Yesterday was the birthday of a good friend of mine, Lak. We first became friends when she was actually a placement student working for me at Inco (Europe) in London in 1992-1993. Lak is a Sri Lankan. After she left her placement she went back to Sri Lanka for a vacation and invited me to go and visit. I spent a fantastic two weeks there seeing some magnificent scenary and the some of the most friendly people one could imagine to meet. I became good friends with her, and her family. When she got married to Andreas a couple of years later I was invited to be a part of her wedding party as a groomsman. A great honour of which I will always be grateful. She is now living in Germany with Andreas (who is German) and her two daughters.

Sri Lanka, obviously came heavily into the news a couple of years ago with the devastation of the Tsumani. Many of the places that were destroyed I had seen and been to. The beauty I remember was no longer there. However, they are a strong, proud people and will go on stronger than ever. All the people that I new over there survived with out any harm coming to them.

I would thouroughly recommend a visit if you have a chance to go to this spectacular island. A great place, great people and great memories.

The photos in this post are: The one at the top centre is of Lak and I had the top of The Sigiriya Rock Fortress, The one on horses, is myself, Lak and her cousin Dhamikka, who also becamce a close friend riding through the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya. The one next to it is the temple in Kandy and the final one is a photo taken from a boat as we left the coast into the Indian Ocean to look at the coral reef. This is one area that was devestated in the Tsunami.

-Richard