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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rochel1977" data-source="post: 18676833" data-attributes="member: 371"> ඊයෙත් ලංකාවට ආව විදේශිකයකුගේ ලංකාව වටේ <a href="http://www.elakiri.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1687848" target="_blank">බයිසිකලේ</a> යන ත්‍රෙඩ් එකක් දැම්මා. අදත් දාන්න යන්නේ ඒ වගේම ලංකාව වටේ උපරිම ෆන් එකක් ගත්තු විදේශීය පවුලක් ගැනයි. මෙයාලා ලංකාවට එන්නේ 2013 දෙසැම්බර් නිවාඩු වලට. ඉන්දියාවට යන්න හිතුවත් එහෙ ඉන්න යාළුවො ඉන්දියාවට එන්නේ නැතුව ලංකාවට යන්න කියන නිසා මේ පවුල ලංකාවට එනවා. ඒ එන්නේ හෙන්රි හා හෙයිඩි තෝර්ප් යුවලයි එයාලගේ ළමයි තුන් දෙනයි. ඒ ඇවිත් ලංකාවේ ගොඩක් තැන් වල ගිහින් ගත්තු ෆොටෝ පින්තූර තමයි මේ ත්‍රෙඩ් එකේ පෝස්ට් කරන්නේ. එහෙනං බලන්නකෝ මෙයාලගේ සංචාරේ කොහොමද කියලා. Mirissa: Beach and whales <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m002_DSC_2505.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> We spent three nights in Mirissa, a low-key beach area on the south coast. We were at a hotel, but this was not a big fancy resort zone. We went down the street to meet up with Raja and his whale boat. Raja is an amateur Sri Lankan whale-ologist. He's been tracking them here for many years, and likes whales. This is his brand-new boat (about two months old) that he had built for him in Colombo. We went about 30 miles out to sea. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m003_DSC_2270.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Finn and I had a great time hanging out on the top deck and watching whales. These are blue whales -- world's largest -- not the grey whales that we saw in Baja four years ago. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m004_DSC_2287.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Raja is the captain. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m005_IMG_1860.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Unbeknownst to us, Heidi and Piper spent a miserable four hours puking. "Dude, that was the single worst trip I think I have ever had in my entire life." I admit, I took this picture, but soon afterwards they went down below deck, where I figured they must've been doing just fine. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m006_DSC_2138.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Blue whale!! We saw maybe 8 different individuals. Raja was taking picture of their features to plot their migration patterns -- he's a co-author on work done at the University of Ruhuna in southern Sri Lanka. I did some research afterwards and tracked down one of his papers about the effect of shipping traffic on whale distributions:     "These high densities of whales combined with one of the busiest shipping routes in the world suggest a severe risk of ship strikes. Previous data on blue whale distribution and coastal upwellings indicate consistent and predictable patterns of whale distribution, suggesting there is considerable potential for effective measures to keep ships and whales apart." Interestingly, some guides in Sri Lanka will take you on tours to swim with the whales. I would love to do that. But Raja says it's not a good idea from the whales point-of-view, as they get harassed enough by boats as it is, and adding swimmers is not going to make it better. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m007_DSC_2310.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Lots of fishing in Mirissa. These guys are catching something big. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m008_DSC_2366.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> More boats at the harbor. We were on a large boat with other tourists, but that was an anomaly -- nearly all of the other of the several-hundred boats here were small fishing boats. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m009_IMG_4986.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Astro enjoys a bit of palm-scented water action. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m010_IMG_5179.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> As does Piper. How did I take the couple of underwater shots here? Easy -- Emirates allows virtually unlimited checked baggage (600 lbs for 5 of us), so I was able to carry the big Ikelite case all around the country with us. And, we had a full-size van, so what's an extra 25 pounds? <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m011_DSC_2397.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Piper surfs Mirissa! Along with her surf instructor Kali. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m012_DSC_2429.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Go Piper! This was not her first time surfing, although the first I'd seen it -- she was quite the surfer at summer camp (aka winter camp) in Durban last year. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m013_DSC_2460.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Hmm, where are Heidi and Astro? Oh -- they're spending the whole day in taxis going to the hospital and the US Embassy in Colombo. They'll spend much of the next few days there too. In the end Astro was fine, but she did have a very high fever for the first few days we were there. Malaria is not common in Sri Lanka, but dengue fever is. Meanwhile, here Piper, Finn, and I are racing hermit crabs. We drew circles on the sand and cheered them as they escaped. This one was the champion!! NB: Piper has evolved since she did this in Honduras five years ago. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m014_DSC_2463.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Finn: "Daddy, did you see that crazy car? It has three wheels, not four like it is supposed to!" So, Piper, Finn and I have been taking crazy-car rides around town. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m015_DSC_2516.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Go crazy cars! <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/m016_DSC_2497.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> And we wandered down to the docks again, where Piper made a lot of good friends. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i017_DSC_2512.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Getting some custom-made shirts for Piper and Finn. "I'm so sorry -- can you come back tomorrow? The power went out last night at my house and the sewing machine would not work!" Meanwhile, she also asked if I had a Canon 5dMkII - she does wedding and clothing photography on the side. NB: All children in Sri Lanka seem to be referred to as babies -- e.g., "How many babies do you have with you?" Piper (age 11) didn't get used to it, though. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i018_DSC_2594.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Now Heidi is back, and we're wandering down the beach at night. There are a lot of low-key beachy restaurants here. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i019_DSC_2739.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> And crabs. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i020_IMG_1880.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> And frogs. Yala National Park and safari <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i021_DSC_2777.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Now we've left Mirissa and are headed toward the Yala National Park. It's one of the larger & better known parks in the country. We've left the minivan behind and are in a 4x4 safari vehicle driving past some rice paddies. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i023_DSC_2816.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Looks like a bee-eater? <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i024_DSC_2822.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Hornbills! We have a lot of hornbills in South Africa, which are pretty cool. But these Malabar pied hornbills here have kind of a double-decker nose. It's one of the most spectacular things ever. It makes them look like a parasauralopholus. This one was jumping from one branch to another (and that's another hornbill tail hanging town from above). <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i025_DSC_2873.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The big attractions in the Sri Lankan national parks: peacocks, deer, monitor lizards, water buffalo, jungle fowl (the ancestor of the chicken), and elephants. "Oh, that's George. The elephant. He's very aggressive... we need to stay back from him! Too many visitors here have fed him bananas, so he'll just come up and root through your packs if you're not careful." <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i026_DSC_2931.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Ibis <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i027_DSC_2977.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Pelicans in a tree! And a cormorant too. Just below the tree are water buffalo... the real ones, not like the Cape Buffalo in South Africa, or the bison in the US. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i028_DSC_3058.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> During the safari trip, we have a short beach break. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i029_DSC_3269_HDR.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i030_DSC_3155.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Piper finds a crab. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i031_DSC_3170.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Go crab!! <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i032_DSC_3347.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Astro had a big fever, but has largely recovered by now. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i033_DSC_3352.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Our guides! They were with us for the whole trip. Dinesh (on the left) was our main guide and driver. He has a degree in textiles from a university in Colombo. Padma (right) was just starting guiding -- I think this was his first trip. Heidi arranged the trip through another contact in Sri Lanka -- Saman -- who organized things and set us on our way, but who we didn't see at all after we left the airport. We spent about $100/day for the guides + vehicle + fuel + admissions -- Sri Lanka remains very cheap compared to other countries. <img src="http://www.eaubergine.com/images/SriLanka_Dec13/thumbnails/i034_DSC_3583.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The safari was a bit different than a South African one. The parks are smaller, and the guides don't have quite the background that they do here. (All guides in South Africa go to a guiding school for several months and take a standardized test about animals, plants, geology, astronomy, etc.) But on the other hand this is because Sri Lanka is in general quite a bit less developed as a tourist destination than South Africa.     South Africa tourists per year: 8.3 million, in a country of 50 million.     Sri Lanka: 850,000, in a country of 20 million. And certainly neither of them are like Europe:     Venice: 25 million tourists per year, in a city of 60,000. </blockquote>

Verification: Dahaya deken beduwama keeyada?

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