Pinnewalla and Anuradhapura

This morning was an early start. Wake up call at 5 am. We had to get on the road to the Pinnewalla Elephant Orphanage in time for the morning's excitement. After stopping for some fresh pineapple and cashew nuts, Lal wasted no time in getting us there. First we watched the elephants feed in a field. Then a couple of the babies got bottle feed. The highlight though was sitting in a restaurant by the river with a cool watermelon juice and watching the elephants have their bath. I had wanted to try the local beer, Lion Lager, but it is a holiday so no alcohol sales. It was sad to see some of the elephants missing a leg or blind, but at least they are being looked after and are alive. Most of the elephants were rescued because they became orphans due to traffic accidents or poachers. There wasn't a lot of water in the river, but there was enough that one tiny baby kept getting submerged and I thought the poor thing was going to drown. It kept popping its head up though and seemed to be having a good time.

After Pinnewalla, we started out for Anuradhapura. I have to say a couple words about driving in Sri Lanka. Deathy scary might be a good choice of words. I'm not sure how many things we "almost" hit today... at least one dog and one cow were close calls. But almost hitting something is a regular thing here as horns are honked, brakes are slammed and one breathes yet another sigh of relief. I did get a nice respite for a few minutes en route as we pulled over and joined a crowd that had gathered to watch a combine in a field. Only recently introduced to Sri Lanka, this yellow, red, and green machine was quite the spectacle. It even impressed me with its funky colours.

Anuradhapura is a huge, ancient city which was founded in 437 BC. It was the first capital of Sri Lanka and is a very sacred place for Buddhists (about 70% of Sri Lankans). The secular buildings were made of wood so all that remains are the stone pillars. The giant dagobas, on the other hand, still stand complete. A dagoba is a bell-like stone and brick building topped by a pointed spire and containing a relic of the Buddha. Some of the dagobas have been restored and the others are undergoing restoration. Regardless, people come from all over to worship here. A couple other interesting features of Anuradhapura were the Samadhi Buddha Statue dating from the 4th century and the Sacred Bodhi Tree. This tree started from a sapling taken from the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. 2300 years later, it is claimed to be the oldest recorded tree in the world.

The day came to an end at Mihintale, where I overate for the second time today. Every meal seems to be a meal for two and they keep piling it on your plate!