And we're back
Have touched down in Old Blighty late this morning with a long flight from Sri Lanka - 11hrs, made longer by circling above London for 30min and taxiing around Heathrow on the ground for another 30min - so by the time I finally got in the front door it was just before midday, shrugging off my uberpack and slowly flicking the mains power back on, set all my clocks, and get my hot water going again. As I had a nightshift scheduled in the evening, I napped for about 4 hours before doing a quick shop - since my larder, fridge and even freezer were completely bare.
As I was back in Melbourne only 4 months previous, thankfully this time the period of adjustment wasn't as difficult, but being badly jetlagged at the beginning and being surrounded in wedding arrangements pretty much took up most of my time while there. The wedding itself was marvellous, and went off without a hitch, even with my worrying of the small speech I gave in place of the father of the bride. And naturally, my sister looked absolutely stunning, and I was quite moved by the experience, to the point she playfully mentioned I was in danger of becoming sentimental in my old age. After the wind-down, I really didn't have much time for anything else, only able to visit a handful of friends - and only those I wasn't able to visit previously - before I was dashing to the airport to the next leg of my journey. I had wanted to visit others I hadn't been able to 4 months ago, but there simply wasn't enough time. Sorry folks. :(
Before I knew it, I was off again. The stop-over in Kuala Lumpur was nice, relieving old memories and contrasting experiences 6 years ago compared to now, and a lovely time in Sri Lanka, seeing a lot more than just the capital Colombo like the last time I was there 5 years ago. Malaysia was the very first overseas country I had visited on my way to Europe back in mid-2005, and the contrast of experiences as a green Australian tourist wandering around a foreign city for the first time back then - compared to the more experienced and wiser Australian ex-pat now, 6 years later - made for some interesting observations. It was much like my returning to Melbourne 4 months ago after 4 years away, only (unlike Melbourne) Kuala Lumpur hadn't changed much in 6 years. And seeing the heart of the island Sri Lanka - travelling into the centre of the country, into the mountains, and the ruins of the old island capitals - was also fascinating. The last time I was there the sheer heat and humidity kept me mostly indoors in the capital, so I was grateful this time to see a more rural (centre of the country), historic (many ruins of former kingdoms), and spiritual (many Buddhist shrines, including the holiest in the country) perspective to the country this time, visiting Sigiriya (the Lion's Rock), Polonnaruwa, Kandy and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (housing the Buddha's left canine), and lastly a quick dash back to Colombo, again to touch on memories of my last visit there.
Despite the considerable distances covered this trip, I wasn't gone for that long this time, so catch-up should be fairly quick. Looking over my photos, I've taken about 300 or so in the 2 weeks I've been gone (more than usual, considering I was only in Kuala Lumpur for half a day!). I'll start whittling them down and begin the usual preparation for inclusion in my photo gallery when I somehow find some free time. But for now, here's a sneak peak:
Sri Lanka: at the paws of Lion Rock, 12/05/2011
As I was back in Melbourne only 4 months previous, thankfully this time the period of adjustment wasn't as difficult, but being badly jetlagged at the beginning and being surrounded in wedding arrangements pretty much took up most of my time while there. The wedding itself was marvellous, and went off without a hitch, even with my worrying of the small speech I gave in place of the father of the bride. And naturally, my sister looked absolutely stunning, and I was quite moved by the experience, to the point she playfully mentioned I was in danger of becoming sentimental in my old age. After the wind-down, I really didn't have much time for anything else, only able to visit a handful of friends - and only those I wasn't able to visit previously - before I was dashing to the airport to the next leg of my journey. I had wanted to visit others I hadn't been able to 4 months ago, but there simply wasn't enough time. Sorry folks. :(
Before I knew it, I was off again. The stop-over in Kuala Lumpur was nice, relieving old memories and contrasting experiences 6 years ago compared to now, and a lovely time in Sri Lanka, seeing a lot more than just the capital Colombo like the last time I was there 5 years ago. Malaysia was the very first overseas country I had visited on my way to Europe back in mid-2005, and the contrast of experiences as a green Australian tourist wandering around a foreign city for the first time back then - compared to the more experienced and wiser Australian ex-pat now, 6 years later - made for some interesting observations. It was much like my returning to Melbourne 4 months ago after 4 years away, only (unlike Melbourne) Kuala Lumpur hadn't changed much in 6 years. And seeing the heart of the island Sri Lanka - travelling into the centre of the country, into the mountains, and the ruins of the old island capitals - was also fascinating. The last time I was there the sheer heat and humidity kept me mostly indoors in the capital, so I was grateful this time to see a more rural (centre of the country), historic (many ruins of former kingdoms), and spiritual (many Buddhist shrines, including the holiest in the country) perspective to the country this time, visiting Sigiriya (the Lion's Rock), Polonnaruwa, Kandy and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (housing the Buddha's left canine), and lastly a quick dash back to Colombo, again to touch on memories of my last visit there.
Despite the considerable distances covered this trip, I wasn't gone for that long this time, so catch-up should be fairly quick. Looking over my photos, I've taken about 300 or so in the 2 weeks I've been gone (more than usual, considering I was only in Kuala Lumpur for half a day!). I'll start whittling them down and begin the usual preparation for inclusion in my photo gallery when I somehow find some free time. But for now, here's a sneak peak:
Sri Lanka: at the paws of Lion Rock, 12/05/2011
