Shan in Japan

Been bumping around the hill country over the past week. A pleasant change from the beach, with cool air. For such a small island country, it is amazing to see the diversity in geography here. Sitting around on the beach and relaxing was good, but realized now there is much more to see in this country. I went to a tea plantation established by Sir Thomas Lipton, the man himself. The original building is still there churning out tea to the world for over 100 years. It was great walking through the beautifully manicured tea plantations where the ladies a busy plucking, chatting and singing along. I doubt they earn very much, but it seems like such a idyllic place to work. I climbed Adam's peak - the holy mountain of Sri Lanka - for an early morning sunrise. This is the only sunrise I saw in Sri Lanka! Then again, everyday at the beach I made sure I was there for the sunset. Nothing beats a sunset over the Indian Ocean. Finished up at the Elephant orphanage where baby elephants, who've lost their parents in the wild, are saved. Amazing creatures to watch. Especially when they went to the river for their daily bath. Little baby elephants are learning how to use their trunk, they run around chasing each other and spurting water at each other - acting just like any human kid would. Now back in Colombo, where I caught up and had dinner with my friend Ajith. Waiting for my flight to India this afternoon now. I will miss this place, but I have a gut feeling I will be back here again. Got some photos up of Sri Lanka here: http://imageevent.com/shanakin/srilanka