colombo, sri lanka (2)

beautiful sunday
at church, members are impressed
missionary's back

during the meeting
at the end of all speakers
they asked matt to talk

he bore testimony
after many came to say
hello and thank you

colombo, sri lanka

"when you're alone

and life is making you lonely,

you can always go downtown

when you've got worries,

all the noise and the hurry

seems to help, i know, downtown

just listen to the music of the traffic in the city

linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty

how can you lose?

the lights are much brighter there

you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go

downtown, things'll be great when you're

downtown, no finer place for sure,

downtown, everything's waiting for you"

- petula clark

at the beach and in the indian ocean

doughnuts are hard to come by in hong kong, so we stock up when we can!

around colombo

temple of the tooth, sri lanka

temple of the tooth

holds buddha's left upper tooth

come to worship, pray

beautiful murals

entrance

never enough elephants!

beautifully carved, inlaid wood

hand painted murals

the tooth is protected inside this inner temple flagged with elephant tusks

a mote serves as protection from intruders

kandy, sri lanka

ride an elephant

through rice fields and countryside

big, tall animal

pinnawala elephant orphanage, sri lanka

to the elephant orphanage we go,

sri lanka's favourite tourist spot.

the elephants come down the hill rather slow,

into the river they gingerly trot.

some are big, others are little,

some have been hurt, others left behind.

together they live safe in the country's middle,

in peace and quiet, with their own kind.

singapore, around town

matt's old mission haunts
churches, apartments and stores
bring back memories

flora and fauna
even in the misty rain
so magnificent

mmm mmm hawker stands
yummy, yummy cheap food
can always eat more

mission haunts

flora and fauna

hawker stand food

lamma island, hk

another visit

this time with r.s. sisters

pretty, sunny day

alight from ferry

hike from one end to other

finish with fish lunch

macau, in the light

macau was the first and last european colony in china,
and is the highest-grossing gambling center in the world.*
it is now a "special administrative region" like hong kong,
with a street circuit formula one grand prix each year unfurled.

there are plenty of casinos, buffets and shows to occupy a visit,
however, we liked the UNESCO world heritage sights best.
a mixture of beautiful portuguese and european architecture,
scrumptious pastries, green parks and tiled squares to take a rest.
*more than las vegas

macau, in the dark

weekend trip abroad

quick ferry ride to macau

gambling city

first night - walk around

eat at casino buffet

enjoy a new place

deep water bay, hk

many firms, banks and businesses in hong kong own swanky boats,

also called junks, along the various harbours and bays they do float.

one week night i was pleasantly surprised with a trip to the dock,

where matt and i boarded the junk for dinner and evening talk.

we traveled to deep water bay for a catered meal,

made just for us by the shipmates with great zeal.

after filling our tummies and enjoying the evening sky on deck,

back to the shore we eventually did begin our trek.

come to hong kong, and we'll take you on the junk too,

for a lovely meal and some delightful evening views.

the deck

half of our lovely meal

on the junk in front of the famous "jumbo" floating restaurant