The weekend leading into my second week in Sri Lanka was a fun one. I partook in a trip around the country, which was organised by the company itself, where I went on my first safari – where I saw elephants and water buffalo for the first time too – visited a natural moonstone mine, climbed Sigiriya rock and experienced more of the culture in a mere two days than I had in the full week that I had been there already.

Seeing elephants up close was an experience. They were huge and majestic and I felt quite a bit of respect for them as they lumbered past us, indifferent. It felt a bit invasive at times, too, as we encroached on their land and the drivers of our jeeps took us very close to them. But I was very thankful for the experience and I was very glad for the opportunity.

Sigiriya rock was a trek and a half though, and we had to climb the many steps and slopes that twisted and curved their way up the precarious rock face in the unforgiving heat to reach the top. Its namesake comes from the development of a fortress in the fifth century. The construction atop of the hard volcanic rock was ordered by King Kasyapa, who also had the surrounding city built as well.

The history behind the natural monument was fascinating and we learned that King Kasyapa also had the likeness of his over 500 concubines frescoed onto the rock walls. The monks that took the place over thought that they were unsightly and disrespectful and rubbed all the walls that they could reach clean. Only a small section, now reachable by a spiral stair case up the sheer cliff face, remains. There was no way, until modern times, for those last caves to be reached, which saved them from being undone by the monks when they were in residence of Sigiriya.

The entire weekend was such an experience and I had so much fun. I kept good company as well, as all the volunteers were pleasant and lovely to be together with during our travels.

And it ran into my second week of volunteering, where things started to go just a bit more down-hill; because then there were two. The volunteer who was there when I arrived with my fellow dog volunteer, and who had taught us everything we needed to know to work with the dogs, had left.

And so started the numerous days following when us two dog volunteers were stretched very thin on the job and the stress of the situation fast began mounting.

Though, admittedly, week two went quite similarly to week one. So it wasn’t too bad.

No, things started to really go down hill in week three…