[2016 斯里蘭卡 Sri Lanka] 獅子岩 Sigiriya x 野外Safari x 野生大象 Wild Elephants

樹屋主人Srimal搖身一變成為我們的柴可夫斯基，雖然已是他的賓客，但絕對不是免費接送，我們付他一共2000LKR =HKD104作為半天的車資。

The owner of the treehouse Srimal became our driver this day. Although we were his guest already, he did not give us the ride for free. We paid him 2000LKR (HKD104) for a half-day ride.

Habarana位於斯里蘭卡的中部，離Dambulla Cave Temple 24.1公里，到Sigiriya獅子岩只需30分鐘，但我們決定不到獅子岩，而到附近的Pidurangala Rock遠望獅子岩全境。

Habarana located in the Central province of Sri Lanka which is 24.1km from Dambulla Cave Temple and 30 minutes to Sigiriya. We decided to visit Pidurangala Rock which could overlook the entire Sigiriya Lion Rock instead of hike up to Sigiriya.

每一次去旅行都會登山，今次亦不例外。初段不停上樓梯比較吃力，吃喘如牛、大汗淋漓，但Srimal卻健步如飛，消失於樹林間，再次出現，已是在半山，抽著煙寫意的等待著我們。

Every time we travel, we will hike and of course this time as well. It was a steep stairs up at the beginning, I was panting and sweating seriously. It was easy for Srimal as he hiked like walking on a flat ground and disappeared in the bush in a second. When we saw him again, it was in the mid-way to the top. He was enjoying his cigarette while waiting for us.

我們沒到Dambulla看卧佛，但這裡也有一座被修復過的卧佛，算是彌補心靈上的損失。

We did not visit the laying Buddha in Dambulla. But there is another one in Pidurangala which is a nice one to offset the lost.

過了卧佛，再走5-10分鐘便會登頂，全程不超過是30分鐘，只是最後登頂必需手腳並用，爬上一舊舊大石，然後獅子岩便在眼前。

After passing the laying Buddha, we arrived at the top with extra 5-10 minute walk. It took less than 30 minutes to reach the top which is not bad. Just a heads up: to finally reach the top to see the view of Sigiriya, one has to climb on a few big rocks with their strength from entire body, hands and feet.

對於未有登上獅子岩我不感到可惜，因為我絕不願意付價錢跟強搶沒分別的門票(USD30) 。之後遇到曾到過獅子岩的遊客，向我們大吐苦水，因為12月是斯里蘭卡中部的旅遊旺季，當天的遊人非常多，一路在樓梯向上行就只見更多人頭在前，全程都覺得十分擠擁，突然腦海出現長城人海的照片！明白了！

I wasn’t feel sad nor miss anything for not going to Sigiriya because I hate being ripped off and pay the overpriced admission ticket (USD30). We met another couple who visited Sigiriya and told us their unpleasant experience. December is a tourist peak season in Central province in Sri Lanka, in another word, tourists are everywhere, obviously! When they walked up the stairs of Sigiriya, they can only see heads in front. It was so crowd the entire time. OK. What in my mind is…. the pictures of the crowd on the Great Wall in CNY.

再向上爬到另一塊岩石，景觀更佳，可看到360度全境，四周的綠田原盡在腳下。

To get a better view from Pidurangala, we walked and climbed further up to the higher level. We were able to see the 360 degree view of the village and the farm under us.

離開Pidurangala，在返回樹屋途中買了黃金椰子，有人說是斯里蘭卡獨有，味道特別清甜，所以必定要試。

Leaving Pidurangala, we bought the must try item - golden coconut on our way back. I was told that this is exclusive in Sri Lanka and taste extra sweet.

在斯里蘭卡試過的大部份椰子都是清甜的，但卻不是每一個都有椰肉，即使有椰肉，都不保證是軟綿綿的，所以當我遇上軟綿綿的椰肉，絕對令我整天都回味。

Most of the coconuts we tried in Sri Lanka were good and sweet. However, it is upon our luck if there is coconut meat and a guaranteed soft juicy meat or not. When I finally tasted one, it was the most wonderful thing of the day which I missed!

在樹屋小休一會，便出發到下午Safari，這也是Srimal為我們安排。吉普車2:30在大門前準時出現，司機、Srimal、Moritz和我，一行4人一同出發，我十分興奮，期待看到大草原的野生動物，原來要看野生動物，不一定到非洲或番禺！

We rested at the treehouse for a while before heading to the Safari in the afternoon. Srimal helped us to arrange the pick up at 2:30pm. Jeep arrived on time and we four – driver, Srimal, Moritz and I started our adventure with an excited mood. I was so looking forward seeing the wild animals which I do not have to fly to Africa or The Panyu Zoo in China.

門票另加租車費一共11,000LKR，我們知道價錢未算最低，但Srimal說他朋友的車很新而且保證安全，就不計較太多，算回港幣都只是數十元。

The tickets plus jeep rental was 11,000LKR which we understood not the cheapest. Srimal persuaded us that the driver is his friend, the car is new and safety is guaranteed. We didn’t bargain a lot because it was not much money converted to Hong Kong Dollar.

Habarana有三個國家公園：Minneriya National Park、Kaudulla National Park 和Eco Park，我們這次到Kaudulla，車開始在叢林中遊走，看到不同的雀鳥在樹上，我更期待看到猴子科或靈長類動物。

In Habarana, there are 3 national parks – Minneriya National Park, Kaudulla National Park and Eco Park. Our destination is Kaudulla. The jeep first drove along the bush and we could see different birds on the tree. Comparatively, I was more eager to see monkeys or their relatives.

吉普車在叢林駛了半小時，終於見到大草原啦！狹窄的樹林變成廣闊的大草原，遠處還看到如芝麻般大的動物，心情變得緊張。

It was a half an hour ride in the bush and finally we arrived at the prairie! From the narrow path along the bush to the spacious prairie, the feeling is incredible. The animals were far away from us and looked like some dots in the picture. I became super excited!

車駛近野生大象，距離是如此接近，牠們是如此詳和，總是在微笑，太可愛啦！

The jeep can get so close to the elephants and we could almost touch them. They are so friendly and look always peaceful. My heart is melted even they did not intend to impress me.