Tropical paradise

For the last leg of our Sri Lanka trip we continued up the coast with it's beautiful beaches that are right out of the pages of a "wish you were here" calendar. If I had known what to expect, I would have booked us longer at this appropriately named Palm Paradise Cabanas. The cabins have complete baths and you can open them up to the sea breeze and the sounds of the waves to lull you to sleep at night.

The beaches are quiet and more pristine this far south, away from the large population area of Colombo.

This fellow just snagged a small fish, using the typical long stick for a fishing pole.

Further up the coast the small city of Galle is popular with both tourists and the locals.

This family had a unique way to keep their youngster out of trouble for awhile.


There were reminders everywhere that this paradise had fairly recently been hit with the force of a devastating wave that is hard to fathom.





New Year's eve was spent at a beach resort where the management put out an incredible buffet with dishes from all parts of Asia. The tables were adorned with some amazing works of art made from butter. Char & I had the dance floor mostly to ourselves as the band played an interesting mix of old US covers and local songs.

I took this photo from the balcony in our room in Colombo to try to capture what you witness everywhere in Sri Lanka and India. The poor housing district next to our nice hotel, screened by a thick hedge, where you can spot satellite dishes on the roofs. In the block beyond, new high rise apartments have sprouted.