Jumbo and friends

My friends and colleagues Dr. Rana and Dr. Khaleda rode with me yesterday from our base in Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa where today I had a nice long massage, steam bath, and other treatments that come highly recommended for any hard working Project Coordinator.



On the way here the driver suddenly called out 'elephant!!'






This bull was ambling around, eating tall grass and keeping a sharp eye on us although not as sharp as the eye our driver kept on him... he had the engine running and the car in gear just in case.

Although I once rode an elephant called "Small Ears" for hours through the jungle of western Thailand this was my first wild elephant. He walked casually towards us and then passed behind - presumably towards greener grass.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka is a haven for birds. There's a serious risk that I'll have to buy an expensive new lens.

I think the rotation of this picture can be blamed on a bump in the road - I've 'never' shaken an image myself. I like the effect though.

Though a symbol of India (and of a tasty beer, reputable airline and now a collectible bathing beauties calendar) this Kingfisher looked quite at home in Sri Lanka.

Stork? Crane? (Pigeon? Chicken? I'm expecting Sue, Sandra, or Steve to let me know. UPATE: Mari has proposed that it's a "long beaked eagle". Nice. But I'm waiting for a second opinion. UPDATE: Steve did in fact pitch in to say it is a stork, probably a Woolly-necked Stork, Ciconia episcopus. But, in his words: "I will give Mari points for her, uh, *creative* guess")

Now even I know that this is a peacock. We saw peahens too. Again, I'd never seen them in the wild before.

Moving on to something more important...

...our route paralleled part of the railway from Batticaloa to Colombo which we're not allowed to ride because of security risks.

I hope to be able to ride this train before I leave Sri Lanka.