The ancient city of Anuradhapura

The alarm was set this morning and we head off on our bikes for the ancient city of Anurradhapura. We are in two minds whether to pay the 25 USD per person entrance or just try our luck and see what we can see on the bikes. The sites are all on the roads but we've heard that there are checkpoints for tourists to show tickets. Our only objection to the fee is how much it is for what there is to see. Having been to Bagan and Angkor Wat for less money we just think they're taking the piss as this site is much smaller with only 15 or so stupas. It's a massive complaint with tourism here that the government charges so much for tourist admission to these places ... the locals pay nothing.

So, having been stopped once at the main entrance and also having a motorbike offer to take us round, for a fee of course, but avoiding the entrance fee, we decide to have a go for an hour or so and see how we get on. If it's impossible we'll get a ticket. We leave a rather irate security guard behind and take a different route on our bikes. At first we have success and we  an amazing huge stupa. After this we end up cycling quite a lot and not seeing much. It's late morning by now so we decide to continue trying rather than buy a ticket and treat it as a challenge. We study a makeshift map provided by the guest house and decide to head north and see how we get on, stopping for rotis on the way. We have a certain amount of success hitting an area where we see four or five great stupas before meeting security again. We decide to head home as its mid afternoon. We reckon we've done alright considering and saved 50 USD!

We decide to stop and buy a couple of beers on the way home so we  can have one later and go to the ATM. The heavens open and we get soaked but we're not far from the guest house so cycle back ... it seems we did the right thing leaving when we did.

Beers in the fridge and a warm shower and all is well again.