Dambulla Cave Temple

A few days ago, we drove from Trinco to Dambulla. Along the way, we saw an elephant by the roadside again. The next time we travel to Sri Lanka, we will definitely visit a national park and hopefully see more.

On the day of our arrival, Simon didn't feel very well and developed a fever in the afternoon, staying in bed for the rest of the day. Simon rarely has a fever, so the next day we went to the Wayamba Laboratory for a blood test, and two hours later we had the diagnosis: dengue fever. However, the nearby Rangiri Hospital reassured us; usually, the course is not as severe as often described. We are now going for blood tests every day to monitor the values, but it looks good that we can catch our flight to Thailand on May 22nd.

Until then, Simon can rest and recover in peace. We have a lovely accommodation by a lake with a garden where we can watch the lizards and squirrels.

Before the next blood test today, I set off early in the morning alone towards the cave temple. The Dambulla Cave Temple is a famous landmark and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

The entrance to the expansive grounds is only ten minutes from our accommodation and leads along a narrow road to a small excavation site and then up the mountain to the ticket office (3,000 rupees) and from there the stairs continue up to the summit and the actual temple complex. As always, you are accompanied by a few playful dogs.

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

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

On my way back, I descended via the other side of the mountain and reached the golden temple. Here stands a very impressive golden Buddha statue.

To return to the starting point, I took a detour over the temple lake and couldn't resist making a short detour across the round rock to enjoy another beautiful view. I didn't think it would be so easy to climb the rock since it looks very round and smooth, but due to erosion, there was enough grip for my shoes.

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