Negombo - Sigiriya

Today we drove from Negombo to Sirigiya.

Right after breakfast we set off. During a short stop at a shop where Tommy made a small purchase and left me alone briefly, I was approached by an older guy (first question: do you have a husband? Similar progression). The actually short wait felt very long to me... At this point, a little explanation: in Sri Lanka it is unusual for tourists to drive Tuktuks themselves, and Sri Lankan women also do not drive Tuktuks. It was apparently a sensation and also an opportunity to make money (he wanted me to buy tuna from him). Some men also stare very uncomfortably. I didn't want to be alone here, otherwise it's no problem with the 'husband'.

But now back to the trip. The journey continued uphill. There was a lot of traffic between Negombo and Dambulla. With the Tuktuk we are only allowed to drive a maximum of 40km/h. It was a comfortable ride, except for the crazy road users. We saw some wild monkeys and a lake full of lotus flowers. Once Google Maps briefly led us onto a bumpy road, probably because it didn't know about a new section of the road yet. But all in all, the ride went smoothly. With two shorter breaks, we were on the road for about six hours.

In Sigiriya we found a large room at the Nature Park Villa after an initial tip from the Loose travel guide and tuk-tuk rental turned out to be a flop. This villa even has a swimming pool, which we immediately had to try out.

After that, we had dinner at Mom's Kitchen. It was very good and plentiful, the chef very hospitable and lovely. Now we are at the 1 More Night Hostel next door, where there are a few backpackers and the atmosphere is similar to Thailand. Otherwise, there is practically nothing going on in terms of nightlife (my impression is that this applies to all of Sri Lanka).

Tomorrow we want to have breakfast at 07:00 am and climb the Sigiriya Rock at 07:30 am. Hopefully there won't be too many people on the way yet (the rock is a popular pilgrimage and tourist destination).