For the one of you who asked...

I did stop posting partway into the scubaspa trip in the Maldives but that was mainly because I was semi-embarrassed about the luxury I was enjoying and I thought you all might get tired of photos of wonderful food. 

Every single meal was superb. Breakfast was served after the first dive so the divers had an excuse to be hungry. I did not but it didn't stop me.

On our penultimate day on the boat, we made a 4 hour trip across open ocean and were warned it would get rough. Fortunately I had my daily spa treatment early (I had spa treatments because I didn't dive) rather than deal with the rocking and rolling of the boat, which I can still feel as I write this 5 days after leaving the boat. The passage was indeed rough. Closet doors flew open and clothes and suitcases landed on the floor. Potted plants on the deck rolled over and broke and a lot of water washed onto the decks. The crew was pretty damned good-took it all in stride and by evening we were all ready for a drink, made by our amazing barmen who created some lovely concoctions.

Yoga on a moving deck.

Balance practice occurred by just standing on the deck. It rained during the night and it's a bit windy. Doesn't matter for the divers but the crew is amazing. They all have sea legs. The resorts in the Maldives mostly have their own islands and they do day dives nearby. Liveaboards are the pinnacle for divers because they can move around to the best areas and avoid the crowds from the resorts. 

Male, Republic of Maldives

The ocean is blue, the other passengers are from all over the world, the food is delicious, the boat is elegant and I'm the only non diver in the group of 17 people. Yoga on the deck at Sunrise tomorrow.

Nine Arches Bridge

The view from the bridge is beautiful but I was more impressed with the workers who were shoring up the hillside to prevent landslides. 

Ella is a very busy small city

We stayed at the Morning Dew Ella. It felt like we were balanced on top of the world.

Elephants, Sloth Bears and leopardd

On safari today. Wow, just wow.

Spending the night at Cinnamon Wild

It's a 5 star resort, along with many other resorts, at the edge of Yala National Park. The wildlife doesn't recognize the boundaries and elephants wander onto the grounds. Last night around midnight there was an elephant outside the room I'm occupying tonight.

We've covered most of the country of Sri Lanka

Last night we were high up in the mountains with cool air, clouds hanging just above us and lush tea plantations all around. Today we are in Yala National Park in areas that look like what I imagine Afican plains look like. This is our tour route. I can hear the waves of the Indian Ocean. Tomorrow we go bavk to Colombo.

They're not kidding

Monkeys are ubiquitous in the nation parks, temple grounds and just about anywhere that people gather, particularly with food. On one of our jeep safaris we stopped in a picnic area that had an enclosed building for picnickers.  In perhaps 3 seconds a monkey jumped on to the back of the jeep, tore a hole in the plastic bag my friend was holding and made off with the apple in the bag. Literally 3 seconds.