India – Kerala Reflections

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Colombo Kerala is the most southerly western state of India. Three fifths the size of Tasmania in area, it has over sixty times the population, with 34 million people! Its coastline is part of the fabled Malabar Coast. The coast south of Kochi is low-lying, with extensive areas of freshwater and saltwater rivers, canals, lakes and lagoons. For …

Sri Lanka – Colombo

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Galle Colombo has the typical features of large Asian cities: the traffic, street sellers mixed in between grand buildings, the smells, the throngs on the sidewalks… Estimates of the number of people vary but it seems there are around 2 million in the greater Colombo area. The Sri Lankan capital has its fair share of religious and memorial …

Sri Lanka – Galle and the Southern Coast

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Central Highlands From Ella, we descended the highlands to the southern plains, stopping for coconut water refreshments and a visit to an elephant orphanage (some just a few months old; could there be a cuter experience?). The role of Buddhism is ever-present, though Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are well-represented. “Old Galle” is enclosed by the Portuguese-Dutch fort dating …

Sri Lanka – Central Highlands

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Spices and Kandy From Kandy you can take a train trip into the central highlands of Sri Lanka. It lasts two to four hours depending on how far you intend to travel. The area is surprisingly densely populated with the train stopping at several major towns. The train trip is largely for commuters and locals, but of course …

Sri Lanka – Spices & Kandy

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Sri Lanka – Northern Monuments Kandy is hilly, with slopes covered by vivid green palms and other tropical plants. The town central feature is the lake. However, the botanical gardens are the must-see sight, with thousands of visitors including school children in uniform and families picnicking along with international visitors. During our tour we wanted to stay in …

Sri Lanka – Northern Monuments

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Continued from Sri Lanka – Negombo Much of the ancient history of Sri Lanka is concentrated in the north, in particular at Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Dambulla. Some of the sites date from the 3rd century BC, with astounding quality and sophistication in the construction and carvings.   Buddism dominates the monuments and that may explain the ethereal atmosphere as …

Sri Lanka – Negombo

Robin BoyleIndian & Sri Lankan, Photos: Food, Travel

Many visitors to Sri Lanka will start their trip at Negombo. It is only 20 minutes’ drive from the international airport, while Colombo is 40 minutes away. We would be taking a 12 day clockwise tour from Negombo to Colombo. For comparison, the island has an area of 65,610 km²; the area of Tasmania is 68,401 km². This map is from …

A Church In Crisis – Scones, Jam And Cream!

Robin BoyleAustralian, Cakes & Biscuits, General Interest, Photos: Food, Tamar, The Cottage

(Updated August 2021 with extra scone recipes – See pdf below for further recipes including buttermilk, lemonade, coconut cream.) We have a meeting with some or our Windermere neighbours over scones, jam and cream. (Continued from: Soup and Golf ) The neighbours rally Windermere is a semi-rural settlement with houses on half-acre or bigger blocks spread out along the road. …

USA & Canada – Seattle, Victoria & Vancouver!

Robin BoyleNorth American, Photos: Food, Travel

This continues on from Canada – Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara! We would have eight days in the western side of the continent, visiting Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. The main reason for the visits was to catch up with others working with Rhonda on her piano keyboard project. But there would be plenty of time to look around. The Seattle, Victoria and …