Sigiriya Lion Rock Sri Lanka

Sigiriya Lion Rock is a 5th-century ancient rock fortress and palace complex in central Sri Lanka, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and often called the "eighth wonder of the world". It features a 200-meter-high granite monolith topped with ruins, featuring landscaped gardens, ancient frescoes, and colossal carved lion paws. (Google)

Habarana Cultural Centre Dance Show

 

The Habarana Cultural Centre hosts a nightly 1-hour show featuring traditional Sri Lankan Kandyan dancing, drumming, and vibrant, acrobatic, and fire performances. Held in a 700-seat, eco-friendly theatre with a natural grass roof, the show features over 35 performers, including skilled female dancers, and offers an authentic cultural experience near Sigiriya. (Google)

Dambulla Cave Rock Temple Sri Lanka

 

The Dambulla Cave Temple (or Golden Rock Temple) is a 1st-century B.C. UNESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka, renowned as the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in the country. Located on a 160-meter high rock, it features five main caves adorned with over 150 Buddha statues, intricate paintings, and 2,100 square meters of murals. (Google)

Navam Maha Perahera in Colombo Sri Lanka

 

We see one of the most important Buddhist temples in Colombo from our apartment. We're fortunate to be close enough to walk just a little bit to see a major festival procession. I took about 700 photos, but I've picked out about 200 to share some images of the entire procession.

Mal Perahera (Flower Procession) in Colombo Sri Lanka

 

I thought this procession was practice for the big Navam Maha Perahera since they did it all through the week. It was actually Mal Perahera. This was a unique sight to unexpectably stumble upon while walking home from work.

Ella to Mirissa Sri Lanka

 

We started the day in the cool mountains of Ella. Our trip concluded with a lovely beach sunset in Mirissa. It could have been remarkably hotter, but it was an overcast day with some rain. It didn't end up being that drastic of a change in environments on this tropical island nation.

Train to Ella Sri Lanka

 

That's some other people hanging out at the open door of the train, but it shows a good overview of a magical train ride. We kept hearing about taking a scenic segment of the train line to Ella. This was probably the best day of our trip to the mountain interior of Sri Lanka. It was a great way to start the first day of the new year. We're fortunate to live in this beautiful country.