On the Road Again

Took the train this morning from Galle to the capitol Colombo.  Sign in the station.  Rode in first class which has air conditioning, TV and is not as much fun as the other cars.    But, the train tracks are on the beach!  Coolest train ride ever. Video and picture I got to the hotel and saw Trump’s speech. I was scheduled to go to Spain  tomorrow, but decided to postpone the European leg of this grand tour.  Coming home tomorrow.  And one more thing, I finally learned how to take a selfie. See everybody soon, Anne

I am staying on Dalawella beach which is like North Ocean City, a little far from the action but right on the ocean, in this case the Indian Ocean.  The coral reef just off shore forms a nice cove where giant turtles, fish and humans can swim. Sometimes I think the turtles are as curious about me as I am about them.  The water is so clear you barely need a snorkel.   Instagram has taken over the world.  Every afternoon, people climb up on the rock and others, toting everything from phones to professional cameras, jostle for position for the best sunset light.  I thought this budding photog was going to lose his tripod in the surf.  Went to Galle Fort today, a short Tuk Tuk ride away. It looks a lot like the old part of a European city, complete with ramparts on the wall encircling it. The Portuguese “founded “ it in 1588, the Dutch in the 17th century and the Brits had it until the mid 19th century.  Walking around...

Sri Lanka, Teardrop of India, Pearl of the Orient, is a mixture of East and West cultures, mostly I think because it was conquered by just about everybody.  Spent a few days in the capitol, Colombo on the Indian Ocean, then took the train to Kandy to see the Buddha.  While the Brits were busy colonizing the place, they built a railroad to transport tea and coffee to the capitol. The Sri Lankans  maintained and expanded it and now it is ridiculously fun.  The windows open, it has ceiling fans, and you can hang out of the windows and doors.  The tea walhalla comes by with sweet tea. Went to see the Tooth Temple, so called because it has a relic of Buddha’s tooth, just like altar-stone relics in the Catholic Church. The faithful buy lotus flowers and frangipani from vendors outside.  The building is modest from the outside, and I was unprepared for the opulence and the devotion of the Buddhists inside. The temple is their second holiest site. Th...