Letter reprinted

I'm surprised that my letter reappeared in The Straits Times again today, this time in print and under the heading "There's no uniform religious view in a multi-religious society".

Reflecting one's spiritual view not the same as imposing one's religious sensibilities on others

My letter to Straits Times forum. It was published on the online forum, but not in print.

http://www.straitst imes.com/ ST%2BForum/ Online%2BStory/ STIStory_ 382901.html

May 29, 2009
Reflecting one's spiritual view not the same as imposing one's religious sensibilities on others

I REFER to Wednesday's article, 'No 'bright line' between religion and politics'.

I found it most unfortunate that Nominated MP Thio Li-ann is attacking secularism, and painting it as a gag on religious views in public square.

What Professor Thio fails to appreciate is that the issue is not about secularism (or atheism) versus religion. In a multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore, there are no uniform or generic 'religious views'. When a particular religion participates in public space, it does not do so not under a generic label ('religious' ) but under the label of a particular religion (for example, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism). Unless there is active participation and discussion by the many religious denominations, and a consensus reached by the collective group, no one particular group can claim to represent a 'religious view' of Singapore in general.

Thus, when Prof Thio pushes her religious view (for example, her objections to homosexuality which are shaped by her religious background), the public perception is not that she represents the religious view, but rather that she is imposing her Christian sensibilities on others.

With that context in mind, the reference to the Aware controversy was not, as Prof Thio put it, a view that 'religious groups should not get involved in secular organisation' . Rather, what was disconcerting about the incident was that it was a case of one particular organisation from one particular religion, pushing for one particular agenda, and subverting a publicly secular organisation on the quiet. In a plural society, such an act is dangerous, divisive and destabilising.

Any religious group which wishes to further its views based on its religious conviction must do so publicly, paying special attention to the sensitivities of other races and religions, and must invite other groups to participate in reaching a collective common ground. Failure to do so will surely invite censure and strong reaction from other quarters, religious or otherwise.

The Government is right to urge restraint and keep the political arena secular. This is not a gag on religious views, but rather an appreciation that in a multi-religious society like Singapore, there is no representative and uniform religious view and that any one religion wishing for greater participation in the public and political arena must do so responsibly and with great sensitivity to other religions, as well as the non-religious.

Lai Nam Khim

Sri Lanka - notes from the trip

Here's a couple of pointers I learned from the trip.

* Always visit the temples early in the morning. The stone floors are simply too hot to walk on barefooted once it approached noon. It's really a challenge to walk around the large circumference of the big dagobas (stupas).

* Do not take pictures of people posing in front of Buddha images. Sri Lankans considered that very offensive.

* The buses do not have luggage compartments. If you are carrying a backpack and planning on taking the buses, make sure the backpack is not too big that you cannot squeeze under the seat.

* If you want to ensure you have a seat for intercity trips, always take the bus at main bus station where the bus starts the journey. Buses are always packed -- even if they aren't when they leave the bus station, they will be after a few stops. Do not take the seats right at the front (the first 2 rows). Those are reserved for the monks. If a monk boards the bus, those taking the front would be asked to give up their seats for the monks. (It did not matter if the monk was young, looked healthy and strong, while the one giving up the seat was an old man with white beard...)

* Most "hotels" are just cheap restaurants and do not have rooms. Be careful when you asked the local for "hotel", for that is likely to lead to miscommunication.

* Do bring a sarong and bathing clothes with you. When it gets too hot, you can always go for a bath in some pond or "tank" (i.e. a man-made lake or reservoir). Just join the locals. Most men swim or bath in a shorts, though I saw quite a number in just underwear. The women however would wear a sarong. If you don't have a sarong, there are many shops that sell them. The men's sarongs made from cotton were going at about Rs500 a piece.

* Always be decently dressed, even when visiting the ruins. The ruins are considered holy and you are expected to take off shoes and hat even when walking into what remains of a temple. In general, do not wear sleeveless tops and your bottoms should at least cover your knees.

* Don't bother with the coffee. Tea is always better than coffee. If you still choose to have coffee, than don't compare the brew with what you get elsewhere and don't complain.

* The water you are served in "hotels" are really just tap water. The water jug (tap water) on the table is both for drinking and washing hands. I drank quite frequently without any problems, although it has a rather disagreeable taste to it. Ask for bottled water if you really want to be safe.

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 10 : Coming home

There was suppose to be air-con private buses that goes from Kandy to the airport, but we could not find the buses. In the end, we took a intercity bus that was heading to Negombo.

There were no more seats when we got up the bus. I was a little worried because I was still feeling a little sick and was worried that I might not be able to stand for the whole journey. The journey is reported to be 3-3.5 hours. However, we had a rather crazy driver that were going at a rather crazy speed and over-taking other vehicles very zealously. The plus side was that the speed kept the air circulating in the bus and we got to airport in under 2.5 hours.

The bus did not actually stopped at the airport. We were let off at a bus station (Aweriwatta) and the airport were no were in sight. We asked around and found that there was a free shuttle bus from the bus station to the airport. It turned out that the bus station was really just outside the airport. We had to clear more security checks as we enter the airport.

It was only about 11:30am when we got to the check-in area. Our flights leave at 2pm so we still have plenty of time for a meal and some last minute shopping (there was a Buddhist bookshop where I bought a book and 2 stone-carved stupas. I didn't really wanted the stupas but then the shopkeeper told us that the proceeds would go towards some charity).

The plane was moving towards the runway when a passenger asked to get off. (We later found out that his father had just passed away). The plane taxi'ed back to the terminal and we had to wait while the crew dig out his check-in lugguage. The passenger was only let off the plane after his check-in lugguage was found. After that, all the passengers had to identify all the bags and lugguage in the overhead compartments. It was then that the possibility dawn on me that this could be a rouse to plant a bomb in the plane...

However, what worried me was my fever. Sheung had a thermometer and the reading was 37.5 degrees celcius. That's just a slight fever I guess, but then there was a swine flu alert going on and I was not sure if I won't be quarantine upon arrival. In the end, I walked passed the fever detectors at the airport without being stopped.

As much as I enjoyed the trip, it was still good to be home again.

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 9 : Falling sick

Sheung was worried that being right next to the Tooth Temple on Vesak day could mean noisy celebrations right through the night. It was not the pilgrims that proved to be a problem but the noisy birds. At about 4am, they started making so much noise that we woke up and had difficult getting back to sleep.

We had breakfast at the bakery of Queen's hotel. Even though Queens hotel is a top-end hotel, the bakery offered pretty cheap food. After that we walked past the Tooth temple to check out the handicraft center and the Buddhist Publication Society and found them closed. Then we took a bus (bus 633, Rs15 per person) to the highly rated Peradeniya Botanic Gardens and was quite anonyed to find that the entrance fees had been inflated again (Rs600 per person, compared with Rs300 in the guidebook. The tourist entrance fees had all gone up much more than the the rooms and transport prices quoted in the Lonely Planet). It is quite a fine garden. The main attraction of the garden was suppose to be the avenue of double coconut palms (coco de mer) which boast of the biggest nuts of all palm trees. I was not impressed though, and found the giant Javan fig tree far more impressive.

I must have caught a bug or something and was starting to feel feverish. It was a little difficult to enjoy the garden, walking in the heat of the harsh sun and feeling feverish cold. After we headed back to Kandy, I popped a few Panadols and went to sleep in the hotel while Sheung went for an Ayuverdic massage.

I was feeling much better in the evening after a nap. We went to a Chinese/Indian restaurant and had some Indian food. It was the most expensive meal for the whole trip (about Rs1300), though I must admit the food was pretty good and the portions were generous (we were not able to finish the food). Sheung wanted pork but were told that on Poya days (Full moon days), they were "not supposed to" serve meat. So he ended up with a fish dish (I don't understand why fish did not qualify as "meat").

After that, we made another rounds through the city again and looped round the parameter of the lake again. The night after Vesak seemed more like a party night rather than a night for spiritual observance. Young people would wander around in groups making merry, many wearing masks more suitable for Halloween night. Many would get in a pick-up or lorry, singing along to loud dance music. It was a bit of a street party.

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 8: Celebrating Vesak in Kandy

The owner of the Flower Inn told us there was a direct bus passing by Sigiriya daily at 6:30am. That was too early for us. Instead we waited for one of the regular local buses to Dambulla. There were no Kandy-bound buses starting from the Dambulla. What we had to do was to wait for one of the passing intercity buses heading to Kandy. The first one was very crowded and I did want to squeeze in with our backpacks. We were lucky. After another 15 mins, I mini aircon bus came by and there were seats. The ticket to Kandy was Rs200 each and the journey was shorter than expected (2.5 hrs). This was the only air con bus we took throughout the Sri Lanka trip.

We choose to stay in the Olde Empire hotel, which was right next to the entrance of the Tooth Temple right city centre of Kandy. It's an old and rather quaint colonial building. We took the fan room without attached bath for Rs649 a night (It was Rs1400 for the one with attached bath).

We arrived in the midst of Vesak celebrations. (8th May was Vesak day in Sri Lanka while in Singapore it was the 9th May). There were Buddhist flags and colorful banners put up along the streets. What was most interesting were the lanterns that were being put up. From the cheap made-in-China paper collapsable ones to the elabarote hand-made ones, almost every building and house hung some lanterns.

Being right next to the Tooth Temple, we get to see the hustle and bustle of Vesak celebration. There were throngs of people queuing up to enter the temple and many vendors selling flowers outside. There was security screening at the entrance. Sheung and I decided that we would not join the crowd to squeeze into the Temple. Besides that fact that we have to pay to get into the temple (it is not covered by the Cultural Triangle pass), I simply do not believe that the tooth enshrined in the temple was a relic of the historical Buddha. I did not find the temple building particularly interesting either. Instead we wandered around the city and soaking in the atmosphere of Vesak celebration.

In Sri Lanka, there is an interesting mix of Buddhism and Hinduism, pretty much like there is a mix of Buddhism and Taoism in the Chinese cultures. The Hindu deities are very much worshipped by the Buddhists as well, and appeared to be co-opted as Dharma-protectors. Almost all the buses we took have this interesting panel of Buddha flanked by various Hindu gods like Ganesha, Murugan, Lakshimi etc.

In Kandy, there are 4 significant devales (Hindu-Buddhist shrine) dedicated to 4 Hindu deities. We went to the Kataragama Devale (Kataragama is more commonly known as Murugan in Singapore. Aka Skanda). This looked mostly like an Hindu temple but for the Buddha shrine within its compound. What was interesting were the wall paintings in the shrine. Besides a painting of Kataragama, there were rows and rows of various personalities worshipping the Buddha, including one of a lion. I thought these paintings looked more interesting and artistic than those at Dambulla. There is also a Bodhi tree behind the Buddha shrine. It's really an interesting shrine that's well worth a visit.

The next thing we caught was a procession that was going around the lake. There was a contigent of flag bearers and dancers followed by two elephants with 2 young man on it. We followed it for a while before we lost it.

Although we did not go to the Tooth Temple, I still wanted to go to a Buddhist temple. It was after all Vesak day. So we dropped in at the Malwatte Maha Vihara. Here's we ran into the dance and elephant contigent as they were dispersing. It was only when we went to the main shrine then we realized what that procession was about. It was not a Vesak celebration after all. Rather, the two young men (actually one of them was just a boy) who were riding the elephants were new monks. The procession brought them to Malwatte Maha Vihara and here they were being ordained. So we stayed for quite a while as we observed the ordination ceremony.

From the Malwatte temple, we took a slow leisurely stroll around the parameter of the Kandy Lake and look at the various lanterns the shops and houses had put up.

We would have likely missed the procession of the tooth relic if not for some fortuituous timing. It was turning dark when we walked back to the town center. We bought water and snacks at a supermart and then went back to the hotel to drop our shopping. Then I noticed that the fire engine came by and washed the roads. As we were starting to head out for more sight seeing again, we noticed that people were starting to gather around the entrance to the Tooth Temple, apparently waiting for something to happen. I asked around and was told that there was a procession. So we hang around and waited.

Series of crackling sound lead the procession. I thought it was fire crackers, but it was really the sound made by whips crackling on the roads. Slowly the procession came out from the entrance of the Tooth Temple. After the whip contigent, there were further contigents of drum dancers and fire dancers. Then there were elephants brightly decorated with little bulbs. Finally, there was an elephant with a niche atop it, which I suppose holds the Tooth, for person where bowing in reservance as it passed. The last of the contigents was a group of men dressed like princes and kings. I am not sure if the royal houses of the Kandyan kingdom are still around or not, but it did looked like the contigent was representing some sort of royalty.

After the procession finally headed back into the Tooth Temple, we headed towards the clock tower. The streets thronged with people. Free drinks being given out for free by some shops or at some make-shift stores. We had some spiced ginger tea from one of the stall (It was quite nice, except that I found it a little too sweet. Sheung would disagree because "too sweet" does not exists in his dictionary.)

Near the market place, we came upon an interesting pandel. At first I was wondering why people were all standing and looking at some painted panels. Then we noticed that the panels, which obviously depicted some stories, had numbers on it. We figured out that the singing that was going on was actually telling some stories depicted on the numbered panels. At first, I thought it was a jakata story about the Bodhisattva digging out his eyes for a blind man. But when I looked carefully, the main character was a nun, not a monk and it did not look like any jakata story I know (I've to admit I don't know too many jakata stories to begin with).

We then came by the police station and found that they had many nice lanterns within their compound. But the lanterns were being the fence. We tried our luck and asked for permission from the policemen at the gate to enter the station to look at the lanterns. They let us in!

We wandered the streets till late and had our dinner in an Indian "hotel". I had a thosai which was very tasty. It was sweeter and less sour than the ones I get back in Singapore.

It was an tiring but very interesting day.

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 7: Going up the Lion's Rock

Day 7. 7th May. Polonnaruwa -> Dambulla -> Sigiriya

The owners of the Devi guesthouse tried to get us to hire a van that would bring us to Dambulla/Sigiriya and then on to Kandy. The 3 wheeler taking us to Kaduruwela (the bus station is not in Polonnaruwa but at Kaduruwela which was about 4-5 km east) tried to convinced us to take his 3 wheeler to Sigiriya. But we stuck with public buses. (Rs70 per person from Kaduruwela to Dambulla)

We took a Kandy-bound bus to Dambulla, and asked to be dropped off at the Dambulla Cave Temple. We showed the bus conductor the pictures of the cave temple. You can do this if you take a bus heading to Kandy or Colombo. If you take a bus going to Kurunegala, it will not pass by the temple. You'll need to drop at the Dambulla bus station and take a 3-wheeler or change to a local bus.

Dambulla Caves turned out to be a major disappointment. It was definitely not worth the hefty US$10 entry fee. (Tickets need to be bought at the Golden Temple and the receipt produced at the top of the hill before entering the caves).

There is a Golden Temple at the foot of the hill. When were got there, there was a consecration ceremony going on for some kitschy statues. (think Haw Par Villa in Singapore).

Our backpacks were going to be a problem. I was not going to bring it up the hill. I found a small eatery within the temple compound and we left our lugguage there. We had some food (the usual parathas and roti's) and coffee before heading up the hill. We also left our shoes together with our backpacks at the eatery (so we don't have to pay the shoe keeper at the cave temple), but that meant we had to walk up barefooted (which was what most of the locals were doing).

I was under the impression that there were many massive caves. But there were really only 5 caves. Unless you have great interest in trying to decipher the stories or meaning behind the wall paintings, you can quickly finish the caves in less than half an hour.

What I found was that the paintings and the Buddha images weren't that beautiful. They were quite stylized and the colors a little gaudy.

After we were done with the Dambulla Caves, we took a 3-wheeler (Rs150) to the bus station. Again the 3 wheeler tried to get us to hire him to Sigiriya (he quoted Rs800 from Dambulla to Sigiriya. Another 3 wheeler quoted Rs600). Nope, we were sticking to the cheap buses. We took a pretty worn-out SLTB bus for Rs24 each.

Sigiriya was really quite near Dambulla. But the bus was practically crawling at a speed of about 20km/hr all the way to Sigiriya.

Sigiriya was not even a one street town. There was just a few shops and 2 guesthouses by the road and that was it. We stayed at Flower Inn and this was a place I would highly recommend. The owner of Flower Inn was a very friendly lady. The huge clean rooms with big beds and attached bathroom were only Rs1000. The rooms were beautifully decorated, each room had a theme color (I found the pink room a little too glaring, and opted for the blue one instead), though I thought there were just too many flowers everywhere. There was also a common living room with sofas and a dinning table.

What was even better was that the owner was vegetarian. The dinner was wonderful. There were 4 curried dishes (carrot, potatoes, cabbage and seitan), dhal, omelette, papadam served with rice and a soup. There was even fruits after the meal. At Rs800 for 2 person, it was definitely a very good value meal.

Our original plan was to stay the night and go up the Sigiriya Rock early in the morning. However, our host advised that evening was better time. If we start at 4pm, it wouldn't be too hot and there was even time to explore the place and see sunset. It turned out to be good advice. But if you are doing that, what you should do is to explore all the ruins at the foot of the rock first. Otherwise, it would be too dark by the time you get down.

When we got to entrance, the attendent was not willing to let us in. The Cultural Triangle price had just went up from Rs5900 to Rs6000 and we were told our ticket was now not valid. We had to go to the ticket office and argued that what we have are valid tickets. In the end, they let us in.

Sigiriya Rock can be a challenge for those afraid of heights. Sheung was afraid of heights and quite apprehensive about it. But in the end, he did made it to the top.

On the way up, spiral staircase led up to the a small gallery on the sheer rock face. This was were the famous frescos of half naked women were found. The wall paintings were very nicely lit up by the late afternoon light.

At the Lion's Paws, we met the French girls who stayed at the Devi Tourist Home. One of them were too afraid to go all the way up to the top.

At the top of the Rock, there remained a sprawling ruined complex. Only the foundations are left.

Probably because we visited on a late weekday afternoon, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. I read that during weekends, this could be extremely crowded. I would love to stay and watch the sunset at the top but Sheung was not eager (I guess it would be difficult to go down in the dark too.)

Before we got back to our guesthouse, we dropped by a shop by the main road and had coconuts for Rs25 each (about S$0.35). As mentioned earlier, the dinner that was waiting for us back at the Flower Inn was simply sumptuous.

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 6: Buddhas from the past

Day 6. 6th May. Polonnaruwa

Quite a few people told me that if I went to Anuradhapura, I can skip Polonnaruwa, because it's just "more of the same stuff".

But then, I am the type that would want to see every single of the major monuments and I was not going to give the ancient city of Polonnaruwa a miss. I actually found that I enjoyed Polonnaruwa more than Anuradhapura.

And I found Polonnaruwa to be quite different from Anuradhapura. If the experience offered by Anuradhapura is one of dagobas, then Polonnaruwa offers Buddha images. The major monuments in Anuradhapura were the various huge dagobas. Of Buddha images, there were few. Not counting the new images in the temples, the Samadi Buddha was the only ancient intact Buddha image of mention. The ones in the museum were either broken, or were not particularly finely carved.

There were only 2 intact big old stupas in the Polunnaruwa (Rankot Vehera and Kiri Vehera). But there were far more Buddha images. The most magnificent ones must be the ones at Gal Vihara. I also like the ones in the Vatadage within the Sacred Quadrangle.

There were many images of standing Buddha though few are in good condition. There were also a few big images though badly broken (such as the one in Lankatilaka Image House)

We started the morning with a visit to the Archaelogical Museum (admission with Cultural Triangle tickets). This museum is well planned and well curated. It is definitely worth a visit.

By now, we found that we have become quite well known in the town! Many people recognized us as the two guys from Singapore with the "Vietnamese" hats. The hats continued to attract a lot of attention and we got many offers to buy it from us. We even had people asking us if we swimmed in the canal the day before!

After we enter main ruins (Cultural Triangle tickets required), we went to the Royal Palace Group first. We had dilly-dallied around too much and by the time we reached the Sacred Quadrangle, it was close to noon.

The problem again was that the stones became too hot to walked on. It was too bad because I found Sacred Quadrangle a rather spiritual place with many things to explore and experience (for those with a religious interest, that is). You can't tell from the photo of me praying in front of the Buddha in the Vatadage (it's a posed photo, since we weren't suppose to take photos with back against the Buddha, I had a photo of me facing the Buddha), but the truth of my feet were burning. What was in my mind was not prayers, but wishing that Sheung would hurry up and take the photo. But of course, Sheung was gloating there, saying that I need to suffer to prove my piety!

After the Sacred Quadrangle, we were quite tired from the heat. After a refreshing coconut juice (Rs40 each, not the cheapest. It was Rs25 at Sigiriya), we cycled northwards to the other ruins. I must confessed that I did not have much impressions of the ruins along the way till we reach Lankatilaka. This was a nice big image house with a huge but badly ruined Buddha image. There were a few people doing restoration work.

It was late afternoon when we finally got to Gal Vihara. If there was just one reason to come to Polunnaruwa, it's Gal Vihara. This is where the famous statue of the Buddha standing with his arms crossed is found, along with a Buddha sitting in meditation and a reclining Buddha. The statues were beautifully carved and the interesting grains of the rock made the statues more interesting. I suspect these must be the among the finest Buddha images in Sri Lanka (I have not seen pictures of finer ones). It's a pity that a very unsightly metal roof structure spoilt what would have been a beautiful scene.

More than 1 km north of Gal Vihara there is a Lotus Pond. The pond was designed to resemble a blooming lotus and it's quite a lovely peice of work. Sheung decided that if he ever had a place to build a pool, he would build something like that and took a few pictures for that possibility.

Finally, at the end of the dirt road, there is the Tivanka Pilimage. This is a big image shrine with a large Buddha image in the relaxed "thrice bent" (hence the name Tivanka) pose. There are paintings on the walls of the temple, but they are very faint and quite difficult to see, even after the caretake switched on some dim lights. On the outside of the temple, there are elaborate stucco works, especially of dwarfs and lions. Some of them were very fine and I suspect they were restored rather than original, but I can't tell for sure.

Leaving, we took the north exit. Along the main road back to town, we passed by a wood carving shop shop where I finally got my souvenir wood carved stupa. (I am building a collection of wood-carved stupa from various country). I suspect I overpaid it (Rs1500 plus a cheap pocket calculator. I took out my $2 pocket calculator and the saleman wanted it. He would cut the price to Rs1500 if I threw in the calculator. The marked price was Rs3800), but I was satisfied with it anyway.

We still had a little bit of time before sunset and we headed back to the canal for a swim and fish spa again.

I am fruit person (no pun intended) and back at home I would have a few fruits each day. I was craving for some fruits and so we went to a local shop and bought a water melon and some mangoes. We finally saw the local fruit "wood-apple" and decided to get 2 just to check it out.

On our way back, we joined a puja that was going at the pilgrim's rest house just south of the town's roundabout. There was a Bodhi tree with Buddha images under the trees. The tree and the images were all lit up in celebration of Vesak day. The puja was in Pali, but I could only recognize some words here and there. We sat quitely with the rest of the devotees around the Bodhi tree and enjoyed the spiritual moment for a while.

Back at the guesthouse, I finally discovered why the wood-apple is called the wood-apple. It was hard as wood! I could not cut it open and it only broke open after Sheung smashed it on the floor a couple of times. Seriously, it was not worth the effort to break open the fruit. It tasted horrible!

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 5: Free Fish Spa

Day 5. 5th May. Anuradhapura -> Polonnaruwa

This was a travel and rest day. We need to recuperate after a few days of hectic schedule and inadequate sleep.

The journey from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa was about 3 hours. A long the way, there were a few road blocks. Passengers had to get off the bus to have their identification and bags checked. But some women and old folks (and 2 tourists from Singapore) stayed in the bus and the army personel would board the bus to check IDs and bags.

We checked into the Devi Tourist Home, which was a bit off the town center (more than 1 km away). Sheung decided on that because it was run by a Malay family -- but he did not get to practice to his Malay because they could hardly any. The fan rooms with attached bathrooms were clean and decent at Rs1000.

After a bit of rest, we rented bicycles from the guesthouse and cycled to the town for late lunch. We just walked into a "hotel" and asked if they had "rice and curry". I was lucky for all the dishes in the restaurant were vegetarian. They had a few pots of vegetables and curries. It's buffet-style: you get a plate and take what you want. They had dhal, jackfruit curry, a curry of some sort of gourd or cucumber, french beans, some greens and papadam. It was good and cheap. (The meal for 2 of us, including drinks were less than Rs500. For the vegetarian who might be interested, this is the "Dineth Hotel and Restaurant" along the main road just a few steps away from the turnabout).

I need to explain a little about the "hotel". We had found "hotels" everywhere, even in small towns. That was why on the first day, I felt confident that there should be hotels in Maho since I saw many "hotels", even in small one street towns, along the bus journey from Negombo to Kurunagela. But after a few days in Sri Lanka, we finally figured out that the "hotels" had no rooms. They were really just a restaurant. Some had the sign "xxx hotel", some "xxx hotel and restaurant". But they all do not have rooms. I tried to ask the locals why they were called hotel if they do not offer rooms. I was not able to get an answer. (It only occur to me to check the Lonely Planet later and under the section on "Sri Lankan English", it says "hotel - a small, cheap restaurant that doesn't offer accomomodation"). I suspect this was also a cause of miscommunication when we asked if there are cheap "hotels" when we were looking for accomodation.

Since this was a rest day, we decided to just check out a few places that do not require the Cultural Triangle ticket (we are reserving it for next day). After lunch, we went to the "Rest House Group" of ruins (they are behind the Polunnaruwa Rest House) which was by lake (Topa Wewa, it's actually a ancient man-made reservoir). The main ruin of interest is the Audience Hall, with a magnificent stone lion at the end of hall.

It is nice to cycle along the bund of the Topa Wewa to the southern monuments, the Potgul Vehera and Statue. Along the way, there is a dagoba surrounded by padi fields on one side and the reservoir on the other side. Many birds can be seen on little islets on the reservoir.

There is nothing particularly interesting about the Potgul Vehera, though a short walk from it is a much photographed statue of a man with a beard holding what is thought to be a book. The problem is that an ugly canopy had been built over it and it's difficult to take a nice photo without the ugly structure in it. (It is also not as huge as it appear in the photographs).

For the past few days, we had been bring bathing clothes along with us. This time, we were quite ready for a swim. The canal by the Archaelogical Museum (near the Royal Palace Group) looked inviting. But Sheung thought the currents seemed quite strong. (Water was gushing into the canal from the reservoir through a sluice gate). Along the bund, there were a few spot where some locals were swimming. However, we found the canal just a little north of Potgul Vehera the best location.

It was a popular spot with the locals as well. The water comes from the reservoir through the sluice gate. But the canal was not lined with concrete walls unlike the one near the museum. The current very strong near the sluice gate (quite dangerous as the rock there was slippery and was difficult to get a grip), but as the water spread out, it slowed down considerable.


Eagerly, I changed into my shorts and started to walk into the water when suddenly Sheung shouted "snake!" Then I saw this long dark-colored snake that was more than a meter long coming right straight at me. I simply froze there, thinking that it was going to attack me. Luckily, it just slitthered pass me, passing just 2 steps away from me. I did not know if that was a poisonous snake. I was just relieved that I did not get bitten anyway.

When I finally got into the water, I jumped when something snapped at the back of my feet. I quickly scrambled up some rocks. I thought there was another snake or turtle in the water that was attacking me. After a while, I realized that it was a fish! When I stood still, small little fishes would swim near and start nibbling at my feet.

I have seen people going for fish spa on TV, and here I was, having my first fish spa, and it was free! It was rather ticklish and it took a while to get used to letting the fishes nibble away the dead skin.

After a hot day in the day, it was really nice to swim in the water. Naturally, we were attracting quite a lot of attention from the locals. It was also nice to watch the villagers bring out loads of laundry. After washing their clothes, they would dip into the water and bathed themselves. There were some guys who were simply soaking in the water with a bottle a beer.

As it started to get dark, the birds started to gather around a few trees by the river. Soon the trees were simply full of birds.

This was something that was not originally on my itinerary and it was turning out to be a wonderful experience. I was having a nice dip in the water (to escape from the heat and to relax the tired muscles), getting a glimpse of local life, along with a free fish spa as well as some National Geographic bird-watching moments.

We lingered till sun set, when a thunderstorm approached. Thunders boomed and lightning flashed as dark clouds rolled in. We could smelled water in the air as we cycled back.

The storm clouds, however, made the sunset very spectacular. We barely made it back to the guesthouse as the rains fell. The rain did not last long and that was the only day of rain throughout our Sri Lanka trip.

We had booked dinner with the guesthouse and during dinner we meet 2 French girls -- the only other guests in the guesthouse. We had a nice chat with them. They had separately joined a group tour to Sri Lanka but many people canceled the trip and so they were the only 2 in the tour group (plus the driver).

Sri Lanka Trip - Day 4: Moonstone, Guardstone and Urinal stones

We rented bicycles from the guesthouse and set out to explore Anuradhapura.

Our first stop was the Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba (aka The Great Stupa).

There were military police guarding the entrance and everyone had to be body-searched. However, the policemen showed far more interest in our straw-hats. These were the hats which Sheung and Sam bought in Indonesia during the Borobudur trip. These hats would attract constant attention through the trip and we received many offers for them. Not only did they serve as well as shelter from the hot sun, they were great ice-breakers as well.

In preparation for Vesak, the base of the stupa was wrapped in brightly color Buddhist flags. Workers were perched on ladders, add a new coat of whitewash to the stupa. Around the stupa, pilgrims in white circumambulated the stupa or sit in quiet prayers.


I enjoyed the atmosphere of the temple. There was temple by the stupa enshrined with a reclining Buddha. This was one of the few temples in which the caretaker or monk did not demand a "donation" and I gladly offered some money. The temple had a row of standing Buddhas outside, and wall paintings relating to the building of the stupa.

From The Great Stupa, we walked towards Sri Maha Bodhi. The Bodhi tree here was grown from a cutting taken from the original tree at Bodhgaya under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. Hence it was extremely sacred. But for the religious significance, there was nothing really special about the tree -- it looked like any other Bodhi tree.

From Sri Maha Bodhi, we decided to walk to the Archelogical Museum. It turned out to be a mistake as it was a lot further than we made out to be on the map, and it was simply draining under the heat. The museum was badly maintained. The exhibits were in disarray and some were even missing. It was just a waste of time. We bought our Cultural Triangle pass here and found that the price had gone up. It was now US$50 or Rs5900 (was US$40/Rs4000).

We picked up our bicycle and then drop by Monastry C before getting to Thuparama Dagoba.

Thuparama Dagoba is the oldest dagoba Sri Lanka. Its unique feature are the pillars surrounding the stupa.

It was pass noon when we got to the stupa and it was deserted. I quickly found out why as I set feet on the baking stones. I ran around the stupa and then hid in the shade of a tent, silently thankful that we had visited the Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba early in the morning. The base of Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba was many times bigger than that of Thuparama. It would be impossible to go around that big dagoba barefeet without getting blisters. Already, I was getting some blisters under my right feet.

The heat and the hot stones made it difficult to enjoy the Dagoba.

To escape the heat, we decide to head to the Abhayagri Museum (aka Fa Hsien Museum). This museum is better maintained than the Archaeological Museum and is worth a visit. The area within the Abhayagri monastry is forested and shady, which provide a nice respite from the heat. Here we found another hospital ruins which had a medical bath. From the Abhayagri Dagoba, we went on to look for the moonstones, guardstones and urinal stones.

First, we found what was touted as the finest moonstone in Sri Lanka at Mahasena's palace. (A "moonstone" is a semi circular stone with intricate carvings placed at the foot of a flight of stairs).

Then, we found what was proclaimed as the most beautiful guardstone at Ratnaprasada (Guardstones comes in pairs. It a statue of a naga king, found at both sides of a stairway.) Actually, I thought those guardstones at Polonnaruwa were just as fine as well.

Then we cycled more than 1 km west to the western monastries to look for the finely carved urinal stones. The western monastries were actually a scatter of several ruins. We finally found the urinal stone at monastary I.

The road to the monastary is actually a nice road cutting through padi fields and a big marshy lake. The huge dagobas can be seen in the distance. En route, we got popsicles from a passing vendor for Rs10 each. (By now, I was ignoring the advice by guidebooks not to take ice and only to drink boiled water. I had been drinking water from the taps provided for pilgrims at the temples anyway.)

The straps of my slippers came off at the monastry I and Sheung attached it back with some cable ties (tip for backpackers: cable ties are very versatile and useful!)

Satisfied with the success of our quest for the stones, it was time to look for the Samadhi Buddha. According to Ven Dhammika, "until recently, this image was surrounded by trees and covered with fallen leaves and moss and the occasional monkey would amble up and sit in its lap. It used to be a wonderful experience to encounter this image while walking through the silent forest. Now the sylvan environment has been destroyed by ugly and inappropriate buildings."

I would agree with Ven Dhammika's comments. The image is much weathered and not particularly impressive aesthically. However, it is still a nice encounter because what Anuradhapura offers are mainly stupas. There are few Buddha images, other than some broken images in the museums, and the modern ones in the temples with (as Lonely Planets put it) "technicolor disco lights".

The Twin Ponds (aka Kuttam Pokuna) is the most impressive of the baths we came across. There were nice steps, spouts, naga stones etc. The green water looks absolutely toxic but provided nice constrast against the stones for some photographic moments.

Light was fading away when we reached the Jetavanarama Dagoba. This was an impressive structure. At the time it was built, it was the third tallest monument in the world, after the Egyptian pyramids. We were the only ones at the Dagoba. The stone had cooled off considerably and it was a nice walk around the dagoba in the twilight.

As we were finding our way to the main road from the dagoba, we then noticed the bats flying over head silently. They were very graceful, gliding slowly in the air above us, nothing like the hurried scary flutter in the horror movies. It was a beautiful encounter.

I had wanted to head back to the Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba to see it at night. But I quickly recognised the folly. It was now dark and the road was not lit. I could hardly see the road itself and could not see any pot holes at all. We had a bit of problem finding our way too. In the end, we did make it back safely.