https://www.facebook.com/mary.a.mohanraj/videos/10159082011664616/
I wish I’d been able to record more of our Sigiriya guide (Rajasinha “Raju“ Bandaranaike) — he gave us permission to record him and publish it (and we paid extra for that), but he kept speaking without warning, and then it felt rude to make him repeat what he’d just said.
I should’ve just done it, but I am not a practiced interviewer, and it felt rude, esp. as he had certain things he was used to saying at various points, and when I asked questions or interrupted him, it was clearly throwing off the spiel.
I’d like to go back sometime with a local archaeologist and just go through the site really slowly. Another time, perhaps.
I tried to transcribe what he’s saying, but I’m clearly missing a lot of words.
“…original moat one thousand six hundred years ago, about 5th century AD. This moat, around the rock eight kilometer. 5 meter, there’s crocodile; there’s still crocodile underneath in the water….an area…this would’ve been drawbridge. There’s two moat — see the brick wall over there, seven meters high, would’ve been…outer moat…..moat, inner rampart.”