Sri Lanka

Leaving the UK in the middle of freezing March to travel to the warmth of Sri Lanka was a delight. We were so struck by the warmth and interest of the people we met, stunned by the history and monuments we saw and bowled over by the scenery and wildlife.
The rock fortress at Sigirya was amazing..... the palace is at the TOP of the rock you see, the climb sheer, not that I climbed wimp that I am!

At Dambulla we climbed again to the top of the hill to see the magnificent statues of Buddah. Carved and painted and all at the point that we Brits were fighting the Vikings! Every inch of each cave was covered with paintings in pinks and yellows and black and white. This shot just gives a small glimpse of the intricacy of the images.

Then at Polonnaruwa, the ancient Capital of the island we marvelled at the skills that created huge reservoirs and drainage channels with a really gentle slope that irrigated all the surrounding area. The Gal Vihara, consisting of the four immense figures cut from one long slab of granite. The reclining figure is 14metres long but it is the stunning serenity of the face that grabs your attention.

The roads were manic but the decorated Tuk-Tuks , lorry cabs and the lorry backs grabbed ones attention!

There are images I have brought back that will become pieces of work and I really want to do something with the Sinhala writing script which is beautiful.
The spicy food was delicious and the quality of the places we stayed fantastic. The azure blue sea and the elusive leopards made for a brilliant holiday marred only by my being there when mu father died.