Pinnawala - Dambulla - Sigiriya

I went for a little trip here in Sri Lanka and ended up in Pinnawala, the elephant orphanage. I must say that I have mixed feelings about the whole experience - the elephants were adorable, I love them, I think they are just friendly giants. I stroked a baby elephant and its skin was full of really sharp bristles. It was sooo cute! And of course the bathing time was fun to see, all the elephants splashing around and having fun... but on the other hand you can tell that everything is about spending money there, if you want to take a picture with an elephant you have to pay, not to one guy but also to the other guy standing next to the first guy, and I'm like, why do I also have to pay to you, you didn't do anything?! Then at bathing time, if you want to feed elephants, you have to also pay to two guys and I don't know... I'm not a live money bank! Everybody wants your money and all at the expense of the elephants. I remember that one was missing a leg because he walked on a mine field:(

Then of course there is the elephant poo paper, which is a processed dung turned into paper for writing and sending cards... the finished product is actually really nice to look at, but the prices they demand there are totally European. It pays off more to buy the poo paper in Colombo:) It's 10 times cheaper.

 

Dambulla

Then off we went to the Buddhist temple in Dambulla on POYA, than is the day on every full moon and the Buddhists gather in temples to pray. All the shops are usually closed and no alcohol is to be sold or consumed. The Whole Dambulla experience was really cool - I love the Big Guy (the Buddha) and I loved the cheeky monkeys that were stealing everything that resembled to food - even the lotus flowers that I was carrying for my offering to the Buddha:P

Sigiriya

In my experience, it is best to get up really (and I mean really when I say really) early in the morning for the Sigiriya climb because it's not so hot, there are few tourists and no annoying locals who want to give you the tour. I got up at 6.15 am and it was totally worth it - the view is spectacular!!! Dont'  believe me? Check it out:

          Sigiriya, photo taken from afar

The Sigiriya gardens are also a sight to be seen:

-Teja