October 20 Fly to Singapore

We started the day at 5:00 AM again since we took the 6:30 train from Kandy to Columbo. It was a great start since we were able to board the train early and we had been warned to sit on the left side for the best view. 20 minutes after we started the sky brightened and we were above the clouds looking at peaks sticking up everywhere. As the train descended from 4000 feet to sea level over 100 km, the mountains disappeared and the heat increased. As we neared Columbo the aisles were jammed with standees. It was an effort to make our way through the crowd with our luggage.  When we saw the train depart passengers were hanging out the doors. We had gone through 12 tunnels during our trip, I hope there weren't any more before Columbo.

From the train window

Descent from the mountains

Descent frothe Mountains

From the train windows

 Step 2 of our journey was a second train from Ragama to the airport. It was third class only. The tickets for the 40km journey were 0.20 cents each. The doors remain open all the time and the cars have only benches along the wall -like a commuter train The train was fairly empty, everyone had a seat but something went wrong and the train screeched to a halt just after leaving a station. All the kids and men on the train got off and walked down the track to the rear of the train. Just from the sign language and the word death, it looked like someone had fallen off the train and lost his life.

Step 3 - We got off at the airport stop only to find we were still 2 km from the airport so we hopped a tuk-tuk to the airport terminal. I don't know whether tuk-tuks are banned from the airport or whether I negotiated too good a price for the trip, but the tuk-tuk driver stopped just short of the entrance. Step 4 We covered the last 200 meters by foot.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours!!.

October 19 Kandy

Scott Pine

Joan at Botanical Gardens

The Bat Tree

We started the day with a trip to the botanical gardens. While we were walking down the first road Joan mentioned that there were bats in the gardens. Within minutes I heard the sounds of bats screeching and we found the bat colony close by. For nocturnal animals they are very active during the day with take-offs, landings and wing flapping going on all the time. They hang from the tree tops in full sunlight with their wings wrapped around themselves. I'm surprised they aren't cooked by the end of the day.

The is the original Buddha from the 1400's and never restored

Hindu Gods

After the garden we visited 3 temple in the area. Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country with Hindus, Muslims and Christians in the minority. I can take pictures in Hindu temples but not in Buddhist temples. At the first temple we were sure they were partway through a renovation, but the temple man said no, everything was original and water damage was responsible for the rough parts. The temple is 650 years old. The second temple we visited was both Hindu and Buddhist. Hindus allow photography in their temple. Our guide explained the difference and cleared the path for me to photograph the Hindu gods. But he never showed us the Buddha. The third temple had a nice exterior and that was far as we got. It's main strength was the dance pavilion which we saw and that was enough for the day.

October 18 Kandy

Interior Shrine

We are in the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, It is the home of the Temple of the Tooth – A temple that has the tooth of Buddha locked in a casket in it's vaults. We tried to visit the temple this morning with

some success. It is Sunday and the crowds were so large that we jumped ship and strolled around the grounds before sneaking in the back door. The crowds were all Sri Lankans taking part in a ceremony that is held 3 times per day (puja). The size of the crowd and the multitude of offerings were the most impressive part of the visit. We attended a dance and drum show during the evening. I was positively impressed, The drummers kept up the beat for a whole hour and the dancing was fast and furious. Lots of fire was in the show.

Shrine

Leaving the Temple of the Tooth

October 17 Nuwara Eliya to Kandy

We took the train to Kandy this morning. Before the train arrived I was taking pictures of the station when I met the station master. He told me that the locomotive was 50 years old and it was a gift from Canada, Sri Lanka had several of them and they were all still going strong. He was urging me to take more pictures when our train rolled in – and I took off like a rabbit to get back to Joan and our luggage. We got on board safely and there were plenty of available seats. It was another trip through mountain terrain and through the major tea growing areas. Both of us were snapping pictures through the windows. When we arrived in Kandy we took a Tuk-tuk ride to our hotel. It was 6 km of heavy rain, bad traffic and incredibly bad driving, We cut off everybody, drove through the crosswalks at speed and just about killed a pregnant mother. This was unusual because most drivers in Sri Lanka

have been law-abiding drivers.

Locomotive plate

From the train window

Tea Fields

J.- Our driver from the train to our hotel was diabolically crazy, squeezing between cars, cutting off buses and respecting no one. I love riding the trains as does Tim so it was an easy decision to go to the airport on Tuesday by train rather than by car.

We are really looking forward to seeing Caroline and Ali in Singapore.

October 16 Nuwara Eliya

We booked a tour day with our hotel and we were underway at 5:30. We drove to Horton Plains where Joan and I did a 9 km hike. We started at 7 AM and by 9 AM we were at Lands End where the plains drop off in a single cliff for 1 km and you can see forever. On a good day you can see the ocean – about 150 km away. It was a good day but I couldn't see the ocean. Maybe if we had been 2 hours earlier? We continued on the walk until Baker's Falls. The falls were 200 meters off the path but when I got to the viewing station,

Viewung Station at Lands End

Land's End

Baker's Falls

Root infested Trail

Rocky Path

half the falls were missing, There was an old muddy trail which I followed down to the riverside and then some rocks leading down river and at last I could see the top of the falls. Now I'll see if my neutral density filter works.

The guide book promised a gentle walk through the park on a well marked trail. The reality was a difficult walk over boulders and soggy ground and at one point a steep climb up a slippery root strewn forest. I even had to pick up the old tourist in front of me after he fell over backwards in the roots and couldn't get back up. When Joan and I were finished our legs were a bit rubbery.

After the walk we had a Waterfalls tour. The drive through the mountains to the waterfalls was spectacular- tea hills all around.   We saw some small waterfalls and some larger ones but  were too far away to really appreciate them.  We did see close up three waterfalls just down the road from each other which were pretty nice.













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October 15 Ella to Nuwara Eliya by train

I got up early to walk in the tea fields and enjoy the morning cool. As I was heading up a hill to get a better view of the fields, a young man passes me. He worked as a cook in a resort 1 km further up and he walked up to his resort and led me to the viewing patio. It was a great view of the Ella Gap down the mountains.

Waterfalls at Ella Gap

Out the window

After breakfast we boarded the train to our next stop. We traveled 65 KM along the mountains, at an average of 25kph with all the windows wide open. Its fun to stick your head out the window of a moving train. We went from 4000 ft up to 6000 ft. and it is noticeably cooler up here. The town is an old British hill station and has a horse track, golf course, a Victoria Park and lots of wet weather.

From the train

October 14 Ella

It was a terrible night. I was trying to sleep and Joan was throwing up loudly. Then while I was trying to get my beauty sleep in the morning, she kept dashing to the bathroom. Then I had to go out at 7:00AM and buy toilet paper because I couldn't find anybody in the hotel. I hardly slept at all. Later when I tried to bring Joan a pot of tea in bed the staff learned that Joan was feeling poorly. One of the nice young men brought her a cup of hot water and a special tea bag. He said it would fix her problems – and he was right.

Tea Leaves

Tea Pickers

Later in the morning I left Joan in bed and I went for a walk in the tea fields. When I got back we went for lunch. I had rice and vegetables and Joan had an enormous piece of chocolate cake. She didn't try my meal and I didn't get a single forkful of the cake.

While Tim was out during the afternoon, I opened a window to get some fresh air but pulled the curtains together to keep bugs out as there are no screens on the windows We went out for supper around 7 and returned to our room afterwards for the evening and turned on the lights. Tim noticed a few moths and by the time we got the window shut, there were hundreds flying around our room. We turned off all but one light so they would congregate in one spot and started whacking them with my running shoes. Between my squealing when one flew near my hair and the constant whack whack of my shoes, it was a noisy place (and of course we were laughing at our actions). Every few minutes the shoe soles would need to be rinsed off .I think I exaggerated when I said hundreds but we must have sent at least 100 to their demise

Just another travel adventure!!

October 13 Ella

Start of the 300 steps

We were walking up “little Adam's Peak by 6:15AM.  The uphill was gentle enough but then we hit the steps, about 300 of them. Joan breezed up the steps with no problem. Then a little steep path and we were at the top. Being early in the morning, the air was clear and there were no clouds at all. Great for pictures. Much to my surprise we were back in our hotel before 10 am for breakfast.

In the afternoon we boarded a rickety old train that took us 30km to the provincial capital. It was a 1 hour trip through the mountains. We went third class because there was no first class. It cost $0.40 for both us. All the windows were open, so I often had my head out the window taking pictures. So did everyone else. On the way back we bought 2^nd class tickets at a cost of $0.80 for both. But the attendant insisted that Joan and I sit in first class. The first class was empty so he probably wanted company. He told us he made $150 per month in his job. I didn't want to tell him what I made – and I don't even work!

Ella Rock

Ella Gap

9 Arches Bridge

October 12th Arugam bay to Ella

In my early morning walk I went to the beach to watch the fish come in. There were 50 fishing boats all landing at the same time and emptying their nets of fish. The fish were only 10 inches long and three people would unroll the nets and shake the fish onto a mat on the sand. It seemed everyone from the village was there to help drag the boats up the beach, and then buy the fish. At the same times hundreds of dogs hung around and thousands of bird were looking for their share. It was loud and crowded.

Fishermen

Fish in the nets

We have left the seaside and we climbed into the hills to Ella. At 1040 feet it was a hill station for the English during the hot summer months. We are here to look at the tea plantations and hike in the countryside. At this time of the year it rains every afternoon. Today was no exception. We sat on the balcony and watched the building across the street disappear in the mists. Tomorrow we start the day with a hike.

Ravana Falls near Ella

October 11th Arugam Bay

We are in Arugam Bay which is the surfing capital of the east coast. The town is full of surfers and pizza shops, submarine sandwiches, and heath food shops. I was out at 5:30 this morning to photograph the sunrise and the first surfer walked by 5 min later. The sun rose at 6:00 am and by 6:15 there were 15 surfers chasing the waves in the bay. Most of these surfers spend all year chasing waves in Sri Lanka. In November surf season moves to the south coast.

In the afternoon we took a lagoon tour with a local fisherman. The lagoon is so shallow that he poles the boat rather than paddle. We saw 2 elephants in the lagoon, but we never got very close. The locals have a great respect for the elephants and give them a wide berth. Elephants kill about 70 people a year in Sri Lanka.

Lagoon Elephant

Surfer in Arugum Bay

October 10th Tissa to Arugam Bay

I had arranged a taxi for the drive from Tissa to Arugam Bay at the local taxi stand. I wanted to find out what the bottom line price was, since I reckon I have been overpaying for Taxis. They wanted $80, I offered $50. They didn't budge so I left. Two blocks down the street a driver approached and offered $65. I took his phone number and didn't commit. Three blocks down the street I got an offer for $75 from another driver. Back at the hotel I told the houseboy I had an offer for $65 and he agreed it was a very good price. I phoned and booked. When the taxi showed up it was old, with no air conditioning. It was comfortable but we drove with the windows open all the way. Joan thinks I should have paid $10 more for air-conditioning.

Before I tossed him some bananas

After I tossed him some Bananas

The local bat tree in Tissa

The drive was interesting, After an hour the driver stopped and bought a kilo of bananas. He said it was for elephants. Sure enough 50km down the road there is an elephant standing by the side of the road accepting donations. The driver threw him a bunch and he posed for pictures, then on we went. Ten km later another elephant was by the road. I threw him some bananas but he didn't like my style and he backed away. But I did get a picture. These were wild elephants at the edge of a national park. They can be dangerous but Sri Lankans love their elephants and whenever they see an elephant (wild or tame) they get excited. It's the local beaver.

October 9th – Kataragama

We went into Tissa in the morning so that Tim could arrange a driver for tomorrow to the coast and surfing town of Arugam Bay. In the afternoon, we went by tuk-tuk to the town of Kataragama (½ hour drive) so that we could go to evening devotions at the temple complex, which is one of the 3 most venerated religious sites in Sri Lanka.

Hindu Temlpe

Stupa and Offerings of Candles

Throngs of worshipers of all ages arrived to present offerings , either lotus blossoms or food to the god Kataramagan .

The Stupa (burial monument) at the site is pretty impressive

October 8 Tissa – Yala National Park

Mongoose

Baby Elephant

Spotter Deer

Eagle

We had a day long safari in Yala National Park. It was a 5 AM start with a retired F1 driver! The roads in Sri Lanka are quite good and the drive to the park was on paved roads. The “jeep” we were in was high and narrow and Iwas nervous of some of the tight corners. As we neared the park we joined the convoy of safari jeeps and we were not out of place. After we entered the park the roads were sand/ gravel, but there was a speed bump every 500 meters. They don't fool around with speed bumps here – we crawled over every bump at 5kph. This is why there was no road kill in the park. Our driver, Jagath. had promised we would see all the animals in the park. We didn't see the leopards but we did see the rest. I was surprised by the variety and the accessibility. We were not allowed out of the truck, but the animals seemed quite comfortable being watched by a truckload of tourists. Some were shyer than others but we saw plenty of animals. When we stopped for lunch the driver served us rice and curry followed by a siesta in the heat of the day. We napped for about 2 hours and than back on the road again. Riding along bumpy roads hanging on for dear life was more tiring that I expected and by 3 pm both Joan and I were tired, so we did one last sweep for the leopard and headed home. Just before the gates we came across a water hole with over 30 animals of various kinds having their afternoon water break. It was an impressive goodbye.

October 7 Matara to Tissa

We rented a car (which turned out to be a van) with driver to take us to our next destination. We drove along the coast for the first half and stopped at a major town to visit the harbour.

Hambantota Harbour

Iguana in Bird Sanctuary

The second half was inland. but when we asked the driver he detoured through a bird sanctuary. Although it was midday the birds were plentiful and the stops were often. The road was bad, but the driver must have enjoyed it because he was taking pictures on his iPad. When we arrived at the hotel we jumped into the pool. The weather in Sri Lanka is hot and humid, 30 C and 85% every day.

October 6 Blow Hole and Mulkirigala Rock Temple

Joan on the way up

Reclining Buddha Cave

Today we visited 2 attractions in the area. The blow hole was nice but not impressive. The ocean waves are crashing all along the coast and the blow hole just didn't have the volume. Then we drove to the Rock temple. The temple consists of several caves with reclining Buddha's in them The walls and ceilings are decorated with paintings but the rooms look all the same after the third cave. But the temple is ascended by multiple staircases. In some cases the stairs are carved out of the rock itself. We went up 654 steps and at the top we received a blessing from the resident monk. Then he showed us the path to the lookout. The view was incredible, It was made more impressive due to the lack of signage or safety features and a strong wind. The closer you got to the edge the more you saw. We enjoyed the view from a safe distance.

At the top of the Rock Temple

October 5 Matara

Buddha

We had engaged a Tuk-Tuk for the whole day. We did some shopping in the morning and then visited our first temple. The temple had the history of Buddha's 550 previous lives in paintings on the walls of several tunnels. Our guide was smart enough to condense his narrative down to 3 lives, the last one being the one we know. The temple is famous for it's 34 meter high Buddha.

Matara beach and temple

The area we are in is a hot surfing spot during November to March. In October it is empty because the waves are too choppy. After lunch we walked the beach in Matara and then took a small bridge to an island temple. The waves were fierce and the sound of the surf is like airplanes going over all day long. I took a lot of wave pictures. We wanted to watch the sunset from the most southerly point in Sri Lanka so we got there at five and climbed the 220 steps of the lighthouse to the top. We could walk all around the lighthouse on the outside. The sun set at 5:58 but the clouds were too thick for good pictures. The climb down was an experience. The lighthouse wasn't closed but there were no lights on the stairs. I just happened to have 2 flashlights in my photo kit.

October 4

We took the train from Columbo to Matara. The train runs along the Indian ocean coast the whole way. It is a 4 hour journey that started off with us standing in the aisle for the first hour. It was a old train with no air-conditioning so the windows were wide open. But I couldn't take pictures while I was bouncing around. Then the commuters started getting off and we could sit down. Unfortunately I fell asleep immediately,

2nd and 3rd October 2015 

  

Having arrived at our hotel room about 6 a.m and having gone straight to bed., we only woke up at 3 in the afternoon. We walked into the town of Negumbo and went to the ocean beach. That is where we first saw the type of fishing boat in the above picture.We were told about a fish market nearby where we might see a lot of these boats, So, the next morning we got up at 5a,m, to go to the market to see the boats and the market in action. The market was really busy with half of it for big fish (marlin,tuna etc.) and the other for prawns ,squid and countless others unknown to us. It was very interesting. We later saw many of the unique fishing boats coming in with their catch.

We also watched the fish processing later that day. Some of the smaller fish are unloaded and cleaned on the beach where they land. Then they are packed in brine for 2 – 4 days. Then they are washed and laid out to dry in the sun for three days. After that they can be kept unrefrigerated for up to 6 months.

2 October, 2015

Day 1 and we have survived multiple crises already.  We flew from Montreal on September 30^th and arrived in Doha Oct 1^st at 5:00 PM. As we prepared to leave the plane Joan discovered her wallet was missing. She had used it in Montreal airport to buy a newspaper. Sure enough it was not in either of our bags or her purse. Before we left the plane we waited till everyone had left and did a thorough search of the area. Joan found it wedged between the seat and airplane sidewall – thank goodness. One disaster averted! The second leg was from Doha to Columbo – the capital of Sri Lanka, We got off the plane in Columbo after traveling for 20 hours. We needed to get Sri Lankan rupees, so I left Joan with the luggage and found an ATM machine. I got my money and then we arranged a taxi ride to our lodging. I should have know that I was experiencing jet lag when the taxi driver told me I had negotiated a 30 dollar taxi ride up to 100 dollars (not 10 like I was thinking) I got the ride for $20 in the end, but when we arrived at our hotel I was missing my packsack witch had all my camera gear in it, We checked the car twice over and the driver phoned back to the airport - but no trace of my bag. The driver drove me back to the airport and I found my backpack sitting on the chair where I had left it.

Thank God Sri Lankans are honest!

I had the window seat when we flew over the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza and Saudi Arabia. I was amazed by the vastness of desert we flew over – hours and hours of flying, seeing no trees,no water, no towns.

It was fascinating .

Joan