Our Week in Trinco

We have just returned from a week in Trincomalee which included diving, dolphins, and a side-trip to Sigiriya Rock, pictured below as seen from the top of the rock next door, Pidurangala, which we had all to ourselves the morning we hiked it. Click here for photos.

There are LOTS of (spinner) dolphin photos in the linked album. The water was thick with them the day we took a sail with Sail Lanka aboard their catamaran, Jade. Pat and Emily got lots of diving in with Island Scuba as well, which was the primary reason for our trip east.  

Aluthgama for the Win in Access Volleyball

It was Team Galle v. Team Aluthgama at the Access English Language Program volleyball tournament today in Galle. Click here for photos. 

The tournament was our final stop before returning to Colombo after a week of travel around southern Sri Lanka. A couple of time outs had to be called when the ball got stuck in palm and other trees, but thankfully there were skilled climbers on hand to help. 

Ella to Udawalawe to Weligama

We stopped in Ella on our way back from Arugam Bay to climb Little Adam's Peak and enjoy the cooler mountain air.  

Click here for photos of Ella Rock, Ella Gap, and Buduruvagala Rock Temple, as well as the many elephants we saw near Udawalawe National Park and at the Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage. 

Yala National Park & Arugam Bay

Yala National Park in Southeast Sri Lanka has been on our bucket list for a while, and we final made it there for a safari.  As the photo above confirms, Yala is the most likely place in all of Asia to spot leopards. Click here for more photos from our safari and visit to nearby surfing hot-spot, Arugam Bay. 

In route to Yala, we made a stop at the American Corner Matara to conduct a conversation hour, talk with youth forum volunteers, and help celebrate the successful completion of the Corner's first English for Business course. Photos from our Corner visit are included in the album above, as are photos from our visit to the famous Magul Haha Vihara, a 5th century sacred ruin near Arugam Bay. 

We also stopped in Hambantota - famous for sea salt - to visit one of the Embassy's English Language Access programs. We taught students about baseball and building with newspaper.  More photos from the Access program are linked here.