Another pre-dawn start, as I slipped through cool dark forest roads, accompanied by the remarkably diatonic calls of Sri Lanka’s melodious birds. This is the sort of twitter feed I like.
And it wasn’t just the birdsong that proved I wasn’t in Britain: it may have been the A9, but you don’t get road signs like this in Scotland (pic).
I’m into the flat north of the country now, and there’s noticeably more bikes on the road. I was pleased to see this little gathering having a joke outside a shop which sells… well, the sign’s self-explanatory.
I got to Anuradhapura by lunchtime. The town – the ancient capital – is home to extensive and evocative ruins, which I’ll visit tomorrow. For this afternoon I was happy just to trundle round the three local lakes (pic), sightsee some of the eye-catching temples, and practise shooing stray dogs away. (They’re all bark and no bite. All you have to do when one chases you is point at it suddenly and shout ‘GO HOME!’, and it runs away.)
During which I also enjoyed seeing this lad cycling home from school against a typical Sri Lankan backdrop. As you can imagine, the school uniform doesn’t need to specify a sweater or jacket.
Miles today: 60
Total miles: 370
Miles since Dondra Head: 332