Sri Lanka

The story

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05. 09. 2007 Dambulla (SRI LANKA)

Ten hours of flight take us to this land, three and a half hours ahead of Italy! But why, then, is there also that half hour of difference? The first mysteries colour the journey! The first impression, during the long transfer from the capital Colombo to Dambulla, was a mix of Vietnam (for the uncontrolled chaos on the roads) and Panama for its vegetation so dense and lush! An island with many names, from "Serendib" of times now long gone to "Ceylon" (during British colonisation) up to the present-day Sri Lanka, which means: "Land of good things that happen by chance". The British, besides driving on the left, left them the legacy of a passion for cricket. The Sri Lankan national team, in fact, is among the best in the world at this sport and you often see kids playing it here and there.

A bit like football back home for us! At the hotel we're greeted by lots of monkeys wandering around calmly. They told us to be careful in the room and always close all the windows to stop them getting in and causing damage! What I didn't expect, though, were the bats! There are thousands of them in the evening, they flutter over your head like giant flies, you just have to get used to it! And not only...

06. 09. 2007 Anuradhapura (SRI LANKA)

[Nick]: The bus keeps honking its horn at every moment on a road "full of potholes" which, what's more, is supposed to be one of the main roads... All around there are trees, fields, little shops here and there and stalls selling fruit, really very colourful! In Anuradhapura we visited a temple that guards the so-called "Bo tree", a tree that is said to have grown from a shoot of the bush under which Buddha was enlightened... Who knows! What surprised me most was the ceremony of offering gifts... An Indian file of elderly women dressed in pure white who, to the sound of a drum, slowly made their way with trays full of gifts (flowers, incense, fruit) to place beneath the altar of the various Buddhas! I was struck by the conviction on their faces as they prayed. I learned that so far there have been four Buddhas. One every 5000 years.

The last was Siddhartha Gotama, enlightened about 2500 years ago. Because of the various attacks by the so-called "Tamil Tigers" (an ethnic group that lives essentially in the north and hopes for secession from the rest of the island), we were subjected to checks and searches, of both body and backpack, many, many times! In Habarana I was very amazed to see women washing themselves and doing the laundry on the edge of a dirty little pond and then drying it by spreading it on the rocks...

Men, boys, children with soaps and toothpastes washing there and drying in the open air! Another form of freedom?!? We took the opportunity to go for a ride on the back of a big elephant! From up there I really enjoyed the landscape that surrounded and enveloped us! Every now and then a little path would emerge, cutting into dark bushes from which various sounds and music came! Those were the villages of the indigenous people... How wonderful! Now and then I saw little houses made of earth... But won't they melt in a bit of drizzle? Who knows! One thing that disappointed me a little is that all the Sri Lankans we met, when they realised we were Italian, shouted triumphantly: "Italia Uno". Italy, a country of artists, musicians, poets, navigators, painters, cooks, is now famous for a TV channel: "Italia Uno!". What bitterness! 07. 09.

2007 Sigirya (SRI LANKA) This morning we tackled the much-feared climb of the Sigirya fortress. Very hard? I expected worse! It's majestic and imposing, this great rock with its lion's paws. A climb accessible to everyone! I saw impressive beehives, real black upside-down pyramids... honey factories! Sigirya preserves almost no archaeological remains except for some beautiful frescoes kept in a cave; the only beautiful thing is being able to admire the whole panorama from such a high rock! Right after that we visited a "batik" workshop. "Batik" is a particular form of art on cotton using dyes and beeswax. Its main feature is that you see the same design indistinctly, both on one side and the other! Unexpectedly, in a courtyard we noticed two strange animals. They were two cassowaries.

A kind of prehistoric ostrich, enemy of cobras! Two very strong and large legs, a powerful chest, claws on the wings, a big horn on the head with a long and sharp beak. Black with blue and purple necks. In the afternoon we visited Polonnaruwa. The various Buddha statues carved into the rock are very beautiful. To make the largest one they had spent twelve years! In Polonnaruwa we were surrounded, in the truest sense of the word, by monkeys. What an impression, they seem so similar to us; they joked among themselves, chased each other, played, picked lice off each other... But to stay in the "National Geographic" series, what struck me most were the three dangerous monitor lizards we met while crossing a bridge! How lovely, then, to see the various open-air schools holding lessons in the shade of the trees and the students in their spotless white uniforms...

[Nick]: I was moved to give a bunch of pens that we had brought from Italy for the occasion to the schoolchildren having lessons in the school courtyard; they were really happy just for a pen! 08. 09. 2007 Dambulla (SRI LANKA) A morning entirely devoted to visiting Dambulla and its temple. In every cave there were lots of Buddha statues represented in the most varied and desperate positions! Even one with hair, and when I asked the guide the reason for such a representation he answered me a little embarrassed: "Well, it's the artist's inspiration!" Those smells, those chants recited uninterruptedly by the faithful as they prayed...

Along the way there was even a snake charmer! What an impression! There were three cobras in a little box and as soon as the master lifted the lid and gave the box a little tap, suddenly one would shoot out with lightning speed and lunge at the charmer's hand... Right after that we took a little stroll along the main street of Dambulla... And there we were, asking a slightly embarrassed policeman where the centre of town was... It didn't exist! In the afternoon we did a jungle excursion! To be honest, we didn't see the animals you'd expect to meet in a jungle, apart from a few butterflies, small reptiles etc.

It was worth it, though, only thanks to the panorama we admired once we reached the top of a mountain, drenched in sweat but happy to have reached that little milestone! From right up there we spot a little cricket pitch in the distance! We can't miss such an opportunity, so off we go with a nice young couple from Turin, Andrea and Giorgia. Once we arrive we get ready to try this new sport when suddenly a football appears... As good Italians, as soon as we see it we immediately fall back on a football match: ITALY-SRI LANKA! After a few minutes we're leading 3-0. But the more we play, the more opponents we gain. The match ends 6-5 for the many Sri Lankans who contributed!