Blogs from Central Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 46

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Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Ella March 12th 2006

Thanks for the title must go to the band who serenaded us on our 2nd night in Srilanka with such a beautiful complex song consisting only of those words! Anyway... Sorry it has been so long but I have been very busy enjoying this beautiful isle for two weeks now and loving it. The people here have won over my heart - so different from India. The locals are brilliant with us and treat hauling our massive bags around as a great game and ask us what we have in there! So, here is the catch up: Wew headed straight up to Kandy on our arrival on the train, where we had to sit on the floor in third class as there were no tickets for anything else, although halfway through a man offered us the ... read more
Dad in a skirt
Me on top of Sigiriya
Sunset in Mirissa

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Kandy March 6th 2006

Kandy is another must visit city and a great place to base yourself to see the interior of Sri Lanka - Pinnawalla being a good example. Not to miss the cultural shows put on daily and the Budhist temple is another must see. The lake in Kandy is interesting, all very British with the stone walling in the design of the Union flag around the lake perimeter. Many tea plantations to visit also. If you want to spoil yourself stay at The Mahaweli Reach Hotel -www.mahaweli. com such a nice hotel ... read more
the starting point for a cup of tea
drying the leaves

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Kandy February 18th 2006

Dear friends, After such great intentions, sadly communication let me down (as Tony Hadley sang). I've actually finished my four weeks of volunteering now, and you've not heard a peep out of me, very sorry, but there are mitigating circumstances! I've been living in a small village on the West coast. The nearest internet cafe was a 30min bus ride away, where it was nearly $4 per hour for a dial-up connection. I managed to get there maybe once or twice a week, but couldn't afford to spend that precious time blogging. Right now I'm in Kandy, in the centre of the island, where things are a little more civilised, they even have broadband! However, I now have four weeks worth of highs and lows, joys and sorrows to write up, far too much to get ... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Kandy February 8th 2006

Tha last few days have been very busy and we have seen a hole new side of Sri lanka - mostly hills! We took a delightful road trip to Ella over two days with ourgorgeous surrogate grandparents Mark and Michelle. With a greatdriver who made stops for us to try local specialities - buffalo curd with kittul treacle is a must if youare ever in the Yala park area! We stopped in Tissa for the night in a friendly guesthouse with a blind owner, who despite his lack of sight took Sophia on tour of the fabulous garden pointing out every plant, mango, tamarind, aloe vera, franipani...and the two pet tortoises In the evening we took a trip to Kataragama one of the most holy places in Sri Lanka, with a prk that host temples to ... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Kandy January 14th 2006

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, and the gems of Sri Lanka. We saw a neat moving image of the breakup of Gondwanaland, and watched as the little piece that became Sri Lanka glided across the globe. Neat how near it ... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Peradeniya January 10th 2006

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 a private performance. We arrived in time to see the dancers creating a clay deity image and adorning it with flowers. These dancers perform local songs and dances for tourists on a regular basis, and ... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Peradeniya January 7th 2006

CLASSES AT PGIS, PERADENIYA PGIS stands for the Postgraduate Institute of Science. Our trip officially began with an impressive opening ceremony in a large lecture hall on campus. Many high-level University officials attended, gave short speeches, and helped to light the 6 foot high brass ceremonial oil lamp with a brass rooster on top. We learned later that this is meant to drive out the darkness and ignorance, and provide light and understanding. Illumination, if you will. We met Prof. S.A. Kulasooriya, Jon's Sri Lankan counterpart, and the Coordinator of the Program in Sri Lanka. He welcomed us, especially as the first group in what everyone hoped would become a continuing communication and exchange between our cultures. As this trip was actually a field studies class, naturally we spent some time in the classroom. In fact, ... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Peradeniya January 7th 2006

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

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Peradeniya January 6th 2006

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

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Peradeniya January 5th 2006

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




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