b'rediscovering travelPOLONNARUWA, SRI LAnKAPolonnaruwa was the commercial and religious capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to the 13th centuries. This sacred city is studded with temples and religious buildings in various states of preservation. Dalada Maluwa is the centrepiece, while the Quadrangle is dominated by Vatadage, an ornate circular shrine carved with friezes of lions, dwarfs, lotuses and four Buddha statues. Polonnaruwa has numerous impressive stupas or dagobas that once housed relics of the Buddha, from 54-m-high Rankot Vihara to the beautiful white Kiri Vihara.DONT MISS: Admire the enormous statues of standing and reclining Buddhas at the rock temple of gal Vihara. Stop at Shiva Devalaya no. 2, the oldest stone structure in Polonnaruwa and one of the few Hindu temples there.hayesandjarvis.co.uk/sri-lankaMACHU PICCHU, PERUTucked away in a 2,430-metre-high mountain ridge, MachuPicchu became known to the rest of the world relatively late. Itwas not so much lost as abandoned and hidden from the ravagesof Spanish invaders. It made up for lost time by rapidly becoming the most well-known of Inca cities. Having escaped plunder,this gloriously preserved and restored citadel is an absolutemarvel. From terraced farms to irrigation systems, sacredtemples to home structures, Machu Picchu holds up the memoryof a complex past.DONT MISS: climb up to the Sun gate (Inti Punku). Look out on the city from the tiny, isolated viewpoint of Watchmans Hut. hayesandjarvis.co.uk/peru20 \x1a HAYES JARVIS'