Sri Lanka

I have visited many places during the my 7-day stay here but most provided few photo ops. Although its culture is in many ways similar to India's, it is at the same time very different - probably because 67% of its population are Buddist & almost 10% are Christian. Sri Lanka has a rich & varied history as a British, Portuguese & Dutch colony. Above pic is of a Dutch colonial home that was probably built in the late 17th century. Many Dutch tourist still visit here.
I leave early this evening for Male, the Republic of the Maldives.

Elephant Ride on Arabian Sea Beach

I've been lounging at swimming pool, treking beach, & enjoying the company of folks I've met here - including several 8-ball pool game "tournaments" with some other ladies I met from Dubai!
I have ridden horses on many beaches in US, Caribbean, south America, even Morocco! But today was a FIRST - riding an elephant on an Arabian Sea beach! Her name is Cheetah & she just celebrated her 35th birthday. We even went into the surf (water) which she seemed to enjoy & I got soaked! Because her skin is sensitive to salt water - she had to be completely hosed down after being in the salt water. It was an amazing experience!

Cochin -> Chennai (aka Madras) -> Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Yesterday was a long, 12+-hour travel day! I was surprised to find out that I can now say I was in Madras! After arriving at Colombo airport, I was met by my driver (Bernard - very heavy & eloquent English accent) & it was a 3+ hours drive to my hotel the Taj Exotica on the southwest coast - see HERE. Sri Lanka literally means "resplendid island" - prior to 1972 it was known as Ceylon which still appears on many signs that I've seen since arriving here!
Top pic is view of Bentota Beach from "near" my room. That's the Indian Ocean - very warm water temp, great surfing waves, & a brown sand beach like those on DE/NJ beaches.
Bottom pic is of the property's large infinity pool with Indian Ocean in background. This area was hit hard by the tsunami - bust this hotel survived because it is situated on a high bluff. But everything here at sea level was destroyed during the tsunami.
Above pics were taken this AM. I just finished breakfast & am going to hit the beach now!

India Ends & Questions

In north india, I traveled more than 1800 miles with my driver Balkar. In south India, I have traveled more than. 1,650 miles with Mohan my terrific driver for the past 2 weeks - the pic is of us having our last masala chai together - the Cochi airport is in background.

Since arriving in India, I have traveled a total of 3,450 miles. I have seen one of the 7 world wonders & many other amazing things! These combined with experiencing a very ancient/historical/mixed culture, incredible wildlife, & amazingly friendly people has made this month-long trip memorable!

Many of you have asked many questions about India. Because tomorrow I depart for an all-day journey to Sri Lanka, I thought now would be a good time to answer some of the most asked questions;

Weather? Now is the monsoon, "off season" for both north and south India. However, I encountered no rain in north India & very little in south India. North India was very hot - south India's temperature has been very mild - even cool! Many Indians travel during this time of year because all costs are lower.

Food? Indians are primarily Hindu & they are vegetarians. Yes - curries are prominent. I am NOT a vegetarian & really didn't & still don't like Indian foods. But - I've survived.

Smoking? Non-smokers would/do love India. Smoking is forbidden in ALL public places (including on many public streets - especially in Kerala) & this law is enforced by police, rangers & soldiers! I've been told that < 15% of the Indian population smokes. Btw - all animal sanctuaries/national forests are considered "public areas" & smoking is prohibited! Cigs are expensive @ $2/pack. But packaged, hand-rolled cigs called Beedi (poor man's cigs) are only about 1 cent each - very strong & disgusting taste!

Poverty? The doctors that invited to join them in discussions/debates explained to me that 30% of the Indian population is "well off", 30% are middle class & the remaining 40% are poor - very poor. They further explained that the primary economic problem in India is that the percentage of these very poor Indians remains constant. & is unlikely to change for decades if not centuries. I have seen many of these poor Indians. Fortunately they are not starving but they are prone to many medical problems. At the same time they have a high birth rate <- a Hindu custom.