Sigiriya

Right in the heart of the island of Sri Lanka, a huge rock rises out of the plain. Sigiriya (Lion's rock) was not surprisingly an ancient fortress. There's lots of clever stuff with water collection for beautiful water gardens and fountains around the foot of the rock, and also some rude frescos.

The climb up to the top is long, hot, and not for those with a fear of heights. Our driver said we should hire a guide, who could carry Katherine when necessary, and we by now very much trusted his advice - so we did. The guide, when he picked Katherine up and realised how heavy she was, promptly hired another man at his expense to carry her! The views from the top made the (for me) scary climb worthwhile and the litres of water we had taken, and umbrellas, helped us avoid heat exhaustion too.

We saw lots of these chameleons on the way down, striking various poses for the tourists. I have many more dramatic pictures of the rock taken with my film camera, but this is the one from the little digital camera that best sums up the visit.