Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bentota

In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is the story of the earth.
Rachel Carson

Bentota is a coastal city located in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka.
 We were there for the first time in November, when I sprained my ankle (it took 5 months to heal).
That trip for me was the worst for many reasons.
Fortunately, there were no incidents this time.
 I loved walking the beach last Saturday morning.  There was so much to see onshore.  Lots of purple jellyfish, seafoam, barnacles growing on a piece of rope, an old bottle, and a coconut hull.
I wind up being the only photographer in the family and no one wants to cooperate when it comes to taking pictures so I have to steal the moments when I can.
 It's not every day you see an elephant on the beach.

Because it is the season of the southwest monsoon (June-October), the water was very rough.
No swimming allowed. 
(In November, Yusef had a surf lesson, but not this time around.)
Mostly the boys enjoyed time at the pool since this was the first day they felt really good after being sick in Kandalama.
There was also lots to see and enjoy poolside.

Even an an international game of pool soccer played with an Indian family and a guy from Russia who spoke very little English.
The only lingering affects from the trip is the random outbreak I get due to my allergy to the sun.
Itching, stinging, aggravating.
I wish it wasn't so.

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves
that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Have a beautiful day!

43 comments:

hooksandyarns said...

Nice pictures Tammy. An elephant on the beach? That's kinda neat - I've only seen horses on the beach. Have a great day. :)

Tanna said...

I love the stolen moments photos best of all!! That elephant is quite impressive on the beach... can't say as how I've ever seen that. ;) blessings ~ tanna

E. said...

Great post!
I love seeing unusual faraway destinations!
Enjoy the new week! ;)

Rostrose said...

Dear Tammy,
your photos and collages from Sri Lanka are so beautiful - even jellyfish looks pretty on your phots! :o) And it's a wonderful sight to see an elephant on the beach! Too bad that you had problems again with your sun allergy!!!
xoxo my dear,
Traude

Angela Richardson said...

What a beautiful beach and the elephant, wow!!
That was good surf pity it was out of bounds, I guess the monsoon washes all sorts of nasties into the sea.
Hope you allergy soon calms down.
Hugs, Angela.x

gail said...

Hi Tammy....so good to hear from you. I was afraid you might have been mad at me for my venting about the shore!
Your trip looks beautiful, as do your boys. I'm sorry you are going through the ankle thing. I know what that's like....frustrating.
Always love to hear from you!
gail
xoxo

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Tammy,

What would your family do without you being their photographer? They never would have lasting memories of special images, only to be found there.
Too bad you get all itchy and break out from the sun. From the silhouette photo it seems you did cover up well, and still... Sorry for that!
But nature around you was very special and the photos are perfect.
Wishing you a happy day.
Love,
Mariette

La Tea Dah said...

A beautiful and fun time. Pretty neat to see an elephant on the beach!

Enjoy your day to the fullest!
LaTeaDah

PS: Try the broccoli/pea salad. Use regular mayo and omit the dill. It's so good, who cares if anyone else likes it! You can eat it all!

Pam said...

Beautiful photos of the beach and with an elephant too. Hope your allergies subside soon.

Sherry said...

Beautiful photos of what looks like a beautiful place to visit. We are planning a trip to the beach next week but I know there will be no elephants. Maybe a horse or two.

angeliki said...

Beautiful pictures Tammy! I think they're bigger mow, so I enjoy them more! Love that beach and can't wait until next week to swim for the first time this summer! An elephant on the beach? That's kind of impressing!! Sad to hear you had a little skin problem, but after all seems like you spent an amazing week!
Have a wondeful day,
Angeliki

Brenda Pruitt said...

I don't want to hear it took so long for your ankle to heal! My ankle was broken and dislocated, and now has a plate and seven pins. Five months!
Brenda

Elna said...

Beautiful pictures and a lot of interesting moments. Thank you for sharing.

Hugs
Elna

Terra said...

Okay, I have not seen an elephant on the beach, and liked seeing that photo. The pool looks refreshing.

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Tammy,

The beach is so beautiful and how wonderful to see an elephant walking along it.
Shame about the allergies you got from the sun and hope you are feeling better.

Happy new week
Hugs
Carolyn

Astri said...

I'm sorry about the sun allergy; that must be difficult.

The elephant is awesome, Tammy. How lucky to see such a sight.

Sam I Am...... said...

Beautiful places and faces including the marvelous elephant on the beach! I bet he wanted to jump in that ocean! I love to watch the sea when it's rough but during the day. I walked a beach once on a very dark night and looked out and it was frightening as it was so black and so deep and SO HUGE! Are those your boys? They look like young men...they grow up fast don't they?
I'm so sorry for your allergy to the sun..what a terrible thing to be allergic to as it is everywhere where you live. Maybe that's why they all cover up in the Summer....smart people! I think the sun is stronger or the atmosphere weaker than it was which causes more heat and harmful rays to get through.
Happy Summertime!

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Ahhh stolen moments caught on film, they are the best. :)

Seems like you had a really awesome time.

Blessings always :)

Createology said...

It would be fun to see a world map with all the locations you have visited marked. It must be many and varied. Traveling really does expand our horizons...

Mereknits said...

More lovely photos, thanks for taking us along to places we might never see on our own. Glad the boys got better.
Meredith

Mistea said...

The beach is such a beautiful place - Love the pics with the Elephant who would have thought he would come to the beach.
Lovely photo's of your trip.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos, Tammy! And good to hear you didn't sprain your ankle again! But not so nice that you have your sun allergy back. Are you allergic to strawberries, by the way? Sometimes they go hand-in-hand.

And elephant on the beach...I'd be jumping up and down. That is so special! Your boys, too, look like they recovered nicely! Who won the soccer game in the pool?

I so love your photos of your trips and this group is no exception. What a charming place is Sri Lanka. sigh.....

Hugs
Jan
xoxoxox

Linda said...

Beautiful photos, Tammy! I think the stealed-moment photos are often best anyway. ;)

Sorry about your sun allergy. Thankfully I don't have that because I love to be outside in the sun. Of course, here the great heat wave continues. It's been one of the hottest summers ever here and it just keeps going on and on in a relentless fashion. But I try not to let it get me down - I'm still struggling with Winston's passing and am not quite sure how to snap out of this mood, even with the presence of Mr. Butters (who is a very cute addition).

Hope you enjoy a great new week,
Linda

Serena Lewis said...

Tammy, Bentota seems like quite a magical place to visit...beautiful pics, as always. Too bad you have a reaction to being out in the sun. I have to be careful in the sun due to be so fair-skinned....I'm prone to sunburn that will continue to get worse hours after we're home. Of course, your condition definitely sounds like an allergy, you poor thing.

Btw, I love the quotes you chose for this post. They suit perfectly!

Have a wonderful week ~ xo

vintage grey said...

Such a beautiful beach, and how neat that there is an elephant walking on the beach!! Such a pretty place!! Have a wonderful week!! xo Heather

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

Hi Tammy, An elephant on the beach - how cool is that! Even though I'm not really a fan of jellyfish, I find that they are pretty amazing creatures and make certainly great photo motives. The pics you snapped of your boys are cute. I'm sorry to hear that they couldn't enjoy the whole trip and you had that allergy coming up again.
Have a great week!
xoxo,
Julia

Lori ann said...

it looks lovely and exotic tammy, a place i'd like to explore. i'm always impressed by how appreciative you are of your travels, do you keep a journal while there? (besides this one?)
your sons are very handsome! glad to hear they are better.

Kristen said...

Oh my, how beautiful! I love your glimpses into the far-off places of the world. who knows when I might make it to Sri Lanka, so I'm glad to see it through your camera.

How do you get along in the Middle East with a sun allergy? Heavens.

Have a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

Hi Tammy, Thank you for your kind comment/visit to my blog. I love your photos/mosaics. Such beauty surrounds you. Wishing you a nice week.

Dianne said...

Breathtaking photos! I just love the beach...any beach. not sure I can go to Sri Lanka to see and elephant on the beach, though. thanks for sharing your journey, and also for stopping by my blog. Have a wonderful day!

Unknown said...

So enjoy getting to be part of your travel via cyberspace. Great photos. I am empathetic with your skin situation. No fun. Do be careful. Thanks for sharing. Your son is growing so fast.
QMM

Barbina said...

Your photos are amazing Tammy! I can´t stop looking at them! I so love the sea and the beach. Thank you so much for sharing them!
Have a great new week! Barbina

val said...

i love these photos, thanks for sharing your trip with us all.

steph said...

I love the beach so much---every day is different, yet the same. I love seeing what washes up on shore---but have never seen purple jellyfish---or an ELEPHANT!!! Thanks for sharing these great photos!

Yesteryear Embroideries said...

It's hard to deal with an allergy.
Love your photos!.........makes me miss going to the beach when our children were small.

Peli said...

beautiful pictures...epsecially the details on the beach...you surely are a great photographer!!!! hope your skin feels better now! have a lovely week :)

Cat said...

What an amazing sight to see, an elephant on the beach! I think those snippets that you capture unexpectedly of your children are often the nicest. Thank you for sharing these special moments with us.

lovestitch said...

Love your photos, they are so beautiful! The beach looks fab and the elephant is so fun - you had a great summer! I'm sorry you had a allergy, hope you are better now.
Enjoy your new week!
~ LS, xoxo

Nancy said...

What a lovely place! Beautiful images, Tammy.

Anne said...

Tammy what a wonderful post. Loved the photos. Everything looks so beautiful.

Unknown said...

I would so love to see an elephant at the beach!!! what a beautiful place!!!

Anonymous said...

What a great place to visit. Looks so peacefull and relaxing. I have never seen a jelly fish. You have seen alot of things I haven't. The boys look like they are getting big!
Gwen

Melissa said...

I definately have to go there to visit. Even if I didn't do anything other than just hang out at the beach...I think I'd be ok.

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