When we first told friends we were going to Sri Lanka, many said, “Where is that?”

It’s an island nation off the southern tip of India, known as Ceylon from 1505 when the Portuguese named it until 1972 when it changed its name.  Lying in an ancient maritime trade route, it has been influenced and/or controlled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, as well as Greeks, Arabs and other Asian cultures.  All of this history has produced a diverse and interesting culture, inhabiting an equally diverse and interesting landscape from sought after beaches to mountains cultivated for world famous tea to jungles containing a remarkable population of wildlife.  We were able to travel extensively across the country and intersect with most of the highlights of the nation. 

The people are among the most friendly and welcoming we have experienced in our travels.  They welcomed being photographed in their daily routines of worship, housekeeping, school, markets and recreation.  We had the opportunity to experience several spiritual rituals, from a Catholic church on Sunday morning to a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha to urban and rural Buddhist temples where people ritually bring offerings of flowers and fruit.

We enjoyed several days of game drives in national parks and enjoyed photographing the great diversity of God’s creatures in Sri Lanka. 

Finally, we were treated to private performances of a wide variety of native folk dances and a festival dance in a small village.  During one of the native dances, Dale got into a knife fight with the Devil, as you will see in the slideshow.  The Devil ended up with much more of a contest than he anticipated.

Sri Lanka is a faraway place just starting to gain traction as a tourist destination.  It is uncrowded and unjaded at this point.  I found the people to be warm, welcoming and very interesting as their society puts civil war behind and works to build a modern society.