British Army Jeep - Sri Lanka

This old army jeep formerly used to transport soldiers now transports tourists round Yala National Park to view the various animals that reside there.

Water Buffalo - Sri Lanka

One of the many animals seen wandering alongside the roads, along with cows, camels, horses, and occasionally elephants.

Tsunami Victims Plaque - Sri Lanka

On the 26th of December, 2004, a tsunami devastated the coast of Sri Lanka and India, killing both tourists and locals. 

Highlands - Sri Lanka

Perfect for tea production, this mountainous area of Sri Lanka supplies to companies across the globe. The highlands are noticeably chillier than the coastal areas and show a largely different ecosystem.

Tea Plantation - Sri Lanka

These bags are stuffed with BOP or broken orange pekoe tea ready to be shipped to various distributors. Mackwoods Labookellie also produced tea for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.

Tea Pickers - Sri Lanka

Local workers picking tea leaves for future processing.

Hindu Temple - Sri Lanka

A highly detailed structure on top of a Hindu temple, depicting Hindu gods in various poses. This is a common feature on many Hindu temples, in the same way that a steeple is found on a church.

Spice Plantation - Sri Lanka

This nutmeg is on display at a spice plantation. Not only are many of the spices used for food, but also many are used in herbal remedies that claim to cure everything from obesity to migranes.

Dambulla - Sri Lanka

This ancient Buddhist city on top of a hill has four caves filled with both paintings and statues honoring Buddha. Many point to Dambulla as proof of a pre-Indian civilization in Sri Lanka

Buddha Statues at Dambulla - Sri Lanka

One of the four caves at Dambulla, featuring dozens of statues and paintings of Buddha

Golden Buddha - Sri Lanka

A Golden Buddha statue at the foot of Dambulla looks out over the surrounding lands.

School Children - Sri Lanka

These school children are visiting Dambulla. Across Sri Lanka, all school children wear the same uniform, with a white shirt and blue shorts for boys and a white dress for girls. Muslim girls will also wear a white veil.

Ancient Bodhi Tree - Sri Lanka

This tree in Anuradhapura, one of the oldest in the world, is strongly revered by the Buddhist faith. It is believed that Buddha at one time meditated under this tree. The tree is propped up on sticks to help it remain alive.

Moonstone - Sri Lanka

This moonstone symbolically represents the journey to Enlightenment in the Buddhist faith. The outer circle contains the most intricate designs and the inner circles become increasingly simple.

Shrine to Buddha - Sri Lanka

Seen wearing traditional robes, this Buddha is one of the many that can be seen in shrines in the villages across Sri Lanka.

Elephant in the Wild - Sri Lanka

Found on a visit to Yala National Park. Tremendous power and amazing to observe. One mother elephant seen earlier on our safari showed interesting protective instincts, blocking its children from the jeep we were in. 

Trip to the Watering Hole - Sri Lanka

As we ride on top of an elephant, we encounter water. As it is in the middle of the dry season, the water level is very low and the journey to bathe and drink is rather far.

Jackfruit Tree - Sri Lanka

A local fruit used in various curries. When cooked in its mature form, jackfruit has the taste and texture of chicken.

Batik Fabric Design - Sri Lanka

This local form of fabric design involves the use of wax and dyes to achieve intricate designs. 

UNESCO - Sri Lanka

This brick features the symbol of UNESCO who sponsors multiple world heritage sites globally. This symbol is placed on the brick in order to signify that it is not original but part of the restoration work.

Lion's Throat at Siguriya - Sri Lanka

Carved into the rock, this structure is known as the lion's throat. This structure atop Siguriya gives the rock its name. Not only does this show the importance of animals in Sri Lankan culture, but it shows the incredible architectural knowledge of the culture even in ancient times. 

Cave Paintings at Siguriya - Sri Lanka

These ancient cave paintings use traditional vegetable dies on plaster. While many have deteriorated, these have been maintained. In many of the paintings, the original corrections to the paintings can still be seen.

Siguriya - Sri Lanka

This rock once served as a palace for the ruler in Sri Lanka. Fortified with hidden traps and a sheer rock cliff to traverse, it served as an ideal fortress. The use of water conservation is sophisticated with systems able to pump the water upwards as well as swimming pools and a water garden.

Feeding Young Elephants - Sri Lanka

Using warm milk in bottles, the baby elephants are being fed. At the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, 15 baby elephants were recently born. At a young age, these elephants are usually very mischevious.

Tusker - Sri Lanka

This older elephant is a Tusker. While most male African elephants have ivory tusks, this trait is much less common in male Asian elephants. 

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage - Sri Lanka

When a young elephant is scared away from its herd it can become orphaned. Often without help these elephants are unable to survive. Orphanages like this one in Pinnawala help to fight this issue.

Hindu Wedding - Sri Lanka

In preparation for a hindu wedding, this bride (my mother) has flowers woven into her hair as well as golden jewelry and elaborate makeup. In celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, my parents renewed their wedding vows.

Lotus - Sri Lanka

 This symbol, found on the roof of a Hindu Temple in Colombo, is a key symbol in Hindu and Buddhist faiths, the main religions of Sri Lanka.

High Tea - Sri Lanka

A relic of the colonial British era, high tea is offered in many Colombo hotels, featuring tea and various pastries.

Traditional Fisherman - India

This fisherman is using a small net to catch fish. He throws it into the water, leaving it for a few seconds and then yanks the net back out of the water.

Traditional Keralan Dancing - India

This dancer is being painted with heavy makeup in preparation for this Keralan style of dancing. As well as the makeup, this dancer will wear an elaborate costume. This style of dancing relies heavily on facial and eye movement to convey the story.

Fish Market - India

In Kerala, the fish market is very important. Along this boardwalk, many merchants are selling fresh catches from this morning.

Chinese Fishing Nets - India

This traditional form of fishing uses huge nets held together by a large wooden structure. The net is lowered into the water and then lifted by pulling down a string with rocks attached to serve as a counterweight.

Plaque of Queen's Visit - India

This plaque seen in a Catholic church in Kerala commemorates the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite independence from Great Britain, India still maintains strong ties with Britain, as a Commonwealth nation.

Vasco De Gama's Tomb - India

Inside this Church in Kerala, an area is marked off designating the former tomb of Vasco De Gama. After dying in Kerala, De Gama was laid to rest here until a decade or two later when the Portugese moved his body to Lisbon.

Hindu Statue - India

This towering structure easily seen for miles represents a popular Hindu God, Durga.

Red Fort - India

This massive fort used originally by the Mughals is still in use today by the Indian army. During the colonial years, the British added slits in the walls of the fort to allow for guns to fire.

Taj Mahal - India

This glorious monument shows a huge influence of Persian design along with a heavy focus on symmetry and water. Its original intent was to be the tomb of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz, as well as being a way to show the glory and architectural prowess of the Mughal empire.

Mosque at the Taj Mahal - India

An easily forgotten fact about the Taj Mahal is its Islamic origins. As built by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, this mosque lies directly to the right of the Taj Mahal. 

Royal Gate at the Taj Mahal - India

Reserved only for Royal Entry, this gate is built of red sandstone. The other two gates are designated for workers and for commoners.

Traditional Kindling - India

This stack of cow dung discs will be used by a family as kindling in the coming months.

Tuk Tuk - India

This three-wheeled taxi found in India is known as a tuk tuk. Its other name is the auto rickshaw, referencing the bicycle driven cart also found in India. Another popular vehicle on the streets of India are TATA cars. This Indian brand not only produces popular cars, but offers telecom, finance, chemical, energy, and insurance services.

Bahai Lotus Temple - India

This temple, designed to appear as a lotus, belongs to the Bahai faith. This temple is a unitarian style temple, encouraging followers of any religion to join in prayer however they wish.

Indian Parliament - India

This building designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens serves as the location of the Indian Parliament. The Indian government is based on the British system with a non-elected President, an elected Prime minister, political parties, and a locally elected legislative branch. This is the world's largest democracy.

Humayun's Tomb - India

This palace in New Delhi served as a design inspiration to the Taj Mahal. Built of red sandstone, this building served as the burial place of former ruler Humayun.

Mahatma Gandhi's Memorial - India

As this national hero was Hindu and thus cremated, there is no tomb. However, within this park in Delhi there is a memorial honoring this hero for his work to reach India's independence.

Garbage along the Street - India

Along many streets in Delhi, garbage gathered along the side of the street was a common sight.  Poor people often scavenge through this garbage in search of marketable or recyclable goods.

Delhi in the Morning - India

This view of a street in Delhi shows the mayhem in these bustling streets, filled with pedestrians, cars, tuk tuks, rickshaws, street vendors and animals.