tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66496731204795008432024-02-21T02:20:12.629-08:00Getting off the hamster wheelAfter a couple of life times of slogging and searching...........
Donna and Martins' bid for freedom and a life of adventure!getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-61703645645999055452018-02-06T00:25:00.000-08:002018-02-06T01:41:41.693-08:00Hampi in Karnataka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">Just realised that when we were travelling, we hadn't the time to post the pix from Hampi. It's a Unesco world heritage site...</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hampi dawns and sunsets can be spectacular, this is what we got!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After jumping in a tuktuk at 4am, our driver dropped us off and said he would be back in couple of hours. We found ourselves at the foot of a mountain, with dogs barking and monkeys whooping. Whilst we started climbing in total darkness, we didn't know what we were going to bump into. I picked up all the stones we came across and probably wieghed a few more kilo's by the time we reached the summit. We declared to each other, once the ordeal was over, that yes, we had both been anxious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This shot was taken in virtual darkness with just a hint of light. But the long exposure makes it look brighter. A couple of minutes before the two of us, were wondering around trying to figure out which way was east. We were so high up, we had an uninhibited view of dawn, so much so, that you can see the curvature of the earth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was the same morning as we posted the video of the loveable, curious monkeys. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please note they can make a lot of noise and in the dark!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3oRUDN9Nf3eCAUlorAi_FpQQIsT6YBZrm6MpsLV_hMEUv7cVRrQdQcifCmQ0T5Z4AcOFwggf7EGoM5iNnVkLE2InXTpyW1m0GizTXfBfp4u-aJI5Dj_E2JLdLSipuwTP2yjemREpPhE/s1600/IMG_9828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3oRUDN9Nf3eCAUlorAi_FpQQIsT6YBZrm6MpsLV_hMEUv7cVRrQdQcifCmQ0T5Z4AcOFwggf7EGoM5iNnVkLE2InXTpyW1m0GizTXfBfp4u-aJI5Dj_E2JLdLSipuwTP2yjemREpPhE/s640/IMG_9828.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of minutes later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbzRrOT5zGcyPRUY08KxwLZJncFlXlH1kMPxxOrTtoGyqU_jTBAYpCAC6gNgDjiEoDZnGNiCLkNublNd6c1FWd8kSb1MpcCKMt64nmTdDRBqWUqXTflS3w0i7qsVeeckhoaC2eOpvXKU/s1600/IMG_9995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbzRrOT5zGcyPRUY08KxwLZJncFlXlH1kMPxxOrTtoGyqU_jTBAYpCAC6gNgDjiEoDZnGNiCLkNublNd6c1FWd8kSb1MpcCKMt64nmTdDRBqWUqXTflS3w0i7qsVeeckhoaC2eOpvXKU/s640/IMG_9995.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just me trying to be arty and trying to catch the changing colour of the sky with a lifeless tree and some flag poles, you can make out a cresent moon in there too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">So Hampi by day looks like this</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Anyway, It's hard to contemplate how this place evolved! The history states that it's first inhabitants, dwellings and a community, existed here around 0000 or -BC/AD+ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">But it really came to prominence in the 1400's When i</span><span style="background-color: white;">t became the centre of the Hindu Vijayanagara </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">capital. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Persian and European travellers, spoke of a prosperous, wealthy and grand city</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Bejing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and India's richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the Grand Bazaar from the south end, looking back to the Virupaksha temple ( aka pyramid temple) in the distance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Although it looks very green around Hampi, It's actually very arid and very hot, so most of the vegetation is due to the Tungabadhadra river being diverted into irrigation channels. Hived off further up stream, to allow the fall to keep the water flowing and feeding the coconut palms, banana plantations, rice paddies and the aqueducts that used to supply the temples and their residents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So after climbing some hills and boulders in the baking heat, where you think nobody would want to be. We were amazed to wander across this temple in a low lying valley, completely invisible unless you knew of it's existence within this natural amphitheatre. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst we first saw the temple from the hill side.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicBBTtrt2DvjwgQ-QOtNYyc8INanpzgnGPuq6fDeJixXvIYJ0bABjBb0oHCGyM-yPt9_GHPJzJYnnQsHkXhcIzv1aYp8S7vwK25fWPTtAfMyDTkZJta5L6OXA0DKB2-l83mM2XSCpLAA/s1600/IMG_9535.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1600" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicBBTtrt2DvjwgQ-QOtNYyc8INanpzgnGPuq6fDeJixXvIYJ0bABjBb0oHCGyM-yPt9_GHPJzJYnnQsHkXhcIzv1aYp8S7vwK25fWPTtAfMyDTkZJta5L6OXA0DKB2-l83mM2XSCpLAA/s320/IMG_9535.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the avenue leading into the temple complex from the river a few hundred meters back behind us. The structures on the left and right were the aqueducts that supplied the permanent population that lived here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not only did the aqueducts provide the water but also cool shaded walk ways that lined both sides of the bazaar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was at least 38KM's of aqueducts within the temple systems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The main gate for this temple and some of the fortified walls. There are so many temples</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was so hot, Donna wished they had kept the water flowing. Just imaging how it would have been to swim in this, the public bath, with ghats so that the dhobi wallahs could sort the laundry too!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6muay_uKZj1VIGfq7PX1MgcOikuP5F5yJD7MWEvkqxW89k5ugexxk3wVXvWgJgZHiOmsBjKzZ74AhTbojcwub4g7j2-iOvWg4WFT46dqNRgzItdk9OVajMqyN-gf4BGvGlig4k8XPKc/s1600/IMG_9508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6muay_uKZj1VIGfq7PX1MgcOikuP5F5yJD7MWEvkqxW89k5ugexxk3wVXvWgJgZHiOmsBjKzZ74AhTbojcwub4g7j2-iOvWg4WFT46dqNRgzItdk9OVajMqyN-gf4BGvGlig4k8XPKc/s640/IMG_9508.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is just another little temple and they are strewn all over this area around 16 sq miles. (at least 50 major sites and untold more lesser structures) But to us, the untrained eye...... one temple looks a lot like another. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst we we're blown away with what we saw at every turn, we realise that these pix can in no way reveal the majesty that is Hampi, so we will spare you!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-oCS_OJ_Xcx4u5hVXMPSuJfNdj6hyphenhyphenlbfUEHmqA9skKb0HgF8lj9I_pfrL8oqJLrpGjQbmryvXkTVp3KEA4jtb34fL0xPXAv0xwxVKUilmEA5oW2etoGCjSDsrDIUHDqYEdzKNMUGGD0/s1600/IMG_9524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1600" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-oCS_OJ_Xcx4u5hVXMPSuJfNdj6hyphenhyphenlbfUEHmqA9skKb0HgF8lj9I_pfrL8oqJLrpGjQbmryvXkTVp3KEA4jtb34fL0xPXAv0xwxVKUilmEA5oW2etoGCjSDsrDIUHDqYEdzKNMUGGD0/s640/IMG_9524.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> OK OK enough already eh....... the last temple on a bend in the river, with another coracle ready to take us across.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUaRbpoqNL_mg3Lfvd_bTOs2dBpwij3SQp5yVGRaPPl8YQhB9w8tcMZx7YcxIiYdv0Q82RP4LBeRZFs0r_DpeaOJ6m7lyHUXaduznAi71cxQimbyct9YNqL5uH9LpWzBtCsMw3NFATqo/s1600/IMG_9513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUaRbpoqNL_mg3Lfvd_bTOs2dBpwij3SQp5yVGRaPPl8YQhB9w8tcMZx7YcxIiYdv0Q82RP4LBeRZFs0r_DpeaOJ6m7lyHUXaduznAi71cxQimbyct9YNqL5uH9LpWzBtCsMw3NFATqo/s640/IMG_9513.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The river flowing but covered in vegetation.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TuD2HdxXF1jRIDT3TNFdrRQk5AZRISWnYVVuJwBP4iXXScBZeXRQhuD2X_bhgFGHbFlWHaAl-7K1iGWNhGj7E_vFmTtALhWoAtgxnEJYawkpsppKZuLEfkVV7RSyhwbdWZ69nh9t6D8/s1600/IMG_9516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="769" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TuD2HdxXF1jRIDT3TNFdrRQk5AZRISWnYVVuJwBP4iXXScBZeXRQhuD2X_bhgFGHbFlWHaAl-7K1iGWNhGj7E_vFmTtALhWoAtgxnEJYawkpsppKZuLEfkVV7RSyhwbdWZ69nh9t6D8/s640/IMG_9516.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I found some respite between some boulders but Donna doesn't like spiders!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02hhqzYp8BNx02MyKzuhkpp3wCNmyCowj5EuA40_kwyXI8mpnv2yWYvcIpSg8zqx7EGu6WpUc93lFpe0MVweB22JWKIlQtU5GAqsxxHeITWktRUcWd_PxoYHib49BJv7xwjAQJXSkv-Q/s1600/IMG_9518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1086" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02hhqzYp8BNx02MyKzuhkpp3wCNmyCowj5EuA40_kwyXI8mpnv2yWYvcIpSg8zqx7EGu6WpUc93lFpe0MVweB22JWKIlQtU5GAqsxxHeITWktRUcWd_PxoYHib49BJv7xwjAQJXSkv-Q/s640/IMG_9518.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A pathway has been cut into this huge slab of rock, these steps with anti-slip engraving carved in for good measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wildlife here prefers siestas. It's so hot during the day, the birds don't fly around much but early mornings and early evenings, the insects are about and the birds feast then.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk_twNxrUXvWVtxUkNL6DEjz6pMVxiijk5UgPIw817TGbtmmza1IfK990PvjYHoAqyUMBuDS8CVMIXyKI2k85Jef-ge1M8epg3lBb0GWtUcBKM1qeA4xHlUWXCRbjNHOY_fW1iuA0uck/s1600/IMG_9592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk_twNxrUXvWVtxUkNL6DEjz6pMVxiijk5UgPIw817TGbtmmza1IfK990PvjYHoAqyUMBuDS8CVMIXyKI2k85Jef-ge1M8epg3lBb0GWtUcBKM1qeA4xHlUWXCRbjNHOY_fW1iuA0uck/s640/IMG_9592.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The elephant likes bath time too!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbW2op_5auSy5bXGsnEPyxo_9rw5XkJE8zh_-gWjKI3-w6AXIIjlBLyI-qVto_9aqGstYdhZ-5Fj3eyDZQLbuOCHNSxyxQwWdXxyLfgnOBgEujlXoKyN7K5uU3djT0Na3DiXB8zIj1ftw/s1600/IMG_9567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbW2op_5auSy5bXGsnEPyxo_9rw5XkJE8zh_-gWjKI3-w6AXIIjlBLyI-qVto_9aqGstYdhZ-5Fj3eyDZQLbuOCHNSxyxQwWdXxyLfgnOBgEujlXoKyN7K5uU3djT0Na3DiXB8zIj1ftw/s640/IMG_9567.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Temples keep elephants for festivals, so they are treasured. Indeed Ganesh is almost everybody's favourite Hindu God.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6rYl8U8sUW6J5C6E_wyoUJQACMBSOCW_rzZznsJKLTrMBRA50HpMA-qFP5-Ajb2FgK7sHsdKrT0NsivKKdH16nmAKyRWSRx1NMq6AgepotX9Ep2erZRYPEreYg4PnDtr9XZJ8aDNxJ8/s1600/IMG_9608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6rYl8U8sUW6J5C6E_wyoUJQACMBSOCW_rzZznsJKLTrMBRA50HpMA-qFP5-Ajb2FgK7sHsdKrT0NsivKKdH16nmAKyRWSRx1NMq6AgepotX9Ep2erZRYPEreYg4PnDtr9XZJ8aDNxJ8/s640/IMG_9608.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Donna and myself struggled with the thought of captive elephants but at the end of the day, we are intending to get a dog, so who are we to bark... so to speak : )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And actually an elephant and it's trainer are paired near the start of both of their lives. The "Mahout" ( trainer ) will have got his elephant as a boy and will bond over a lifetime together. We saw no cruelty whilst we sat and watched this daily ritual.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpkdHRCIgpm_ok-KdvGxQTHX2d2U3e8gU7_SxYe8O8n_bk1jZvCao8qJW389mc4ehGaoEfwFCw8ke9jDcTUqzR57jLIoRCN7U7EGaNAMdgZI5pimnEbCFENwnJl1J-U2PBv8iT7x2UaE/s1600/IMG_9619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpkdHRCIgpm_ok-KdvGxQTHX2d2U3e8gU7_SxYe8O8n_bk1jZvCao8qJW389mc4ehGaoEfwFCw8ke9jDcTUqzR57jLIoRCN7U7EGaNAMdgZI5pimnEbCFENwnJl1J-U2PBv8iT7x2UaE/s640/IMG_9619.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The mahout is very caring and lavishes lots of time scrubbing his trunk.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zpd8exR4NiUNWsgUd51FuWXy5mPK3QIUZ7oJo4SvhZ4D4PjiQzV9rpJQZbasdIoKFUla0VlUv-Y-XPRl_nECps5sj19fEoyEDbZIaWEhIhOU8jgOOSaIGDe7PxXRAT44oaNIXJwVR1A/s1600/IMG_9652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="1600" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zpd8exR4NiUNWsgUd51FuWXy5mPK3QIUZ7oJo4SvhZ4D4PjiQzV9rpJQZbasdIoKFUla0VlUv-Y-XPRl_nECps5sj19fEoyEDbZIaWEhIhOU8jgOOSaIGDe7PxXRAT44oaNIXJwVR1A/s640/IMG_9652.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He gets a shower every morning.</span></div>
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Indeed the animal appeared to be very much enjoying itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsSS2EcO3ACrpy4pSSpvQuxnw2BPZ6-FKSXMmTc9abalK7Oozks8OfCuoCmiL0U0i6IZehbQoCv2zYk7GS6v-1yb0yK0lUpWZ6kbTpwSgDDY8edVqxiFbANfEltTGtndqToM127MEgFc/s1600/IMG_9763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsSS2EcO3ACrpy4pSSpvQuxnw2BPZ6-FKSXMmTc9abalK7Oozks8OfCuoCmiL0U0i6IZehbQoCv2zYk7GS6v-1yb0yK0lUpWZ6kbTpwSgDDY8edVqxiFbANfEltTGtndqToM127MEgFc/s640/IMG_9763.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the river runs from north to south and this place is just a few kilometers north of Hampi. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not sure how long this resevoir has existed. But this natural elevated body of water, holds the key to why a society settled here. Becoming the seat of power for a kingdom that straddled the whole of southern India and a thriving civilisation that has spanned two millennia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A corracle, this ancient form of transport along with bullock carts are still in everyday use.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPJm3EznLVe63jmAcytw9Iq4R99FTXJ12g7f0GscJfIOU5PrkLubPM8IU19NBOMgzGzfED1WOXVarNC0TBo6dlQ7dVeHnYqZGJXro3sS3ACMRe4lTUvkBym5uEv7Hcn98hplpczrd2pE/s1600/IMG_9819.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPJm3EznLVe63jmAcytw9Iq4R99FTXJ12g7f0GscJfIOU5PrkLubPM8IU19NBOMgzGzfED1WOXVarNC0TBo6dlQ7dVeHnYqZGJXro3sS3ACMRe4lTUvkBym5uEv7Hcn98hplpczrd2pE/s320/IMG_9819.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a hurried climb to get to the top of another peak and another Hanuman (Monkey God) temple. We got this elevated vista of a sunset, showing just how flat the land is. I was able to scramble in here and stand up in this small cave or shelter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A last Hampi sunset.</span></div>
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getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-70702991009394510782018-02-01T02:28:00.000-08:002018-02-01T02:37:41.345-08:00Super Moon Eclipse from north Goa 31.1.18<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Lunar eclipse</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So it's the last day of January and were in Vagator, north Goa. By about 3pm the temperature tops out around 37 degrees and there's hardly any breeze, so we can't sit out for long. But this evening is an event that last happened 150 years ago!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WNOV8OfcyTA58JHDPMsmx_FCoCJZ823jyqL9mwFEDpBOot9rSHh8glEivAQ57r_JlAf7ACXyVj_TOwUjG6tISBhLPHxPXQW0lH_5z-1W-XhUc4Zx9K4y_-YK1j_fT-z6V5RCSs-mDe8/s1600/IMG_2538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WNOV8OfcyTA58JHDPMsmx_FCoCJZ823jyqL9mwFEDpBOot9rSHh8glEivAQ57r_JlAf7ACXyVj_TOwUjG6tISBhLPHxPXQW0lH_5z-1W-XhUc4Zx9K4y_-YK1j_fT-z6V5RCSs-mDe8/s640/IMG_2538.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Picture taken due west at 18:30 (IST or +05:30 hrs GMT)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But by 6pm it's cool enough for us to climb to the highest point and watch the sunset over the ocean on this special evening. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a 400mm zoom lens, this is a picture of the sun taken around 18:30 or less than ten minutes before sunset. The colour changes are caused by the amount of low level polution running off shore across the Arabian sea to the horizon. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgns2V6JkMKfvmCnXAe88ktdZOFxq3kf-a-zSNO1G0GVQQyDKnnsibQ1WGwrMmKdWl4RGw_-X8u80rznIGP_DtrEt-BsRapAohDlCvHKPXMrE7DztvTtYwqYGwrd2fSeClm-HOCmIhBpc/s1600/IMG_2553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgns2V6JkMKfvmCnXAe88ktdZOFxq3kf-a-zSNO1G0GVQQyDKnnsibQ1WGwrMmKdWl4RGw_-X8u80rznIGP_DtrEt-BsRapAohDlCvHKPXMrE7DztvTtYwqYGwrd2fSeClm-HOCmIhBpc/s640/IMG_2553.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Picture taken due west at 18:40</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So although the sun hasn't dropped below the horizon, due to the polution, the sea and the sky merge into this man made industrial soup. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7J5_B4Bk3WEYwz8u-0l9Yrk9uflEwm1jELp738KFIhsFz0qCcQfffrBr2TBL9QpBhveyzxkSxnZgm4_ddvO8W0fFtbHU4HsaAqiWcQpfbiiN0lxO4lyxFHMCl9CS2IaOg3MJcPFbBVU/s1600/IMG_2571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1449" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7J5_B4Bk3WEYwz8u-0l9Yrk9uflEwm1jELp738KFIhsFz0qCcQfffrBr2TBL9QpBhveyzxkSxnZgm4_ddvO8W0fFtbHU4HsaAqiWcQpfbiiN0lxO4lyxFHMCl9CS2IaOg3MJcPFbBVU/s640/IMG_2571.jpg" width="618" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Picture taken due east at 19:40 </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But today is special as its not just a day when the moon gets closest to Earth, making it a "super moon". But it's also a night when the Earth get's between the Sun and the Moon and causes a "lunar eclipse". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The reason for the blurred image is due to my set up with the camera. Without a tripod, I resorted to propping the camera on a rock, although the cause for the blur was due to the low light levels and an exposure time of forty seconds. So lowest part is the start point of the moons ascendancy to its last sight when the lens shut.... whoops</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiHYMWlA89ZTNQlTqFWDrt1MxijuBWEGd7G8Vxzav6z0XZGyoAVB7rDZ6deU03CKDo-2EQgaTNL1gJRgG0k6m787IuhkwGOYzXMyyFEi_p2-GzVkRxvNEqJE62DGNKAACZut04k1LLwY/s1600/IMG_2586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiHYMWlA89ZTNQlTqFWDrt1MxijuBWEGd7G8Vxzav6z0XZGyoAVB7rDZ6deU03CKDo-2EQgaTNL1gJRgG0k6m787IuhkwGOYzXMyyFEi_p2-GzVkRxvNEqJE62DGNKAACZut04k1LLwY/s640/IMG_2586.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Picture taken due east at 20:10</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next shot was a half an hour later when the moon started to whiten as the sun came back around the earth and started to illuminate the moon from the south / or underside of the Earth. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEbs2N_o6aXYv0mt7-u0xxCNEOZrEFlpcWa8zD4CMCw4haksBfDIOTQs0y4ga0yWX3d3scpNQvIPYTXVsB549N1qFDU4hrEvijjRf4Sp1kKs-FN0l43GaH2Aug2GPCQGC6aptL8yOHZY/s1600/IMG_2604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1215" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEbs2N_o6aXYv0mt7-u0xxCNEOZrEFlpcWa8zD4CMCw4haksBfDIOTQs0y4ga0yWX3d3scpNQvIPYTXVsB549N1qFDU4hrEvijjRf4Sp1kKs-FN0l43GaH2Aug2GPCQGC6aptL8yOHZY/s640/IMG_2604.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Picture taken due east at 20:40</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By this time the moon was illuminated enough for me to take ths picture in just an eighth of a second. So there is no tracking blur.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSL8TBpuRZz_6AOA6VLZIpHgluVLniWy91eW9L4eHwMqy9sHcgtbXGjYiCMMDKmAXb9XiHAu39pOeElyt3vL1hoYd0x2XOfqhKcLucmr2O2kVM3QaBmILQmzwmb5ESN7KkhVWGYs3i_w8/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSL8TBpuRZz_6AOA6VLZIpHgluVLniWy91eW9L4eHwMqy9sHcgtbXGjYiCMMDKmAXb9XiHAu39pOeElyt3vL1hoYd0x2XOfqhKcLucmr2O2kVM3QaBmILQmzwmb5ESN7KkhVWGYs3i_w8/s640/IMG_2606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Earth has two moons</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These last two pix were taken around 20:40, due to the optics within the zoom lens, the huge distance between the lens and the moon and my inability to set the camera directly at the moon. It has caused refraction, or an optical illusion showing a second moon. So we haven't added another moon, we just added the pix coz they just look a bit funky : )</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHOB41bQ7vNJJfhubTM8qNsB21rzZbNdFB3cvlX6AHr6TYrrXpd-FXWA_avjn1toUWWGHGQvDi0wdPI1W8uidIsT6iOtKbQbVPIk1mHQpq2ySJFNsu6GzG0NtP2W2bAZyczwJ8Hvw37U/s1600/IMG_2609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHOB41bQ7vNJJfhubTM8qNsB21rzZbNdFB3cvlX6AHr6TYrrXpd-FXWA_avjn1toUWWGHGQvDi0wdPI1W8uidIsT6iOtKbQbVPIk1mHQpq2ySJFNsu6GzG0NtP2W2bAZyczwJ8Hvw37U/s640/IMG_2609.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-27609216336019611962017-12-23T21:42:00.000-08:002017-12-23T21:42:08.698-08:00Merry Christmas from Agonda xx<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsoyYulzI5qjlUvewcFeR9-xpQSQV10Nfuahfb0kNmREUUZsd9kyDJc500m_RHDlPYzeduJZi7T61aqMjN13tgm5ffHSnnU0WN6PstWknLdhPZw7WhPxkpoRM0ePnaIpMiUIc8lL0JlU/s1600/IMG_0211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsoyYulzI5qjlUvewcFeR9-xpQSQV10Nfuahfb0kNmREUUZsd9kyDJc500m_RHDlPYzeduJZi7T61aqMjN13tgm5ffHSnnU0WN6PstWknLdhPZw7WhPxkpoRM0ePnaIpMiUIc8lL0JlU/s640/IMG_0211.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZGRiSbd-MQkKzGlHouqvyq6b63OcxSR9Qy2wmbA55yeY8R_XKZ5NMg5bn-wlpzxBk1An3s2KJetlinys8u76Y-IsuzpFiNgHwl8DLsqx9xNLScsoT4SZhKw7avmyVk2ReFWtn8_f4Zk/s1600/IMG_0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZGRiSbd-MQkKzGlHouqvyq6b63OcxSR9Qy2wmbA55yeY8R_XKZ5NMg5bn-wlpzxBk1An3s2KJetlinys8u76Y-IsuzpFiNgHwl8DLsqx9xNLScsoT4SZhKw7avmyVk2ReFWtn8_f4Zk/s640/IMG_0219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Well hello and Merry Christmas form Agonda, Goa xx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it's Sunday morning and Christmas Eve, we got here about a week ago and have settled into a routine, we're making the most of our chill out in the tropics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We chose Agonda as it is the lesser trodden path, the beach is bigger, less populated and feels more open. We chose Velvet Sunset because it's located at the north end and meets with our requirements of space. W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hen the tide is in, we are only fifty meters from our bed to the breaking waves. But it can be tricky after eleven as the sand is too hot to walk on! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's actually very quiet as there has been a steep decline in the expected number of tourists, of course this suits us but it's not good for tourism! However most of the seventeen beach huts here are occupied. There's a good reason for that as it's very shanti (relaxed) as they say down here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are generally on the beach by 7:30 and have taken to an early morning run on the waters edge before a dip in the Arabian sea with a leisurely breakfast of pancakes or mueseli. The long walk the stretch of the beach has become another ritual as it's just so beautiful. This really is a halcyon lifestyle, our tropical winter solstice with warm breezes and soothing waves. It's so strange being in a different environment and climate and it so doesn't feel like Christmas. We would totally recommend it to anybody who can take the opportunity as it's stress free and keeps the old athritis at bay!! Having said that, we are thinking of all our loved ones at home and missing them very much xx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">We are being well looked after by all the staff here who are becoming firm friends. Not always sure they understand our sense of humour but they are catching on : ) !!!! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbIMbAxtiZNQBPV6oRknRJ1XY64l2dpzTLel0Mhqu2jieuM3oyjDBUCwVhRE_74ThQkj9zk3-2eE2_niAefg3v499U04QWZMdtjTxULUKTddc9vdVfoji4aoprwcQOzQtgHqhTQRYPgk/s1600/IMG_0240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbIMbAxtiZNQBPV6oRknRJ1XY64l2dpzTLel0Mhqu2jieuM3oyjDBUCwVhRE_74ThQkj9zk3-2eE2_niAefg3v499U04QWZMdtjTxULUKTddc9vdVfoji4aoprwcQOzQtgHqhTQRYPgk/s640/IMG_0240.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So just to explain the neon Merry Christmas at the top - was done on the beach using an colour light app on our mobile and a time-lapsed 30 second exposure and two seperate shots. With the camera resting on a sun bed and Donna going like the clappers writing backwards, actually you can see her in it. The white light above is a crescent moon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took a few minutes to set it up but once you've sussed it, it is fun and the kids would love it. Hope you like it and hope you have a great time xx</span></div>
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getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-9780354750546898742017-11-30T19:31:00.000-08:002017-11-30T19:31:12.185-08:00Yala just kept giving and will always be with us......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Whilst we we're driving out of Yala, I knew how much Donna was hoping to see elephants and leopards. Then as if by magic this lone male just appeared, he came out of the bush on our left and crossed the road. Whilst he was enjoying his breakfast of long grass, small branches, twigs and leaves, he hung out with us for half an hour. </div>
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To see a wild elephant is a very special time and it was the most rewarding moment for me, when I saw my lady's face and tears. Words cannot convey, so here's a couple of pix!</div>
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I know I've said it so many times but Sri Lanka is truly beautiful and we would both be content to spend months exploring the island and it's secrets. However from the little bit that we did see, without any hesitation, Yala is the stand out place. It wasn't just the animals....... the place is incredibly beautiful with diverse landscapes and amazing vistas. Being a pristine, uninhabited national park with an Indian Ocean coastline. With the time to reflect and the thoughts of the 2004 Tsunami. Yala gets inside of you, it has a primordial, serenity and has become the most evocative memory already.</div>
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getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-81513717998865474532017-11-29T23:08:00.000-08:002017-11-30T00:36:34.827-08:00Extreme weather hits Southern India and Sri Lanka<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't concern yourselves with our welfare, we are currently holed up in a very comfortable, well built hotel in Negombo, an hour north of Columbo and just twenty minutes from the airport. Though we haven't heard any planes landing so far today. As you will have gathered from our previous blog, we are going a bit stir crazy. However can I reiterate, we are absolutely fine and very comfortable. Were not even sure if you will get wind of this on UK news, but we wrote it just in case and just to assure you, that everything is OK with us. Actually the rain has stopped and the trees are still but it's overcast. Around here everything appears to be going on as usual.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway after a horrendous night of heavy rain and high winds, we checked on local TV to see whats happening. So our understanding is that t</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">here is an extreme weather warning in place. So far there have been several deaths on land. There are houses that have lost their roofs, trees down, land slides and flooding is blocking major roads and railway tracks, including roads into Columbo. Galla in the south west was worse hit, where four people have died. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A senoir official is on TV questioning why fishing boats went out yesterday. He has confirmed that lots of fishing boats have capsized and fishermen are missing.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Currently the eye of the cyclone is in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of south west India. There is a second one forming in the Bay of Bengal which is expected to track west.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are due to board a puddle jumper for the forty five minute flight from Columbo to Trivandrum on Saturday. Basically that puts us in the middle of things. So unless there is a dramatic improvement, we doubt very much if we will be flying soon. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>See article taken Accu weather report -</i></span><br>
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A newly formed depression and second brewing tropical threat will combine to threaten parts of India and Sri Lanka with flooding and mudslides into next week.</div>
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The seventh Bay of Bengal depression of the season developed near Sri Lanka on Wednesday and has produced rounds of heavy rainfall across the country and neighboring parts of southern India since early in the week.</div>
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A slow track to the west will take the depression south of India before it turns northward and moves off the coast of western India into early next week.</div>
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<img alt="India 11/29" src="https://accuweather.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0b6f906/2147483647/resize/590x/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Faccuweather-bsp.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2Ff8%2F878891dd4712af9c4c4ac81631d9%2Findia-11-29.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 574px;"></div>
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This track will result in daily downpours across Sri Lanka and southern India through at least Saturday.</div>
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The heaviest rain is expected across Sri Lanka and southern and central Tamil Nadu as well as southern Kerala in India.</div>
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This includes areas from Puducherry, Madurai and Kochi southward. Rainfall of 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) will be common with local amounts reaching 200 mm (8 inches).</div>
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There will be a high risk for local flash flooding along with an elevated risk for mudslides.</div>
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Lighter rainfall will expand farther north and impact locations from Chennai to Benaluru, Coimbatore and Kozhikode. </div>
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These areas will get generally less than 50 mm (2 inches) of rainfall through Sunday.</div>
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While this first tropical threat sits over the Arabian Sea early next week, a new threat will approach Sri Lanka and eastern India.</div>
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Tropical development is possible as early as Thursday or Friday near the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal.</div>
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This potential cyclone will then have an opportunity to organize further and strengthen as it crosses the southern Bay of Bengal this weekend.</div>
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Eastern India will be at risk for impacts from the tropical cyclone as early as Monday night, with areas from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh at highest risk for flooding and damaging winds.</div>
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Depending on the exact track, flooding rainfall could extend inland across southern India or spread northward into Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Orissa later week.</div>
getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-88208461976923363762017-11-29T19:09:00.002-08:002017-11-29T19:11:11.158-08:00Raspberries and belly farts <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How do we pass the time on the road? </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What do you do when rain hasn't stopped for day's and Donna is fed up of playing Kandy Krunch (that's the Sri Lankan version). When you don't have a TV, a pack of cards or a scooby doo what to do next. When two people spend every moment of everyday together. When you just laugh together and you've kicked off the constraints of social conformity and are left to your own devices for too long. With a hundred years of experience, we are blessed with wisdom and naughtiness in equal measures. Life should begin and end with elasticated waist bands, the bit in the middle is for love, laughter and belly fart's. We may be in our fifty's but really were just kids with arthritis. So to celebrate our new status we did this!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;">OMG.......... We really are happy just being daft, </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;">hope we made you laugh too : )</span></h2>
getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-25666139136287971172017-11-29T02:23:00.001-08:002017-11-29T02:27:05.353-08:00Ella and off the beaten trackElla is in the hills of central Sri Lanka and where we stayed for a couple of nights after Yala. On reflection we should have stayed longer as it's a lovely little village with just a couple of streets set on a plateau between some peaks. It's at about 1100 meters, so thats around the summit of Snowden in old money.<br />
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Right look up, no don't look right or the quick way down! </div>
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On the road up, we were constantly climbing for about ninety minutes.</div>
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On our way, these are the Ramana falls</div>
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The view from our hotel room looking at another peak</div>
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You can see the tea terraces, looking down from our room.</div>
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On the climb up, please note number 1 assistant and sherpa is carrying the camera bag and our kit, whilst I'm happily snapping away : )</div>
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The ubiquitous Buddha atop "Little Adams Peak. </div>
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The view east from Little Adams Peak at around 1400 mts (guestimated) somewhere near the top of </div>
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Ben Nevis.</div>
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The exertion had us back in teeshirts and enjoying the breeze. Please see Donna's new friend popping up, she has a way with the ubiquitous dogs here. </div>
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These young ladies appear quite comfortable on their little perch.</div>
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However from this angle, you can see their little perch is precarious at least and actually terrifying with a sheer drop in front of them.</div>
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Horticultural graffiti, don't suppose Alan Titmarsh would approve eh!</div>
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Maybe Alpine flora in the tropics?</div>
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On our way down, near the summit, this is high end accomodation, there's also a helipad up here.</div>
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Once we got off the peak we followed our planned loop and sat for a cup of coffee at this "Chi Wallahs" little viewing point. This is known as "Nine Arches Bridge"</div>
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Can you see why?</div>
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And this is the train that we will be catching tomorrow to Columbo</div>
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We went down to give it a closer inspection.</div>
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Hmmm this is interesting eh!</div>
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Hey little doggy we can do that to and standing up! See what I mean, everywhere we go, they just love her.</div>
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I wonder what's on the other side..... we hope it's not a train</div>
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Oh look it's an enterprising young lady selling coconuts to travellers</div>
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"Help help it's the hooded claw" Donna has always wanted to live out her fantasy of being </div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0TwrrFMLik&list=PLsfHUJ8Lf_3ZH8StctJcfmwxKeeYDk3Xo&index=2" target="_blank">Penelope Pitstop</a> </div>
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We put this link in for our younger audience to find out who she was and it's also there to jog the old foggies! </div>
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However Penelope (Donna's alter ego) was less likely of being run over by a train and more likely of getting stampeded by cattle and a man in some dodgy wellies. </div>
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Seems like this strech of track is a short cut for all sorts of traffic.</div>
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Donna has really got to grips with this photography and always takes a nice picture eh!</div>
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Oh look a telegraph pole, is it a D pole? shall I climb it? Ten years ago I may have needed to. These days even if I look at it for too long, it's at risk of groaning and just toppling over.</div>
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Donna now has full control of the camera and I'm now 1st assistant!</div>
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Its a stand off, the first one to blink or the first assistant get's it.</div>
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A working lady on her way home from market, she wasn't smiling till I pulled the camera out. But then we both knew I had to cough, this snap cost us a hundred roops or fifty pence. We don't have too pay but it just wouldn't be right not to!</div>
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This is the heart of the tea plantation industry in Sri Lanka.</div>
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Yup.... you got it, so did she, another hundred roops. </div>
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I must keep an eye on this spell check as it changes it to troops!</div>
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Tea workers village within tea plantation. Didn't see any satellite dishes or even a TV ariel.</div>
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Unfortunately what you don't get in these pix doesn't carry the sound track. Within the little community, life may be around the poverty threshold with limited opportunities. It may be more of a Shanti town than a village. But it functions, dog's bark at cats and chase tuktuk's. Kids scream and skip around. Life goes on devoid of outside influence and unaware of the outside world's toil's and tribulations. With the greatest of respect for these people, I doubt they are aware of Kim Jong Un and WMD's, Trumpland, ISIS, Brexit, Bitcoin or Job Centres. Even without the so called safety net that the welfare state affords UK citizens. This nations empathic nature has much to offer!</div>
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Lady tea picker off to the drying process.</div>
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See I told you, here's one I looked at for too long!</div>
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Does that signal mean safety or scarper?</div>
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Warning do not try this at home, this sequence was carried out under strict supervision. All be it by Donna...... welcome to my world!</div>
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The end of our little walk and a ninety minute jaunt along the track back to town. Ella train station as with the whole railway network was surveyed and commissioned by the British and built by the Sri Lankans. It's nostalgic, spotless and is another fine example of the Raj and it's legacy.</div>
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We have seen so many scenes like this at so many stations for the last few days.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu24jMIumnUL9QLWOwvpMkUdwyZdoovSw2qyLQ5Ep8vn_diu4okEcUML5jE4wdzDMqAaEfDjphByzcIQwkxZvhvYD-UohCYi_vV1OUGQ7ZJXY6mgi45IE4nHImC1LEZBmsS6cVM1-MkX0/s1600/IMG_8266+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu24jMIumnUL9QLWOwvpMkUdwyZdoovSw2qyLQ5Ep8vn_diu4okEcUML5jE4wdzDMqAaEfDjphByzcIQwkxZvhvYD-UohCYi_vV1OUGQ7ZJXY6mgi45IE4nHImC1LEZBmsS6cVM1-MkX0/s640/IMG_8266+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The little garden in the station</div>
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With all the modern conveniences, this platform wants for nothing.</div>
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Converging lines - just trying to be arty.</div>
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"Time with the Station Master"</div>
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After asking the station master, would it be OK to take the picture. It was taken by pointing the camera through the little hole on the counter where you hand over your cash in exchage for your ticket. It's the same snap as above with a different crop, we couldn't agree on which was nicest. So it's one of those BOGOFF deals eh!</div>
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Zoom zoom..... rush hour in Ella</div>
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Breath in.</div>
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Ella is so well planned with it's taxi rank and picnic area right outside the hypermarket.</div>
<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-15290855528146893602017-11-27T18:33:00.002-08:002017-11-28T18:21:16.165-08:00It's not all sun and sangria over here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whilst we've been flashing you the good stuff. We had several heavy downpours on the coast and last Wednesday afternoon, we had a tropical rainstorm with plenty of thunder, lightning and proper rain. In the space of five minutes we had a river running down the hill to the side of our digs.</div>
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But it was all over in half an hour and we could see the sea and blue skies again.</div>
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An hour and half after that and just before sunset, this was our last view of Mirissa beach.</div>
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Since then we went to the hills and stayed a couple of nights in the beautiful village of Ella. (pictures to follow) </div>
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Before moving onto a place I read about many years ago and liked the sound of it........! Kandy has a lake, a huge temple and a giant buddha on a hill. I'ts also clogged with traffic and the polution is shocking and chest heaving after a couple of minutes in a tuktuk. On reflection we should have given it a swerve!</div>
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However we were fortunate enough to find a nice hotel with a huge room and good wifi. So we were able to catch up on things. Donna is now upto date with the journal and work is now kushty. But apart from a couple of brief respites, it hasn't stopped raining for three days.</div>
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So this morning we're out of here, heading west on the 10:30 express!!! train to Negombo and the coast. It's a resort town near the airport but the whole island is getting a thorough soaking at the mo, so were not expecting much. Catch you later xx</div>
<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-36773909988296760632017-11-26T01:47:00.002-08:002017-11-26T02:53:22.549-08:00Yala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So on our way to the hills of central Sri Lanka. We set off early at 03:30 to visit Yala, a place for which we had high hopes. The sun started to rise as we were approaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAtY2wudcNOsCV1C8s4C2H21016mGqtKhofFvxzdv5qMV-sWTlH0lSTgrh6u-ugPmqrnzHRSZ-P8ra6CHZ7ZVDRY7Zo7MFNcBR6iZoofUOCa2BGLdI2DoFCzg5YAc7u-7B33VDrcKGMo/s1600/IMG_7115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1600" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAtY2wudcNOsCV1C8s4C2H21016mGqtKhofFvxzdv5qMV-sWTlH0lSTgrh6u-ugPmqrnzHRSZ-P8ra6CHZ7ZVDRY7Zo7MFNcBR6iZoofUOCa2BGLdI2DoFCzg5YAc7u-7B33VDrcKGMo/s640/IMG_7115.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The locals were in a rush to get there as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr6wPjxg9UZZGS573vbDuhAQktAJA7Suzpp3QHhLu320KW6YSfvHNOEQdZy5p2qmvNtgpueQ_bckAWidryXP7HviteCTeUoLQgvGR9HiwEIRcFGTBmMpT3jRkZ-79QhlNV2vQJGbE5a4/s1600/IMG_7103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr6wPjxg9UZZGS573vbDuhAQktAJA7Suzpp3QHhLu320KW6YSfvHNOEQdZy5p2qmvNtgpueQ_bckAWidryXP7HviteCTeUoLQgvGR9HiwEIRcFGTBmMpT3jRkZ-79QhlNV2vQJGbE5a4/s640/IMG_7103.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it was as if they knew we were coming.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzXAc_VZBrIg_GxXjK_Mir4-vewM4jasyDgTq1pB2kSZoLrVJcaQlimsyGGpzyXroq_USQEoHcLutcypur2J-Zp44mMuJPD8-6uGXQRg5wH038Z0G09LYSa3eNyuWhfGTEGWFKSsPDrc/s1600/IMG_7109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzXAc_VZBrIg_GxXjK_Mir4-vewM4jasyDgTq1pB2kSZoLrVJcaQlimsyGGpzyXroq_USQEoHcLutcypur2J-Zp44mMuJPD8-6uGXQRg5wH038Z0G09LYSa3eNyuWhfGTEGWFKSsPDrc/s640/IMG_7109.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even some of the big guns came out to greet us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX1uDER08GrzSQHkfg4F9-cVWLAyVEMT3fyp5ZGF4gr2u1KmkV8MssOO0x_W-RobyW4nR83MRYvMnkN6w9Y2wjdHIYtkv0_-kOJz59T48L0dIyXHRj528wXwz6mo1r5X5OgJRMEWIfdg/s1600/IMG_7121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX1uDER08GrzSQHkfg4F9-cVWLAyVEMT3fyp5ZGF4gr2u1KmkV8MssOO0x_W-RobyW4nR83MRYvMnkN6w9Y2wjdHIYtkv0_-kOJz59T48L0dIyXHRj528wXwz6mo1r5X5OgJRMEWIfdg/s640/IMG_7121.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not all the deer were quite as enthusiastic.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtL3LLo2lGImIf2jIjWEVfDZc-MwSfHLS5JZ4Pv7Q7Hw_sosYCI4NdReMpCybs4eka7-ZhdIls-j0WeEHHACs_0buQbgQApRgMLIkfHk7l7DaDH6pfkx1gRsGFWdm6ziwy5RNay4kl8k/s1600/IMG_7126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtL3LLo2lGImIf2jIjWEVfDZc-MwSfHLS5JZ4Pv7Q7Hw_sosYCI4NdReMpCybs4eka7-ZhdIls-j0WeEHHACs_0buQbgQApRgMLIkfHk7l7DaDH6pfkx1gRsGFWdm6ziwy5RNay4kl8k/s640/IMG_7126.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though some were more than others.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJa9CMFLiK19uKMyeFM35QDRUexF0N_Tvuc7E9gBIqjX8oA2_0-UstC0OcMWlO800Gqf_aEmWW61O2W0ZuXCQGLbAkvmslHCNi0bpiLTZiSlGx5kS5LI4b7ugh03KNcpxaoRghpmdl58/s1600/IMG_7248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJa9CMFLiK19uKMyeFM35QDRUexF0N_Tvuc7E9gBIqjX8oA2_0-UstC0OcMWlO800Gqf_aEmWW61O2W0ZuXCQGLbAkvmslHCNi0bpiLTZiSlGx5kS5LI4b7ugh03KNcpxaoRghpmdl58/s640/IMG_7248.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Come in here out of the way girls"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pjW9CpW6M4ek8YuaHKLvsvU5e_baSn0sqkgN48VV_tU8LUgfByO6GXT3vmIkTCmNCp4jpZlLsrq40XlJOranPvBhp3WT8UlNfZ7do83pxRwsO6jRa5Lb-snQ_gyfZkpDoeUJBjP3Mds/s1600/IMG_7250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pjW9CpW6M4ek8YuaHKLvsvU5e_baSn0sqkgN48VV_tU8LUgfByO6GXT3vmIkTCmNCp4jpZlLsrq40XlJOranPvBhp3WT8UlNfZ7do83pxRwsO6jRa5Lb-snQ_gyfZkpDoeUJBjP3Mds/s640/IMG_7250.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Hey and you Charlie, come in here with the rest of us"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOu7_li9Ivu03vXDT3UeeXjx4drAC9J_zkaoM93tAL2YbvxEJZrVwpAw5pKNHaPZR4RLuY4IvAqeEcgogckBJXoxIINWWG1Da5aib-n6FiYS6JBOARKjTquu1AA0JLhxAZw89KTB4dFbM/s1600/IMG_7339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOu7_li9Ivu03vXDT3UeeXjx4drAC9J_zkaoM93tAL2YbvxEJZrVwpAw5pKNHaPZR4RLuY4IvAqeEcgogckBJXoxIINWWG1Da5aib-n6FiYS6JBOARKjTquu1AA0JLhxAZw89KTB4dFbM/s640/IMG_7339.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Cmon Charlie, I need some help too"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u7A03_oia6597ZDYmr8g_r_YyjE-_Yjlb6SuxgQmHCqMs_u2_jNmLpWNt3t8PEvmmTgpL4yroSobYWdFQe-wRp3HiZMUVBHssSXugXOxqm7j88KFvJlQ8CpE1bRkJtCcraI5XfAlMD4/s1600/IMG_7338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u7A03_oia6597ZDYmr8g_r_YyjE-_Yjlb6SuxgQmHCqMs_u2_jNmLpWNt3t8PEvmmTgpL4yroSobYWdFQe-wRp3HiZMUVBHssSXugXOxqm7j88KFvJlQ8CpE1bRkJtCcraI5XfAlMD4/s640/IMG_7338.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Awww mum, you spoil all the fun"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYDOdXUNsksJ03Cwg4_4MFordN5XNxFvdpbvxGznvMDyk5ugsIJn7ssw9hQb9HHzo5qtflyE22GCwYFCt_Hkshjw_qIP5FXp4-CCiLuMWw1RJtEiiBGo_82kwkKNO_0m7eJxtk2fbMTk/s1600/IMG_7162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYDOdXUNsksJ03Cwg4_4MFordN5XNxFvdpbvxGznvMDyk5ugsIJn7ssw9hQb9HHzo5qtflyE22GCwYFCt_Hkshjw_qIP5FXp4-CCiLuMWw1RJtEiiBGo_82kwkKNO_0m7eJxtk2fbMTk/s640/IMG_7162.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But as the sun got higher everyone came out to play.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Hey guys, I can see some of them humans again"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpa36fBOuoOGvKCF1Vuqr255O7Y8J1N5l3LXmj8ilEv55Ll6BvX_f1CcunlmhyphenhyphenYdu4sH2u2XsOzirASHRIwRXrodmiE1v3CVFPjbZkjHgWvoPmNEeIUj1MASQCS56rWQRe4o468Evirs/s1600/IMG_7165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpa36fBOuoOGvKCF1Vuqr255O7Y8J1N5l3LXmj8ilEv55Ll6BvX_f1CcunlmhyphenhyphenYdu4sH2u2XsOzirASHRIwRXrodmiE1v3CVFPjbZkjHgWvoPmNEeIUj1MASQCS56rWQRe4o468Evirs/s640/IMG_7165.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"OK OK enough already"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uvQ9hfYG_jD19U9arezXtFLizxCKus2SYI0hNJ7KFzPLE3KC90kmRBbMMkgvrZO1TWmead8jUj3LRhErrXB0eupvd0hIiQjp_6T9Fg-ZutRjGe_-3GLoiu7kp7r0ImMUTkfVcq21ua4/s1600/IMG_7178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uvQ9hfYG_jD19U9arezXtFLizxCKus2SYI0hNJ7KFzPLE3KC90kmRBbMMkgvrZO1TWmead8jUj3LRhErrXB0eupvd0hIiQjp_6T9Fg-ZutRjGe_-3GLoiu7kp7r0ImMUTkfVcq21ua4/s640/IMG_7178.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aww giving her a cwtch.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xV0lrFU6iRHuFXe05GNSEDuY03h7__nQby2bLGdcWhHu67jsDy4KQrxNlpGV6IDk80ytuLM1hjEFcxhQLyfKm5AE56GLJouWfDjoVQCNHm-XNgL1-XaoxJbXXr8Qv6O0STcENl5jHeQ/s1600/IMG_7204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xV0lrFU6iRHuFXe05GNSEDuY03h7__nQby2bLGdcWhHu67jsDy4KQrxNlpGV6IDk80ytuLM1hjEFcxhQLyfKm5AE56GLJouWfDjoVQCNHm-XNgL1-XaoxJbXXr8Qv6O0STcENl5jHeQ/s640/IMG_7204.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"But I saw her first"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u9xRLFxCUUowit7XZcB9ueW0V1Ee9CPLqs9ZOrm7PlOkUaFluDLz_bR-C7JuspbElvODnSfi8WwD9G-NbJQObIJppNQG6t7va_83fw8qAM-8cPhrmzZMMIL6deEf60a-M21eUnmELsM/s1600/IMG_7207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u9xRLFxCUUowit7XZcB9ueW0V1Ee9CPLqs9ZOrm7PlOkUaFluDLz_bR-C7JuspbElvODnSfi8WwD9G-NbJQObIJppNQG6t7va_83fw8qAM-8cPhrmzZMMIL6deEf60a-M21eUnmELsM/s640/IMG_7207.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yeah but I'm older than you"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfITlbpvdVRc5q3qUVFdelzgnyx4yQfZjprtzYiTzjRGqqq1uVHyh-NpkqcWRVngEk2Vx-E8FKyPqBL7LFsl6QIdzXzFEWl_81ZvBrDcxEy-pJKkZ0uR9Ko95OLzr_uTCQUBDkTKXX4g/s1600/IMG_7231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfITlbpvdVRc5q3qUVFdelzgnyx4yQfZjprtzYiTzjRGqqq1uVHyh-NpkqcWRVngEk2Vx-E8FKyPqBL7LFsl6QIdzXzFEWl_81ZvBrDcxEy-pJKkZ0uR9Ko95OLzr_uTCQUBDkTKXX4g/s640/IMG_7231.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Oh well Mavis, boys will be boys eh!"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgE-BAoUZEVWeBptELFud_uE6Hvyi1kczTKIz7Gjx9Gb9Hz90EkHMrJnXNERKEeQTBscRAJZy0N7-HEiYWPlKRt82vXIiaCxxX47cQQ4i82j062Y_cn8qkqCkle0tGUC5uVziT9n6-nk/s1600/IMG_7238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgE-BAoUZEVWeBptELFud_uE6Hvyi1kczTKIz7Gjx9Gb9Hz90EkHMrJnXNERKEeQTBscRAJZy0N7-HEiYWPlKRt82vXIiaCxxX47cQQ4i82j062Y_cn8qkqCkle0tGUC5uVziT9n6-nk/s640/IMG_7238.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like dad"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC9s2OMhsPzQgPntik6kOzSckaeAhlX0HVEgzcA8qFRuFZGZMZf7Rtcy8_V_O85nmRQSNyNZPUH9-vUW8Ill8dj_A7guZBYgOGCICyKha7Bnj_HiCJeCSYkuC0W6aTMGNkg413x6IXek/s1600/IMG_7290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC9s2OMhsPzQgPntik6kOzSckaeAhlX0HVEgzcA8qFRuFZGZMZf7Rtcy8_V_O85nmRQSNyNZPUH9-vUW8Ill8dj_A7guZBYgOGCICyKha7Bnj_HiCJeCSYkuC0W6aTMGNkg413x6IXek/s640/IMG_7290.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Why was I born so beautiful"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHx_FhmrjJkqoqx4hAJEHHO0Qc1iiBhFJjHh2vUuk-m-09Zt52CQCbVFSAhCN2TaiD-eihf3nZDxGlH05k6WFWbpeYdt-OxcAVWc0Jq4bFSrfuEVtOJiDdJ5gkEchcurUYZgWNJoo_c4/s1600/IMG_7307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHx_FhmrjJkqoqx4hAJEHHO0Qc1iiBhFJjHh2vUuk-m-09Zt52CQCbVFSAhCN2TaiD-eihf3nZDxGlH05k6WFWbpeYdt-OxcAVWc0Jq4bFSrfuEVtOJiDdJ5gkEchcurUYZgWNJoo_c4/s640/IMG_7307.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Now c'mon girls, we got to get in a row for Donna and Martin"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lesser whistling ducks</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWCBrqi6W49Nbp5GtwhjcgrEMRACzrOGbVRxaUTX6t7pddx8BHv32wVgBTSFpy6-1r20faG0H8bckaycVJ1XiFykUrueM0o25Y5jkp544N6OFD88UH-SVncpSuViEwESbtoR6u-AHK1o/s1600/IMG_7315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWCBrqi6W49Nbp5GtwhjcgrEMRACzrOGbVRxaUTX6t7pddx8BHv32wVgBTSFpy6-1r20faG0H8bckaycVJ1XiFykUrueM0o25Y5jkp544N6OFD88UH-SVncpSuViEwESbtoR6u-AHK1o/s640/IMG_7315.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yala is a national park, that has never been lived in apart from some park rangers. It also has a pristine coastline on the Indian ocean.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLa6vqCH_obzs0eie07HlgpTD9rtqdYU0rHbfULjVAskNIzuDzFBiR9vvc-i6nJ3Lj5KPZOBN4UBSgjs-mFprfpbEmY6dV2vffr9r_A_GsZ9zHwpwUJLUOmZEdz89UjQFRmPzFWrFqHw/s1600/IMG_7320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1600" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLa6vqCH_obzs0eie07HlgpTD9rtqdYU0rHbfULjVAskNIzuDzFBiR9vvc-i6nJ3Lj5KPZOBN4UBSgjs-mFprfpbEmY6dV2vffr9r_A_GsZ9zHwpwUJLUOmZEdz89UjQFRmPzFWrFqHw/s640/IMG_7320.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I'm a green bee eater"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkI9thWSXb5PVHsnus4JXPLDRK7JLkVYJKm0ZfBPInntVmv1gjbKlRPs7S1Iz8mYXnceux8Beaa5BkT3CapqkfwhXvdE83zNTR__LbK3GRQnm94oVtfjtnFdiVDFszA2KndYzAUWq4MY/s1600/IMG_7325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkI9thWSXb5PVHsnus4JXPLDRK7JLkVYJKm0ZfBPInntVmv1gjbKlRPs7S1Iz8mYXnceux8Beaa5BkT3CapqkfwhXvdE83zNTR__LbK3GRQnm94oVtfjtnFdiVDFszA2KndYzAUWq4MY/s640/IMG_7325.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Let's play hide and seek"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLQWLXlpSZ__epQ83JDAGo8Nk8gzclefI_DmQHSL12yeu5iZyWUaG7cT2auK39_dnxmkCcGVIAjkfb0rpOlRXk1J9V5L3-YHRUyEIFblcl7u-3V6vmn3ofShv70GFEI0Rahq7KO4LuaI/s1600/IMG_7327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLQWLXlpSZ__epQ83JDAGo8Nk8gzclefI_DmQHSL12yeu5iZyWUaG7cT2auK39_dnxmkCcGVIAjkfb0rpOlRXk1J9V5L3-YHRUyEIFblcl7u-3V6vmn3ofShv70GFEI0Rahq7KO4LuaI/s640/IMG_7327.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'Now can you see me"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlOrvqc97BJq55azTTsRafmMxkf686g1loX6w3SeYThXcW4-TjYz5dwLIEohLlqvkKVQRjCpujk3Fa92cAT0TM7XBY_tRgRtYG00zq-0daSnNqLBwi7m8xgn2kj6J-SGnQVTw_vxbJvU/s1600/IMG_7328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1458" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlOrvqc97BJq55azTTsRafmMxkf686g1loX6w3SeYThXcW4-TjYz5dwLIEohLlqvkKVQRjCpujk3Fa92cAT0TM7XBY_tRgRtYG00zq-0daSnNqLBwi7m8xgn2kj6J-SGnQVTw_vxbJvU/s640/IMG_7328.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Now can you see me."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crested serpent eagle, great camouflage eh!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFgDqoBfw_7T7HsHTG7JuKz4Ez-vZXE6oyPKmNDgGcXHJBMhJFYX16uDo_lbHLxEHFjPgrbN3z5MtHL-PVu2rXJhDhMrlL7FZgwdJvc4jcpBUG65p6BORFL3YqM0HdQNziDRAoZXnV0w/s1600/IMG_7347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFgDqoBfw_7T7HsHTG7JuKz4Ez-vZXE6oyPKmNDgGcXHJBMhJFYX16uDo_lbHLxEHFjPgrbN3z5MtHL-PVu2rXJhDhMrlL7FZgwdJvc4jcpBUG65p6BORFL3YqM0HdQNziDRAoZXnV0w/s640/IMG_7347.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sri Lankan jungle fowl or Ceylon jungle fowl. They are endemic to Sri Lanka and their national bird.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Hey quick boys, line up"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrFEK1nk1lWGfDtYbtgTIBaFarII5g2KSsX6tqZauRpq8vhrE6Vn4ESNRJbFNstUwEIB8gdMGZFGoXsD9INLeOH0XtCTJwAn9A5H0hrQtM_h8_VT2lNYfY-21BnJS-2Llnx_GQWrhyog/s1600/IMG_7351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrFEK1nk1lWGfDtYbtgTIBaFarII5g2KSsX6tqZauRpq8vhrE6Vn4ESNRJbFNstUwEIB8gdMGZFGoXsD9INLeOH0XtCTJwAn9A5H0hrQtM_h8_VT2lNYfY-21BnJS-2Llnx_GQWrhyog/s640/IMG_7351.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"C'mon boys stand to attention"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The one on the end was a tad recalcitrant. Well two out of three ain't bad eh!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoeLZklfLH_ugxo3EwBlypqfERz2q73FX0vbIQuapuBq9SydxwjkXBSqJ045ar9xLaYty86cFm_oGjNXfrS3pgH5kXKTxEO6aj1IJNFf3CxIAlHBlcwkQTcm8zvwbEYHjuJaVJ8ajsak/s1600/IMG_7374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoeLZklfLH_ugxo3EwBlypqfERz2q73FX0vbIQuapuBq9SydxwjkXBSqJ045ar9xLaYty86cFm_oGjNXfrS3pgH5kXKTxEO6aj1IJNFf3CxIAlHBlcwkQTcm8zvwbEYHjuJaVJ8ajsak/s640/IMG_7374.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I wonder if they'll see me if I just stay still?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1600" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKA2518mzxk0wL6nz0-DGq61J0V5PpuWm_wKOnUhiC-7E1dlFQoiaSsqhQTPzXh05PJWBgvURhVuiY8mkkajjNJMt7h0Kzr0P_aaVBo7cbIZLZosv2f7vnghXEBDScBZhn9xePpB5qi-Q/s640/IMG_7464.jpg" width="640" />"Dad Dad............ where are you?" </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DgxVItBTlpA0fJ6RZv4u8OhcM4wicjcXZvHVn2SbT4oASGmUfZHLrnbTCCUELArsmdAkjA2vCCk1vNsKlR0aNJzmcsD5_UFtoTLrXPtojU0iSqFSHLi8HvpKz3kbmbS9SX6abDD5nMI/s1600/IMG_7378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="1600" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DgxVItBTlpA0fJ6RZv4u8OhcM4wicjcXZvHVn2SbT4oASGmUfZHLrnbTCCUELArsmdAkjA2vCCk1vNsKlR0aNJzmcsD5_UFtoTLrXPtojU0iSqFSHLi8HvpKz3kbmbS9SX6abDD5nMI/s640/IMG_7378.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you see the shy peacock, trying to hide in the back?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEtBQpce1mLkdVmUgh4_Na7vOy5igGnb1pSwqkrs2edWFkgcYg5VEfT8b5qGZzlij5S-p21oNK1vCa5GcDnece5JQIGFTTV4r8NrHjIZzv9nOQbi_WOor3UGmfOBpbVCo6LB5eamrKaw/s1600/IMG_7405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEtBQpce1mLkdVmUgh4_Na7vOy5igGnb1pSwqkrs2edWFkgcYg5VEfT8b5qGZzlij5S-p21oNK1vCa5GcDnece5JQIGFTTV4r8NrHjIZzv9nOQbi_WOor3UGmfOBpbVCo6LB5eamrKaw/s640/IMG_7405.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mind you, his brother didn't give a hoot...... but that's got a lot to do with not being an owl eh!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblDt6B9oIaTSbMuW2MgRALE_-Bc0rvHwdR93z6wjptiQjZwyK7fGT89RkPKAEoux1ThqdsWz-HLJtP9nDN23b-trnNnCH1K1hnCSbCi5jF_rVpBPvIFg5b24C87aqoPSdegQAscF1QYk/s1600/IMG_7409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblDt6B9oIaTSbMuW2MgRALE_-Bc0rvHwdR93z6wjptiQjZwyK7fGT89RkPKAEoux1ThqdsWz-HLJtP9nDN23b-trnNnCH1K1hnCSbCi5jF_rVpBPvIFg5b24C87aqoPSdegQAscF1QYk/s640/IMG_7409.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We think we're Crimson-fronted Barbet's but we're not sure. Either way we're very happy eating insects and fruit"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtO87kVY624lGDrFrcwCC6B6WrV3w4uWvNONWhdZ3HR__QS3jdw6EKx_wV6d2g1l8U_gBSItBGeqToy2lyIvR_I13HFuJ1uaarb0ZVrM44zYz3DDlHKYUweuU2OOPew9bB__-ufuajkc/s1600/IMG_7415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtO87kVY624lGDrFrcwCC6B6WrV3w4uWvNONWhdZ3HR__QS3jdw6EKx_wV6d2g1l8U_gBSItBGeqToy2lyIvR_I13HFuJ1uaarb0ZVrM44zYz3DDlHKYUweuU2OOPew9bB__-ufuajkc/s640/IMG_7415.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the light was playing havoc but we had to include this little sequence.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHhXTS4dkjaH0wtGSvbmitHpO4noQee-D5lx92cbw79G6ulENAd-mkjjjlZ57N6z8VycjAtCxjMoS2CG5WQojxnO_suZDjl1QnfICQVgcmymLLQvCGKfTb13UBuLyzIxkWqeodQ0ZdfY/s1600/IMG_7416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHhXTS4dkjaH0wtGSvbmitHpO4noQee-D5lx92cbw79G6ulENAd-mkjjjlZ57N6z8VycjAtCxjMoS2CG5WQojxnO_suZDjl1QnfICQVgcmymLLQvCGKfTb13UBuLyzIxkWqeodQ0ZdfY/s640/IMG_7416.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He's a lot more graceful on the wing than they are on the ground</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFUocjQTARbpvdr1GAt-S_TZbuea_nDU6L25-HtatAW8TscIsq-DylcqNMSi5unu3KcAyH5a4FiiXumaXghUPL7L2NVIAfgAQWgioh9E-vXtCOodgwfkkwhCaztMzPdWAbPfzzJ527Ak/s1600/IMG_7424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFUocjQTARbpvdr1GAt-S_TZbuea_nDU6L25-HtatAW8TscIsq-DylcqNMSi5unu3KcAyH5a4FiiXumaXghUPL7L2NVIAfgAQWgioh9E-vXtCOodgwfkkwhCaztMzPdWAbPfzzJ527Ak/s640/IMG_7424.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And they are quite vocal too!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx3NXQ_hENx_OV90wSl45CQ0mthciepujFJ7U6oyqTYnAGD8ygtgvQYg56BaSE-bae-9-qFskYLJuUBX9RwplVOH8eVTo7N2wUc0xPIAOSB-42I3iud1_F5yxQM88zBtFUrb4b64ndcY/s1600/IMG_7470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx3NXQ_hENx_OV90wSl45CQ0mthciepujFJ7U6oyqTYnAGD8ygtgvQYg56BaSE-bae-9-qFskYLJuUBX9RwplVOH8eVTo7N2wUc0xPIAOSB-42I3iud1_F5yxQM88zBtFUrb4b64ndcY/s640/IMG_7470.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: center;">"I'm a Sri Lankan painted stork and I actually do walk like I do in the cartoons....... see" </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-WxFwepMnDKLJVSu68ftBYNjzHM_0p1wT6Ru-g8ciQK78lssnADi6vYayuBUeFNc-URkaFipcE9eaVIP9mzNjRC64pHbMP85HmfbdQ1cJt8f14b4tkpZpxWz03W7Wr9ntSGwZON5pkE/s1600/IMG_7446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-WxFwepMnDKLJVSu68ftBYNjzHM_0p1wT6Ru-g8ciQK78lssnADi6vYayuBUeFNc-URkaFipcE9eaVIP9mzNjRC64pHbMP85HmfbdQ1cJt8f14b4tkpZpxWz03W7Wr9ntSGwZON5pkE/s640/IMG_7446.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I'm stag and I don't eat ducks"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l8YVtvVpHbRLpUUkixGTwY2jJJg0rpSSEAzBIFb09b0VAGWLzYhUvJpBWI3lAdv6tuEXadg4BSyPVT3dm3RFcHS6mWKJmlkMA6rbvXe_ctYrizlbrHR3tkamimVCUGIhyphenhyphen5NPg2Fx46M/s1600/IMG_7429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l8YVtvVpHbRLpUUkixGTwY2jJJg0rpSSEAzBIFb09b0VAGWLzYhUvJpBWI3lAdv6tuEXadg4BSyPVT3dm3RFcHS6mWKJmlkMA6rbvXe_ctYrizlbrHR3tkamimVCUGIhyphenhyphen5NPg2Fx46M/s640/IMG_7429.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yeah but I'm a crocodile and I like a duck or two" </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBqFENu-n8OGxhFMwzMUPQr4st8SSnqx7BrDf6UvYsWB6n-snKK0Q-3wJcOO5UYIk1LkCqF3WKELbjT0LoRf4gUHpkCb6EoftQQvNCPhzdkWLe88n4bk0t9rZKd8yg8XFwsRgv6NigJ0/s1600/IMG_7497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1600" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBqFENu-n8OGxhFMwzMUPQr4st8SSnqx7BrDf6UvYsWB6n-snKK0Q-3wJcOO5UYIk1LkCqF3WKELbjT0LoRf4gUHpkCb6EoftQQvNCPhzdkWLe88n4bk0t9rZKd8yg8XFwsRgv6NigJ0/s640/IMG_7497.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Quite frankly I prefer storks"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOLhzKq70PY5D99m_uxSlYuId9p7ibxsWHUuopaSn2luzdUCR57p9f7pOI1AMU2vpXhZMrFpDq6lIsPJZzEPCng8NmTTraB1AvIY3B-zBTqDgVrEALC1PHWToOIMH3OpCj34krAAxDNs/s1600/IMG_7617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOLhzKq70PY5D99m_uxSlYuId9p7ibxsWHUuopaSn2luzdUCR57p9f7pOI1AMU2vpXhZMrFpDq6lIsPJZzEPCng8NmTTraB1AvIY3B-zBTqDgVrEALC1PHWToOIMH3OpCj34krAAxDNs/s640/IMG_7617.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yeah but when I'm peckish, if I could get to the shops, I would p-p-p-pick up a penguin"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGHQQZ9YH0Lv7__OQlkAvV88j9qgiYrtD-7fHFMnn_4GgChmGg3PqTdhsKI0HYdtMKKfqfFcYlWkrHBBR3c_RIxUeTIuNnO9KIpQxpjmaQnKwRWbba-6Q4dxs0nCfyrhtdBwJoaVnlNQ/s1600/IMG_7519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGHQQZ9YH0Lv7__OQlkAvV88j9qgiYrtD-7fHFMnn_4GgChmGg3PqTdhsKI0HYdtMKKfqfFcYlWkrHBBR3c_RIxUeTIuNnO9KIpQxpjmaQnKwRWbba-6Q4dxs0nCfyrhtdBwJoaVnlNQ/s640/IMG_7519.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we said Yala has some splendid vistas, including this one overlooking the Indian Ocean. This would be a spectacular place to build a home... talk about a room with a view. How about this for Weaver bird real estate.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvy4rqXnt3U-jJuTJWYrmfXcf0AL7x3ivk8M0oi3tz609dBWL2naeBwfQVBJRxwRL0ow3K02i9mXb2eynMZkDRBAvkJO5JPMp9Swy3fZ7Mx4sjORqKYQ97oXX1AsyQeGNUo-964bAlbQ/s1600/IMG_7569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvy4rqXnt3U-jJuTJWYrmfXcf0AL7x3ivk8M0oi3tz609dBWL2naeBwfQVBJRxwRL0ow3K02i9mXb2eynMZkDRBAvkJO5JPMp9Swy3fZ7Mx4sjORqKYQ97oXX1AsyQeGNUo-964bAlbQ/s640/IMG_7569.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is my Weaver bird home, could you see them dangling in the previous picture?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ889j90c2FvHWo4_gZ2_NatfU9GmpXL4wM22y7yN67ZvAFtAfhsf9rOrnefdwaJAMMVpX3bjn60sMgp-1WY50WdC2Vdi0Xacy-05OYrpApIRHZEYJjm9Fgz6PdYDZF93Pm1x1f40ASYM/s1600/IMG_7457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ889j90c2FvHWo4_gZ2_NatfU9GmpXL4wM22y7yN67ZvAFtAfhsf9rOrnefdwaJAMMVpX3bjn60sMgp-1WY50WdC2Vdi0Xacy-05OYrpApIRHZEYJjm9Fgz6PdYDZF93Pm1x1f40ASYM/s640/IMG_7457.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This truly amazing landscape could never be captured.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbvQ-NphkcTMjt3nrT3dYXUJTfgsYcY9mqomvTUl9unKq-pbF29tdG1uE67oZopRDny8fNiCuDkGzrw-_9wjMA2-3ojYLJ2iTy5dgy7ci995n9B3pB0PcZUPQT7MfrVVNclmx7svyoe8/s1600/IMG_7592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbvQ-NphkcTMjt3nrT3dYXUJTfgsYcY9mqomvTUl9unKq-pbF29tdG1uE67oZopRDny8fNiCuDkGzrw-_9wjMA2-3ojYLJ2iTy5dgy7ci995n9B3pB0PcZUPQT7MfrVVNclmx7svyoe8/s640/IMG_7592.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This edifice is known as the magnificent "Elephant Rock"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP22fiKaKJ8DCI-5OfW0nbpFBVofrIwqq_w5NY8XUX2g37eqpBrlLus6Ydn3VXLSl7OhP1E334Gmdqfm0_8PUqR9pfCm4Aib9hsD5agFqbX0yf7bMCZZhCj9RybHWdMD86_LjFE7Hna0/s1600/IMG_7590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP22fiKaKJ8DCI-5OfW0nbpFBVofrIwqq_w5NY8XUX2g37eqpBrlLus6Ydn3VXLSl7OhP1E334Gmdqfm0_8PUqR9pfCm4Aib9hsD5agFqbX0yf7bMCZZhCj9RybHWdMD86_LjFE7Hna0/s640/IMG_7590.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This silent vista of skeleton trees made for an eerie serene, tranquil place to ponder and focus.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh575J9oyF-5fjddUrHAyMsRoZW7A7mpVa5vHM8n5M5dcsvXl-3d_yVayaO_oEoyycS0hYn3jQHa3pCzTjiDc72Q-BHzT5oGOxtbp77IaDeoQihSwpIOoWFSSkZ0KXHoM7yCeUfq62APT0/s1600/IMG_7588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh575J9oyF-5fjddUrHAyMsRoZW7A7mpVa5vHM8n5M5dcsvXl-3d_yVayaO_oEoyycS0hYn3jQHa3pCzTjiDc72Q-BHzT5oGOxtbp77IaDeoQihSwpIOoWFSSkZ0KXHoM7yCeUfq62APT0/s640/IMG_7588.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> When indeed you can focus and zoom in, there is life here too. But sadly this Fish Eagle was at the limit of our lens.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgUqxXTcBbdSLDeUSBXCFcCjv7CHrEJ7-_cjVmkwaDIiIrlr6zMD1tFj9NzkA14eCkLAgZ7SDCvo2roByTEfmlcHRWBXQj2mvJJTEgn8iuOZ9Fqe61XJQ3YL4BTdBIjw3xhgRmsHhuNM/s1600/IMG_7603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgUqxXTcBbdSLDeUSBXCFcCjv7CHrEJ7-_cjVmkwaDIiIrlr6zMD1tFj9NzkA14eCkLAgZ7SDCvo2roByTEfmlcHRWBXQj2mvJJTEgn8iuOZ9Fqe61XJQ3YL4BTdBIjw3xhgRmsHhuNM/s640/IMG_7603.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Then a very acrobatic display and courtship of these Tringa birds ensued for a few minutes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DA2jw27d7eoQ1Z-Ma-2B6XCUPX-O5FvrbEX7uNBxoQThNHZxE1yygf77jK4L8Nh611haY6d3WA2c8R4Jxg_v-M2IKQy_NtkEc95Ihf7RrHZYZABxhgBcRkk6t-gItNNCaZYPY0YMoAA/s1600/IMG_7594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DA2jw27d7eoQ1Z-Ma-2B6XCUPX-O5FvrbEX7uNBxoQThNHZxE1yygf77jK4L8Nh611haY6d3WA2c8R4Jxg_v-M2IKQy_NtkEc95Ihf7RrHZYZABxhgBcRkk6t-gItNNCaZYPY0YMoAA/s640/IMG_7594.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before she managed to shake him off and settle in for the afternoon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr-8k0p4eZNnmctTZl0hON2wDQuhtbvfolysbEnJQoA6YLEu0OZ6q6rB0wG5-eXj1yjvHzjcKnA3sgU7dJ6IZ35EJWnZOu0TsGRb40agtvFQx9mQWt5abTZUkgTuV-JdZ8Paqd9wSPPg/s1600/IMG_7523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr-8k0p4eZNnmctTZl0hON2wDQuhtbvfolysbEnJQoA6YLEu0OZ6q6rB0wG5-eXj1yjvHzjcKnA3sgU7dJ6IZ35EJWnZOu0TsGRb40agtvFQx9mQWt5abTZUkgTuV-JdZ8Paqd9wSPPg/s640/IMG_7523.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we mentioned, Yala has a pristine Indian Ocean coastline. The only foot prints you find here are round and belong to elephants! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgf2e8HQPAwvOUkXhGGZ7B7M8V3Shrt2wJjYHOhcwgxZoecza_quqMm5w38vfQM3osQwfFtDvxBZuzWu_W2DMJ-qlz-8ctafAHeR7_sDMqTX_dsHDDN0UJGDYijrUD8QLTxD6Tj0L-U0/s640/IMG_7525.jpg" width="640" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we only had the zoom lense on, we couldn't capture the length of this coastline in one shot. Looking east, it appears endless.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDEMxCckHfutEtRJbjE7X6kAqmnsRCfYTkvIrcx9J4ia7cBPvEXRwvVCXOt5yNkFjXvaof2y6ee9Dit4txwH3ZBNYl-4fPPRrhr2AK1jr_fmKUMiv7bx30PFUFnyGKBS_J0QHWHyJR0k/s1600/IMG_7526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDEMxCckHfutEtRJbjE7X6kAqmnsRCfYTkvIrcx9J4ia7cBPvEXRwvVCXOt5yNkFjXvaof2y6ee9Dit4txwH3ZBNYl-4fPPRrhr2AK1jr_fmKUMiv7bx30PFUFnyGKBS_J0QHWHyJR0k/s640/IMG_7526.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking west you can see the village and homes of where the park rangers used to live. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKQheI9LbF1-zY1pxcC2bgulB4nTIq1NCfUOpwVVzWSN7fuUE_JvVO8YOkOC9nDwyCQ7B9s9yw9XxhoWV9Ol81K_6_GWYUqPXW04pRq4KeN3d8sl4pRyqccAi3ITToa3KOhkBBxnUcX8/s1600/IMG_7527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKQheI9LbF1-zY1pxcC2bgulB4nTIq1NCfUOpwVVzWSN7fuUE_JvVO8YOkOC9nDwyCQ7B9s9yw9XxhoWV9Ol81K_6_GWYUqPXW04pRq4KeN3d8sl4pRyqccAi3ITToa3KOhkBBxnUcX8/s640/IMG_7527.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The desolate village is no longer inhabited since the Tsunami of 2004. However it stands as a sobering, stark site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst we have travelled in Sri Lanka, we've been deeply moved by some of the personal stories and memories we've heard. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sc4nyiwPWq_Pr7QJ14KJLpBMDV5KqzUELtKD9PktoRoZrzg0B0yfV9YoQX_HK0GQHlMmgAzlp_DZZHgSaEHdtGXv3apaBUwd6vdoeT1dJXriNrwzwcbSFgLfWzsycxDaF1DpSA4RZrI/s1600/IMG_7560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="759" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sc4nyiwPWq_Pr7QJ14KJLpBMDV5KqzUELtKD9PktoRoZrzg0B0yfV9YoQX_HK0GQHlMmgAzlp_DZZHgSaEHdtGXv3apaBUwd6vdoeT1dJXriNrwzwcbSFgLfWzsycxDaF1DpSA4RZrI/s640/IMG_7560.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> Whilst standing here looking across the void is thought provoking. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sadly 47 people died near here that day.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may now be wondering about the animals. Surprisingly there was less loss of life to wildlife, as you may have thought. This was because of the animals sixth sense and they knew something was wrong!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvESY9oyO8oFzsEN8wA_f1TaydS9tURvZZdM_VCOAp4AjJYy-b0LiQctdPFNCWtFCeRLEXT9s9IVZkex_YEJyBIiGsv5zlP44KKJzj-X8_wER_X4F-eDlynIGA0gIpBvMq93mhxtKUTk/s1600/IMG_7488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1600" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvESY9oyO8oFzsEN8wA_f1TaydS9tURvZZdM_VCOAp4AjJYy-b0LiQctdPFNCWtFCeRLEXT9s9IVZkex_YEJyBIiGsv5zlP44KKJzj-X8_wER_X4F-eDlynIGA0gIpBvMq93mhxtKUTk/s640/IMG_7488.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alas our time in Yala was drawing to an end and we had to leave this wonderful place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We saw many other birds and animals on the day but wern't able to capture their beauty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The illusive Mr Leopard and Mrs Hephalump never crossed our path!</span></div>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-19586606317616419752017-11-21T21:52:00.000-08:002017-11-21T21:52:30.230-08:00Bye bye to the beaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYuAzMxa6nQifzr6LDF54i8mQ1gZML8xBFLAQkFPtVxDISBLcuPCmjKQM_TQSKLc_uFwdlDRCdNakVr_uyhsmsdzoQUghTn78oTYdLbPHZVeAe8bU53Bb2q63re1AFzMz8p8y419ELK4/s1600/IMG_6789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYuAzMxa6nQifzr6LDF54i8mQ1gZML8xBFLAQkFPtVxDISBLcuPCmjKQM_TQSKLc_uFwdlDRCdNakVr_uyhsmsdzoQUghTn78oTYdLbPHZVeAe8bU53Bb2q63re1AFzMz8p8y419ELK4/s640/IMG_6789.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Talulah beach - east</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3dqrkHdh39ePNukD2glOSdQFx8pR3hod0cuLmOcS2yr6NussWk2WJh9_gux_mB3BrjL1ER5gY8dXVRaCcA11Cc-qkoKoEENR1kvIDl_23movY3qaTECfb6rqsAi2VNr0sUBHN520eWQ/s1600/IMG_6792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3dqrkHdh39ePNukD2glOSdQFx8pR3hod0cuLmOcS2yr6NussWk2WJh9_gux_mB3BrjL1ER5gY8dXVRaCcA11Cc-qkoKoEENR1kvIDl_23movY3qaTECfb6rqsAi2VNr0sUBHN520eWQ/s640/IMG_6792.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The boat</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5_UDna85n4n5wMIoA6Ny1IfBqWHNqykrszpmMpSjuv_OQ2y-XBgDAifWYRtZN6RBhJM6-dgUUj5Nk_S9s2-Nz4OwZRtRAsVFkdkeLiT0a7KcKki4CHteCeXXxn-qrk1bBfGOdEo53Nk/s1600/IMG_6772.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5_UDna85n4n5wMIoA6Ny1IfBqWHNqykrszpmMpSjuv_OQ2y-XBgDAifWYRtZN6RBhJM6-dgUUj5Nk_S9s2-Nz4OwZRtRAsVFkdkeLiT0a7KcKki4CHteCeXXxn-qrk1bBfGOdEo53Nk/s640/IMG_6772.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Talulah beach and the other side of the boat. At twelve noon, it took me an hour to walk the length of this beach and back, so probably 2 K's or so. I counted 7 westerners and 10 fishermen working on a couple of boats. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauZ2KotFM2IL-ewrSaG_zFEJBkGt7ilVreHrz_DTgX59zR8sSUnP5o_uYFMBkznOSDOiCCvawSVsXuLbKetVAM9lncoFH-D5dc7OrGJP3p76DoLirPRb3KjvNK4SNWIPov6ko_yzKOzg/s1600/IMG_6766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauZ2KotFM2IL-ewrSaG_zFEJBkGt7ilVreHrz_DTgX59zR8sSUnP5o_uYFMBkznOSDOiCCvawSVsXuLbKetVAM9lncoFH-D5dc7OrGJP3p76DoLirPRb3KjvNK4SNWIPov6ko_yzKOzg/s640/IMG_6766.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Talalah beach view west from the boat</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkvAgkJ3YXtBxGZaDdmEf8t2HW1P_otm6Ey490r2_1ZtR20jJvtazDrvfFKLjMxFbBe3U6xiWk7lKynZ-SHvRdXdC4DZfamDbzPW5AFm0PYHA0Tdz2Qib5swQprS4eNMSc6GEKJ4epgw/s1600/IMG_6779.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkvAgkJ3YXtBxGZaDdmEf8t2HW1P_otm6Ey490r2_1ZtR20jJvtazDrvfFKLjMxFbBe3U6xiWk7lKynZ-SHvRdXdC4DZfamDbzPW5AFm0PYHA0Tdz2Qib5swQprS4eNMSc6GEKJ4epgw/s640/IMG_6779.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Blue beach is little crescent cove with a thin strip of sand. It was crowded but I made them get out of shot! Nah I just clipped the shot to keep them out. It was nice but a poor second to Talalah</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneJ0td7mEPcwlvBeVrlKrpZkbD12HvQCXXrLo7xEZpE16R3WfnYrn1y5cuVK8bLYtPynRkRWHXNu3kUSedNKfK1xr_8ZsWdwXZEOqPsjfclZS-CGTwZEGL0LjKwbwtCJ0F2qB8j6gPQM/s1600/IMG_6715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1600" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneJ0td7mEPcwlvBeVrlKrpZkbD12HvQCXXrLo7xEZpE16R3WfnYrn1y5cuVK8bLYtPynRkRWHXNu3kUSedNKfK1xr_8ZsWdwXZEOqPsjfclZS-CGTwZEGL0LjKwbwtCJ0F2qB8j6gPQM/s640/IMG_6715.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mirissa where we have stayed and called home for a week or so. First impression was wonderful and hence why we moved there. But it seems busy now and we need to leave it to the young beach bums. Alas I have accepted, things sag!</div>
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No more bloggs for a few days now....... promise : )</div>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-43219638309921265172017-11-21T20:02:00.000-08:002017-11-21T20:02:14.090-08:00Some random pix from the south coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So whilst we've been doing our thang, we took some quick pix. Maybe just convey the way of things and the alternative lifestyle.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_nnpw_0MjtDw0qYJBKvxfHB6zm51YB-i-kqalYav7d5Y2ksrOk1iDCLrhuwlsxCQ4DTaK5GZk02LRwUnvyxp3g-bf7OBIAWyi3XlPYonQ8Y4fzQxnAoY8Ks8HFrJgpEScxL6t2VXBak/s1600/IMG_6943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_nnpw_0MjtDw0qYJBKvxfHB6zm51YB-i-kqalYav7d5Y2ksrOk1iDCLrhuwlsxCQ4DTaK5GZk02LRwUnvyxp3g-bf7OBIAWyi3XlPYonQ8Y4fzQxnAoY8Ks8HFrJgpEScxL6t2VXBak/s640/IMG_6943.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People get up earlier and kids are waiting for the school bus at 07:00. This was at six in the morning and he was on his way to work on a building site. I'm guessing he puts his steel toe caps, hard hat, safety glasses and overalls on, when he gets onsite. But I didn't see his ID and accreditation lanyard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go figure! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9ng3arIADTphVArXfPwY43hjk6fUsdtJHXAT4mLBfPAqk0Bc_erC1ToiY-o052gKZFGozXEg_XNdwx0TzEQdJcocaCVDRf4B_hRWTInjrsZelHXAGrGro-5AIlX3HraZpbpW5IPzpNo/s1600/IMG_6975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9ng3arIADTphVArXfPwY43hjk6fUsdtJHXAT4mLBfPAqk0Bc_erC1ToiY-o052gKZFGozXEg_XNdwx0TzEQdJcocaCVDRf4B_hRWTInjrsZelHXAGrGro-5AIlX3HraZpbpW5IPzpNo/s640/IMG_6975.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then over my other shoulder, we got this hot buttered display. Reminiscent of those distant halcyon daze. Go figure! : )</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKP-kxTDxR67WIyLMcEsmjUtyRvH-SPpLtTXfjTrEIA-XSQq1fTPcwhf5cYY4mHNm_oyiv-RyZgnb1vkOus4Ucxu8xC2ghad1FrNxWfkBaWBz05_3ZvqaIEYim3-Y4pbeAHNhf_YGqFI/s1600/IMG_7011.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKP-kxTDxR67WIyLMcEsmjUtyRvH-SPpLtTXfjTrEIA-XSQq1fTPcwhf5cYY4mHNm_oyiv-RyZgnb1vkOus4Ucxu8xC2ghad1FrNxWfkBaWBz05_3ZvqaIEYim3-Y4pbeAHNhf_YGqFI/s320/IMG_7011.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beaches out here offer consistent breaks of all kinds. These barrels were four hundred meters off and breaking left for ages. There are surf school's dotted everywhere, boards for hire on a lot of beaches. The south is developing fast. But there is no development and little infrastructure up in the north east. Though the walls shows scars of straifing and bullet pock marks, where the civil war was fought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there are hundreds of undiscovered, desolate, white beaches with pristine white sand, solitude and a blissful paradise. It's probably one of the few places left, where you can get ahead of the pack. And just waiting for you but hurry it won't be like that for long! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p0bV5trFYfLss7tPyRpLGvJBEFWkNoG7BiviOfccmPB_H-DB_ZNvaNufPJ_WwClsZiEc7mVMK8c7GxqZooZNepZ9ZXqqh_bbD9CY6wqU16ZpdtMEsQeBDfZJxOG1QkWlfgHpX-gel9g/s1600/IMG_7004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p0bV5trFYfLss7tPyRpLGvJBEFWkNoG7BiviOfccmPB_H-DB_ZNvaNufPJ_WwClsZiEc7mVMK8c7GxqZooZNepZ9ZXqqh_bbD9CY6wqU16ZpdtMEsQeBDfZJxOG1QkWlfgHpX-gel9g/s640/IMG_7004.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just catching the first rays of the day. He wasn't bothered either way and was content eating flies hmmm!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJLqEhAGOXgyglmYXUDMrThZJf2sYZYxCK_LjDOt0A8LeF5QUnXzWH4yPrGVU4XB5JoPAROEpQAtTCcOcN88U83xynXoE_SLJTjT_YCnWiA73bv5PoCyWhOIVIWD8jIj6bzSvq9wJE-w/s1600/IMG_7018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJLqEhAGOXgyglmYXUDMrThZJf2sYZYxCK_LjDOt0A8LeF5QUnXzWH4yPrGVU4XB5JoPAROEpQAtTCcOcN88U83xynXoE_SLJTjT_YCnWiA73bv5PoCyWhOIVIWD8jIj6bzSvq9wJE-w/s640/IMG_7018.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A typical coastal vista</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICef5p5EUY3lRvU16a6iqmFBN7iw71vqOApyFJWopYC5pdvVz7PaBb4s2n-6_hXr25BpVTf2UK0RM2Ya3BhKILB4nOdGbw85t1jAsTCXD8NxmIVXRJic6iXUBZZVZQAU3YDAIYPdfTOA/s1600/IMG_7034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1600" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICef5p5EUY3lRvU16a6iqmFBN7iw71vqOApyFJWopYC5pdvVz7PaBb4s2n-6_hXr25BpVTf2UK0RM2Ya3BhKILB4nOdGbw85t1jAsTCXD8NxmIVXRJic6iXUBZZVZQAU3YDAIYPdfTOA/s640/IMG_7034.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mirissa beach where we have stayed for ten days and leave tomorrow for the hills. Looking east an hour after sunrise, just another early morning scene before the heat of the day gets to you.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ea-vyXURz9ECW2GS03fthpZkbGZOlI-ZDWJDOJd7AV1lZXjicRz5e8VMj4l7SQ5lbaHj14E52gZovcAitsISGVAKrImylQmao4jt-73tSddm-UFpvKsF5XBCmpk8bEDIKAZUzAqOCA0/s1600/IMG_7039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ea-vyXURz9ECW2GS03fthpZkbGZOlI-ZDWJDOJd7AV1lZXjicRz5e8VMj4l7SQ5lbaHj14E52gZovcAitsISGVAKrImylQmao4jt-73tSddm-UFpvKsF5XBCmpk8bEDIKAZUzAqOCA0/s640/IMG_7039.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Same beach same time looking west.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlqu1_6SCrV4BEiHITn1Lxkqf6N08qUqrXwalxxB1MiM9K4qQH8qdEUJpVfbmkxCYtm7owWl07Wx63XR3-gMB9zNinLwF4PRcFWx2JkMs3m62I0_Y4QaVRPGenXQ5uZ86TMruXLtY1wk/s1600/IMG_7041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlqu1_6SCrV4BEiHITn1Lxkqf6N08qUqrXwalxxB1MiM9K4qQH8qdEUJpVfbmkxCYtm7owWl07Wx63XR3-gMB9zNinLwF4PRcFWx2JkMs3m62I0_Y4QaVRPGenXQ5uZ86TMruXLtY1wk/s320/IMG_7041.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Same beach, same time looking south and a kilometre off shore</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSeUpn2C2J3YF0RvdCnJbst60cnlfBNi4jkXGSfZvVQun58n1O3-AJuWLyMqVWwXcV-sLvYLHHS41_ILI9wj6FnKt9QG22xQE_Dh2nOudpDwHzZpsAgiikqIax3cRTHhwzZ4cSIyMnX0/s1600/IMG_7049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSeUpn2C2J3YF0RvdCnJbst60cnlfBNi4jkXGSfZvVQun58n1O3-AJuWLyMqVWwXcV-sLvYLHHS41_ILI9wj6FnKt9QG22xQE_Dh2nOudpDwHzZpsAgiikqIax3cRTHhwzZ4cSIyMnX0/s640/IMG_7049.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Same beach same time looking north, well skyward then. Even the trees need the odd manicure. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiBYgfh55ODVqqS1JJx3OFdYE04UHgWu9Ns3WFhrVOoCgc_f8gq7_1HD3hC0z9WWEDZJLibhPdF3QQg5h6ufBVZqSBfTiOGQrzkghwnt4_3bg0Hvt8kP66T-RF_RxwMzbJwEJVWDiO1U/s1600/IMG_7050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="958" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiBYgfh55ODVqqS1JJx3OFdYE04UHgWu9Ns3WFhrVOoCgc_f8gq7_1HD3hC0z9WWEDZJLibhPdF3QQg5h6ufBVZqSBfTiOGQrzkghwnt4_3bg0Hvt8kP66T-RF_RxwMzbJwEJVWDiO1U/s640/IMG_7050.jpg" width="382" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In case you didn't spot him, same palm same time. He starts work early as the leaves and coconuts (these are green coconuts, which when ready to drink, turn orange, go figure) come down with a thump. I'm sure there have been concussions and fatalities from falling coconuts. The coconuts generally fall during the night when it's at it's coolest and they are loud enough to wake me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Same beach same time</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie0LZFwCjXj843dhs-I_kUqBV-Difhgs9RMcnDu4v9746TzdmEoqHVBomjADOhxO4mtrncbuZfiFy6SicDg3O5e_d2-ZSgzN3RE2tkowRDOcM7olIFmgi8fIPbzIM0Gp2sDiWry9TI-c/s1600/IMG_7064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie0LZFwCjXj843dhs-I_kUqBV-Difhgs9RMcnDu4v9746TzdmEoqHVBomjADOhxO4mtrncbuZfiFy6SicDg3O5e_d2-ZSgzN3RE2tkowRDOcM7olIFmgi8fIPbzIM0Gp2sDiWry9TI-c/s640/IMG_7064.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This old boy has probably done this for eighty years and he was landing lots of tiddlers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-sU4Swq1L6W7ZGJX0bxt_8OhtZYJ0d4l11473d_TBo-Q4iQXQDKU4vhz_TbAda_QYEJgGnSyo2uBkLiavueleZ9_wTq44X1h6mxLuSckZ-7fclY5TZm0RgBA3VPhXdmj7tAmYuw6bg4/s1600/IMG_7066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1313" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-sU4Swq1L6W7ZGJX0bxt_8OhtZYJ0d4l11473d_TBo-Q4iQXQDKU4vhz_TbAda_QYEJgGnSyo2uBkLiavueleZ9_wTq44X1h6mxLuSckZ-7fclY5TZm0RgBA3VPhXdmj7tAmYuw6bg4/s640/IMG_7066.jpg" width="524" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey man....... You looking at me!</span></h2>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-44025875592377772432017-11-21T04:14:00.000-08:002017-11-21T04:15:08.993-08:00Stick Fishermen morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whilst we shot the lone fisherman, we saw the majesty and rawness of his environment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx5_ctNI96Fq6SntCZCb8AJ9YRiSgUbY_Hrs1LHGSuB4yngbyLZt09BiZwEiDu6x0y5eOJRwV1wmkKSKPFoQ_kZO0yz2xHbuz0YnxexUkenVz5Es_BLHa76o-xCpQ8HAlQaOMNZ3CS-M/s1600/IMG_7017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx5_ctNI96Fq6SntCZCb8AJ9YRiSgUbY_Hrs1LHGSuB4yngbyLZt09BiZwEiDu6x0y5eOJRwV1wmkKSKPFoQ_kZO0yz2xHbuz0YnxexUkenVz5Es_BLHa76o-xCpQ8HAlQaOMNZ3CS-M/s640/IMG_7017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-73557813174499491462017-11-21T03:37:00.001-08:002017-11-21T03:37:04.697-08:00Thoughtful Donna<p dir="ltr">Just had breakfast and sitting on our balcony before setting off.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UufRf_TS0W2o0xirSZJPZDOSEcjfr9ZOCpvLhqtRzkclCXCHlNB22sTr-OF-bXs8IIm3nTD9UewtLYzG3bnQ0OsyvAppwSLPvGqv7KkOkJBqIz0oz4VHUAmxqKhMqqTmjML-CM2Wx6A/s1600/20171115_095028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UufRf_TS0W2o0xirSZJPZDOSEcjfr9ZOCpvLhqtRzkclCXCHlNB22sTr-OF-bXs8IIm3nTD9UewtLYzG3bnQ0OsyvAppwSLPvGqv7KkOkJBqIz0oz4VHUAmxqKhMqqTmjML-CM2Wx6A/s640/20171115_095028.jpg"> </a> </div>getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-5326335916015532862017-11-21T03:31:00.003-08:002017-11-21T17:58:26.654-08:00Temples, turtles and Sri Lanka's futureBeing an island, of course Sri Lanka is awash with beaches. There are also many temples with their incarnations of the Buddha.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6C4Rl39L39ibrmfAQu50Qg-_8kBQ3mCf9mExlbvv5VnDw59wvZOmNeGBuZFNsJEjr6hQzpL1AztIk6PWjGT9N90jrU8XVUaLKKQI8B2xGn5awRsA7cJmAHFJgLnLCWmjieeMUwDOtcE/s1600/IMG_6374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6C4Rl39L39ibrmfAQu50Qg-_8kBQ3mCf9mExlbvv5VnDw59wvZOmNeGBuZFNsJEjr6hQzpL1AztIk6PWjGT9N90jrU8XVUaLKKQI8B2xGn5awRsA7cJmAHFJgLnLCWmjieeMUwDOtcE/s640/IMG_6374.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was our first temple - Yatagala</div>
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The tree in the background was planted as a sapling and documented 2,300 years ago. And is believed to be the oldest living tree in the world. Now that's a record breaker. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EaKMvXcdgEMIbif4C5GNhyNhMx6pKFjXoP0mCN7AL9h3fMlgI_2A1DjhXjhvdzH8rR_ty9qqUY1J6R7VzNTHrVQrXaG6vLFc6fcdTS8ZjRmCmbdFf-Fy6DHb5tyZjvoJnq4whZeO2k8/s1600/IMG_6385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EaKMvXcdgEMIbif4C5GNhyNhMx6pKFjXoP0mCN7AL9h3fMlgI_2A1DjhXjhvdzH8rR_ty9qqUY1J6R7VzNTHrVQrXaG6vLFc6fcdTS8ZjRmCmbdFf-Fy6DHb5tyZjvoJnq4whZeO2k8/s640/IMG_6385.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Attached to the temple is a school and the girls and their teacher were happy be photographed. Even though they were a bit coy about it......... girls eh!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbroI1f5EXLBg6qdi7aBujLeOEtes6te9C0VltHhpZhOeGtinPAvejh_a9F_zJhLRhR3YtJWFSN4dwt_9azub_bk6xoMiXqxwIKBz0-mPE_ctXZEapf7sNtvMFogGuvXq6GMAWDZfCQDE/s1600/IMG_6384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbroI1f5EXLBg6qdi7aBujLeOEtes6te9C0VltHhpZhOeGtinPAvejh_a9F_zJhLRhR3YtJWFSN4dwt_9azub_bk6xoMiXqxwIKBz0-mPE_ctXZEapf7sNtvMFogGuvXq6GMAWDZfCQDE/s640/IMG_6384.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This happy chap wanted to get in on the act........ boys eh!</div>
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His happy little posse.</div>
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From saplings grow great trees. And in their shadow lies the future. </div>
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Money doesn't bring happiness</div>
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You've heard of robot wars</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPqRAI6D7UDlTId-1KwMGnEUtfQSWvDmvYouuGu-wCH_50t87MWtibTMZm_e2NmtZru2MzpQg9jZk5dW12zFE4KafzWmRaqnKlcIrxsnzuFmO7rj2TbysnooQRWJD7d2F9LWqt3xrSlw/s1600/IMG_6416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPqRAI6D7UDlTId-1KwMGnEUtfQSWvDmvYouuGu-wCH_50t87MWtibTMZm_e2NmtZru2MzpQg9jZk5dW12zFE4KafzWmRaqnKlcIrxsnzuFmO7rj2TbysnooQRWJD7d2F9LWqt3xrSlw/s640/IMG_6416.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We visited a turtle sanctuary, where these animals will be nursed back to health and released back into the wild. Along with the 150,000 eggs that they collect from the beaches and take in, incubate in sunlight and release into the water, when they are stronger. And have more than slim chance of life.</div>
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Underground temple.</div>
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39 meter Buddha, so as tall as a twelve story office block. But not a record breaker</div>
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Tranquil Buddha</div>
<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com2Passara-Moneragala Highway, Sri Lanka6.9155205730496432 81.2109375-23.921180426950357 39.9023435 37.752221573049646 122.5195315tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-81018174784330089942017-11-21T03:09:00.001-08:002017-11-21T04:24:46.848-08:00The "Stick Fishermen" of Sri Lanka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When we booked our flight to start our trip. We knew very little about Sri Lanka and in our rush to get everything sorted, we didn't have time to research it! </div>
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But we were aware and had seen pix of "The Stick Fishermen". They are central to the peoples' admiration and pride. They feature in lots of art and have been well documented.</div>
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So we had another 04:45 start to catch them catching fish!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWde_2KsHyv8G8PT_JnEsbD439fgcUFG241mp2CCj74JXgBL-L9zhtum_RM6e83G2IetjiWkNEvBDUSanK8x-gXjhxg9jh2yWGRHBsgpykqI60bNk1CC_wpZPz6aQdUYLWjP7A4k4an58/s1600/IMG_6825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWde_2KsHyv8G8PT_JnEsbD439fgcUFG241mp2CCj74JXgBL-L9zhtum_RM6e83G2IetjiWkNEvBDUSanK8x-gXjhxg9jh2yWGRHBsgpykqI60bNk1CC_wpZPz6aQdUYLWjP7A4k4an58/s640/IMG_6825.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This man was already on his stick when we arrived. This is subsistence living and really is a hand to mouth existence. Can you imagine sitting on a spindly little pole for hour after hour, everyday. Being splashed by waves, permanently wet and covered in salt and sand. </div>
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Sunrise</div>
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So for all it's hardship, it's still a wonderful office!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYRsHWh_7uy5kwf0lmA5nHtFp1TLJhdtvPEm7iQDla1MqqRyRVy4-IOnkx8aVYH0iKZSqkKn5I_a1cmkvvk73gRYP8OMT_2TgiykYPwKx9oq_-cKZmu8gpZLgcVD_7NMgQFovcS7KPss/s1600/IMG_6873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="806" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYRsHWh_7uy5kwf0lmA5nHtFp1TLJhdtvPEm7iQDla1MqqRyRVy4-IOnkx8aVYH0iKZSqkKn5I_a1cmkvvk73gRYP8OMT_2TgiykYPwKx9oq_-cKZmu8gpZLgcVD_7NMgQFovcS7KPss/s640/IMG_6873.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
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The light is changing every minute.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBuNkV2qfsSw2KZZEOYONZJ6TxFd47smsjdHDbef4IyURUUQnrmv0F-1J3eWaQmhvxiQiwcKwKtGMWgTl4DlkF97sJGH0-BhekEzU3RTEiwcXfUU1akhX6NNZgBnFa23qkZfzWxpVHxs/s1600/IMG_6903+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1017" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBuNkV2qfsSw2KZZEOYONZJ6TxFd47smsjdHDbef4IyURUUQnrmv0F-1J3eWaQmhvxiQiwcKwKtGMWgTl4DlkF97sJGH0-BhekEzU3RTEiwcXfUU1akhX6NNZgBnFa23qkZfzWxpVHxs/s640/IMG_6903+%25281%2529.jpg" width="406" /></a></div>
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So it's fish and coconuts for breakfast</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FM1iS59LlNk-rwDDiKlFu0vwGDnJ1a31bCZp3Zz0Kfg9Q13H8TU4Wg-cFR_NAmS6engRJfp3APZs8x3K-L2qYT8u5s811mT_OFrBFbV58O9ZDzO8wjh8NJbmigV6svd-m2_whG7yTCg/s1600/IMG_6884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1600" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FM1iS59LlNk-rwDDiKlFu0vwGDnJ1a31bCZp3Zz0Kfg9Q13H8TU4Wg-cFR_NAmS6engRJfp3APZs8x3K-L2qYT8u5s811mT_OFrBFbV58O9ZDzO8wjh8NJbmigV6svd-m2_whG7yTCg/s640/IMG_6884.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-45287386378694534832017-11-14T05:37:00.000-08:002017-11-21T04:25:45.376-08:00Whales and dolphins but be warned, it ain't Blue Planet!On Monday morning we went looking for whales, so we left early and headed south east for a couple of hours. And yes we were, very privileged to see two sperm whales and a blue whale. We also saw dolphins and flying fish. Not wishing to bore you, I won't post much more about it but here are a couple of pix of our encounter ( be warned, this isn't blue planet) however it was a special moment and Donna was close to tears.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumjPC2j0eK_2cv9ilgfo3nL372JTCyUxaR2qAPPqcZsgyeE3IYT7f89H9rdY2lgphh2ABNLWZSGLbtZwTQ-VSeJZzPZTuM8DLjI85DSGuyUvJFNiBwB7TYCOLkCHowxRF6lTRcnD-gzE/s1600/IMG_6600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumjPC2j0eK_2cv9ilgfo3nL372JTCyUxaR2qAPPqcZsgyeE3IYT7f89H9rdY2lgphh2ABNLWZSGLbtZwTQ-VSeJZzPZTuM8DLjI85DSGuyUvJFNiBwB7TYCOLkCHowxRF6lTRcnD-gzE/s640/IMG_6600.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_jjHvCeyHPhAQe2MT_gCzFwO7nFcYjIOiRBzm2LFjis-z-BvfnhjfI-bioEWPagTY3EIG8Owy2lfUb-jMcBQ2ezgRNusS_Qymtz3xAiB16rdbNMpqm8JgL-wGmQvl6OP2N5MblDSOTk/s1600/IMG_6627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_jjHvCeyHPhAQe2MT_gCzFwO7nFcYjIOiRBzm2LFjis-z-BvfnhjfI-bioEWPagTY3EIG8Owy2lfUb-jMcBQ2ezgRNusS_Qymtz3xAiB16rdbNMpqm8JgL-wGmQvl6OP2N5MblDSOTk/s640/IMG_6627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKGSEUxBOEdnJm60BI0tQdeqkhOgOoohxrrhdcdTM7FfKVYCPWC1eCL53CBNxJuIetAOMjIAWwxD-3XpUW6WtAy8tkoCEeiw0mQuhVz-L-7ae3XI4Mlo7XsohQs_zQFDZxBXP0z93f2Q/s1600/IMG_6631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1600" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKGSEUxBOEdnJm60BI0tQdeqkhOgOoohxrrhdcdTM7FfKVYCPWC1eCL53CBNxJuIetAOMjIAWwxD-3XpUW6WtAy8tkoCEeiw0mQuhVz-L-7ae3XI4Mlo7XsohQs_zQFDZxBXP0z93f2Q/s640/IMG_6631.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then it was gone........ this was the second sperm whale and the closest we got but it was wonderful.</div>
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Then as if by magic, the dolphins escorted us home!</div>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-939073905935846692017-11-14T04:26:00.001-08:002017-11-14T04:26:45.601-08:00Any time is cricket time<p dir="ltr">We came across these guys playing cricket at seven thirty in the morning. They play it anywhere at anytime.... they just love it eh!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdqE7GXP06OlsWaO1xua4P7ntGLoEK1_iBTzk0a73XMp2CZQttqj4lPXIkx9T1eljd2gxLAIKPfgRDmKCERzXvW0-b6Mo3jrBbBfFOmVqwMQNWAkCsFML1MSOKWscIRe3NXyILAs0PtU/s1600/20171110_193630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdqE7GXP06OlsWaO1xua4P7ntGLoEK1_iBTzk0a73XMp2CZQttqj4lPXIkx9T1eljd2gxLAIKPfgRDmKCERzXvW0-b6Mo3jrBbBfFOmVqwMQNWAkCsFML1MSOKWscIRe3NXyILAs0PtU/s640/20171110_193630.jpg"> </a> </div>getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-80120050578708564622017-11-14T03:49:00.001-08:002017-11-21T04:26:52.865-08:00Galle Fort <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">Monday 04:00 13</span><sup style="font-family: Times;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;"> November</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">Even though we had a direct flight, it took us about thirty hours from Cardiff to Galle. Which meant we've been a bit all over the shop with jet lag and lack of sleep. Actually were up already and it was a 04:30 start today as were off somewhere special!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">So Galle goes back to the second century but it really came to prominence when the Portuguese built the first fort to protect the harbor and estuary, in the 16th century the Dutch moved in and made it their own. Before the Brits rocked up and the rest is history eh!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">Situated on the south west corner of Sri Lanka or as some still refer to it as Ceylon. We enter the fort through the main gate where we are secluded form the cacophony that is Galle city. The walls are very thick to withstand cannon fire from ships and about thirty foot tall. It's crisscrossed with narrow little cobbled streets and wonderful architecture. The houses all have high ceilings and fans and are very grand, full of the merchant’s opulence to out do each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">We arrived the day after a tropical storm and we caught a few raindrops at the tail end. But now were in the high twenty's and tipping out around thirty degrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">We've moved since we arrived and now we've got ourselves a third floor apartment with balcony and views over the roof tops to nothing but blue skies. We welcomed in by a small family of monkeys and we have a small bird nesting in the outside fan.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">Lack of wifi connection meant, I wrote this before we left for the whales, so the beach video was shot after this piece. Will get up to speed shortly.....</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt;">I know, like my school report use to say "MUST DO BETTER"</span></div>
getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-74815598736314261252017-11-08T11:21:00.001-08:002017-11-08T11:21:49.907-08:00Am I actually a hamster?<p dir="ltr">Donna is having a laughter attach and she's just told me, that I actually look like a hamster :)=</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCbl7tlkO1I-lI1eq9bgkIiZFSmfChNgDluIW53PmUbjY7IbVVwvScrDAjltzlId6dWrLZSqh_xbmtIgdq8Mbt-Vmd_cfwnV0-dJO0b4h2a9i66KsqGbnVHwJFMgLS_kCToqu1vmFedo/s1600/20171108_174015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCbl7tlkO1I-lI1eq9bgkIiZFSmfChNgDluIW53PmUbjY7IbVVwvScrDAjltzlId6dWrLZSqh_xbmtIgdq8Mbt-Vmd_cfwnV0-dJO0b4h2a9i66KsqGbnVHwJFMgLS_kCToqu1vmFedo/s640/20171108_174015.jpg"> </a> </div>getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-55731372081366196412017-11-08T11:19:00.001-08:002017-11-08T11:19:54.572-08:00I've been sussed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUj_V6y8B0ps1TcuVJZuCGwx7ItpEE8GLMEMjs-UyhAnxJIfIZ8Txx1Ue48vXZlyUPqQ2QnTk17YUKUz4S1BuLuUK437-txFoxV0fxAWMmr3fbA9Y2a9JTyh_EiR7UAL6AYI4dqTRh9Y/s1600/20171108_173944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUj_V6y8B0ps1TcuVJZuCGwx7ItpEE8GLMEMjs-UyhAnxJIfIZ8Txx1Ue48vXZlyUPqQ2QnTk17YUKUz4S1BuLuUK437-txFoxV0fxAWMmr3fbA9Y2a9JTyh_EiR7UAL6AYI4dqTRh9Y/s640/20171108_173944.jpg"> </a> </div>getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-80058593092233574432017-11-08T11:18:00.001-08:002017-11-08T11:18:59.052-08:00Pensive Donna<p dir="ltr">We're air side and now we can snap the top on the bottle and let the fizz out. <br>
So I thought I would take a couple of selfies but Donna wasn't aware.<br>
Just to clarify I'm the fat one thinking this is great.<br>
However Donna appears a bit bemused and is thing OMG!</p>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Ganges</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took this a few years back. Donna liked the picture of a sunrise from the river Ganges or "Mother Ganga" at Varanasi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact she liked it so much, she said,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAzeiAJN818" target="_blank"> "Take me to the River"</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps it was a catalyst, a spark in the dark, something to get the juices flowing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We should be there in a few months but we've got a lot of trains to catch first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love this video but don't take the words too literally as there were only twelve candles : ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So enjoy and chill and unlike the song, we won't actually be bathing in it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's been a great documentary on BBC1 9pm Thursdays, presented by Sue Perkins and she's brilliant. Maybe catch it on iPlayer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I suspect she will end up doing a whole raft of dox around the great rivers of the world! </span></div>
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<br />getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-52744112360341677722017-11-01T02:00:00.002-07:002017-11-01T02:01:14.143-07:00Goodbye hamster wheel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wIKuSdbWOSE0QxNskw4bQdsYq8smjYR3hUikGxmi-NEgMmMou_zft8yuK3bVt2y5qSFIXRN_I7aiGQAIFB2vNwhVbdOq6Uby2Dd3K06r5EogqRGGzgO_rgBfgi3Yin6Y2QC2b85F0-g/s1600/I-want-more-goodbye-hamster-wheel-e1367475769167.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wIKuSdbWOSE0QxNskw4bQdsYq8smjYR3hUikGxmi-NEgMmMou_zft8yuK3bVt2y5qSFIXRN_I7aiGQAIFB2vNwhVbdOq6Uby2Dd3K06r5EogqRGGzgO_rgBfgi3Yin6Y2QC2b85F0-g/s320/I-want-more-goodbye-hamster-wheel-e1367475769167.jpg" width="320" /></a>getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649673120479500843.post-45039271120878749782017-11-01T00:51:00.002-07:002017-11-01T00:54:39.899-07:00"Just because you're crazy, doesn't mean you're not right" <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was it Henry Kissinger, that said?</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Just because you're crazy, doesn't mean you're not right" </span></blockquote>
getting off the hamster wheelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05918334467802417103noreply@blogger.com0Park Ln, Cardiff CF14, UK51.5193855 -3.228066600000033851.516915499999996 -3.2331091000000338 51.5218555 -3.2230241000000337