After chasing the monkey out of the hotel room, we’re off to Sirigiya, a rock fortress sometimes referred to as the 8th wonder of the world.


Yeah, we climbed this.

When we arrive at the gates, scores of men crowd the bus wanting to be our “guide”; fortunately Lal helps fend them off. It takes us about 45 min. to climb the rock, and we spend another 45 min. at the top. It’s kind of a hazy day, but we can still see a lot. Although I didn’t want to wake up so early, it was the smart thing to do – as we’re leaving, the stairs are starting to get jammed with tourists and it’s also getting hot.

Rick at the edge of the world.

We stop at a bank in Dambulla on the way back to the hotel. The ATM room only holds one person; Eavan is inside getting cash; Clara & Rick are waiting outside; the rest of us are sitting on the bus. Suddenly, 4 guys buzz up on 2 motorcycles. They’re dressed in camoflauge and carrying machine guns. They’re wearing mirrored sunglasses and have black cloths over their faces (probably just to keep dust out of their nose & mouth, but it gives the menacing appearance of a face mask). One guy hops off and approaches the ATM. As soon as Eavan comes out, he goes in (Clara & Rick let him cut ahead, even NYers defer to machine guns). As soon as the guy gets cash, the group leaves. So nothing really happens, though it was a really intimidating scene - by far the scariest thing to happen on the entire trip. Even Lal seemed a little freaked out. When I describe the guys to Shani later, she thinks they’re Tamil Tigers.