Sigiriya and Pidurangula

I met the charismatic Kalu at the gate of the Dambulla caves. He was friendly and charming and offered a good deal on a tuk tuk ride to Sigiriya. I told him what I wanted to do and he was happy to spend the afternoon and evening driving and waiting for me to hike.
I had decided on good advice to avoid the actual Sigiriya climb, as there were way too many tourists, and opted to climb the sister rock which is about 1km north and affords a pretty special view.
It is about a 20-minute hike straight up to the summit of Pidurangula - lots of stairs, past a few little temples, a 12.5m reclining Buddha and then quite a tricky scramble up and over some large boulders. 
Kalu decided to come with me and I'm glad that he did, as apart from being really nice company, he gave me a hand when the going got a bit hairy towards the top. We witnessed a beautiful sunset and then precariously picked our way  back down in the twilight.