Thanks
Don is well on the way to recovery, and finally feeling like the help he's getting is really working. I'm back to going on hour long up hill hikes again so getting reasonable fitness levels back. Hooray!Yes, we just have to wait for clear vision. In the mean time our current plans seem doable, and interesting. Heading out on a road trip at the end of the month
The Samoan lady selling flowers with a child (half) on her lap has a marvellous smile; I wonder what she was thinking. 
I was interested by the fruits in Hawaii called longans, as they look superficially similar to wood apple fruits that we saw in Sri Lanka (though wood apples are whiter). Anyway, now that I've looked them up, I can see that the two fruits are not related at all. I was also intrigued by the trees decorating the path towards the church in Samoa; they look very much like Africa's famous "flame trees" - do you know whether they're related or whether they are in fact "flame trees"?
Thank God the civil war is now over, and it means that other parts of the island are accessible for visitors. The capital Colombo is a very interesting and diverse city, but what I'd really recommend is taking the train from Colombo to Kandy, an incredible journey of terraced paddy fields and palm trees. 
Kandy is a dazzling city (if you can really call it that; it's more like a town), though whether it's the same now I couldn't guess. There's an elephant festival every year, but I'm not sure when; we didn't get to see it in September. I know you've seen a thousand fruit markets, but I'd never seen any like the ones in Kandy. We became totally addicted to mangosteens - I just couldn't get enough of them 
- and everywhere the people were friendly and helpful. If you go to Kandy, take a short bus ride to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya; I know I'm a bit obsessed with flowers and all things botanical but it's no exaggeration to say that the day we visited was a day of paradise for me.
and I can watch on a big screen TV So excited 
Wheeeeeee!!!!
I love all of your photos, alilou, but your photos of people, especially children, are the most special.
I did need a "Don't pass out!" alert before seeing that last photo, though.
Such beautiful photos. What a great adventure you had!
Thanks! It was an amazing experience to be there in the midst of it. The energy was both wild (in the best sense of the word) and wonderful.
Thank you both. It was a wonderful day. I'm glad we chose to go there. People live in the most amazing variety of places and the most amazing varieties of ways, and we all seem so different, and yet so very much the same.
: The picture of the child in a purple and white top deserves a prize. A fascinating, glorious journey of remarkable travels. I would never have seen and known these places and people in such intimate detail without you. The landscapes look like something out of a "Myths and Legends" storybook. You're so skilled in describing all of this both in words and with your camera, and simultaneously you're so lucky to see these places before the irrevocable push of the modern world changes them completely. 
Thank you so much! The landscape was very beautiful, the kind that leaves you kind of breathless with its endless beauty, and yes we're very very lucky to be able to travel in the way we do. Thank you for your very wonderful compliments! It's a great pleasure to share our travels, and for me to hear people enjoy it.I hardly know what to say except
I can't wait for the orchids!
Yes, definitely. We were treated with great respect, even though we were looking into their private life. I think it's a trade off for them. The money that comes in from tourists helps bring improvements to the village, and it's set up in a way that it's not super intrusive.
I was in Australia for 4C's and only 2 hour time difference so could have watched the whole thing live but we happened to be in a place where there was very slow internet. Will catch up next May
I will let him know <3