Minneriya, Polonnaruwa, Ella, Buduruwagala

Minneriya National Park... we were hunting for wild elephants that don't have 'hamburger ears' on their heads, unlike the ones in captivity! We were required to hire a jeep and a driver, so below is what we ended up with...
Here is mother and her 2 week old baby... or so we were told.
A much larger family of elephants...
Polonnaruwa... more ancient ruins.



This Buddha was in pristine condition considering it had been carved into the rock some time ago... the prize of Polonnaruwa.
Some water buffalo I had to stop along the way and take a picture of. One of the many 'Kodak moments' we had to stop for during our week with the motorbike traveling the ancient cities and hill country.


This bus shelter saved us from the first rain we'd seen since we left home. And what a rain storm it was! It didn't last wrong, but bloody hell it was coming down in buckets!
We stumbled across many waterfalls during our week with the bike. Some we knew were coming, some we did not.

A little hike in Ella...

A huge Buddha carved into the side of a rock ~ Buduruwagala
Random chicken... was in the monastery on chair at Buduruwagala. Not sure why, we thought it was funny!
Some waterfalls just off the road just 6km away from Ella. Clearly a favorite for locals... perhaps even essential for their bathing routine as below.