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!

Phu Quoc Beach

Here are some Phu Quoc beach pics that many of you have requested. These pics were taken on the beach in front of my hotel looking north & south. The island has many different beaches - this one is supposed to be one of the best & the longest - about 4 kilometers (2.4 mi) which I walked daily. Note that beach is empty - not sure why - but has been that way since I arrived.!? High season = Nov to Feb - low (rainy) season begins mid-Jun. Appears I hit the in-between season. But I have met some really nice European & Australian ladies - most world travelers with whom I enjoy sharing travel stories.
I was told the diving here stunk - but 2 ladies (English & Australian) convinced me to go snorkeling with them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover some coral! Visibility = poor (10-20 feet). Not many fish but lots of sea urchins (one of my favorite seafoods).. Snorkeling convinced me that a diving expedition probably wasn't worth the cost.
I return to Saigon tomorrow - Saturday, May 29. Immediately after landing in Saigon, I have been invited to the Linh's house for their annual feast honoring her father's ancestors. This is a major cultural. & family event that I am honored to have been invited to attend.

Phu Quoc View from Villa

This is the view from our villas in Phu Quoc <-- not bad for $25/night & the rooms have a/c & color cable TV (but no phones!?). The waves are large enough to do some pretty good body surfing. Water clarity is NOT Caribbean - equivalent to that of NJ/DE beaches. But unlike NJ/DE beaches - the sand is almost white. Water temp is quite warm - mid- to high-70s. Air temp = mid-90s daily - but a constant breeze makes heat easy to tolerate.