A glance at the map indicates the considerable extent of the island travelled so far. From the airport at Columbo we travelled 4 hours North by car to Anurahadapura, our home for two nights. From there we travelled north again for 6 hours via the western coastal route to Jaffna, where once again we stayed for 2 nights. A third long journey of more than 7 hours took us via the Eastern port of Trinconalee to the Passikudah Bay, about 28km north of Batticloa. All of this territory is known as The North Central Plains or "Rajarata", and is the dry zone of the island. It is mainly covered in thick shrubbery forests and isolated mountainous outcrops which are surrounded by flat land. Where the land has been cultivated it has mainly been given over to rice, with the occasional banana plantation or tobacco field. Irrigation is supplied from huge water tanks or reservoirs, some up to 2,000 years old.
Leaving Passikudah we journeyed inland for 2 hours to reach the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. Along with Anurahadapura, and Kandy, these three cities make up the Cultural Triangle, wherein lies a huge concentration of Buddhist Temples,
Sculptures, Ancient Monasteries and Stupas, some dating back over 2000 years.
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