Blogs from Sri Lanka, Asia - page 166

I am doing better at playing tour guide than I expected. My eight students-- I'll call them students even though half of them are professors and I'm not really teaching them anything-- are curious, easy going, and have appropriately low expectations of me. I thought they might retreat into protective cocoons when they got their first look at a Third World country, but instead they seem eager to experience the dusty, smelly, chaotic glory of Sri Lanka. Any fears they might have had would have been laid to rest the morning after we arrived at Mahakande Bungalow, our home in Sri Lanka. Awakened by exotic birdcalls and monkeys scrambling across the roof, they came downstairs to meet Siri, our cook, who follows us everywhere we go. Siri sets before us plates of mangos, papayas, bananas, and ... read more

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 plants that looked like row after row of hedges. Big piles of boulders from recent road-clearing explosions. More traffic. More waterfalls. A construction worker stopping traffic. And so on. Eventually we experienced a marvelous sunset. ... read more

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

This morning we drove to PGIS and performed the opening ceremony for our program. There were introductions and speeches and the Chancellors and professors lit the special oil lamp. We began lecture this morning with the the ecosystems of Sri Lanka. Right now we're having a break and when we resume we will have a lecture on vertebrae diversity. I'm really looking forward to that one!! Yesterday I met a 10 year old boy named Indie and he took us up to the top of the mountain behind our bungalow. It was amazing! I saw so many types of plants I'd never seen before, things look so different. Except for the pines. When your in the pine area if feels like hiking in Tahoe. After lunch we drove into Kandy and walked around the market place. ... read more