I am proud to say that I have a good sense of direction. However, this skill turns out wonky whenever I travel. I would walk the opposite direction of what is the real destination and will have to walk back a long way after I realize my mistake.
Today was no different. The guest house owner gave me simple directions to Anuradhapura sacred city–turn left at police station and go straight.
I hesitated when I reached the “go straight” part. I took a left and ended up in a very different part of the sacred city. The sign taunted me as it showed “Sacred City 3km”. I was only 1km away previously.
I took a break and got a big bottle of cold water at an eatery. I asked for the right direction and cycled hard.
As I cycled, I realized that the left side of the road was a lot higher and I suspected it was one of the ancient water reservoirs.
Jackpot! Next to the bank was a large lake. The view was gorgeous and made my stupid directional mistakes worth the trouble.
I cycled on the bank. At one of the trees, I saw what I thought was an arm dangling. I have an overactive imagination and immediately thought that a child was murdered and parts of its body thrown in different places.
It turned out to be a man sleeping in the tree. Although I’m not too sure if he will ever wake up.
I also manage to sneak into one of the sites: Ranmasu Uyana.
The rock pools were fun. If I have a house, it would be awesome to have pools made out of rocks–as long as mold doesn’t cling to it.
[Today’s summary: Got very very lost. Bought 3G package to stop getting lost. Napped. Took bus to Mihintale. Missed stop at Mihintale, walked half an hour. Didn’t got up Mihintale. Came back to Anuradhapura before sunset. Ate Chinese at Casserole Restaurant.]
YQtravelling 
Getting lost can be a good way to discover new and amazing stuff.. have fun! : )