26.08.18 - 28.08.18 Sigiriya

Once upon a time, there was a Sri Lankan prince who killed his father over 1500 years ago to become king. To protect himself afterwards, he founded the new capital of Sri Lanka and built his palace on a 180m high rock, covering an area of 1.5 hectares. After only 16 years, his reign ended when he took his own life and the palace on the rock was no longer needed as the capital was moved.

This very rock still stands today, almost in the middle of nowhere, making it even more impressive. The best view of it is from a nearby rock, which can be climbed after a somewhat (for some... Lea) difficult climbing action. The bruises are definitely worth it though, the view was truly amazing.

So we had stayed for two nights in the small village of Sigiriya in a super nice homestay. After much consideration, we decided to climb the second rock, the actual tourist attraction, the day after the climb, which would cost a whopping €25 per person.

But not only us had this plan on that day... There were also a few others. So we were stuck on the stairs right from the start and it took us over an hour to reach the first platform. But here we had to wait again, as the wasps living in huge nests on the rock were very agitated and an attack was expected if the stairs remained occupied. Finally, when we reached the plateau, it was quite astonishing how a person could come up with the idea of making their home there. Even though there are now only ruins, which were used as a monastery after the reign of the aforementioned king, the size of the estate can be imagined. But what is most impressive is once again the view.

After managing to get back down without losing control to the many pushy people, we were glad to find some peace in our room. We wished there were fewer people around, even if it meant having to walk more than 3 steps per minute. But the emotional strain of the crowd was worse than the physical one.