A rare bird

I don't take very good bird photos with my phone but this one was easy. A Black Neck Stork, one of only 6 individuals in the whole country.

Sri Lanka is joyful over the election of its new president.

Several months ago the citizens of Sri Lanka elected a new president, a man from a working class background, who promised to stop the corruption of the last 30 years. The families that had run the country had left poor villagers to fend for themselves. The president was elected overwhelmingly but he needed a parliament that would help him make reforms. That election took place a few days ago when we were in a small mountain village. We watched people making their way into the polling place, distances of 5 miles or more, to cast their vote. The president's party won overwhelmingly. A local Sri Lankan pointed out the sight of the old parliament members leaving town

Egrets and fruit bats

Very large fruit-eating bats hang in the trees in tropical countries where they devour mangos and papayas and no doubt other things as well. There is a well known spot at the edge of town where the egrets, herons and ibis come in to roost at night. As the birds fly in the bats fly out. The white spots on the dark trees are birds.

Bird photos and one snake.

Fashionably dressed in our leech socks.

I'm glad to be out of the country.

I'm devastated with the election results and grieving with the people I care about. So I'm just going to post a lot of photos from Singapore and Sri Lanka and hope they bring you some joy.

Sideways sunset from our hotel in Kitulgala SL.

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.

Elephants!

This is a national park near Habarana and these are wild elephants.

Lake hotel near Anuradhapura

White pelicans on the lake, Great Egret, some ducks I haven't  identified yet. An absolutely lovely setting. The Sri Lankan people are friendly and helpful. Ceylon Expeditions is proving to be deserving of its excellent reviews.

A Sri Lankan safari

Wilpattu National Park was a multitude of riches. We began early in the morning with more chance to see birds and wildlife. The Sloth Bear was oblivious to us as it checked termite mounds for a snack. The mounds must be very hard because he tried several before he had any luck.

Our guest house in Colombo

 The building is quite nice and finished inside but next door...not so much.

This is Asia, baby!

 I stepped out of the airport in Colombo Sr Lanka at 2 am into a sauna, or at least it felt like that. The driver from the guesthouse was waiting for me and we made our way through town to this very nice 2 bedroom villa where my friend Cheryl was already sound asleep. We went down the road to a coffee shop and tomorrow we begin our Sri Lanka road trip.