🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Colombo National Museum and Independence Square
Sri Lanka has a National Museum that was built and opened in 1877. It focuses on the various Sri Lankan Kingdoms that existed before the Dutch took over in 1658, and the subsequent British rule (1796-1948). Interestingly, the museum now holds 6 artifacts that the Dutch took in approximately 1765, that were only returned to Sri Lanka in 2023. -J 🇱🇰
Wow-look at those feet!
We also visited Independence Square, dedicated to the independence gained from the British in 1948 (the museum there was closed when we went).
More highlights from Yala National Park
If you haven’t seen our first post about our leopard sighting already, go check it out.
A langur monkey with baby
An Asian green bee-eater out for a stroll
These painted storks give off some flamingo vibes
“Which way did he go George, which way did he go?”
I could have posted an entire album of these two looking in various directions, both of their heads swiveling back and forth surveying the landscape. It was quite comical.
Asian elephants are different than African ones; here you can easily see how much smaller their ears are.
Man, I just really wanted to give this guy some lotion. Look at all those wrinkles!
When you just wait for lunch to magically arrive in your mouth
We haven’t seen nearly as many reptiles as I had expected on this trip, but we ran across a whole bunch of monitors here
These are spotted deer, and they seem like a perfect snack for a leopard, as we nearly witnessed.
Licking its chops, perhaps starting to get a bit hungry
Getting a bit more interested…
But it seemed like the leopard wasn’t willing to work too hard for dinner, at least this early in the evening.
This little guy seems like a crotchety old character
One thing I don’t get about peacocks is how colorful they are…but only from the waist up. It’s like they went over budget during development and had to skimp on the lower half.
How close does the wildlife get on a safari? Well, sometimes they have to walk around the vehicles.
Awww shit, that’s the end of the safari photos! (sorry, but we’ve had to see this far too often the last several weeks, so now you get to see it once, too 😝).
-S 🇱🇰
Cheers to 100!!
Cheers to country number 100 for Jen!!!! Sri Lanka was the lucky country and we ended up having the best leopard experience there.
It has definitely been a journey to get here, and it hasn’t always been the easiest ride. But that is what travel is all about and I’m lucky enough to have a husband who loves it all just as much as I do ❤️
To honor the occasion, Scott and I found a bottle of Prosecco—which my dear friend Helen always loved. Helen was the person who started me on this quest when I met her back in 2013. While she isn’t with us today to celebrate, I know she would have been ecstatic for me and would have raised a glass too. Cheers, my dear friend. I will never forget you ☂️🍷♾️ -J 🇱🇰
It’s always interesting seeing what American fast food companies sell overseas. -S 🇱🇰
The highlight of Yala Natl Park—perhaps the top wildlife experience of our whole trip—was seeing a Sri Lankan leopard! We followed it for a long time, tracking it thru four areas of dense vegetation.
But this last portion was the best: we watched it (unsuccessfully) go after a spotted deer! -S🇱🇰
The Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo
One of the first places we saw in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was the Gangaramaya Temple, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Colombo (completed in the late 19th Century).
It had some interesting “guards” out front.
It had many Buddhist figures and other interesting artifacts displayed through out the museum.
But it also had a bunch of “stuff” (the best I can describe is stuff from your weird grandparents’ estate sale). Notice the Atlanta Braves bobble head in the third picture. (Apparently these are “offerings” to the temple)
Last but not least, Scott took a short video of a very interesting room.
Monkeys just never follow the rules. -S 🇱🇰
Today was all about Sri Lankan history and culture. Over the course of a 16-hour private day tour, we visited 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites: the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the Dambulla Cave Temple, and Sigiriya (the Lion Rock Fortress). More photos of each coming this weekend -S 🇱🇰
Speaking of elephants, we saw several along the road as we drove thru Minneriya National Park—our first in Asia. -S 🇱🇰
Don’t be a douchenozzle and pay to ride an elephant. Just don’t. -S 🇱🇰
I’ve noticed some of these “foreigners only” toilet facilities here in Sri Lanka.
They seem to be around touristy areas, where foreigners pay a higher fee. The (controversial) idea is that Western visitors might have higher expectations of hygiene than what is often found in public toilets. -S 🇱🇰
There was a live band at our hotel bar last night, which is always fun to enjoy while overseas. There are usually plenty of American songs being played, but the lyrics sometimes come out as sounds rather than actual words. I find it so endearing. This group did much better than most. -S 🇱🇰
Sri Lankan art? 🤷♀️ -J 🇱🇰
The view from our hotel window in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is of the Lotus Tower—South Asia’s tallest self-supported structure (1,168 feet). During the day the Lotus flower is purple. But at night, it changes color! -J 🇱🇰
We arrived in Sri Lanka today in the early morning hours following an overnight flight. After a refreshing nap, we headed to an Irish Pub (per our quest to visit one in 32 different countries) for our requisite Guinness and also to grab lunch. This is an Irish Pub in our 18th country! -J 🇱🇰
