HOME At this point, there's nothing fun left to describe, and once again the utter miasma of airports, planes, time zones, date lines, security lines, customs, luggage, tickets, Passports, ad infinitum takes over. Suffice to say that many hours later, we arrived home safely. Of the jet lag, the less said the better. I think that we slept about 22 hours out of the first 24 hours we spent at home. After that, maybe only 20 hours a day. Every journey you make changes you. Part of every country you ever visit stays with you forever. Part of every person you [View Full Entry]

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WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES AND ECOTOURISM The next day, we left Colombo and drove north along the coast. We stopped at Negumbo, a polluted fishing village. We walked along the bridge, and looked down into the rather foul water below. It was afternoon when we toured the fish market, so most of the fish had been sold, and most of the 2,000 people who were there in the early morning were gone. Some venders were still hopeful about selling their catch, as they waved the numerous buzzing flies away, and poured warm seawater over the fish to keep it wet and shining. Many [View Full Entry]

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THROUGH RATNAPURA TO SINHARAJAH Morning found us loading our gear, and facing another long bus ride. Siri met us with a box breakfast, and we bid him a fond farewell. No mango ice cream in the boxes though. Shame. I suppose it would have melted. Our first target destination was Ratnapura, which is one of many gem mining areas in Sri Lanka. We had hoped to "observe gem mining" at Ratnapura, but the recent rains ("NOT the monsoon!" the gem-cutters said) had transformed the open pit mine into an open pit filled with water. Basically, a large puddle. So we skipped [View Full Entry]

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SINHARAJAH TO COLOMBO As we descended the mountain and left the tranquil forests behind, we traveled through rural areas for several kilometers. But all too soon the road got wider, the buildings got denser, and we reached the Gaul Highway. Wow! Many lanes of traffic. What's this? A traffic light! Soon we began to notice piles of garbage in front of many buildings. Apparently this isn't normal; there seems to be some dispute about municipal garbage pickup, with the result that the garbage is not collected too often. On the way to Colombo, we stopped at a Buddhist Temple which is [View Full Entry]

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FIELD STUDIES AT ANURADHAPURA After a morning class, it was once again back on the bus. The first part of the ride retraced the roads we had traveled heading to Giritale, but eventually we hit a fork in the road and turned towards Anurahapura. During the bus trip, we made a few stops to see some early archaeological sites. The first stop was simply a small tank, or manmade lake, which was made to hold irrigation water for early farmers. Little or nothing else was left here, except for the grave site across the road. A short stroll led us to [View Full Entry]

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MORE CLASSES AND GEMS More classes, and another trip into Kandy. It was really restful to sit through a couple of exciting lectures after all of the tiring outdoor action-packed adventures. Both Bob and I are a bit congested, and unpleasantly aware of our throats. I get a headache. Are we coming down with anything? Are we reacting to the anti-malarial drug which we've just begun to take? With the blessing of hind-sight, I can answer: No and no. Maybe just something blooming in Giritale. Our discomfort disappears in a couple of days. This round of lectures concentrated on geography, geology, [View Full Entry]

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OVERNIGHT TRIP: WILD ELEPHANTS Another long drive in the bus, this time to Giritale, a region to the north of Kandy which has several National Parks, and a mini-tourist industry featuring safari rides through these parks. For me, as a biologist, this was another highlight of the whole trip. On the way there, we stopped at a site with caves that were used by the Buddhists (still are, actually!). Some of the caves had peaceful Buddha images, and elaborate painted patterns on the walls and ceilings. But one cave was special. The painted images in this cave were shocking, to say [View Full Entry]

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CLASSES, DANCES, AND A HEALING RITUAL Time to be serious students again. Today we got more immersion in Sri Lankan history and culture with Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa, and a taste of myths and rituals with Prof. Udaya Meddegama, a man with infectious enthusiasm. We were shown ancient books written on strips palm leaves, held together by string that ran through two punched holes. One of these books was filled with tiny, neat writing in Sinhala. I would love to be able to read it! In the afternoon, we had a real treat, as the Kandy Dancers came to our Bungalow for [View Full Entry]

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THE ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE AT PINNAWELA Although January 9 was technically a free day, everyone chose to go to this popular tourist attraction, and the bus and driver were provided for us to make the long trip there and back. Nice. The Elephant Orphanage is much more than just a tourist attraction; it is also a living example of the Buddhist reverence for life to provide life-long care for orphaned and disabled elephants. And the care they receive is fantastic. Fresh food, browsing areas, mahouts to care for them, and twice a day a trip to the river for a nice water [View Full Entry]

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OVERNIGHT TRIP: HORTON PLAINS AND NUWARA ELIYA Our first overnight outing away from Mahakande Bungalow was through the upcountry town of Nuwara Eliya and into Horton Plains National Park. Although the distance was only a few kilometers- I believe 26- the epic journey took us about four hours. The entire road that wound up and up and up the mountain had many features. It was very narrow. It was a constant series of curves and switchbacks. It was being repaired. As we drove it. The entire distance. The scenery was phenomenal. Very panoramic. Lots of waterfalls. Traffic. Terraces of neatly-clipped tea [View Full Entry]

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