Classes

Now that it is a new month many of the scheduled English classes have resumed. This was our first children's class. The girls are six.

Diyantha Uyana

We took another day trip in to Colombo, this time to see Diyantha Uyana. It's a park by the river with upscale hotels, an outdoor food court, an aquarium, passenger ferries, and an open air market.

Missed bus

We missed the morning "A/C" bus back to Colombo so we have a few hours to kill. We're having lunch even though we aren't hungry. Sid ordered King Coconut Juice to drink.

There are only two A/C busses a day back to Colombo and it's worth the wait. The seats are wider, everyone gets a seat (it's possible to stand in the aisle for the whole 4 hr ride on the regular bus) and it is only a couple of dollars more.

Making friends along the way

This is our Tuk-tuk driver and his family. The Sri Lankan people are very friendly and outgoing. He took us to his house for dinner with his family.

The Cave Temple

The Rock Temple in Dambulla (also known as the cave temple, the royal temple and the golden temple) consists of five different caves decorated and housing 153 Buddha statues, a few kings and a couple of God's and goddesses. The decorations in the first cave date back more than 2000 years.

We rented bikes for the day

This gave us more flexibility on viewing the area around Sigiriya.

Another Buddhist Temple

This one near the base of Sigiriya.

Sigiyira

We climbed up Sigiriya. It's 1202 steps to the top and considered one of the eight wonders of the ancient world.

In the 3rd century BC it was a monastery. In the 5th century King Kasyapa built a palace up there. After his death it reverted to a monastery until the 14th century when it was abandoned.

The rock is a volcanic plug from a long dead volcano.

BBQ - Family Style

The host family fired up their charcoal grill, invited ALL of their family over and made a night of it. We had chicken, pork and hot dog/sausages. There were cousins, in laws, kids, siblings, aunts and uncles as far as the eye could see. A good time was had by all.

Seaman Sunil Sharma

Neil completed basic training. Abbie and her Dad were there for support. Now he's based in Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

The National History Museum and the Museum of Natural History

Both are worth the price of admission.

Cinnamon Park

Took some time to explore Colombo. There is a big beautiful park between the town hall and the museums called Vihara Maha Devi. It has a children's area including a suspension bridge, ponds, fountains, horses, an exercise course and a bike path.