Sri Lanka - Dambulla

Since leaving Colombo we have visited one World Heritage Site after another! Sri Lanka has so much history. Anything since the 1600s is simply recent! The people are wonderful. They are so open and friendly, reminding me a little of the Thai but with the added comfort of more English influence so that many speak English and their towns seem to have more infrastructure such as the management of rubbish than I saw in Thailand and Malaysia.
They don't have much in the way of OH&S, though, causing us much amusement. The roads are very much a work in progress and we seem to spend much more time in our bus bumping up and down and dodging cyclists and tuktuks and weaving in and out of busses in a hairy fashion.
Almost all of us (me included) have had a dose of "Bali belly" (or should that be "Sri Lanka belly"?!) but hopefully all recovered now. On the last day in this area my camera died. The Electronic View Finder failed. I can still take photos but I cannot see that I'm pointing the camera at to compose the shot or set the focus point. This is disappointing to say the least. Luckily I still have my little Olympus tough camera so I can still take photos. It is just not the same.
We have just spent the last three days in Kandy and will post photos from that asap.



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Sri Lanka - Colombo

Our first few days in Sri Lanka were very busy. We were up and on the go very early each morning. Outside our historic hotel is the Galle Face Green where people gather in extraordinary numbers in the evening, flying kites and playing cricket and soccer and paddling in the ocean on the non-existent beach. We could not help but wander through the mele and try to absorb it all. Here is a jumble of photos from the first few days.




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Off to Sri Lanka

It is just over a day until we leave; ten of us in a minivan with a guide. It is going to be such great fun. According to travel brochures

Sri Lanka offers travellers palm-studded beaches, rolling plantations and sacred sights steeped in spirituality. With charming people, mysterious ruins and some of the best cuisine in the world, Sri Lanka’s hypnotic essence will remain with you long after you come home.

A few of our troupe have been before and promise that we will love it!

Kuala Lumpur

Five days seeing the sights in the busy city of Kuala Lumpur
I didn't get this uploaded at the time, so this is a very belated post.

View the photos on flickr

Malacca

A few days in the historic town. Its history has so many layers of Malay and Portugese and Chinese and English and Indian that it takes quite a few days before we could even begin to understand the place!
We stayed in a slightly primitive but very friendly guesthouse and spent a lot of time walking and exploring the city.

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Kuching, Sarawak

We spent a few days with Janice, Allan's cousin. Janice was terrific host and showed us many parts of the city and surrounding countryside. It was an honor to meet their community of friends and we ate WAY too much!

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Intrepid tour of Borneo - part 1

The first few days of our tour. We are travelling with a great bunch of Aussies, one German and one Kiwi. Two are in camera clubs and there has been lots of comparing notes. Quite a few are teachers or ex-teachers. Lots of fun.

Day 1 Kota Kinabalu

An intriguing city between the Borneo jungle and the South China Sea, Kota Kinabalu has a charm that can only be found in a frontier town.

Day 2 Mt Kinabalu

Featuring beautiful nature trails and diverse flora and fauna, Kinabalu National Park encompasses the lowland tropical forest surrounding the imposing peak of Mt Kinabalu.

Day 3 Poring Hot Springs

Warm sulphur water is piped into several open-air Japanese-style baths at Poring Hot Springs, which are said to have curative properties for the skin.

Day 4 Kinabatangan River

A small village near the mouth of the Kinabtangan River, Sukau is surrounded by protected forest reserves which contain some of Borneo's highest concentrations of wildlife.

View the photos on flickr