could see that the hotel was filled with Buddhist pilgrims dressed in white.  Many were Vietnamese, as I could recognize the language.  Sri Lanka is about 70% Buddhists so this is not surprising that Buddhists from around the world came for this purpose.

At the hotel I realized that wifi is going to be very spotty.  I decided to buy a SIM card from a small store across the street called Kingfisher.  In order for a foreign SIM to work on your American phone you have to make sure that it is unlocked.  Not passcode unlock but network unlock.  Many Americans don't understand that their phones are network locked to one of the cell phone provider networks, be it AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc.  You have to fully own your phone or paid off the installments for the cell phone provider to unlock your phone.  Recently they have made it easier but you still have to contact the provider to make sure your phone is unlocked to use a foreign SIM card.

I paid 700 SL rupees, or about US$4, for almost 4GB of data.  That should last me about 2 weeks although you still have to budget yourself especially uploading or downloading pictures and videos.  Sunbird also provided a pocket wifi in the car, which is a router using cell phone signal.

Negombo is a suburb just north of Colombo.  You see a lot of Dutch colonial presence here - fort, canal, schools, and churches.  It is common to past a Catholic Church and further down the street a mosque or Buddhist temple.  Buddhism has been on this island for over 2,000 years and about 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhists.  I assume the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, converted many of the locals to Catholicism.  The Hindus and Muslims are mostly Indian immigrants from India who were brought to SL to work in the tea plantations.  Whatever religion a person is you can't tell by looking at them.  Sri Lankans are mostly dark-skinned, whether they are Sinhalese or Tamils.  Including English these are the three national languages.

Being next to the ocean makes Negombo an ideal place to be a fishing village.  We were there on a Sunday so the big fish market was closed but you can see evidence of the main livelihood of this town by the number of fishing boats along its shore.  Some of the big fishing vessels are intended to be out at sea for about 3 weeks, obviously catching the bigger fish like tuna.  Others fish closer to shore for fish like sardines.  Fish are laid out to dry on some of the beaches as a way to preserving them.

A Dutch Fort

A Catholic Church

Fish drying in the sun

Vendor selling fresh coconut, about 40cents each

After touring around Negombo we started heading north to our next destination - the ancient city of Anuradhpura.  It was a long drive through the countryside, first along the coast, then heading inland towards Wilpattu National Park.  I was surprised to learn that there are 26 National Parks in SL, being a relatively small island.  Wildlife is abundant here, especially elephants, to the surprise of many people.  There are also leopards, bears, deer, and all types of birds.  On this trip I will be visiting three National Parks - Wilpattu, Horton Plains and Yala.

Mohan drove to the home of the safari jeep driver.  Since I am the only one, I had to pay for the entire jeep, about US$55.  Mohan drove shot-gun with the driver and I was alone in the back on a high bench.  On a jeep safari the driver drives to locations where he thinks we'll be able to spot wild animals.  The animal we'd most like to see is the elusive leopard.  We passed other jeeps, either going in the same or opposite direction.  The drivers sometimes have a short conversation, presumably to let each other know where they have spotted certain animals.  Mostly it's a random drive.  There is no guarantee that you will see any animal.  If you want guarantees, go to the zoo.  We saw a herd of deer grazing, a black bear from a distance and a leopard before it went into the bush.  I regret not bringing my binoculars.  Not a very successful safari.  I hope to see more at the next two National Parks.

Entrance to Wilpattu National Park

Deer at the Park

It's about an hour drive from Wilpattu to Anuradhapura.  I checked into the Ceylan Lodge and was ready for a buffet dinner.  It was a very generous buffet with about 7 or 8 different dishes, ranging from rice to curry dishes to dhal to vegetables to side dishes.  Dessert is mostly fruits - pineapples, papayas, water melons, and bananas.   There was a group of cyclists also staying at the hotel.  They are probably in their 50s' and 60s' and mostly Europeans.  It's a tough way to travel around Sri Lanka but as long as you are having fun, why not?

The breakfast buffet was just as generous.  Following breakfast we drove to the grounds where the ancient Kingdom of Anuradhapura was situated.  A 4th century BC kingdom that ruled Sri Lanka in its early days and was instrumental in establishing Buddhism as its religion, culture and form of government.  It was during this period that the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka.  There is a temple in Kandy that houses this sacred Tooth Relic.  More about this temple will be discussed in a later post.  Admission to the kingdom grounds is US$25 or about 4,500 SLR (Sri Lankan Rupees).  Both currencies are accepted.  You have to take off your shoes to visit the grounds. Here is where you also find the 2,500 year-old Bodhi tree.  Not the original tree but its descendants.  The tree is so precious that its trunks are supported by golden poles.

Tanks for storing water in the early days

Guarding the entrance

A modern day statue of Buddha

Entrance to the Kingdom grounds

One of the stupas

Statues around the stupa

A more modern stupa

2,500 year-old Bodhi tree, branches supported by golden poles

A graphical representation of the religion

A street cobbler

Street of the town of Anuradhapura

Shoes are to be removed before entering the palace grounds

Tuk tuk - cheap taxi on 3 wheels

The small town of Anuradhapura consists of a few streets.  In the late afternoon when it's cooler, we strolled along the main street to look for a pair of thongs.  I had forgotten mine and did not realize that hotels here don't provide room slippers like in most Asian hotels.  I also bought a couple of bags that monks used for someone.  It's like a backpack except that instead of hanging around your bag it hangs over your shoulder.  If you've seen a Buddhist monk you will see him carrying one of these bags, usually saffron color but they come in other colors too.