Sri Lanka is even more foreign than I imagined.  We've hired a driver named Mervin who is driving us arond the island.  It's a good thing too because if we had to drive here, or even take the bus, it may be a life threatening experience.  The barely two lane roads soemtimes become six lanes, packed with busses, cars, three wheelers and trucks.  Is really amazing to watch.

The people are wonderful - very laid back, friendly and interested in all things western.  We are as foreign to some of them as they are to us and it is a weird feeling- almost like celebrity.  We have not met a single American here, but there seems to be some Englidh, Dutch and German tourists.  The tsunami was a major hit on the local tourist economy, even though the vast majority of sights were untouched.  Terrorism has been a worry in the past (before 2001), but things are peaceful now and we feel very safe.

As you might imagine, Sri Lanka doesn't have a big Internet Cafe culture, so our posting has been a bit lax. But, we're taking lots of pictures that will appear here on the site soon.

Yesterday I rode an elephant into 6 feet of water and almost had a sandal stolen by a monkey.  Today I wore a sarong at a Buddhist temple. Sachi is recovering from a small stomach issue, but is almost at full strength again.