Paris

Click here for photos from our just completed 3-day stopover in Paris in route back to Portland. 

Our walks along the Seine, seeing the Eiffel Tower by day and night, and exploring the Louve made for a great ending to our summer travels. 

Now it's officially back-to-school time, with Fall Terms at OSU and WWU beginning within the next week. 

Trincomalee and Wilpattu National Park

Click here for photos from Trincomalee and Wilpattu National Park, our final stops on our most recent trip around Sri Lanka.  This was our second visit to Trinco, where the focus was mostly on diving. The jelly pictured above was a highlight for both Emilys, who simply can't get enough time underwater. 

It was our first time in Wilpattu National Park, where we had the very good fortune of spotting the leopard pictured below. We were one of the only groups who saw a leopard the morning of our safari, so felt very lucky. Almost as exciting as seeing one was hearing them. 

Two leopards were hunting in the brush near our jeep. We listened to them call back and forth to each other for several minutes and hoped they might show themselves. Their calls got louder and closer, then stopped abruptly. We assumed that meant their hunt was a success. Breakfast was likely one of the many spotted chevrotains (mouse deers) we saw in the park.

On the drive into Wilpattu, we saw a rice harvest. Local families lined the roadway for several kilometers, sweeping and bagging rice, which they lay out to dry on the asphalt. 

We're now back in Colombo preparing to return to the States in a few days. Before departure, we squeezed in a trip to House of Fashion, a quirky shopping experience where you can find odds, ends and overstocks/seconds from brands like Zara, Pull and Bear, etc... whose clothing is made in Sri Lanka.

We also got to take part in one more session of the American Center's conversations buddies program. This weekly program was a definitely a highlight of our time in Colombo. Pictured below are some of the wonderful people who come to the Center to practice their English, learn about the US and discuss current events. Click here for a few other Colombo photos, including last night's beautiful sunset as seen from Galle Face Green. 

Arugam Bay

Click here for photos from our time in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka's top surfing destination. The photos in this album where taken mostly at the Whiskey Point surf break, just north of Arugam Bay, where the boys caught some great waves. The beaches in Arugam are among the nicest in Sri Lanka - clean and uncrowded with beautiful turquoise water.

There's a lagoon and some mangroves just behind the beach at Whiskey Point where we spotted wild elephants and water buffalo. 

While staying at the Danish Inn, the villa manager taught the kids to play Carrom, a table top billiards-style game that is very popular in Sri Lanka. 

More Elephants

Click here for photos from our time at and around Sri Lanka's Udawalawe National Park. We visited the park for an afternoon safari; stopped by an elephant orphanage to watch the baby elephants get fed; and glamped at the lovely Kottawatta Village. 

Next stop: Arugam Bay.