36 things I miss about tropical Sri Lanka after returning to wintry peterborough

1. Lovely curries, even though they are usually served lukewarm. Plenty of choice for vegetarians, with dhal being a staple.
2. water Buffalo curd. Lovelier than cows yogurt, and served with palm sugar syrup. 
3. Short eats - samosas, vadai, roti and other savoury snack items. The deep frying cooking method provides some reassurance in terms of bacteria.
4. Colourful birds aplenty and wonderful bird sounds, even though the sources are hard to track down. 
5. Birding from hotel verandas and balconies, often with stunning views. Add tea or beer to make it even more pleasant.
6. Smiles and waves from schoolkids, who often ask "where are you going?", and then start giggling. 
7. The low levels of anger displayed even in heavy traffic merging and interweaving from all directions. 
8. Hills that are completely covered in forests (as opposed to our bare sheepwrecked variety). 
9. Old fashioned trains that take me back to the 70s, and clatter slowly and noisily through majestic scenery.
10. Buses that are kings of the roads and cost about a £1 for a journey of up to 4 hours. It's double that in peterborough for a 10 minute ride.
11. Swimming in hotel pools, rivers and the Indian Ocean to cool off in the heat of the day.
12. Beautiful buddha statues and shrines all over the place, big ones, little ones.
13. Hardly any rain (just one hour in 25 days).
14. Cheap food in local restaurants. Lunch for two for £5 including a fresh fruit juice. Not a huge number of evening restaurants outside tourist hotels though.
15. Warm welcomes especially in very small hotel/guest houses
16. The sound of Buddhist prayers morning and evening
17. Beautiful Buddhist ancient ruins that are regarded as holy places, with special rules for visitors. No bare shoulders or knees. Shoes off.  No selfies allowed with Buddha statues in the background. 
18. Water monitors and land iguanas. Except for the time I feel into an iguana hole.
19. Humongous butterflies. Tricky to photograph though.
20. Beautiful lotus flowers.
21. Fruit bats aka flying foxes in great abundance at dusk or in large tree roosts during the day.
22. Superb botanical gardens, especially in the morning when it is cooler and there are fewer visitors.
23. Wild elephants, including the bolder more opportunistic ones that come to the edge of the elephant fences to be fed.
24. Beautiful lakes fringed by natural vegetation. many of these  so called "tanks"  were created hundreds of years ago as reservoirs.
25. Early mornings birding in a t shirt. Starts around 6 am. Nicest part of the day. I like to stay in one place looking at tall trees in open glades.
26. Monkeys. Three types, all with different haircuts. The toque macaques have hair like footballers. The purple faced leaf monkeys look like they are wearing goggles.
27. Trees of incredible variety.
28. Tropical fruits freshly prepared for eating. A great way to start breakfast.
29. Kottu - a national dish of left over bread chopped up fine wth vegetables and spices.
30. Rice paddies, all dotted with white cattle egrets.
31. Tea plantations in the highlands.
32. The sound
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    of Buddhist prayers early in the morning and in the evening. The sound carries a long way.
33. Friendly hotel staff, often keen to show you the hotel vegetable and fruit garden.
34. Roadside fruit and veg for sale at incredibly low prices. Limes for example are less than one 10th the price of limes in the uk.
35. Female tourists in elephant print trousers purchased locally. It's a look that suits very few male tourists.
36. Knowledgeable, friendly and streetwise Aussies and Kiwis. More than you can say for a lot of the Brits, some of whom are mainly chasing winter sun. Aussies can of course just stay at home in January if sunshine is their priority.