Palm Trees and PeraHera

We spent the President's Day weekend on Sri Lanka's South Coast, in Ahangama and Weligama, then returned to Colombo in time for the Nawam Maha Perahera. Click here for photos. 

Ahangama was a new discovery for us - one with big waves for surfing, a lovely beach, and a set of surf villas we will most definitely return to. 

As for the Pera Hera, it was fun to see elephants hanging out along the lake near our apartment. We could see and hear the parade from our patio, along with the full moon the festival was timed with. Night 2 was a bit rainy, but the passing storm didn't stop the drummers or fire dancers. 

Also include in the photo album are some underwater shots from Pat's most recent dive trip and a few miscellaneous photos from daily life around Colombo. 

Sri Lanka National Day Parade

February 4 is Sri Lanka's National Day, an occasion which marks the country's independence from Britain, achieved in 1948. We walked down to Galle Face Green this morning to take in the military parade which is the signature event of National Day. 

It was impressive - there were bands and bagpipers; tanks and traditional drummers; parachuters jumping out of planes and off buildings; a couple of elephants; a few dozen horses; and a LOT of guns. Click here for photos. 

On an unrelated but also impressive note, our friend Robert posted the photo below of a blue whale mom and her calf after his recent aerial whale watching excursion on Sri Lanka's south coast. Blue whales frequent the waters off of Mirissa this time of year.

And over in the great Pacific Northwest... click here for photos of Drew's recent climbing trip to Central Oregon's Smith Rock. Emily just got her first snow day of 2019, and Jake is hoping for one later this week. 

Diving Colombo

Click here for photos from some recent wreck dives Pat has done with Island Scuba off the coast of Colombo, where he has seen lots of octopus, stone fish and puffers and more. 

Adam's Peak Pilgrimage/Hike

It was a crazy 32 hours. Eighteen of us left Colombo Saturday morning for the purpose of accomplishing an epic night hike - along the lighted pathway picture above - to the top of Adam's Peak. Step-one was a 7-hour drive into the center of Sri Lanka that can only be described as harrowing. The bus was big and the roads were narrow, but the scenery passing through terraced tea plantations was spectacular. We arrived at the mountain's base, near Hatton, around 5pm, in time for dinner and a few hours of sleep before starting our summit of Adam's Peak around 1am.  

Click here for photos from our hike. It took 4.5 hours to reach the summit, a journey that included climbing 5,500+ stairs, but we made it to the top in plenty of time to tour the temple at the top, get a quick Buddhist blessing, and take in the sunrise. We were hiking on a Poya Day (full moon) so it the path was especially crowded with local pilgrims. Adam's Peak is one of Sri Lanka's most sacred places, as well as one of the world's most scenic stair hikes. 

The sunrise was lovely. The walk back down was hard on the knees, especially since each of the 5,500+ stairs along the trail was unique in depth and height - from shallow to bone jarring. January is high season for both tourist and locals to hike Adam's Peak. People go up and down at all times of day and night, but being at the top for sunrise is especially popular. 

Click here for another set of photos, taken by a friend/colleague from our hiking group. Thank you Kevin for sharing. 

On the other side of the world, the kids were taking in the lunar eclipse and enjoying a weekend together in Bellingham. Click here for a few of their hiking and hanging out photos. 

South Coast Weekend

Click here for photos from our weekend on Sri Lanka's south coast. Pat's surfing skills continue to evolve, thanks to the consistent waves and plethora of beachside surf shops in Weligama.

Home for the Holiday Lights

Click here from photos from some of the many holiday light displays we have visited this week around Portland -- The Oregon Zoo's Zoo Lights, Pioneer Square Christmas Tree, Alpenrose Dairy's Storybook Lane, Peacock Lane in SE Portland, and the Christmas Ships parade along the Willamette River.  We timed a trip to the Portland Saturday Market with the Santa paddle board parade, though credit for that photo goes to The Oregonian. 

Happy holidays to all!

Underwater Colombo

Click here for photos from Pat's recent dives with Island Scuba. He has been diving just offshore from Colombo, where there are a dozen or so wrecks to explore. If you have an Instagram account, you can click here for video of an specially friendly pufferfish. 

There are a few above-the-ground shots in the album too - featuring some of the festive holiday decorating we've been seeing around Colombo and some great sky views. 

Meanwhile back in Portland... Drew was recently featured in a promotion for a local surf shop, Cosube.