Aaahh, Summer!

Okay, it's not cold out now. Sri Lanka is full of beautiful, lush jungle. After a late arrival and an early start, my driver is taking me inland through gorgeous countryside to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. We travelled by rice paddies, rubber plantations, and picture postcard vistas.

On the way we stopped at a place offering elephant rides, very different from my previous experience with a seat on the elephant's back. This was bareback with just a cloth pad between me and those moving shoulders. It was a very awkward position to sit in, leaning so far forward. Thigh muscles get a harder workout than with horseback riding due to the size of the animal.

The orphanage was great! I had read mixed reviews about it regarding animal rights

and their treatment, but what I saw was positive. Few animals had any chains and when I asked about them I was told that due to their previous treatment, some animals were not yet reliable around others during some tasks. The chain was loosely around 1 foreleg with its length resting back & forth over the back of the neck until needed. Of the 45 elephants I watched bathing in the river, only 3 were prevented from moving at will but they still had a good 30+ foot range. I was allowed to walk into the herd while they were eating and then watched the bottle feeding of the babies (tourists can pay to participate).

We also stopped at a tea factory where I learned why not all orange pekoe tea is the same, and exactly what is the difference between black, green and white teas.

After lunch in Kandy, Sri Lanka's 2nd largest city, we went to the Temple of the Tooth before the 3 hour drive back to Negombo.

The next day I relaxed at the guest house, venturing out for a fabulous lunch, before heading to the airport in the afternoon for my flight to Chennai