Sri Lanka is an island nation located SE of India. It has population of 22 million, with 70% Sinhalese, and 10% Sri Lankas Moors.
Sri Lanka capitol is Colombo. The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil, but many speak English.
Sri Lanka tolerates religious diversity, and all religions prosper. The largest religion is Buddhism with 70%, then Hinduism 13%, Islam 10% and Christianity 7%.
Sri Lanka played an important role as a major stop in the Maritime Silk Road commerce. Today, Sri Lanka prospers through plantation and maritime economies.
Historically human settlements were on the island for more than 125,000 years. The first European settlers and consequent rulers were Portuguese, then the Dutch, followed by the English.
Typical street in Colombo. Myriads of little shops, one beside each other in a row. Streets are clogged by walkers, scooters and scooter-taxies, like this green one in the picture.
The city has numerous, lush green parks, with vendors showing boa constrictors, monkeys, and parrots. Buddhism is rally big here, and golden Buddhas observe the city life from many pedestals.
Buddha temples are everywhere, full of bright colors.
Many temples show Buddha during his life’s travels, works and travails. During his life as Starving Buddha, he ate only a single grain of rice per day.
The city also has many Hindu temples under towers covered by thousands statues and statuettes, depicting the numerous gods, but also Hindu heroes through history.
Temple interiors are richly decorated with paintings, mosaics, and statues. The monks who take care of, or reside in the temple wear only a red skirt.
The walls around all temple rooms are decorated by rows of story-telling images.
The famous Red Mosque is an eye-candy and an architectural marvel. This mosque, it is unique, one in the world.
The broad stairs in the Mosque courtyard are covered by discarded shoes. The open space above shows many levels and towers of the Mosque.
We took a day-long tour of the Hambantota Yala National Park on the shore of Indian Ocean. This wonderful park is home of 45 species of mammals, and innumerable species of birds and reptiles.
The park is 380 square miles, and boast of the highest concentration of leopards in the world.
We saw huge herds of buffalo, both in pastures and in numerous ponds and mud holes.
Keep your hands inside the vehicle when these four and a half feet long lizards crawl out from under the leaves!
The branches are noisy with troops different kinds of monkeys.
Be very careful at the edges of swamps and lakes!
We saw many elephant families. This elephant mother is enjoying a nice clean mud bath with her youngster.
This Marabou stork is drying his plumage in the hot sun.