Asia trip: Habarana

In the morning we packed our bag, had breakfast and said goodbye to our lovely host. We decided to walk to the station. We got on a bus and waited. The situation with tuk-tuk drivers is just insane here. They even came to us when we sat IN THE BUS and asked us where we are heading… Do they really think that we would get off and pay 6 times more to them? Nevermind. During our waiting, we noticed a little girl on a bus next to us. Kids are really nice to us here. We gave two packs of mentos to the girl so she could give one to her little brother as well.

After 30 minutes we are finally heading off to Habarana. 3 hours journey of tons of people and curves. In the middle of the journey, we even thought about getting off and taking a tuk-tuk, but it would be very expensive. We arrived in Habarana. After that long way, we were starving so we went to Rice and Curry. And what else could we have than rice and curry, right? For 500 rupee we had not only food and drink but also a dessert – black tea and watermelon. It was a very small local family restaurant with only 4 tables and everywhere on the wall were little notes from people from around the world. The guy gave us a marker, so of course, we had to add one as well. With full bellies, we started to look for our hotel. We managed to find it, but nobody was there, even that the owner asked us when we are coming. We texted, called but the only option left was to wait. So we waited. And we were waiting for nearly an hour before he showed up. It started to rain so we decided to leave Pidurangala for the next day.

We woke up in the morning and went out to find a tuk-tuk driver. We didn’t have to wait for long. One guy was chasing us from yesterday and finally, he got us. When we asked him for the price he was really fair and offered us 2000 rupees for a round trip and waiting for us underneath the rock. Part of the way went through National Park where wild elephants live. We kinda made fun of it, but when we saw his eyes going from one side to another, we understood it is not something special and it is quite common to come across one. We didn’t – this time. We arrived. And why did we visit Pidurangala rock instead of Sigirya? After reading so many articles and reviews, we thought it was a better idea to pay 10% of the entrance fee while not being surrounded by so many tourists. As a bonus, we had a perfect view of Sigirya! We wouldn’t choose any other way. The hike to the top was quite easy. Well, nothing is in that temperature and humidity easy, but the view on the top was definitely worth it!

Our driver was waiting for us at the bottom and he took us back to Habarana. We didn’t want to tell him that we are heading to Polonnaruwa, so he couldn’t try to convince us again that no bus is going today. Everyone is trying to persuade that no buses are going on New Year’s Eve, even that we saw many buses today. We got on one of them and for just a few rupees he took us to Polonnaruwa, where complex with Ancient cities is located. Our imagination of the town was completely different. There was almost nothing there and we were very hungry.

After 30 minutes of just looking for some restaurant, we gave up. Maybe something doesn’t work on New Year’s Eve at the end :D. After a while, we could hear thunders and the sky didn’t look good. Entrance to the Ancient cities is 50 pounds per 2 persons. We didn’t want to pay that much money and leave after 30 minutes because of the rain, so we decided on a plan B. Three ruins were located outside of the complex and were free to visit. We found out that those three were completely enough for us. We were quite tired after the whole day.

We were completely alone in a bus that took us back to Habarana. It also started to rain very heavily. We were glad we decided on plan B. That way we enjoyed Polonnaruwa and saved 50 pounds. We were still very hungry. The only restaurant open in Habaranna was veeery very local. We had to risk it, but we have to admit, it was one of the best fried rice we had in Sri Lanka and without chilli!!

Our evening was a bit funny. The owner of the hotel had a little party for his family that had to be just in front of our door. Even that we were the only guests there! Well..the owner was very weird man. The accommodation was great and clean but when it came to hospitality, it was one big disaster. The whole time he was offering us his cousin tuk-tuk driver for double the prices and even himself for six times. I don’t know where he took the impression that we are either totally stupid or millionaires.
Habarana was our final destination in Sri Lanka. The next day we only took the morning train to Colombo and stayed there before our flight to Kuala Lumpur. This nearly month in this beautiful country was amazing. We enjoyed every day here.

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