Day 14 – Anuradhapura
Its my Birthday! We woke up to a Peacock just outside the home stay in Pollonaruwa. which isn’t something you see everyday. Once we had packed to leave again, we went out for breakfast and to our amazement there was a birthday cake to go along with our breakfast.
Then we took a bus to another ancient capital known as Anuradhapura. Here we stayed at Co-Op City Training Room and were picked up from the bus station by a staff memeber. J had found a tour guide from Facebook called Lalith, and he turned out to be a catch with his very own transport. We were taken to a few sites around the town, including ancient caves called Wessa Giriya, Temples (Isurumuni Rajamaha Viharaya 3rd Century BC), Monk’s Mess Halls, Pools and Ponds. We also saw Stupas constructed in the past (1st Century BC) and still maintained today, including Abhayagiri Stupa, Jetavana Stupa (1st Century BC) and one with a massive diamond on top (Ruwanweliseya) which is the location of the first Bodhi tree bought to Sri Lanka (Jaya Sri Maha).
At night some of my family travelled several hours to celebrate my birthday with me. Love you guys. That was birthday cake number 2 made by my cousin (If anyone in Sri Lanka ever needs delicious cake around Negombo area send me a message). After the celebration they drove another 2 hours back!
