Sri Lanka

We spent a lot of time worrying about whether the authorities would let us in the country with out an onward or return ticket. We went to the trouble of buying a bogus return ticket online. Of course when we went through immigration, they barely looked at us much less asked to see some plane ticket.  Having only carry on luggage we were through pretty quickly. Having changed some money got new sim cards for our phones we embarked on the long taxi ride to our hotel near downtown Colombo. Yammy said she wanted a room with an ocean view so I splurged on this 36 canadian room.

Colombo of course is a hot polluted noisey city. Crossing a street unprepared could be your last act on this planet. Every vehicle could spell your doom but tuktuks are your worst threat.Do as the locals do and bunch up . There is safety in numbers.

Our first act was to venture to the train station and buy a ticket to Anuradhapura . The hardest act was to remember the name of the place we were going to . After that we ventured to the market area and had a tour of the Red Mosque. We have always been intimidated by mosques . Some are less than welcoming to westerners. This one was very welcoming . Once we had donned the appropriate clothing we were given  tour of all six floors of this grand mosque which accommodates thousands of devotees Fridays.

The Hindu Temple was closed but we passed by.

The  best thing we did was contact Thilanka a bird guide. He took us on a half day trip to a botanical garden about an hour out of Colombo. We managed to see 78 species of birds within a couple of hours.

Thilanka was also a incredible repository of knowledge of natural history , politics, culture. 

In a couple of hours he helped plan our onward travel throughout the country. He also promised to guide us remotely " just call me on whatsapp". Anyways here are a few bird pics from our morning walk in the gardens.