I'm going to summarize my trip under one entry. Not that there is nothing much of interest, but the experiences cannot be expressed simply in words or even photos.
Resort hotel popular among Caucasians to escape the cold winter. Ideal for sunbathing and outdoor sports like beach volleyball.
Beautiful sandy beach behind the hotel that extends far beyond. This area was affected by the Asian Tsunami 6 years ago.
Beach at dusk. The sunset is soothing but it would be better with lesser clouds.
A welcome greeting by the primary school, where we spent the next 3 days doing community work. I was in charge of the paint job of the playground.
These mischievous and pesky kids were a major distraction to my work, calling out my name incessantly and asking the all-time favourite question - "What's your name?". However I really enjoyed interacting with them. Learnt a little Sinhalese from them (kaha - yellow, kalu - black, ratu - red: the colour scheme for the playground) and got to know more about their culture. At one time I was literally surrounded by tens of them and they screaming words into my ears that I don't understand haha.
Could not complete everything by the time we left. They must be thinking why are we so inefficient haha. I've to really take my hats off to their superb manual labour skills. The difference between city dwellers and villagers...
Sightseeing ensued after the community project ended. It was a long long journey to the next city where the Dutch Fortress stands.
I like this view a lot but my camera can't capture it very well. If you still can't figure out what it is, it's a streak of sunrise across the sky, with its reflection on the lake. We're on the way to the 'safari' (National Park) at dawn when I took this amazing photo.
As the sky brightens up, the blue and yellow shades form a pretty contrast with each other. Silhouettes of tree canopies can be seen too, which gives a feeling of being surrounded by nature and wilderness.
I've never seen a peacock perched on top of a tree. It must have really good balancing skills.
The proud peacock shows off his colourful feathers as he turns his body around, like a fashion model.
You can see the birds, but can you spot their predators? Not easy to spot certain animals, especially when they are so far away.
The 'Elephant Rock' beyond the vast field of lotus. The entire park is larger than SG!
Going up the mountains. Lots of winding roads...and a little nausea.
A regular source of clean, fresh water. Will it ever dry up?
Sri Lanka is well-known for producing tea leaves. Such tea plantations can be seen throughout the mountainous region.
Tranquil lake at the centre of the city, and a giant Buddha statue at the hilltop.
Throngs of worshipers making their way to the temple on a New Year's Day morning.
70% of Sri Lankan population are Buddhists. Even the 5-coloured Buddhist flag ranks higher than the national flag.
Visited the Elephant Orphanage. They are just juveniles despite their size. They are still feeding on milk.
Every afternoon the elephants can enjoy a nice cool bath at the nearby river. It was interesting looking at how they soak their bodies in the water, play with each other, and even attempt to mate.
Yup that's all for my trip in Sri Lanka. Quite a huge proportion of time was spent on travelling from place to place. You may view more pictures in Facebook. I'll try to compile a video soon.
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