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Hi Everyone I am currently in Patagonia and the hotel and town have horrible internet service. If this blog does not go through I will republish tomorrow.  How did the day start at 3AM? I did not sleep much in BA and woke up before the phone alarm went off. We all met in the lobby at 4 AM and left for the airport. BA has two airports. We arrived in the one that only carries domestic flights. Next to the Atlantic and close to the middle of the city. Reminded me of the location of LaGuardia in NYC. At 4:30 AM, the Airport was very busy. We checked in and of course, my suitcase was overweight. What do you expect with winter clothes and all sorts of camera gadgets. The price was only $30US and I got off lucky. In Siem Reap, I was charged $175 for overweight. We then went through a round of security checks and boarded our flight for three hours. Fortunately, this was a jet. When I go on a photography trip and then take domestic flights on props, my camera gear and luggage become a major problem. On props, the overhead storage is much smaller than the jet overhead and my camera gear often will not fit and I refuse to have them put it in with the cargo. Normally, I unpack some gear and hold the gear during the flights. Not the case now. We arrived in the middle of nowhere. The destination was El Chalten, but I did not see any resemblance of any town nearby. We then all boarded a big comfortable bus. Photographers like to spread out and we are always given at least two seats per person to spread our gear out. We drove for about one hour over terrain that reminded me of Peru and Iceland. No trees and very barren. Stopped to take some pictures of animals that looked somewhat like alpacas and llamas. We finally arrived at our destination, a working gaucho ranch. We were met by two male gauchos and one female gaucho. They were cooking our lunch outside. A huge lamb carcass was stretched out on poles and huge in front of a wood burning pit. We were told that the lamb was already cooking for four hours. We then took pictures of the gauchos doing their daily chores with their horses. Got some great shots of these  beautiful people. We were served a local tea named “Mate”. The tea is grown in Northern Argentina near a rain forest and very strong and good. The gauchos drink this tea al day long. They drink it through a straw. Very unusual. It was then time for lunch. What a feast. One gaucho carved up the lamb carcass with a huge knife and served the pieces to us. The juices and taste was extraordinary. It was then time for another photo shoot with the gauchos, but this included their horses. How beautiful they were riding along the terrain. The terrain was mostly sand. Sort of a high desert. I have been in a desert like this in New Mexico and Arizona. They chased some horses through the terrain with their ropes out and yelling for the horses to run. A truly unique experience. After doing lots of hiking and picture taking, we finally left for “El Chalten”. El Chalten is an interesting town. The town is in the foothills of a mountain named “Mt. Fitzroy”. Mt Fitzroy is one of the ten hardest mountains to climb in the world. It is a little over eleven thousand feet, but straight up with very few ledges and lots of glaciers surrounding it. The Chilean border is about fifteen miles from here. Chile and Argentina share a 3000 mile natural boundary down Patagonia. This is the longest natural border in the world. There is small bridge that goes over a river leading into town. Chile claimed that the border with Argentina extended to this bridge. The Argentinians disagreed and in 1985 built the town of “El Chalten” here and settled some people here. The Argentinians did not want to set up a military base and escalate the border dispute. The dispute was finally settled in the World Court and Argentina won the verdict. The town has since grown and tourists come here now. The road that we took into the town ends outside the town where there are ice fields that now separate Chile and Argentina. No border crossing. Quite interesting and something I never knew.  We then had dinner in the hotel. Of course, beef was served and the steak was so big and juicy that I could not finish it.  It was then off to a night shoot before the sun sets. Lets talk a little about clouds. I have formed a love relationship with clouds. I love to take pictures of them and always are aware off their shapes and colors. I had rated Iceland as the most beautiful clouds that I had ever seen until today. The clouds in Patagonia are unbelievable. Our local guide told us that the clouds are different since the air streams from the Atlantic and Pacific meet here and form these amazing clouds. How are they different? A cloud is a cloud. I have seen clouds here shaped like pancakes, flying saucers, and all other types of shapes and colors. These are the best. The sun set at around ten, but it did not get fully dark until around 11. The days are longer as we inch our way to the end of the world. Before the sun set, we went out of town to shoot the clouds and Mt. Fitzroy. I could not stop shooting. Took over seven hundred pictures and stared at what I was witnessing on the greatest stage in the world. Howe lucky I am to witness this spectacle.  It is now time to call it a day. Am, getting up past 4 AM for

Hi Everyone Long time no hear. Hope everyone is well. I know, I just finished my last trip on November 15th. Where am I now and why? This is really my last trip of the year. I promise. Would you believe I am in Buenos Aires Argentina? Believe it. Am writing this blog at 8:24 PM from BA (Buenos Aires). Argentina is two hours ahead of the east coast time zone. Left JFK last night at 10 PM on American Airlines and flew all night. Nonstop to BA and arrived around 11 AM. An eleven hour flight. For me, it feels like going to get milk at the local grocery. Slept most of the time between meals and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” reruns. It is almost summer here. The first thing I felt was a rush of warm air hit me as I disembarked. The weather is similar to NYC weather in July. All the flowers are out and the grass is green. What is the BA Airport like? A mad maze of lines and more lines. Lines to go through immigration and then lines to get your luggage and even longer lines to put your luggage and carryons through security just in case that last bomb or gun was not found along the way. Finally got outside ate around 12:30. Have not told you yet what I am doing in Argentina so here goes. I am on a photography trip to Patagonia and then onto Antartica. Why go there? First I could tell you that this trip will not be easy. Lots of running around and a wide range of weather. First lets start with Patagonia. I decided that since I had always wanted to go to Antartica and the way to pick up a boat to Antartica is through Argentina, then why not see and experience as much of Patagonia as I can. Some photographers have told me that the most beautiful mountains in the world are in Patagonia. We will see. More on Antartica later and what it takes to go and how to get there. After leaving the Airport, we drove on a highway and I could see slums on either side of me. Not the worst slums I have ever seen, but slums nonetheless. We then got into the City towards our hotel. BA seems to be made up of large boulevards and started to remind me of a mixture of Madrid and Barcelona. Some of the older style buildings looked like they came from Madrid and the newer styles and some of the modern housing reminded me of Barcelona. Arrived at our hotel at around 1 PM and I decided to drop my bags in the room and take a ride around the City. We are leaving BA tomorrow morning and I decided I might never come back to BA again. Our driver who took to the hotel decided to give me a whirlwind tour for three hours. Of course, we first stopped at the ATM. Argentina currency is called pesos. 2000 pesos cost you about US$105. Took out 4000 pesos and we were on our way. The driver took me to the Presidential Palace where there were lots of old and stoic looking buildings like they were from the 1930’s. The streets are very clean and people appear to respect their environment. There was very little traffic since it is Sunday and we moved quickly around. The driver then took me to one of the most famous soccer stadiums in the world. A huge stadium that was surrounded by lots of shops, restaurants and bars. The team is named “BOCA”. We then drove to an area called “La Boca”. La Boca is a neighborhood that was full of local artists selling their crafts, restaurants, street bars and tango dancing halls. Took some very interesting shots in this neighborhood. The graffiti is awesome in BA. Street art is all over, large and beautiful. I wish I had time to just walk around and take pictures of the street art. Its that good. BA is on the Atlantic. We drove down to the harbor and saw some great looking sailboats. The humid weather and lack of sleep was starting to get to me so I decided to head back to the hotel. Took a long shower and we all met at 5:15 for dinner. Dinner was in a restaurant named “Brandon”. The reason why I mention this is that this is the name of one of my two beautiful grandsons. A lucky omen to start the adventure. Andy ordered lots of starters and then we all ordered our main course. I decided to try the lamb. The lamb was cooked on a wood grill and was the best lamb I had ever had. We are a group of ten plus Andy and Marc. The group comes from Mexico, California, Dallas, Maine, Virginia and New York. A good mix of different people. We are leaving at 4 AM and flying to El Calafate in Patagonia. The flight is three hours and leaves at 6:15 AM. No rest on a photography workshop. Talk to everyone soon Love Larry  

Hi Everyone We had a wonderful time in Sri Lanka…..please enjoy my photos by clicking on the covers in each album. Hope you enjoy the adventure. Love, Larry   Album 1 [envira-album id=”2580″] Album 2 [envira-album id=”2581″] Album 3 [envira-album id=”2582″] Album 4 [envira-album id=”2583″]

Hi Everyone We had a wonderful time in Sri Lanka…..please enjoy my photos by clicking on the covers in each album. Hope you enjoy the adventure. Love, Larry   Album 1 [envira-album id=”2580″] Album 2 [envira-album id=”2581″] Album 3 [envira-album id=”2582″] Album 4 [envira-album id=”2583″]

Hi Everyone So this is it. The last time I will bother you until next time. First lets describe the days activities. Woke up at around 6 AM and had to get ready to leave the hotel by 8 AM. We were staying in a hotel that needed a refurbishing. I do not care about the conditions of any place I stay in, as long as it is clean. I have lived in tents and gone to the bathroom wherever, but as long is it is clean that’s OK with me. Last night Olivia asked for a blanket. Housekeeping brought one up and left it for us. When she unrolled the blanket, white looking small worms started to fall out. Needless to say, I had a NYC meltdown with the front desk and management. A great way to start your day. Had not had enough coffee due to the “Africa Hot”. Be aware, that all of our previous hotels were clean and excellent except for this one. Life goes on. We all boarded the bus for our trip to the Madu River and a boat excursion. All of us boarded an open air boat for a cruise down the river. The Madu flows into the Indian Ocean. Saw some beautiful birds, mangroves and some great scenes of people living on the river, but no Crocs. Crocs are smart and they will only come out in the early morning. The rest of the day they spend in the water to deal with the heat. Smart creatures. The next stop was to a turtle conservation and rehab facility. There are five different species of ocean turtles Sri Lanka. The females come on shore and lay their eggs, They return to the sea after laying their eggs in the sand and never return to the nest. Poachers have been known to find the eggs and sell them. This facility buys the eggs from the poachers and hatch them at their facility. The baby turtles grow very fast after hatching. In the wild, when the eggs hatch, the baby turtles immediately return to the sea. This facility gives the baby turtles three days to acclimate and condition themselves. They then release them back to the sea. This way the babies have a much greater chance of survival. Furthermore, there were damaged and blind turtles at the facility. These turtles were fully grown, but could not be released since they could not survive by themselves. The facility also had albino turtles. They are very rare and were beautiful. The facility is now supported by donations and a beautiful gift shop. We did our part to support this worthy work and cause. One interesting side note. The facility is named “The Victor Hasselblad Center”. This is the same Hasselblad from the camera company that bears this name. Hasselblad is one of the most expensive cameras. I was told that Victor Hasselblad bought the land, beachfront and supported the center until it got off the ground. Now the center is self sufficient. It was then time to travel to Columbo. We first drove on a beautiful new highway. The first highway in Sri Lanka. Stopped at a beautiful rest stop for lunch. It was then onto Columbo. Columbo is the capital of Sri Lanka and has a population of about 2 million. The City was very busy and there was new construction wherever you looked. The tour guide told us that the Chinese are doing all the new construction. They bring their own workers and set up shop. We finally arrived at our modern hotel and checked in. After check in, Olivia and myself had some real coffee and then it was time to go to a local cricket club. Cricket is very popular here and there are lots of clubs and Sri Lanka has a national team. The Cricket Club we visited has been open since the 1880’s and was very old looking and splendid. There was a beautiful cricket field where the National team was practicing and some local club teams were learning the trade. We learned the basic rules of cricket. The stands overlooking the field were very nice and there was a beautiful bar. I asked the bartender for a beer. He said beverages are only for club members. It was now back to the hotel to rest and meet for our farewell dinner at 6:30. We have been with the same group for two weeks. There were three couples from Australia, two couples from Canada and the rest were Americans. A total of eighteen people. I love to give speeches and decided to start the ball rolling. Olivia warned me to keep it short. I thanked everyone for putting up with me and told them that we could say whatever we wanted since the chance of meeting again was very remote. I then went around the table and told everyone what I loved about each of them and the memories I will take away from this trip. I am writing this final blog from the hotel lobby since the internet in our room is very weak. Standing up the way Hemingway did it. So what did I think of Sri Lanka and would I recommend it to everyone? Sri Lanka does not have a strong tourist infrastructure. We were fortunate to only have one bad hotel out of six. In some areas, the people can be annoying and threatening by asking for money. Service is slow. Having said all this, would I recommend a visit? You need to accept the situation you have been placed in and know that situation going in. If you can do that, you will find a country that has a lot to offer. Most of the people are nice. They try to please and have an innocence about them. I will never forget the “Temple of the Sacred Tooth” and the strong belief that the people displayed. The buddhas in the caves will stay with me

Hi Everyone Am purposely writing my blog early since I do not want to wind up in the lobby at 11 PM again writing while I get eaten by bugs and mosquitos. Its currently 6:55 PM and I think it is Monday night in Koggala Beach Sri Lanka. We woke up early since I wanted Olivia to see the “Stilt Fishermen” and take some more photos. We walked down to the beach and over to the area where they were. Olivia was awestruck by them and the uniqueness of this tradition. The sun was not rising behind them, but the light was better than yesterday. I clicked away and took some great shots. Olivia is finding it hard what to publish on my website. I try to have each picture I take tell a story and my photos of this way of life certainly will do that. While we were watching this spectacle, a local man walked up to us and asked us for money. He was very pushy and Olivia became upset and uncomfortable, so we left. Unfortunately, we have experienced quite a few situations like this in Sri Lanka. It was OK to leave at that time since the light was changing to total brightness and I knew that I had already captured the best light. Onto breakfast and trying to drink hot coffee in “Africa Hot”. Some of my new subscribers might ask “What is Africa Hot?” “Africa Hot” is a phrase that Olivia used to describe the weather conditions when she visited Cambodia with me in 2012. I tried to drink the hot coffee, but only got about five cups into me when I gave out. Five cups is about half my morning consumption. So what do you do after you have had five cups of coffee and its 9 AM, you take a nap until it is time to leave at 10:30. How can you take a nap after five cups of coffee? Its easy. Try it. Olivia woke me up at 10:15 and we rushed to board the bus for our ride to Galle. Galle is a walled city that has an old fort with its ramparts surrounding it. Galle is located on the tip of a harbor facing the Indian Ocean. Who built it and why? A Portuguese ship accidentally wound up here when a storm forced them to hide in the harbor to protect them from a storm in 1505. The Portuguese finally realized the strategic importance of this harbor and built a fort that was completed in 1587. About a hundred years later, the Dutch arrived and built their own fort after forcing the Portuguese to leave. About a hundred years after that, the British finally arrived and then, you guessed it, threw the Dutch out. The British remained until Sri Lankan independence in 1948. There are lots of shops, bars, restaurants and guest houses within the fort. A city onto itself. By the way, Galle was restored after the 2004 tsunami. Our tour guide gave everyone two hours to explore Galle on our own. We walked top and down long streets and into and out of lots of shops. Olivia did a fair share of shopping. I love watching her shop. She does not treat herself enough. We finally arrived at the end of the fort and climbed the ramparts. We were facing the Indian Ocean and saw why this harbor was so vital. We did notice a local man with a huge snake wrapped around his neck. The snake looked like a Boa Constrictor. I took some shots from afar and did not want to engage him with asking him to pose. We then worked our way back to the area that the tour guide told us to meet at 1:30. Then the heavens opened up and we all got a good soaking. This did not satisfy “Africa Hot”, but we finally got into the bus for our ride back to the hotel. I had previously told Olivia that there is a nice shop at the hotel and she needs to check it out. When we got back a 2 PM, Olivia checked out the shop and bought some more. I knew she would. By this time we were both hungry and thirsty. Went up to the restaurant for a good lunch and some “Lion” beer. At 4 PM around half the group went to a Monastery to meet the head Monk and ask him questions. We drove for around twenty minutes and then walked up a long road to the top of a hill. We then were led into a small hall where there was a big throne type of area. We had to take off our shoes and the session was being taped by another Monk. Two Monks then walked in. One Monk sat on the throne on a large pillow and the other Monk used a microphone. It was then time to start asking questions. Olivia was sitting all the way up front on a large pillow. I was sitting in the back on a chair. Most of us asked questions about religion, beliefs and the Buddhist religion in Sri Lanka. The Monk with the microphone interpreted the question for the head Monk and then translated his response to us. Our questions got deeper and more complex as we got more comfortable with the scene and Monks. The question of creation was raised by me and I followed most of the response. Also the ability to forgive was another topic that I raised and the responses were harder to understand and follow. I did not necessarily agree and understand most of the Monks responses on all of our questions, but the responses have given me room for thought and growth. By the way, both Olivia and myself have some intangible attraction to the Buddhist religion and way of life. We are both very comfortable in that culture. I have always told people that I cleanse my

Hi Everyone Am writing so late because I have been roaming around this three star hotel in Koggala Beach trying to pick up a strong internet line. Finally found one. So how did our day start? I wanted to wake up early and walk down to the small lake in back of our unit to find some crocodiles. Overslept. The “Africa Hot” has been taking my energy away. We had breakfast and I could barely drink hot coffee it was so muggy in our open air dining room. We finally left Yala National Park and on the way out, drove past the small lake that I was supposed to wake up early and find some crocs. We found some swimming in murky water looking at our bus. Did not get out to take some pictures, since I was in our air conditioned bus and needed to decompress longer. We then left and I immediately fell asleep. Two hours later I woke up and was told that I was  loudly snoring away. I needed that. We drove on a coastal road down the coastline. The Indian Ocean was on our left side. We saw lots of old damage from the 2004 tsunami that has not been taken care of yet. We started to pass long poles sticking in the shallow part of the water. What was this? We were told that there is a certain way of fishing in this area called “Stilt Fishing”. This is the only place in the world where people fish like this. More on this later. Finally arrived at our hotel. We passed lots of small villages and towns. The area is called Koggala Beach. Koggala is in southern Sri Lanka. The surf is rough and the waves are big. Passed lots of Surf Schools on the beach. After check in, Olivia and myself walked to town in “Africa Hot”. The town, if you can call it a town, was around 1 and one half miles away. Nothing much to look at. Quite poor. A few shops, but not worth it. The hotel is a run down hotel on the beach that needs a refurbishing. Olivia does not like the bathroom and says that it is very dingy. I just laughed thinking about my Mongolian toilet. Our hotel appeared to be the best in the area. The facilities are still suffering from the 2004 tsunami. Its only been thirteen years? A few more years will not matter. We will have to struggle along and make do. We stopped at a beach bar to quench our thirst. I ordered iced coffee. The waiter brought me over a pot of coffee. I told him I ordered iced coffee. He put it down and showed me that the pot was filled with coffee and ice. Oh well, I guess its iced coffee served in a cup and not a glass. Olivia had a mango shake and we had some fish kebob. The fish kebob was excellent. The fish was so fresh and tasty. It was then time to walk back. We took the beach walk back. Going there we walked on the main road with tuk tuk drivers constantly pulling over and asking us if we wanted a ride. The water was very warm and the beach is beautiful, but with large waves. Perfect for surfing. We finally reached our hotel and I saw stilts in the distance. Decided to investigate. What is “Stilt Fishing”? Fishermen dig long stilts into the shallow part of the water with little steps and a perch on top. They then climb onto the pole and get up onto the perch. That is where they fish from. The entire structure is made of wood and each structure looked hand made with many different curves and lengths to the stilts. The fishermen stand or sit on the perch and then throw their lines out into the water. They are not tied to the poles, but either stand or sit there. What balance this must take and if sitting, how would their rear ends feel? I took lots off pictures of this fascinating way to fish as the sun set behind the fishermen. The fishermen only fish in the late afternoon and in the morning. Each time for a few hours. Ask me if they catch anything? I saw lots of fish being caught this way. What also interested me is that the stilts did not fall down after taking hit after hit from large waves and rough water. I was told that the stilts are dug very deep when there is low tide and that they hold up against this type of punishment. I plan on going to watch them again before we leave. I am getting bitten up by bugs and mosquitos writing to you. The air is hot and humid. Time to say goodnight until tomorrow and crawl back into my air conditioned cocoon. Love Larry    

Hi Everyone Am starting to lose track of the days and dates. What day is it? I need to check into reality. Unfortunately, that will happen sooner than later. ] When we left off, on the last blog, we had arrived at our hotel in darkness and did not know where we were except our room seemed like it was in the middle of the jungle. Woke up this morning, looked outside, and we knew that we were in the middle of a Sri Lankan jungle. The resort is very close to the Yala National Park. After some moping, we decided to venture out. For the new subscribers, moping is what I do when I am tired and want to be left alone. You mope around your room doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. Just mope. Try it. As soon as we opened the door, you know what hit us in the face. Of course, “Africa Hot” and I really mean “Africa Hot”. It was so hot and steamy that I could barely have some hot coffee. The dining area is open air and there are large fans trying to keep you cool. After breakfast we walked to a small lake area in back of our unit. Each unit has two attached units. All on the ground floor and each unit is separated by some jungle. We were told to watch out for crocodiles and that they venture out of the water. Outside the dining area is a large ant hill. There are many in the area. We saw a large ant eater come out of one of the openings of the ant hill. He needed some breakfast as well as us. I wonder if he had hot coffee or prefers hot tea. There were three water buffalos in the water just looking at us and probably saying “Who said we don’t have a brain? Look at you and us. Who is smarter now?”. I took some pictures and then we went back into the A/C to cool off. When we arrived last night we heard some noise sounding like it was thunder. We then ventured out and walked to the beach. The waves from the Indian Ocean were creating the noise as the waves hit large boulders on the waters edge. Olivia said that I had gotten too close to the boulders and waves. Anything for a chance at a good picture. Saw some large elephant footprints in the sand. We then journeyed back and saw a sign within our resort. The sign warned guests that sometimes elephants venture into the resort at night. If you are carrying a torch (what they call a flash light or cell phone light) drop it and the elephant will be distracted to the light so that you can make it to your room safely. Have you ever been in a resort that warns you to watch out for elephants? We haven’t. It was then time to listen to the soaking water buffalos and go to the hotel pool for a long swim. The water was not treated with chlorine nor was it salt water. So refreshing. Don’t ever call water buffalos stupid. They know how to beat the heat. Of course, we went back to the A/C to do some decompression and relax. The “Africa Hot” takes a lot out of you when you are my age. At 2:30 it was time to gather and meet for our jeep safari to Yala National Park. Before we met, I ventured back to the small lake to pay a visit to my new water buffalo friends. They were laying in mud outside the water. I told them I would not copy them, even though it looked like the perfect way to beat “Africa Hot” and bid them farewell in their temporary water buffalo A/C unit. As I had previously said yesterday, Yala National Park is on the Indian Ocean and home to the most leopards in the world. We were loaded into four safari jeeps that were much more comfortable than the previous safari when we saw the Sri Lankan elephants. Each jeep had six large seats and were open all around. The top had a large rubber mat over us. Right outside the entrance to the Park was a small herd of wild boar. I felt great and had the thought of taking beautiful pictures of leopards in the wild. As we drive along a dusty road, we saw lots of beautiful birds. Stopped and took some great pictures of various birds and some eagles. These are not the type of eagles we see, but smaller. There were lots of peacocks. We saw a peacock unfold his feathers trying to impress a female near by. A real show off flaunting his equipment in this manner. That was so beautiful. We kept on seeing lots of pelicans, wild boar, monkeys, water buffalos and an occasional elephant. We also saw a large iguana walking right in front of our jeep without a care in the world. The iguana looked like a small Kimono Dragon. Where are the leopards? We finally stopped at a rest area. There were other jeeps parked and the area was up against the Indian Ocean. There was a monument. It was at this place on December 26, 2004 that 47 people died when the Tsunami hit. This was the same Tsunami that had hit Thailand and created such damage and death. We were told that there is a warning system in place, but could not see any sirens. When we were in Lima last year, they have large sirens placed all over the City to warn people of a tsunami. It was then back to the entrance and to our hotel. Where are the leopards? Guess what? Never saw any. Life goes on and the search for leopards continue. It is currently raining here. We hear the down pour hitting our beautiful A/C unit. The beds are twin beds under a

Hi Guys and Dolls How are we? I am so far away and feel so distant from the other side of the pond. The group had a late start today. I had such a sound and relaxing sleep after yelling and screaming during my deep tissue massage. Do not do this unless you are a masochist and need or like pain. Our hotel in Newara Eliya was so nice and the climate was very refreshing. We left the hotel for a thirty minute drive to the railroad station. We were boarding a train that was going to take us to a town named Ella and then board the bus again. The Sri Lankan railroad network is never on time. The train arrived thirty minutes late. Not bad for Sri Lanka. We had first class seats. The train looked and felt like it was left over from the British occupation. Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, received its independence from Britain in 1948. If we were sitting in first class, I wondered what the rest of the train looked like. We had cushioned seats and I was told that economy class has wooden benches. It didn’t seem to matter, since once the train started, many locals hung out the windows and doors. A few interesting things I picked up. The route we were on only had one track. No double tracks and I did not see any other tracks near our track. What would happen if another train came our way? The second point I picked up was that the tracks would not shift and change by electricity or automatically. I saw local people, with red flags, turn the tracks in certain directions by hand. Olivia said this system would never pass inspection in America. Two locals carried drinks and local looking food up and down the train. This food needed to be avoided. The windows were very dirty so I decided to stand between cars with my camera ready. We passed some beautiful tea plantations and then started to climb. There were numerous small tunnels to pass through. We finally reached a sign that said the elevation was 6500 feet. The landscape was so green and lush. We stopped at some local railroad stations where lots of locals got off and on. We finally climbed up into some clouds. There were lots of local farmers living in horrible conditions. Many of them were picking the leaves of the tea plants. Laundry was hung out to dry on the shacks and ground. My camera clicked away and I got a great view of life in rural Sri Lanka. We passed some large stupas that dotted the landscape.The train ride lasted close to three hours. We finally pulled into Ella and got off. We then boarded our bus, but first had to make a rest stop. I immediately noticed the change in the climate. “Africa Hot” was almost back. We drove to a beautiful bar overlooking a view to a lush valley. I thought of Bali Hi. Had a Lion beer and we all boarded the bus. Drove for around thirty minutes over winding roads through lush vegetation. We stopped at a waterfall named “Ravana Falls”. This waterfall is the widest waterfall in Sri Lanka. It was back into the bus for a drive that seemed that we had entered the “Twilight Zone” We drove through lots of local villages. There were water buffalo being herded on some stretches of the road and the ride seemed to never end. Finally reached our hotel at 7:30. I could hardly wait to bolt out. I was sorry I did. “Africa Hot” hit me in the face. Our hotel is located in Yala National Park. This park has many different kinds of wildlife and is known for the having the most leopards in the world. There are also large herds of elephants.  Will let you know tomorrow night. Yala National Park also boarders the Indian Ocean. It is about time for me to rest my weary bones and mind and try to recover from this exhausting days journey. Love Larry

Hi Everyone How did our day start? What is Ceylon and Sri Lanka famous for? Think. How about tea? That’s right tea. You know the stuff that they put into little bags that we dip in hot water. That’s the way Americans have tea, but almost everyone else has their tea brewed and simmered.So we left the hotel in Kandy at 9:30. Kandy is such a busy city filled with people going places and traffic almost at a constant standstill. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic was impressive for the human outpouring of emotion that we witnessed. The dedication and belief that the people have for their religion is impressive. I saw people praying and meditating outside the gates to the Temple. Their minds seemed to be somewhere else. We are driving to a town named Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is located high up in the tallest mountains of Sri Lanka or about 6500 feet up in elevation. We drove and drove through small villages and towns. We then entered an area where the vegetation started to turn a bright green. At about 11:30 we stopped at a tea plantation. The countryside was full of tea plants. The plants are all about the same size or about three feet. They are purposely kept this height so that it is easier to pick the leaves. If the trees were left to grow, they would grow to be the size of normal trees. The countryside was very hilly and the tea plants were planted on terraces. Olivia and myself saw terrace farming in the Sacred Valley of Peru last year. The Incan people used this type of farming over one thousand years ago. There were dirt paths amongst the terraces and we saw people picking the leaves and putting the leaves into large bags and baskets that they were carrying. The plantation gave each of us a large basket to pick the leaves and we followed a local woman into some terraces to start picking. I passed and wanted to take pictures of this beautiful and lush scene. Olivia and the others did the picking. We then went into a large wooden factory where there were local people working. This plantation has been open since 1867. A little bit of history about tea in Sri Lanka. The British originally planted coffee in Sri Lanka and then the coffee plants were all wiped out by a disease. A Scottish man then went to India to learn how to grow and produce tea. He brought that knowledge back to Sri Lanka in 1850 and the tea industry was born. The preparation of tea leaves is a four step process except the processing of green tea involves three steps. We were given demonstrations of each step while workers worked each process. A little bit about the workers. They are paid 800 rupees per day or less than six dollars a day. They are given housing, food, medical care and schooling for their children. Sounds like a good deal, but it is hard work in a hot factory. They work six days a week. There were signs that said to not give the workers money, but there would be a large box outside that you could give if you wanted to. I took some pictures of the workers. They were very friendly. Some of them asked me for money. I felt uncomfortable so I left a nice tip in the box outside for all of them. I hope they get the money. After the processing demonstrations, we were taken to a tasting room and sampled many different varieties. We were told that the worst leaves are used in tea bags. So the next time you drink tea by using a tea bag, think about making it the old fashioned way. You might like it better and understand that the drinking of tea is a way of life for many people. After that we walked through the gift shop and Olivia picked up some to take home. As we left, my thoughts returned to the workers and how different our lives are. We then drove and kept on climbing up into the mountains and clouds. The higher we drove, the greener it got. Tea plants all over and the green was such a deep green. It was finally lunch time. We pulled over at a nice looking restaurant overlooking a beautiful valley with a large waterfall. It had just stopped raining and the clouds were hanging over the green mountains. Olivia and myself decided to skip lunch. I just had coffee and went back to the bus to grab one of my cameras with a telephoto lens. I then walked out on the terrace and took aim. The waterfall is called “Ramboda Falls”. A beautiful scene amongst tea plants and lush green vegetation with the clouds hanging over the valley. After lunch, it was then onto Nuwara Eliya. We drove further up and passed tea plantations and farms. Some of the curves were hairpin curves and the bus could barely navigate the road especially when another vehicle was coming towards us. Nuwara Eliya is called “Little England”. Why is it called “Little England”? In 1819, a British officer went on a hunting trip and explored this whole area. He was taken back by the cool climate and convinced the British to build the town. The town was used as a resort by the British to escape the “Africa Hot” of the rest of Sri Lanka. The British settled here and built houses and government facilities like their homeland since it rains a lot here and the climate reminded them of England. The town looks like a town you would find in the countryside of many countries in Europe and England. The climate is cool and the conditions are wet. A nice break from the rest of Sri Lanka. We finally arrived at our hotel. A beautiful hotel named “Araliya Green Hills”. There are large wooden elephants