2014, Day 358 - Crowded shadow

Part of what I love about this photo is what it doesn't show.  There were lots of people on this beach.  Behind me there were four teams of men play volleyball and I used neutral density filters for a long exposure so that all the people who kept walking through my frame wouldn't show up.  So it looks like a boat on an abandoned stretch of beach when in fact I was surrounded by people.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
10mm, f8, 25 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 328 - Parting

It is a traveling day today so this is a scheduled post as I will be somewhere over the Pacific when you see this.  What I love about travel is the unexpected.  Most of the time the surprises are delightful, exciting, or heart-warming but on occasion they can be disappointing or unsettling.  In the end it all balances out and you learn something either about yourself of the place and culture that you're visiting and you're a better person for it.  It has been a great trip with some retracing of old steps and much that was new and exciting.  I'm grateful to have had such wonderful companions to share my adventures and as this one comes to a close I am ready to start thinking about the next.

I hope that wanderlust finds you all and that your journeys are as fun and fulfilling as my own.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
10mm, f8, 25 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 322 - Whorl

Tonight, in the wee hours of the morning, we are leaving Sri Lanka.  On our last day we had a few things planned but mostly we are preoccupied as to how we are going to spend the evening while waiting for our flight.

We got an early start and after a light breakfast at the hotel we loaded up our bags and left Bentota.  Our first stop was at Brief, the home of Bevis Bawa who was the brother of Sri Lanka's famous architect Geoffrey Bawa.  It is located in the countryside past rice paddies and into the jungle.  As you drive down a narrow lane it opens up into a circular driveway.  From that driveway there are two doors, one leads into the house and the other into the grounds.

Bevis Bawa worked on his home for years and the beautiful garden is a testament to his dedication.  There are paths to secluded sitting areas under large fragrant trees.  Along a sloping stretch of lawn there are a series of ponds leading up to the house which sits at the top of the hill.  Songbirds flit in and out of trees and everywhere there is lush sweet-smelling vegetation.  Scattered throughout the property are sculptures and statuary in hidden natural and man-made niches.

The house is interesting because although it was built in the 1920s and contains much of the original furnishings it has a distinctly mid-century modern feel.  Here Bevis Bawa entertained heads of state, kings, queens, and all manner of celebrities.  He was a bit of a rockstar and yet the house is relatively modest in size but with large outdoor living and entertaining spaces.  It is a beautiful marriage of style and location.

When we finished at Brief we resumed out journey north and soon found ourselves back in Colombo.  Here we stopped at the bank so we could pay our driver for all his help, had a quick lunch, and picked up an additional bag to relieve pressure from the straining zippers of our luggage.  After that we asked Nanda to drop us off at a hotel we booked for the night near the airport.

It isn't as though we need a place to sleep, it is more that we wanted a place to relax, maybe take a shower before the flight, and catch up on a little down time.  For less than twenty dollars it is money well spent.  So here we wait until almost midnight before we jump a cab to the airport.

Tomorrow, a sleepy day in Bangkok!

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
10mm, f16, 1.1 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 320 - Anticipation

I was dreading today but it turn out better than I had anticipated, for the most part.  We got up early to pack away all of our stuff as it had exploded all over our rooms, had a quick breakfast, and leapt into the car to head back to Colombo.

It took about eight hours to get from Colombo to Kandy and this time there was a timeline to stick to as Araceli and Melissa were hopping a plane to the Maldives.  With that being the case they needed to be at the airport to check in early so we couldn't afford another eight hour day in the car.  Nanda took the back road which was a bit longer in terms of distance but so much shorter in terms of time.

Along the way we stopped to see how palm trees are planed and turned into timbers ready for home construction.  Having built his own home Nanda explained that the darker wood is denser and therefore stronger so it is used for heavy loads.  It was quite interesting and the men waved us over to take a closer look.  After we made additional stops at workshops making architectural items out of concrete and again to see how bricks are made and fired.  All these stops make what could have been a tedious morning much more interesting.

We made it to the airport ten minutes before they wanted to be there so kudos to Nanda and his kamikaze Sri Lankan driving skills!

And back into the car driving for what we thought was Galle.  Turns out Nanda put us in a hotel in Bentota which is about forty-five minutes from Galle.  It is a beach town, a little bit sleepy, but that's the allure.  We had lunch in town, did a little shopping and then checked in to our hotel.

This is where is gets a bit disappointing.  The room is big but it is poorly lit with small windows, stained linens (although they appear to be clean), and an A/C unit with a remote that doesn't display the setting so you're pretty much just guessing.  Even the staff was underwhelming, not especially interested and asking a question is usually met my a blank stare and passing you off to someone else even though the person to whom you posed the question answered previous queries.  Weird.

But the room is fine for a couple nights and we caught up on life in the real world before asking Nanda to take us to the beach for sunset.  The sky was cloudy and a storm was coming in which meant we got a nice sunset.  We walked up and down the beach, Francene made friends with a fisherman whose boat is pictured below.  He has a big red smile, his teeth stained red from chewing betel nuts; he explained that they will go out despite the storm and their hope is to catch about five kilos of lobster before returning in the morning.

Sandy and sweaty we decided it was time to find some dinner.  We asked Nanda to take us to a local place, somewhere tourists probably wouldn't go.  He found us a little restaurant with good cheap food and we ate until we were stuff and the whole thing cost less than it would to feed one person at an establishment aimed at tourists.

Tomorrow we head to Galle to meet up with from of Francene's friends who are, coincidentally, in Sri Lanka too.  More on our adventures tomorrow!

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
10mm, f8, 26 sec @ 200 ISO