SRI LANKA, BEAUTIFUL GARDENS and MORE, Part 1: A Guest Post by Susan Kean

Sri Lanka, Buddhist Temple.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George went on a trip to Sri Lanka in March, touring the island country with a focus on plants and gardens. Susan has graciously shared her impressions and photos with The Intrepid Tourist. Thank you, Susan! Her report is in two parts. The second half will post next week.

We arrived at Colombo airport, Sri Lanka on a Sunday afternoon on a direct flight from Heathrow. We were a little late as the plane detoured around the airspace over Iran, etc.

Muthurajawela Mangrove Reserve

Our first experience was a boat trip a mangrove area to look at the plants and wild life.

There are just four of us in the group! The next morning we packed up and drove (they drive on the left) about two hours to Sigiriya in a beautiful national park area. 

We saw various monkeys chasing around the vegetation, which is very lush with all kinds of interesting trees and flowers.

Sigiriya Rock

We walked around the bottom of the Sigiriya rock, a fortress built in 477 AD. It is 1000 steps to the top. We decided to leave that climb until the next time!

View of the Knuckles Mountains.

We then spent two nights in Kandy. It is in higher country and we enjoyed magnificent views, interesting flowers and extraordinary butterflies in large numbers.

We visited a spice farm and learned how nutmeg, cloves, cardamom grow. Spices are a big industry in these parts.

Labyrinth in the Royal Botanic Garden.

The water lily is the Sri Lanka national flower.

Flower of the Cannon Ball tree. Fruits are about the size of coconuts. We are seeing lots of them too.

We spent time in the Royal Botanic Garden and saw all kinds of plants, many familiar to California gardeners

Flowers are presented at the shrine of the Buddha's tooth.

Lastly we were taken on a tour of the Buddhist Temple and learned about the Buddhist faith. We took our shoes off and hats to walk through.

Buddhist Temple.

The colors of the flag represent the five ethical guidelines of Buddhism. Respect life, Abstain from theft and fraud, refrain from sexual misconduct, speak with honesty, and do not get intoxicated. Summarized as the path to a successful life is through wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.

Part 2 will post next week.

BALI, A TROPICAL PARADISE: Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

Bali, Indonesia

My brother Tom spent three weeks in Bali in January and has generously shared some of his photos and impressions from his trip. A short video is at the end of this post. He writes:

The hotel we are staying at, Uma Dawa, used to be a museum where an artist lived. It’s peaceful and Bali style--and feels very tropical. 

The hotel has a nice pool and there are few people. We are just a five minute walk from the main hotel so it’s very convenient. It’s quite warm here, but if you stay in the shade it’s good.

I am sitting on my front porch looking out onto the jungle view. It has rained a little bit but otherwise the weather has been good. 

The Balinese culture has a real sense of beauty, and everything they make is artistically done.

We all move to the next location in two days, and that hotel will be by the ocean.

Tom made a short video of his three weeks in Bali. Enjoy!

This is Tom’s second trip to Bali. He was there in 2017. You can read about his previous trip at these two posts: SUDAJI FALLS and ULUWATU TEMPLE.

ULUWATU TEMPLE, Bali, Indonesia: Watch Out for Monkeys! Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

Monkey with egg, Uluwatu, Indonesia

My brother, Tom Scheaffer, recently returned from a three week trip to Indonesia. Here is his report and some of his photos from his visit to a famous Hindu temple, Uluwatu (Pura Luhur), in Bali.

Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia

Recently I visited Bali, Indonesia. One of my favorite places is the Uluwatu Temple, a Hindu temple built at the edge of a 70 meter cliff projecting in the sea. The main religion is Bali is Hinduism. and there are temples throughout the island. All visitors must wear a sarong to enter the Uluwatu temple.

Temple guardian statue at Uluwatu

Uluwatu is known for the monkeys that inhabit the temple area, and also it is a famous surf spot with large waves. 

Tom, overlooking the beach below Uluwatu

As I was walking along the pathway above the ocean I warned my friend to be careful with his hat as the monkeys are notorious for snatching visitors' belongings.

Monkey at Uluwatu

At that moment I felt my prescription glasses being snatched off my face. It happened so fast I didn't even see the monkey until I saw it scamper off into the forest with my glasses! Luckily a park worker was nearby and followed the monkey and gave it an egg and it dropped the glasses. I was so relieved!

Statue within the Uluwatu complex

[Note from The Intrepid Tourist: Tom's encounter with the monkey reminds me of the children's book story of Curious George and the man with the yellow hat!]