Day 3 - Dambulla and Amaya Lake

No time for lunch when you're having fun

The squad packed up for our departure to Dambulla. Another sumptuous breakfast was had (and needed) for the long bus trip. It provided a chance for all to catch up on sleep and enjoy each other’s company #loverecliningseats #loveairconditioning

A relatively relaxed part of Colombo.

Although I believe we should have had nothing to complain about when it comes to heat. the top temp out west in Sydney of 47.3degs made CNN news. While some slept, others were in awe of our bus driver’s skills. I've never been to India (which is apparently off the hook when it comes to driving) but if I ever return to the sub-continent, I will definitely be employing our driver, Damindah to take us around the sites.

The rider in front is obviously returning from ALDI's Saturday specials of cheap flat screen TVs.

It definitely goes against my instincts to know that lights, lines and polices officers are merely suggestions. Nonetheless, it provided some interesting moments. On a necessary stop before the caves (ATM and long pants retrieval from bags) some of the lads found some amusement in watching a snake charmer wow the masses with his two Cobras. This blogger was standing in another postcode despite the revelation that their fangs had been removed. However, there were a couple of 'brave' souls who went close enough for a photo.

The 'before' photo - The 'after' photo cannot be published due to risk assessment issues...

On to Dambulla Caves, which hold great cultural significance to the locals and date back to 100 years before Christ. The Golden Temple was made a World Heritage site in 1991 and the largest preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers over 160m and there are more than 80 caves in the surrounding areas. The major attractions are spread over 5 main caves, with the first two dating back over 2000 years. They contained paintings and sculptures related to Buddha and his life - 153 statues in all.

Our next hotel was not far from the caves and after a bit of climbing and a long time on the bus, nothing beats a bottled Coke for lunch and a swim in the hotel pool. We could have thought that Mt. Lavinia would have been the pick of the hotels, but Amaya Lake definitely shot ahead in the hotel rankings when we were provided a cold face washer and mock tail upon arrival.

Another beautiful smorgasbord dinner and an early night followed in preparation for an early start for our ascension of the Sigiriya Rock temple.