On the way to breakfast we saw a large group of monkeys cavorting along the paths and across the grass. As we walked past, one reached out and tried to grab Larry's leg but soon thought better of it. The others saw a band of monkeys destroying the roof of one of the units by tossing off the tiles.
We were late starting once again, but eventually were on our way to Polonnaruwa. This was the second capital of Sri Lanka (C10-C12 AD) and features artificial reservoirs, with sophisticated systems of sluices. We visited sites of several large buildings and the museum. Most impressive was the Gal Vihare Complex with 4 massive Buddha images carved into the cliff side from one slab of granite.
Lunch was with a local family, and was delicious - probably my favourite Sri Lanka meal so far.
Mid-afternoon found us at Minneriya National Park for a jeep safari. We were pretty crowded and uncomfortable sitting sideways on benches in the back of the small jeep as it travelled over deeply rutted roads for 3 hours. However we saw many elephants
and lots of birds. [ we were even "treated" to a couple of elephant charges as jeeps got too close. Of course the jeeps charged away and the elephants gave up. Our guide said that at times the elephant wins and on one of his excursions the elephant trashed the front-end of a new jeep. There are also a mother/daughter elephant couple that charge jeeps on site because they lost a baby on the nearby highway. ]
We were happy to get back to the hotel, where Sally-Jo, Maria-Angelica and I went for a refreshing swim while Cathy and Larry rested up from the day [No, I actually worked on photos for the last 2 days]. After dinner we were ready for bed. All Photos of the Day
We were late starting once again, but eventually were on our way to Polonnaruwa. This was the second capital of Sri Lanka (C10-C12 AD) and features artificial reservoirs, with sophisticated systems of sluices. We visited sites of several large buildings and the museum. Most impressive was the Gal Vihare Complex with 4 massive Buddha images carved into the cliff side from one slab of granite.
Lunch was with a local family, and was delicious - probably my favourite Sri Lanka meal so far.
Mid-afternoon found us at Minneriya National Park for a jeep safari. We were pretty crowded and uncomfortable sitting sideways on benches in the back of the small jeep as it travelled over deeply rutted roads for 3 hours. However we saw many elephants
and lots of birds. [ we were even "treated" to a couple of elephant charges as jeeps got too close. Of course the jeeps charged away and the elephants gave up. Our guide said that at times the elephant wins and on one of his excursions the elephant trashed the front-end of a new jeep. There are also a mother/daughter elephant couple that charge jeeps on site because they lost a baby on the nearby highway. ]
We were happy to get back to the hotel, where Sally-Jo, Maria-Angelica and I went for a refreshing swim while Cathy and Larry rested up from the day [No, I actually worked on photos for the last 2 days]. After dinner we were ready for bed. All Photos of the Day
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