Buddha, Boobs and Bowels

For Adults Only

Notwithstand my first bout of intestinal disruption of this trip, today was a very good day. It started with a single loose movement yesterday after Polonaruwa, the natural reaction of a sensitive organism to the desecration of Buddhism I saw there. Then, a slight fever in the evening and another loose movement overnight. I'm happy to say there were no cramps and no diarrhea. In the morning, I was well, but weakened.

I summoned reserves of strength to undertake the climb of Sigiriya, a 1000-step test of tourist determination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

The general impressiveness of the place and the frescoes made it worthwhile even though it was the fortress hideout of a prince who murdered his father. The frescoes were very nice and some of the details caught my eye. WORTH A VISIT.

The highlight of the day was an hour or so away, near Kalawewa, a magnificent statue called the Aukana Buddha, the largest standing Buddha in Sri Lanka, bout 40 feet tall and its draped body carved in a masterful way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avukana_Buddha_statue

In my opinion this statue (where there were just a handful of other tourists, compared to the victimized hordes at Polonaruwa) is far more worth a visit than that entire wretched place. And the approach, past a big lake with fishing boats is much more beautiful. WORTH A SPECIAL JOURNEY.

To sum up, there seem to be two threads in cultural tourism of Sri Lanka, Buddhism and the ancient kingdoms, stated differently, religion and politics. These two can be fully satisfied by visits to the Aukana Buddha and Sigiria without going to the  generally stressful, wasteful and painful other sites of the "Cultural Triangle." So sayeth the traveling Philistine.

Tourists approach Sigiriya

Part of the climb

 

Some need help. This tourist had one man pulling on each side and one pushing behind.

 

Sigiriya Fresco

Fresco Detail

Fresco Detail

Fresco Detail

Fresco Detail

Aukana Buddha - Front View - (Man Offering Flowers Gives Idea of Size)

Aukana Buddha - Side View

Buddha Lobe

Buddha Nipple

At the end of the day my bowels are back to normal but my disgust with Polonaruwa is as strong as ever. I intend to warn people about it on Trip Advisor.

NOTE: Apparently, I've been leaving an "n" out of Polonnaruwa. If I had my way I would rename it PolonnaRUIN! or, PolonnaRUNAWAY! or PolonnaRUETHEDAY!