During a recent trip to Sri Lanka we were fortunate enough to have a spare hour at the end of the day to watch the cricket from the Galle Fort that sits high above the ground.
Many choose to watch from here as it is free and the views are not too bad. Some locals and some tourists. A great experience to see English folks avidly supporting the Sri Lankans. Maybe the most interesting use of a coconut I have seen as a pillow for this slumbering gentleman.
Many travellers to Sri Lanka have heard of and visit Yala National Park however far more visit Udawalawe.Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka 165 kilometres (103 mi) from Colombo. Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third most visited park in the country.
Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants.
The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir and covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land and was established in 1972.
Other than than the more exotic animals such as elephants , a whole plethora of birds, water monitors and other lizrd creatures seem to appear from nowhere.
Kuda Huraa is a private coral island facing the Indian Ocean and around 25 minutes by speedboat from Male airport. The island contains only the Four Seasons resort. In this short series of photographs one can begin to understand the sheer simple beauty of this island and its changing seasons. It is not only the physical beauty of the island but if there is a better resort hotel in the world then it is well hidden.
Each day a walk around the island before breakfast takes perhaps 15 minutes. The food is beyond brilliant with numerous creations put together by head chef Matt Bilinski. The plate of Dragon Fruit arrived unannounced and unasked for. The bar situated in The Indian Ocean has to be the best bar in the world to observe the sunsets. There are many turtles being expertly cared for in the Turtle Rehabilitation unit before being released back into the sea. The views in these photographs are neither selected nor artifical in any way. This is what the island really looks like.
Kuda Huraa Beach
Sunset at Kuda Huraa
The Infinity pool
Morning arrives at the Infinity Pool
A Turtle says hello
Turtle Sand Sculpture
Kuda Huraa Beach
The Bar at The Four Seasons Resort in The Indian Ocean
Tranquil beach and sea Kuda Huraa
Kuda Huraa Sunset
A typically busy beach at Kuda Huraa
Maldives does have some weather patterns
DragonFruit prepared by Matt Bilinski
Even Kuda Huraa has clouds sometimes
Prahran is a fairly inauspicious suburb in Melbourne . It is however home to The Cullen hotel one of the worlds top 100 boutique hotels. The Cullen is an artistic hotel with fairly bright prints on every wall and rooms decorated in unusual styles that include donkeys and mules staring down at the bed as you sleep.
Prahran is also home to a fair number of street art designs including one of the best I have seen worldwide . This excellent piece of work is down a dismal alley and one can only presume the artist chose this site for some very precise reason.
There are street art paintings on many walls and garage doors. Even brightening up some of the more miserable looking alleys where rubbish bins line the walls.
Craiova, Romania’s 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. The population of 300,000 makes it the same size as Iceland. It lies around 145 miles from Bucharest.
There are many things to see and do in Craiova however the street art does not mentioned in any of the official websites.
Here are a few examples of what can be found downtown in craiova.
Electrical boxes are all beautifiully painted.
Ends of terraced buildings are perfect places to paint street art
Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital and largest city. It’s known for its university population and green spaces, including expansive Tivoli Park. The curving Ljubljanica River, lined by outdoor cafes, divides the city’s old town from its commercial hub. Ljubljana also has many museums, including the National Museum of Slovenia.
What however is less well known is the street art that covers walls in many parts of the city. Here is a selection of some of the variety you can see, all from the city centre. Some are works of art whilst some border almost on the graffiti border. Would you want a half eaten fox on the wall of your restaurant?
MLK seems to be wondering which bicycle he might use?
Cannot make up my mind if this half eaten fox is a good thing to see against the wall of a restaurant?
An unusual mixture of street art to observe whilst drinking coffee or beer
Painted door. I think I like this
A real mixture of street art
I suppose this is street art but some might say just graffiti
I have posted a few articles this year on Madrid. A great city but a warm one. Recently I had a few hours to myself to walk around and that goes quickly in Madrid. Who cares where I walked but it was on the edge of Gran Via.
A few things struck me:
When can I go back please? But dont mention the football. Euro 2016.
Would you know what this was if you were shown this? Not sure that I would. And might you guess that it would grow up to be like this? The baby barn owl was taken in Benalmadena Costa at the top fot eh cable car ride and the adult barn owl at Painshill Park in Cobham
Baby Barn Owl
Adult Barn Owl
chris1957
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