Sri Lanka--Dambulla

Sri Lanka--Dambulla

Caves carved into a rock towering hundreds of feet above the ground featuring over 150 ancient Buddhist statues are, um, even awesomer.

We arrived at Dambulla caves as the sun lowered in the sky. The surrounding countryside, like everything else thus far in Sri Lanka, was exquisite. 

The caves, one of Sri Lanka's eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites (we visited half -- Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Kandy) sit high above the ground, carved out of the sheer rock face. Below, the beautiful area just outside of the caves.

Their construction, quite simply, is unbelievable. Built some two thousand years ago, the area contains over eighty caves, five of which are highlighted as the main caves of the Royal Rock Temple, pictured below.

Inside, intricate cave paintings and Buddhist statues abound, including this 15-meter long reclining Buddha.

Good luck finding shoes your size, man.

It was just outside here that I saw a monkey chase a woman who was bringing a flower for offering. I wanted to help her out but I learned my lesson from my mango incident earlier in the day. I'm pretty sure that 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is happening in Sri Lanka and we just don't know it yet.