It's a WILD life!

More about Sri Lanka to come.  Right now we're staying at Arugam Bay on the SE coast.  Two days ago, we took a Jeep tour into the Kumana National Park.  What an amazingly fun experience!  The park was teeming with wild life, so we saw animals constantly and many of them were co-existing.  It was just us with one German woman.  Here's our vehicle:

We saw these:

Water Buffalo

And these:

Crocodile

And TONS of these everywhere:

Butterflies

And these:

Just a sampling of my personal favorite, but we saw so many different water birds!

Pelicans

And these:

Monitor Lizard

And these:

Jungle Fowl--Sri Lanka's national bird

 And these:

Wart Hogs

 And finally these!:

Elephants!

And these:

Jackals

 And tons of these:

Deer--with huge antlers!

And hundreds of these:

A peacock--who first mooned us...

But then turned around in all his brilliance!

And these:

Pastor Frank could identify this!  I just know it was a really pretty green bird :)

 And these:

Hornbills, I think

And finally, the one we were waiting for, the elusive:

LEOPARD!  So elusive, this was the only shot we got of him, but so beautiful!

 We've been trying to take turns sharing a Bible learning as a family each evening (when we think of it, when we're not too tired, when we're not driving, etc., etc.!).  Faith had shared this verse with us the previous night and was quick to remind us of it as we saw these amazing creatures:

Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen.  I'm talking about His eternal power and about the fact that He is God.  Those things can be seen in what He has made.  So people have no excuse for what they do.           Romans 1:20

Sri Lanka

On Tuesday, we flew to Sri Lanka.  From the airport we hired a van/driver to take us the few hours to Kandy.  We're hoping to experience more public transportation, but so far, for six people, a van with driver has been the cheapest way to go (and you can't beat the convenience).  On the drive we experienced our first rain of the trip!

Kandy is in the hills of Sri Lanka, so our rainy, dark, winding drive up the mountain, with our hard working, manual transmission, fully loaded van, to our guesthouse had mom a little uneasy (the girls are getting used to this--"Are you OK, Mom?").  It was a beautiful place to stay and our hosts were a lovely and helpful family whom we enjoyed getting to know.

The Driveway

A beautiful view from our breakfast table.  Even saw a parrot in one of the trees!

Thankfully the weather cleared the next day and we were able to explore Kandy in tuk-tuks (rickshaws have suddenly become tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka)

A Sri Lankan bride and groom in traditional dress

We went to the Royal Botanic Gardens which was a beautiful spot.  Many Sri Lankans were picnicking there because it was their Independence Day.  We (and the Obamas) celebrated Republic Day with the Indians and now we're celebrating Independence Day with the Sri Lankans.

 We began our day with a very interesting temple experience.  We visited Sri Dalada Maligawa, known as the Temple of the Tooth, because one of Buddha's teeth is kept here.  A few times a day they open the doors to display the 7 nested caskets in which the tooth is preserved.  We lined up to watch this--and more, and more, and MORE people pushed in.  I have never felt so claustrophobic in my life.  At one point I was genuinely worried that Trina might suffocate with her head stuck down in the middle of the pack.  Believe me, I've thought about more than one way that we could die on this trip, but I had never considered suffocation.  When it was over, we just moved along with the pack until we were finally pushed out into the fresh air.  At that point, I looked at the pictures on Mike's phone so I could say that I had seen the chest :)

This gives a glimpse of how crowded it was, but at least at this point we still had a small personal bubble.

Most of the Buddhists going to the temple to worship would wear white and bring these lotus flowers as an offering.

From Kandy we drove a few hours east to our next stop on the coast.  We were told that elephants cross the road in the evening and we were not disappointed.  At one point an elephant was standing in the opposite lane of the road as our driver quickly made his way past.  I was busy waking up sleeping kids AND MISSED IT!

Finally some great internet, so the girls have been very disciplined about getting schoolwork done.

Other than one woman from Texas, now teaching in Qatar, we've had this home to ourselves.

Not really a swimming beach, but we have a great pool, great view, and I love the sound of the waves.

Tomorrow we'll leave for our last stop in Sri Lanka--Argum Bay, a little further down the east coast.



**On another note:  huge props to my friend, Greg Miller, for helping Ella and I FINALLY figure out this interactive map!  We had hoped to have one on the blog and were ready to give up until he stepped in with his expertise.**

Reflections on India/Nepal

As we made our final drive through India to the Chennai airport on Tuesday, I was surprisingly bittersweet about leaving.  I enjoyed India and Nepal much more than I thought I would.  Some of the things I'll miss most:

1.  Monkeys!  I know they're pests, but they sure are cute to watch on the side of the road.

2.  The beautiful bright-colored saris.  It will be a sad day if/when Western clothing replaces these.

3.  Reading the signs!




4.  Fresh produce stands everywhere.  Beautiful to see and tasty to eat!  Fresh oranges, bananas, pomegranates...

5.  The hospitality.  Once again, we are inspired to be more intentional about this when we return.  In each place we visited, people went out of their way to make sure we were provided for and welcomed.

When we arrived in Nepal, after a long day of driving, many neighbors and family members were waiting to greet us with traditional dances...

...and fresh bouquets of flowers as well as fresh flower garlands.

We were so welcomed into Mike's friend's home in Pune and our girls formed fast friendships with their daughters (and son--who didn't make the picture).

6.  The masala tea.  Black tea with spices, milk, and sugar.  Mmmm!

Our last stop for Indian tea on the way to the airport.

7.  Cows wandering in the road.  They're kind of cute meandering around.

8.  Palm trees

9.  Multi-colored bougainvillea

10.  Garlic naan (bread)

But then, of course, every time you travel, you miss those comforts of home:

1.  Soft mattresses and pillows.  Mattresses are HARD here!

2.  No language barrier

3.  Litter laws.  I remember as a child seeing trash often thrown out a car window.  Glad Woodsy Owl came along with his "Give a hoot! Don't pollute!"

Right inside of Brindavan Gardens was this pile of...discarded urinals??

A beautiful beachfront in Pondicherry, but the rocks were just filled with styrofoam plates and all other sorts of trash.

4.  Walking around town without the paparazzi following :)

 5.  Western toilets, with toilet paper

Long--if you need to sit and stay for a while.  Short--if you just need a quick squat.

A typical roadside bathroom stop--with "short" toilets only.

6.  Hot, forceful showers anytime of the day or night--and a shower curtain.

Most of the showers in India just spray right into the whole bathroom.

7.  Dependable internet

8.  A washing machine always at my disposal.

9.  Horns that are only used for emergency.  Here the horns are used to warn I'm coming around a bend, to get that (cow, goat, dog, chicken) off the road, to tell a (pedestrian, scooter, rickshaw, bus, other car, oxcart, bike) I'm coming around, to warn that I'm headed into your lane, at inanimate objects (speed bumps?) and sometimes just to play music (they have all different tones)  or because I feel like it.

We nicknamed Kumar "Our Horny Driver".  He drove us from Goa to Auroville and used his horn very liberally and long.

10.  Traffic laws that are followed.  It's rare to see a traffic light.  Most intersections are first come, first served--you just have to stick your nose in the mix.  I was amazed in downtown Pune to see a 4 lane road treated as an 8 lane road--by the time you add two shoulders as additional lanes and squeeze two more scooter/rickshaw lanes between the cars.



And whether we're out enjoying a new culture or missing the comforts of home, I'm glad I get to share in it with these five of my most favorite people!