SIGIRIYA - 11.9.15

Day 6 cycling: DAMBULLA to SIGIRIYA:


Ride details (from Garmin):

Distance: 18.9km; ODOMETER: 309km; Moving Time: 1:01; Elapsed Time: 1:11; Avg Speed: 15.9km/hr; Avg Moving Speed: 18.6km/hr; Max Speed: 40.5km.hr; Total Ascent: 109m; Total Descent: 85m; Max Elevation: 200m; Calories: 656 C; Avg Temperature: 27.4 °C; Max Temperature:  30.0 °C

It was a very short ride this morning and I arrived in Sigiriya by 9am. Last night I rang a place the guidebook recommended - the Lion Lodge - but they were booked out so I thought I'd try my luck elsewhere when I arrived in town. The Flower Inn had a room - it's large & clean, with all the basic requirements (fan, towels, power point), right in the heart of town, yet quiet, and within walking distance of 'the Lion Rock'. And only 2000Rs (for some reason cheaper than previous guests appear to have paid, according to the sign-in register I was obliged to complete). It's strange how some places need to see and record your passport details and others couldn't care less.

I fell into a deep sleep quite quickly last night but was woken around midnight by a tremendous thumping sound coming from above. For a few seconds I had the horrible feeling that the ceiling fan was about to detach from its mounting and 'thermomix' me to death but eventually figured out that it was probably langurs or monkeys engaging in a vicious squabble on the rooftop. Prior to that, I'd found them quite endearing - they're everywhere, and quite fascinating to stop and just watch for a while, especially the mothers and babies. I'd even begun to think how cool it would be to introduce them into Australia - it'd be such fun to watch them hassling koalas and hanging around in gum trees.

After checking in to the Flower Inn, I headed out straight away to see 'the rock'. I must say however that the 3960 Rs ticket price is a bit rich. That's roughly equivalent to USD $30 (or AUD $40!). No doubt about it, it's an impressive sight...  but really! I note that it costs USD $20 to see Angkor Wat for a day, $20 for Borobudur, $10 for the Pyramids, $11 to see the Taj Mahal, and AUD$25 for Uluru (for 3 days). You don't even get given a map or information handout.

The sights include the Royal water, boulder & terraced gardens, frescoes (in a niche on the sheer rock face), the so-called Mirror Wall, the Lion's Paws (surrounding the final ascent to the summit) and the Summit itself - a broad terraced area that contains the ruins of previous structures, and with spectacular views in most directions. The Cobra Hood Cave can be seen on the way down. There are some steep, precipitous climbs, although it's all fairly safe, but definitely sweat-inducing. A hat & a bottle of water are advisable. Overall, despite the cost, worth seeing.

Back at ground level, near the ticket office, the Sigiriya museum was well worth visiting. It was quite informative, and I especially liked the building and the way it integrated some of the pre-existing trees into its design.

The most surprising event of the day however occurred when I arrived back in town. I was quite thirsty,  having drunk all my water, so stopped to buy a small Coke in a plastic bottle. I've always considered myself to have fairly strong hands but there was no way I could remove that damn top. I tried wrapping a towel around the cap to get a better grip, I tried jamming it in the door... nothing. In the end I had to cut the lid off with my Swiss Army knife, and of course splattered the wall of my room with the by now highly-agitated Coke in the process. I perhaps should have listened to the French tourist the other day who was strenuously advising me how bad Coke was.

Tomorrow - Polonnaruwa!

 the moat

 another section of the moat

 Sigiriya rock

walkways and  staircases

 Frescoes

 

Part of the Mirror Wall 

Lion's Paws Terrace

The final ascent 

Sigiriya Museum

Room at the Flower Inn 

I decided to refrain from bathing in the moat...

Dambulla 10.9.15

After a Sri Lankan breakfast comprising string hoppers & 3 curries (dahl, coconut & chicken ), and a small pot of coffee I strolled about 800m north to the Golden Temple - not to be confused with the one in Amritsar in India! - and the Rock or Cave Temple complex (entry fee 1500Rp or AUD $15; no charge for Sri Lankans). The Golden Temple, completed in 2000, is a kitsch structure with a gigantic seated golden Buddha sitting on top - purported, sadly, on an attached plaque to be "the World's Largest Buddha Statue". Once past the Golden Temple, after climbing the hillside and checking your shoes in to be minded (cost = 25Rp), you reach the five cave temples. The caves contain 100s of superb Buddha statues and paintings, some of which are apparently more than 2000 years old. The view from the caves across the surrounding countryside is excellent.

I also took the opportunity to visit the nearby Dambulla Museum (260 Rp - 13 times what the locals are charged) which displayed, in a number of rooms, the history of painting in Sri Lanka - from cave painting to 18th century art work. To be honest, I could have quite happily given it a miss. The guidebook suggested that staff were "keen to show you around" - well, not on my visit. The ticket-seller on the front desk, who rushed inside from doing something in the museum grounds, seemed surprised when I arrived, just after midday, and I had the strong sense that I was the first visitor for the day, if not the month. The museum attendant, who did get up to turn the lights on when I arrived, didn't say anything other than to point the way out when I asked if there was anything else to be seen. I felt I was somehow interrupting her peace and quiet.

The Golden Buddha 

The garish Golden Temple

Statues of monks lining up outside the Golden Temple

View from the Cave Temples 

The Cave or Rock Temple complex

inside one of the temples

Dambulla - 9-9-15

Day 5 cycling: ANURADHAPURA to DAMBULLA:  

Ride details (from Garmin):

Distance: 83.09km; ODOMETER: 290km; Moving Time: 5:12; Elapsed Time: 6:53; Avg Speed: 12.1km/hr; Avg Moving Speed: 15.9km/hr; Max Speed: 30.1km.hr; Total Ascent: 305m; Total Descent: 204m; Max Elevation: 191m; Calories: 2.447 C; Avg Temperature: 33.5 °C; Max Temperature:  42.0 °C

I found today's ride extremely arduous & so think I'll stay here in Dambulla for  2 nights  - to rest for the rest of today, see the caves here tomorrow & then head off to Sigiriya the following day  (my original plan was caves tomorrow a.m then head off  in the afternoon). Why was today so tough? I've had a low level chest cold for a few days, nothing serious, until last night when it moved up into my throat, sinuses, etc. I woke up after a poor night's sleep feeing incrementally better & so decided to 'hit the road'. What I hadn't realised was that the Garmin bike computer was set on 'Avoid Highways''. So I dutifully set off, following the little arrow that was presumably pointing the way to Dambulla. The Garmin  - onto which I've installed a free OSM (OpenStreetMap) for Sri Lanka  - is a godsend for finding your way out of a town and on to the main road, and it means - usually - that you don't need to apply much mental power to the task... 'just relax, and follow the arrow'. I began to notice after some while that I seemed to have cycled in a massive arc and was heading down some unusual roads, before finally realising what the problem was. Resetting the  Garmin sent me down some very narrow roads before I eventually hooked up with B213 and then the A9. In other circumstances it would have been a very pleasant ride - I cycled past lakes, scenic wetlands, bird life - but I was very low on 'gas' and the ride seemed interminable. Part of the art of touring cycling is to readjust the mind to be equanimous with whatever circumstances arise; my mind was anything but & all the usual  thoughts such as "how long to  go? I can't go any further... I' need to stop... I'd die for a cup of tea... perhaps I might just stop & lie down..." were intruding. On top of that, it was bloody hot. The sky blackened on several occasions &  some quite heavy rain fell at one point, but the good thing about that was it cooled everything down for a while. I stopped numerous times at small shops to buy water or soft drinks, but only ate a small bunch of bananas over the whole 7 hours  I was on the road (I often don't eat much or stop for lunch). Curiously I was convinced I had at least another 10km to go when I suddenly found myself at Dambulla. Hallelujah!

I first stopped at a place recommended in the guide book but it was full up... I pedalled some more and noticed the Sundaras Resort, 189 Kandy Rd, also mentioned in the guide book, with the qualification that it was "perhaps not the best value, as prices are a tad steep across the board". The young Swedish woman who greeted me on arrival turned out to be the manager, and after initially quoting me 6000 Rp for a room, was kindly prepared to let me have it for 4000 Rp. It's quite large & very clean, and only costs a fraction more than what I paid for the room in Anuradhapura. There's a pool and an attached restaurant - and the prices seem quite reasonable. It's also quiet, despite being on the main road. After a shower, washing my cycling gear and a bit of a lie down, I went over to the restaurant for a snack, but, because of a power outage,  they weren't able to cook anything (I had my mind set on a toasted sandwich that I'd seen on the menu), and so ordered the fruit salad. It came in a bowl with a huge dollop of icecream on top, with golden syrup on top of that. The Swedish woman, when I said I did have some antibiotics should my cold become worse, suggested she preferred natural methods, but I didn't enquire further. In fact, I actually prefer natural methods also - usually if you do nothing it eventually goes away!

So, I'm just going to lie on my bed, write this, eat a meal at around 7, rest & do some reading. I managed to obtain the entire set of Bosch crime novels by Michael Connelly in eBook form. I've quite enjoyed them but after reading about 5 in a row it's time to read something else I think.

somewhere on the way to Dambulla, before joing the B213.

...also on the way to join the B213

Mihintale return - 8.9.15

 Day 4 cycling: MIHINTALE return
 
Today's data are unreliable as I neglected to turn the Garmin off as I wandered around the temple complex at Mihintale: DST = 33.6km (probably 7km of this includes walking) and ODO = 209km. On the other hand, I didn't record much of yesterday's cycling around the ruins of ancient Anuradhapura. I visited the four main areas: Mahavihara (which includes the Sri Maha Bodhi tree (in fact, not one but many trees) - reputedly grown from a cutting of the tree in Bodhgaya in India, and, it is claimed, the "oldest historically authenticated tree in the world"; Abhayagiri Monastery  (which includes a Dagoba [Buddhist Stupa] that dates back to the first century BC); Jetavanarama and Citadel (which contained an interesting, half-excavated ...hole, revealing some ancient brickwork metres below ground level). I spent over 5 hours cycling around the various sites. Rain threatened at one point but didn't eventuate and it remained in the 30s for most of the day. The entry ticket to everything cost USD $25 (=AUD $36), which struck me as being quite excessive.

This morning I cycled 13km east to Mihintale and spent several hours there (I had to fork out a more modest USD $4 here, although suspect I may have missed another pay point as I arrived there relatively early).  There were very few other tourists at Mihintale and also at Anuradhapura yesterday, which has its good and bad aspects i.e. it'd be good to have others around to chat to at times. Looking around Mihintale involved a steep climb  (apparently over 1800 steps, and then many more steps to access other parts of the complex e.g to the dagoba at Kantaka Chetiya, allegedly constructed somewhere between 50 & 200BC - that's old!). On the final level, after much more climbing, are more steps to climb - up to a large, white sitting Buddha statue, up to the Mahaseya Dagoba, and also up to a viewing point (Aradhana Gala). It's a little annoying, after getting all the way back down, to consult the guide book and realise you've missed one or two things you wouldn't have minded seeing e.g. the "2m-high rampant lion, reckoned to be one of the best pieces of animal carving in the country".

This - Milano Tourist Rest -  is rather a pleasant and convenient place to stay at; the food's quite good and I'm rather hooked on their milkshakes but it's probably time to move on in the morning to Dambulla. I feel quite tired however after quite a bit of cycling & walking over the past 2 days, but trust that I'll be in reasonable shape in the morning. Dambulla is about 66km away - not a massive ride. The guide book asserts  that the town of Dambulla is "of no interest" but that its "famed Royal Rock Temple... should not be missed". Nearby Sigiriya is "perhaps Sri Lanka's single most dramatic sight" but requires climbing "a series of vertiginous staircases attached to sheer walls to reach the top". Luckily claustrophobia not acrophobia is my thing...

Anuradhapura

Jetavanarama Dagoba, Anuradhapura

 Buddhist Railing, Anuradhapura

Citadel, Anuradhapura

 Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds), Anuradhapura

 Abhayagiri Dagoba, Anuradhapura

Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura

Mihintale

Stairway (1843 steps), Mihintale

Kantaka Chetiya dagoba, Mihintale

Stone rice container, Monks' Refectory, Mihintale

Monkey playing with frog at side of stairway

Buddha statue, Mihintale

 Another view of Buddha statue, Mihintale

Mahaseya Dagoba, Mihintale

 Mihindu Seya, Mihintale

luckily, no elephants encountered today. ..

Anuradhapura - 6.9.15

Day 3 cycling: PUTTALAM to ANURADHAPURA

Ride details (from Garmin):

Distance: 66.45km; ODOMETER: 169.3km; Moving Time: 3:26; Elapsed Time: 4:16; Avg Speed: 15.6km/hr; Avg Moving Speed: 19.3km/hr; Max Speed: 42.7km.hr; Total Ascent: 343m; Total Descent: 247m; Max Elevation: 116m; Calories: 2,413 C; Avg Temperature: 36.1 °C; Max Temperature:  41.0 °C

The road today was undulating, often around 2 - 3% but in one spot hit 8%. Road surface was excellent with a shoulder delineated by a white line all the way, and there was relatively little traffic (?Sunday). Because of this,  I was happy to stick to the A12, in defiance of my Garmin which kept on trying to reroute me along a secondary highway. It was hot - in the mid 30's - which was a struggle to adjust to after the Melbourne winter.  I reckon I must have drunk about a gallon of various fluids - water, Fanta, Sprite, etc - and felt buggered by the time I arrived here in the early afternoon.  I elected to stay at the Milano Tourist Rest, as recommended in the guide book. Not especially cheap at 3500 a night but with AC and hot  water, I'm pretty happy (and I really couldn't be fagged - can I use that word? - looking elsewhere). The place seems completely devoid of other guests - it certainly isn't tourist season at present - although they've assured me that they're booked out! I find this hard to believe. It was just great to have a drink & some food - I had the impulse to order a vanilla milkshake and it was the iciest, most divine milkshake I can ever recall having.  I followed this with a so-called Sri Lanka omelette  (as opposed to cheese, Spanish...etc) which was very tasty. I'm resting on my bed at present - part of me is thinking I ought to go for a walk and be a tourist & another part is thinking "rest". It has been a long, hot day. I also have a bit of washing to do, and after a major bit of negotiating at the front desk, managed to get hold of a bucket (perhaps they're an uncommon item here but it took a lot of discussion before they quite understood what I wanted).

... on the way to Anuradhapura

 ... also on the way to Anuradhapura...

Ready to leave Puttalam for Anuradhapura. ..

Puttalam 5.9.2015

Day 2 cycling: CHILAW to PUTTALAM:

Ride details (from Garmin):

Distance: 54.6km; ODOMETER (Total distance):  102.8km; Moving Time: 3:04; Elapsed Time: 3:27; Avg Speed: 15.8km/hr; Avg Moving Speed: 17.8km/hr; Max Speed: 24.7km.hr; Total Ascent: 33m; Total Descent: 28m; Max Elevation: 4m; Calories: 1,552 C; Avg Temperature: 35.6 °C; Max Temperature:  43.0 °C

TOTAL WT. (me + bike+ luggage) = 120kg.
Liquids consumed: 1.8L...

After a reasonable night's sleep I had a bracingly cold shower which woke me right up. Even though it's quite warm here, cold showers take a little time to get used to. I'm told they're good for sore muscles. I then had a Sri Lankan breakfast - string hoppers, with several curries (including fish curry), dhal, spiced-up coconut, chilli paste,  and a pot of coffee. Probably the best meal I've yet had, although I did feel a little cautious kickstarting the day with all that, having a few hours of cycling ahead of me.

The ride to Puttalam,  along the A3,  was straightforward - quite sedate compared to what I've encountered in India. In fact, it doesn't feel as risky as cycling down Beach Road in Melbourne. Nevertheless, constant vigilance is required. 

Unfortunately my Garmin,  which was so helpful yesterday, had no nearby accommodation suggestions, so I stopped first at Puttalam Rest House but they wanted what seemed an exorbitant amount for a huge room containing 3 beds & barred windows with no glass in them. The attached bathroom was not very pleasing either.  So I cycled on & stopped at the Senatilake/ Senathilaka Guest Inn. Pricey at 4000 but the manager was happy to settle for 3000 (with the usual 10% tax to be added later). The room is tiny - no space for my bike - but closer inspection reveals it's a pretty good set-up, with fan, AC, a fridge,  wifi, hot & cold water, and a TV! There's even an iron but I don't think I'll be using that. I managed to get hold of a bucket to rinse my cycling gear in (I forgot to bring my own sink plug as I've done on previous cycling trips).

Even though today's ride was relatively short,  I'm feeling quite weary - still finding my cycling legs & adjusting to the warm weather (low 30's). I did bugger-all yesterday other than a stroll along the promenade & I doubt I'll be doing much more today. My plan is to cycle to Anuradhapura tomorrow, spend several days there with perhaps a side trip to Mihintale, and then cycle down to Kandy. Not sure what I'll do after that - depends on time & what crops up.
[Please note that the appearance of any aberrant words in what I've written is likely to be due to the predictive text my phone seems to sometimes insert at random]

Chilaw

Day 1 cycling: NEGOMBO to CHILAW.

Ride details (from Garmin): 
Distance: 48.2km; Moving Time: 3:02; Elapsed Time: 3:25; Avg Speed: 14.1km/hr; Avg Moving Speed: 15.9km/hr; Max Speed: 23.3km.hr; Total Ascent: 38m; Total Descent: 30m; Max Elevation: 14m; Calories: 1,308 C; Avg Temperature: 32.2 °C; Max Temperature:  37.0 °C


I had a terrible night's sleep - for some reason - perhaps due to mosquitoes or heat rash - I felt incredibly itchy all over, and seemed to spend most of the night scratching myself. Another possibility is that it could have been an allergic reaction to quite possibly the worst chicken curry,  lime soda & lassi - yes, all of them - that I've ever had. And this was at the #5 rated - in TripAdvisor - restaurant in Negombo. On top of the bad food,  I was persecuted by the young waiter who wanted to talk & ask questions the whole way through. I contemplated telling him to fuck off when he seemed unable to pick up on my nonverbal hints, but my sense of civility got the better of me. (I tried adding a review to TripAdvisor but they rejected it for some reason...).

I felt cheered however when I got up & discovered that my bike tyre hadn't deflated overnight. The Angel Inn turned out to be relatively expensive - about 4000 rupees a night,  totalling around USD $94 or AUD $134.

It was nice to hit the road & blow away the cobwebs; the traffic on the A3 was intense in parts but so far not as troubling as the traffic in India. I rode some of the way along the beach road but unfortunately as I later discovered,  I rejoined the main road far too soon.

As I pulled into town (Chilaw), I pressed the 'Lodgings' button on my Garmin (this is the first time I've used the Garmin on an overseas bike ride & it's quite useful - actually better than the smartphone which ran out of gas halfway here) ...it showed a place called the Rest House was 260m away so I headed there & took a room for 2200rp (haggled down, I'm pleased to say from 2500). It's pretty ordinary & in fact quite expensive for what's provided - no TV, Wifi or hot water - but the holes in the sheets seem reasonably clean. The guy showing me the room was incredulous in his denial when I asked if mosquitoes were an issue. I don't believe him.

I thought the bottle of water on the table was a nice gesture until I noticed it was half empty - left behind by a previous occupant. Previous occupants have left behind a lot of other material I noticed when I put my glasses on to inspect my feet - one of the things you do when cycling - and took a magnified glance at the floor.

After a cold shower I went to the attached restaurant & had vegetable fried rice,  2 ginger beers & a pot of coffee. Pretty basic but better than Tusker or Spargo Beach Restaurant. This place is in quite a good location - more or less on the beach front & there's a nice promenade to stroll on.

I feel fairly fatigued even though today's ride wasn't especially long. I'm also sunburnt - I neglected to apply any sunscreen to my arms...  hopefully not another night of scratching.  Oh well. ..better head indoors as there seem to be quite a lot of mosquitoes...

Rest House, Chilaw

bathroom at Rest House, Chilaw

Negombo - 3.9.15

A lazy day in Negombo... reading, unboxing & re-assembling the bike, and buying a sim card. Angel Inn has wifi but it's outrageously intrusive - with 'browser hijacking' & all sorts of pop-ups offering to install a new browser for me & on one occasion an updated operating system! Internet access on the SIM card is fast (even with this I had a pop-up offering some sort of reward if I knew Michael Clark 's middle name!?). I tested the bike out by cycling into the heart of Negombo to use an ATM. On the way back, passing a local bike shop, I had the brainwave of asking the guy there if he could pump my tyres up, which he happily did with his air compressor. As I prepared to head off, my front tube exploded, resulting in a 5cm gash in the tube. Somewhat unsettling... The bike guy - an elderly gentleman - with little fuss but possibly some embarrassment - proceeded to fix the tube, firstly by gluing on a patch, which he then covered with an even bigger patch that he glued on and then finished by wrapping the whole thing with a 'boot' (a loose piece of tubing) before pumping it up again. Hopefully his handiwork has been effective but my experience in India was that this isn't always the case. I do have one spare should this tube become defunct.

My plan is to head off tomorrow - north to Chilaw, which is a leisurely 40km away. It's raining now but with some luck won't be tomorrow (for some reason I forgot to bring my light cycling rain jacket).

Soon I'll venture out again to savour the culinary delights of Negombo. Last night I went to Tusker Restaurant - allegedly, according to both Lonely Planet & TripAdvisor, one of the better places to eat in town. In my book, it was pretty average - I had tuna steaks with some rather dull sauce & a similarly dull coleslaw on the side, 5 micro-sized bread rolls, a Sprite, vanilla milkshake & a coffee (Nescafe). Cost was 1859 rupees = near enough to AUD $20. Hopefully Spargo Beach Restaurant - rated #5 on TripAdvisor - where I plan to eat at tonight is a little more inspiring.

Bill Weir about to leave town!

Negombo 2.9.2015

Arrived in Colombo just after midnight and began the slightly unsettling vigil of waiting for the baggage. .. will the bike be OK, will it be delivered to the oversize baggage section or appear on the luggage carousel ? In the event, it was AOK, and there were no hassles at immigration or customs, other than bemused looks & comments as I wheeled the bike through (on a trolley). $USD20 for a pre-arranged mini van lift to the Angel Inn... finally turned in at about 1:30 am local time (around 6am Melbourne time)
It's very warm & humid here in Negombo & so I reckon  i'll spend today & tomorrow acclimatising & unpacking the bike & putting it together before heading off. It seems like a reasonable guest house - very clean room, ceiling fan, mossie net, shower - and quite quiet last night (the dogs & crows kindly waited until morning before getting started). I can see the barking dog on an adjacent roof - oh for a shanghai - can anyone remember what they were? - or similar implement. My breakfast here was toast, jam, omelette, coffee  & 2 bananas & for lunch i had an uninspiring vegetable curry & rice & 2 coca colas at the nearby Sea Joy cafe - cost 450 rupees - about $AUD 4.80 ( I notice the Australian dollar has plunged since a few days ago...).  Perhaps I'd have had more joy if i'd had the fish).

An email from an old friend Mr Felix alerted me to the fact that Bill Weir - somewhat of a bike touring legend - was in town. I looked him up on his blog (at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/SriLankaSwing2 ) to discover that he was staying just down the road at the Silver Sands Hotel. I wandered down & found him sitting in the restaurant finishing his breakfast before heading off on the first leg of his journey.  He seemed like a pretty nice bloke - quiet & unassuming, with heaps of cycling experience - and we had a good old chat and, of course, a look at his bike (another legend!). I might even bump into him again along the way. He made a few helpful suggestions via the web prior to my cycling from Kolkata to Darjeeling in 2010. Happy cycling, Bill!

[very annoying wifi here at the Angel Inn - i keep getting redirected to ad sites or to dubious messages saying i need to update my browser, with the kindly offer of a free download! Perhaps I'll get a local sim card for the phone]

22 hours to go...

22 hours until the plane to SL departs! I've been pacing around the house, packing bit by bit, for much of yesterday and most of today - the usual dilemmas: 2 shirts or 3; should I take a comb? - broken up by a visit to the doctor after lacerating my thumb trying to remove the bike pedals prior to packing the bike in a box (gone are the days when you could just wheel the bike onto the plane, with some cardboard or bubblewrap around the rear derailleur). The damn pedal wrench slipped (it actually bent, just prior to slipping, indicating how tight the pedals were) and my thumb smashed onto the chainwheel (aka chainring - the big sprocket with lots of teeth for the chain). This, plus my gammy hip - probably from taekwondo - and my sprained shoulder - from a clumsy fall at ju jitsu - will hopefully not prove problematic. Fingers crossed!

... cycling Sri Lanka in September 2015

I'm planning to cycle around some of Sri Lanka for about 3 weeks in September '15 on my trusty Surly bike.

I was interested to note that Sri Lanka is slightly smaller in area than Ireland & Tasmania (see picture)… about half the size of Greece, twice the size of Belgium, and 11 times the size of Bali. Its coastline is 1340km (Tasmania’s is about 2500km) and the highest peak is 2514m (the highest in Tasmania is 1617m).