If you thought that after climbing two mountains on the same day Rober, Jordi and Lety would stay the next 24 hours swinging in the hammocks more dead than alive ... you are wrong!
Instead, we take a bus direction to another of the ancient cities of Sri Lanka:Polonnaruwa. And, as visiting it in Tuktuk is too much backpacker, we rent 3 brand new bicycles and ride the ruins!
Ok but ... Polonaque?
Polonnaruwa was the residence of the Sinhalese kings during the 11th-13th centuries which means it was a city piece! Of course, today most temples, Buddhas and residences are in ruins. Even so they maintain a certain charm if it weren't for ...
If it was not for?!
For the entrance ticket ... 3,250 rupees, in exchange about 18 letters that take away the desire to see Buddha even the Dalai Lama (is that blasphemy? If so I apologize!).
We cry a little thinking about how many fried rice has cost us the entrance. But we recover quickly and get ready to start the visit ... that we are there for a reason and for now we made 0.10 m of the 8 km that await us!
The visit
The first thing we do is try to understand where to go ... well, we are not very smart with the map on the Museum parking (Where tickets are bought, I told you since it is very expensive ?!). As always, the most useful map is usually the locals, so we ask around here, ask around there and plant ourselves in the archaeological complex. And as soon as you arrive, touch a coco-stop: you have to take energies that we don't want to pass out. Okay yes, it's always a good time for a coconut!
Bike under the booty, or booty on top of the bike, finally we begin the visit that will take us to discover places like the Quadrangle, with the beautiful and circularVatadage, the Royal Gardens, severaldagobas(domes as famous as Sri Lanka) as the Vankot Vihara, theLankatilakawith its striking beheaded Buddha and its most popular star: theGal Vihara with the 3 Buddhas with the most serene expressions We have seen.
They don't tell you in the guides but near all these attractions you will have another one: animals. Whether they are playful monkeys that make your bikes fall, very white birds, majete dogs or subway lizards ... you will be accompanied throughout the excursion!
In the end it turned out to be a fairly calm day, pedaling through the enclosure, taking advantage of the shadows of the trees, stopping to refuel ... and well we can't complain 😉
USEFUL INFO
How to get to Polonnaruwa
From the Dambulla road we took a bus towards Polonnaruwa, it cost us Rs 95 and took about an hour and a half. You have to stop when you see the statue of a white Buddha (past the historic site). Then he asks about the Museum to buy the ticket and then he goes back on the steps to return to the main road on the way to the entrance to the ruins site. To return you can take the bus at the gas station, where everyone stops for a little while.
Entrance in Polonnaruwa
- The ticket It costs 3250 rupees. Do not forget water and socks (then you have to take off your shoes and do not see how it burns!)
- Bike: We rent them on the main street, where the bus leaves. They cost us 250 rupees each.
Visit to Polonnaruwa
Of course, with the entrance a map of the enclosure is not included, however in all the guides one comes where it tells the story a bit. The truth is that it has no loss, it is a road of about 4 or 5 km on whose sides all the ruins of interest are arranged. Normally you start with the royal gardens, following the quadrangle and ending at Gal Vihara (these are the three most important areas), although we went directly to the last one without stopping and then back we made the stops.
Speaking of course, is it worth it, considering the price?
No. We would not go again. We do not say that the site is not beautiful, surely if the ticket was cheaper the refusal would not exist. But having visited places like Angkor, Borobudur, Bagan or even Ayutthaya or Sukkothai, Polonnaruwa did not seem like anything in the other world. A pleasant walk at an exorbitant price for the Asian standard. Another thing is that Sri Lanka is the destination of your 2 or 3 week vacation, in which case you will not have much budget problems and can afford to enter.
