A Man and his Sri Lankan Dog.

Me in the botanical gardens in Kandy, Sri Lanka

That orange dot in the middle is me.  The botanical gardens in Kandy are pretty nice.  The whole country is a botanical garden, so I'm not sure why they decided to make this one specifically.  Seriously, it was worth visiting.  By the way, if you're a local, the price for admission is free.  If you're like me, you have to pay to get in.

My new buddy in Sri Lanka

While posing for this photos along this line of palm trees, I had no idea what was behind me.  After the second shot, I felt my spideysense go off behind me.  This mellow doggie was just sauntering over checking me out.  He followed me for a few steps then lost interest.  Much like all of my girlfriends. 

What the hell am I doing here?

Seriously, I have no idea what I'm doing.  Making a bloody mess.  I actually got used to eating with my hands.  It's not something I'm going to do with all my foods from this point on.  I can't imagine eating clam chowder with my hands.

Spectacular views in botanical gardens

The gardens were very well maintained and manicured.

More views in botanical gardens

Photos are hard to convey what really is seen on the ground.  The trees in the background were just huge.

It's a jungle out there

I like this shot because it does give you sense of the how dense the vegetation is there.

Holy roots, Batman...

One of my friends just read the book, "Roots."  This photo has nothing at all to do with the history of African slaves in America, but I thought I'd make the connection anyway to fill up some space.

Holy bats, Batman...

Yes, those are bats flying above.  It was quite eerie.  Not only because numerically, there like thousands of the bloodsuckers flying or chilling in the branches, but their bat noises was kind of freaky. 

Please don't drop anything on me.

I don't mix well with guano.  One time at work, I was standing underneath a tall marque, and pigeon relieved himself on me.  Right splat on my shoulder.  I was thoroughly disgusted and went out to buy a new shirt during my lunch break.

Let's start cooking now.

This is were all my recent meals have been cooked in.  The stove is neither electric or gas.  It's wood fired. 

Well, well, well...

The water used here is drawn from a well.  It's what you think, people don't grab a bucket and drop it whenever they want a drink.  They do have a plumbing system, but it is drawn from this well.

Entrance to the homestead.

This shot is close to the house and is looking towards the road.

Coconut trees

King coconuts are a huge export here.  They are different then the smallish, brown, and hairy ones from back home.  The ones here are larger, orange, and smooth.  Coconuts are obviously used for many uses in cooking.  One of the tastier things I had involved with coconuts was french fries.  We had french fries, or chips, here at the home, and it was cooked in coconut oil.  Wow, the flavor was much different than any fries I've had.  It had a somewhat sweeter taste to it. 

Pineapple plants

Fresh pineapples kick canned pineapples ass any time.  It would be like me taking on Mike Tyson in the boxing ring; there would be no match.  For my ear.

Some dudes cutting wood

Where there's trees, there's dudes cutting wood.

Indeed it does...

Packs of smokes in Asia have these huge, graphic labels in each box.  In Singapore, they show the typical images you see in anti-smoking campaigns.

What is this strange sport being played with a fraternity paddle?

As a former colonial dependency, cricket is a vestige left over.  To this day, I have no idea how this game is played.  It's like baseball, but really it's not.

The last supper in Sri Lanka.

Well, my time in Sri Lanka is coming to an end.  When I next write, it will be from Singapore.  I look forward to Singapore, as it is probably my favorite eating spot in the world.  Granted I haven't visited that many countries, but the gastronomical variety, quality, and hygiene is unparalleled.