Dambulla Cave Temple

A few days ago, we drove from Trincomalee to Dambulla. On the way, we saw another elephant by the side of the road. The next time we travel to Sri Lanka, we’ll definitely visit a national park and hopefully see even more.

On the very day we arrived, Simon wasn’t feeling well and developed a fever in the afternoon, and he didn’t get out of bed for the rest of the day. Simon almost never gets a fever, so the next day we drove straight to the Wayamba Laboratory to get his blood drawn, and two hours later we had the diagnosis: dengue fever. At the nearby Rangiri Hospital, however, they reassured us; usually, the course of the illness isn’t as severe as is often described. We now go for blood tests every day to keep an eye on his levels, but it looks like we’ll be able to catch our flight to Thailand on May 22.

Until then, Simon can recover in peace. We have a lovely place to stay by a lake with a garden where you can watch the lizards and squirrels.

Before heading to the next blood test today, I set out early in the morning on my own toward the cave temple. The Dambulla Cave Temple is a very popular sight around here and since 1991 an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The entrance to the sprawling grounds is just ten minutes from our accommodation and leads along a narrow road to a small archaeological site, then up a hill to the ticket booth (3,000 rupees), and from there up the stairs to the summit and the actual temple complex. As always, you’re accompanied by a few playful dogs.

Here, you can follow the life story of Buddha through five different cave entrances. The caves are artistically decorated from floor to ceiling.

Since I was there at seven o'clock, I was able to admire this beautiful place without any other tourists.

I made my way back down the other side of the mountain and arrived at the Golden Temple. Here stands a very impressive golden Buddha statue.

To get back to where I started, I took a detour around the temple lake and didn’t miss the chance to make a quick side trip across the round rock to enjoy another great view from there. I didn’t think it would be so easy to climb up the rock, since it looks very round and smooth, but erosion has created enough grip for my shoes.

I picked up some water and a few samosas for later. Maybe Simon will have an appetite today.