Sri Lanka’s national flower is the blue waterlily. We saw these beautiful flowers everywhere, not just growing in lakes but also as offerings in Buddhist shrines in particular. This flower is considered a symbol of truth, purity and discipline.
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We can plan our shots as carefully as we might, but luck plays its part too. There are always factors we cannot control, from people to weather to wildlife.
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The Regents Canal links the Grand Union Canal in Paddington with the Thames in east London, via the Limehouse Basin. It is 8.6 miles (13.8 kilometres) long and like most canals has a towpath. These towpaths were originally used by horses to pull barges but today are popular places for walking, jogging and cycling (where wide enough).
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In England we have this saying about the weather in March and years ago most of us would have recognised it as pretty accurate. But these days the weather is much less predictable it seems. This year March came in like a lamb, turned lion-like, then back to lamb for a short spell before becoming very fiercely lion until the very last day when the lamb reappeared!
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I wasn’t always happy about the way animals are treated in Sri Lanka (we were taken to one elephant facility that I felt was well below the standards I have seen elsewhere). But you can’t fault their extensive national parks system and the habitats they provide for wildlife.
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Wilpattu National Park is one of the largest and oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. Its name is derived from the Sinhala words ‘Willu-pattu’, meaning ‘land of lakes’. The landscape is a mix of dense jungle, open grassy plains and the sand-rimmed water basins that gave it its name.
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When our tour company, Selective Asia, suggested we might like a stay at the unique Mudhouse in western Sri Lanka we were in two minds. Would we love the ‘back to nature’ vibe or would we find sleeping in the semi-open with few ‘mod cons’ too much of a challenge? But we took the plunge, booked a two-night stay, and it proved to be a great decision.
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I often feel the need to seek adventures abroad, especially in the tail-end of winter. So for most of February I have been in Sri Lanka, enjoying a mix of wildlife, culture and a bit of relaxation. This therefore will be a rather different monthly round-up from usual.
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I’ve spotted the impressive Land Monitor Lizards, the largest of Sri Lanka’s lizards, all over the country. In the national parks, in the gardens around Sigirya's Lion Rock and even in the busy streets of Galle Fort.
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The Oriental Garden Lizard is common throughout much of Sri Lanka. This is a male in his bright breeding colours.
