BobJohnson
Robert Johnson Joined: January 1st 2006
Logged in: March 13th 2006
Logged in: March 13th 2006
Travel Blog Posts
Sunset from our bus
Our Last Day in Sri Lanka Our bus took us on our way to the Ranweli Resort and our final day in Sri Lanka. This day was a microcosm or our trip. The morning started with a ceremonial lighting of the brass lamp to drive out darkness and ignorance. This was followed by lectures on Eco-tourism and Sri Lanka's environmental future. We then had a tour of the grounds and a nature walk by one of the guides. Lunch was a large buffet in an open air restaurant next to the pool. After lunch we bought a few last minute gifts and then headed for a boat tour to do a little bird watching. We figured it might last a half-hour. To our surprise and delight it was over two hours long. Our motor boat cruised ... read more
We will be spending two days in Colombo. We check into our hotel. Adele needs to make some calls so we leave her in our room. She's also going out for dinner tonight and would love a hot shower - we have plenty of towels. Go for it! Victoria and I join the others to hit the mall. It is a four level complex with lots of stores. The basement is the food court; pizza, Thai, Chinese, Indian, KFC, and a few others. The same fast food and steam table fare you can get in San Jose. After a snack we go check out the shops. Again mostly the same stuff you can get in San Jose. The loudspeakers are playing music - The Eagles, "Hotel California." We did find a DVD of the Kandy Dancers. ... read more
Our Teachers
Sinharaja National Park A field research station off the beaten trail. The area was partially logged. Logging stopped and a buffer zone of farming, rubber trees and tea mostly has been established. Our lodging is in this buffer zone and we will hike or take jeeps into the research station. The evening sunset is in a light rain or maybe just a heavy mist. Our host, Professor Gunatilleke took us for a short walk up the highway pointing out the different ecosystems and giving us a history of the area. We got to see carnivorous pitcher plants growing on the hill side and edge of the road. After dinner we sat on the deck in front of our rooms, overlooking the river and mountains, fire-flies in the trees. With six college instructors from four universities present, ... read more
Water Gardens
Climbing Sigiriya Sigiriya, built in the fifth century, is a wonderful set of ancient royal gardens complete with a complex system of man-made pools and water courses. Many of the fountains still working - water flowing underground suddenly to bubble forth. Several people approach us wanting to be our guide. They keep insisting and telling us details about the gardens. Finally Dr. Pearce negotiates a price, nominal really, with one of the guides. It seems we must have a guided tour. At times it would be nice to skip the facts and enjoy the space, to take in the sights, sounds, and feel of the breeze. Details, details, details, the devil they say is in the details. At the base of the cliff a city supplied the people to build and maintain the gardens and palace. ... read more
Knife Shape in the Rainforest
Knife Shop We are heading for Anuradhapura. Along the road we stop to visit an archeological site. A tank, these are man-made reservoirs, centuries old. And learned how the people use to farm the land. Sri Lanka has no natural lakes so over the 3000 years that people have been living on the island thousands of tanks, some small, some mammoth have been built. These tanks are still used today, collecting and storing water and providing wonderful habitat for plants and animals. A small shed sits next to the road displaying knives for sale. These knives are sharp on both sides and are used to cut rice in the field. I must have one! I ask if they are for sale? Yes. How much? 150 rupees. Great. I select a knife. The man takes the knife, ... read more
Look Behind You
Hakgala Gardens is a beautiful and well maintained botanical garden. Before breakfast we had a walking tour of the gardens. Then we are back in the bus, at least most of us, Nora and Laura head back into town, Nuwara Eliya, for some shopping. At times we encounter heavy rain and fog as we hike Horton Plain. The end of the trail is at "Greater World's End." We get there and have a few seconds of a vista and watch as fog rolls down the valley and covers us. Just as quickly the skies would clear giving us another vista. Finally, on the last stretch of the hike the rains really come down. Everyone gets soaked from head to toe. Several of us have slipped and fallen in the mud. ... read more
Growing Tea
Cultural Ecology, an introduction to Theavada Buddhist Philosophy. We had a two hour lecture which covered what is normally covered in a full semester course. We all wished to learn more and Professor Premasiri agreed to join us for dinner and continue the conversation. The Buddhist reverence for all life has ramifications for wildlife management. We leave for an overnight trip to Horton Plains with botanist Professor Wijesundera. The road is under major repair. There is some question as to whether or not we will be able to get all the way to Horton Plain. Travel is very slow as we wind back and forth, climbing our way past villages and tea plantations. We stop in Nuwara Eliya for a Chinese dinner and met some people from Canada. Then it is back onto the bus to ... read more
The day of snakes and amphibians. And our introduction to leeches. Another day of rain. We are again reminded the monsoon is officially over. Rain in the tropics is different; the temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. When you get wet you don't really get cold, you just get wet. When it is not raining the humidity is very high, so rain or not you are always damp. The ground is so porous that the water gets soaked up leaving few puddles. First, the lecture - cobras, vipers, and other reptiles and amphibians by Mr. Anslem de Silva. After tea, it is into the lab to see and handle snakes and lizards. Bare handed he milks a Russell's viper. Yes, it is a very poisonous snake. About 300 people a year die of snake bites in Sri ... read more
The Bus
The bus, our bus, is back to met us. We have this bus, driver, and his assistant for our entire stay in Sri Lanka. We take the ten minute bus ride to PGIS, Post Graduate Institute of Science. There is an opening ceremony, we are welcomed by several deans of the University of Peradeniya. Hopefully this will the beginning of a long relationship between our two universities. The three week class we are taking is the "Biological and Cultural Ecology of Sri Lanka." Each student is given a binder with our schedule and several handouts. After the ceremony we meet several of the professors who will be giving lectures. In the lobby Sri is waiting for us with our mid-morning tea (and food). At 10:30 we start our first lecture, "Ecosystem Diversity." I got my bachelors ... read more
