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Gallery · Photography

The photos that didn't make the grid

183 photos from 2 trips. Tap any photo to see it full size.

Sri Lanka · Southern coast & hill country

Slow coast, high hills

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Sun rays through the palms over the rocks

Coffee before 6E1167 to Colombo, passport and boarding pass in hand

Arrivals hall at Bandaranaike airport, with the SIM counters (Dialog, Hutch, SLT-Mobitel) under the big welcome sign

Palm-tree roof, a 'Sri Lanka, Wonder of Asia' tuk ahead and Colombo traffic

Radicle's coffee bar, Colombo

Sourdough with whipped spread, soft scrambled eggs and pickled onion

Pour-over of a Kenyan Kiambu single origin

The rail line hugging the Indian Ocean on the way down to Galle

Palm-fringed Induruwa platform, passing through on the 14:40 train to Galle

Old Parkland's colonial bungalow, with white fretwork, a terracotta roof and a red plinth

The shady mango-tree garden at Old Parkland, Bataduwa

Lit-up corner of gem shops on the fort's cobbled lanes

“Everything we do is to remind us that life is good!” under the fairy lights

Aqua Forno bakery and street food, with lanterns and creepers on an old wall

Antic guest house wall, with vintage keys, toy cars and a chalkboard menu

Spa Ceylon's colonial corner house and its green elephant

Khaleel's, an ochre corner shop trading since 1976

Coconut Sambol, Galle Fort: the yellow front and chalkboards

Inside: dried palm fronds and a spice painting

The lantern room with wicker lamps and green doors

Old His Master's Voice gramophone by the counter

Fresh juice in a mason jar

Rice and curry with dhal and pol sambol, LKR 2,555 dinner

Gelato cup on the mint-green table, Galle Fort at night

Tropical mural and rope swing inside Isle of Gelato

Green turtle coming up to the shore at Wijaya Beach, Dalawella

Sri Lankan breakfast at Old Parkland: string-hopper pilau, dhal, seeni sambol, egg rolls and fruit, with the Lonely Planet

Close-up: the turtle lifting its head in the shallows

Speckled rock crab on the sand

Long-spined black sea urchin from the reef pool

Short-spined urchin, with the reef break behind

Rescued turtle gliding through the pool, seen from above

A big turtle resting its flippers on the tank edge

Two young turtles swimming together

Holding a baby turtle in the sand-floored shed

Face to face with a hatchling

Taprobane Island in Weligama bay, with its white gate and jetty

Taprobane Island from the shore, on the way to Barefoot

My buffet plate: red and yellow rice, dhal, pumpkin, pol sambol, gotu kola, papadam, roti and vadai, with a passion-fruit iced tea

Clay-pot buffet line under wicker lamps, wood fire on the left

Dessert table: kalu dodol, green coconut toffee, butter cake, kavum, bananas

Mud-walled front: Mirissa's largest buffet

My dessert plate with iced tea

Coconut Tree Hill: red-earth headland, tall palms and Parrot Rock out in the bay

Palms leaning into the wind over the rocks and surf

Arriving at Barefoot Backpackers, Hiriketiya

The long communal table on the veranda, garden behind

The weekly activities board: family dinners, ice baths, karaoke at Rosie's

Hiriketiya poster and woven wall decor

Out on the rock ledge, surf breaking below and rain clouds rolling in

Rock pools and white water under a grey sky

Sunset glow over a breaking wave

Rope swing on a leaning palm at Turtle Beach

Turtle beach under a deep blue sky, palms and red roofs across the bay

Lunch at Ohana: grilled calamari, fries and slaw

Brownie with ice cream, mango and papaya, eaten barefoot on the sand

Ohana's bar under wicker lamps

Arched lounge nooks with blue cushions and an old typewriter

Hiriketiya's horseshoe bay, swimmers and surfers out past the break

Waves bursting on the rocks in golden light

Muthu Bar's catch of the day on ice: tuna, reef fish, crabs and prawns

Our fish going on the open-flame grill

Whole grilled fish with lime, yellow rice, fries and slaw

Second fish in a spicy tomato sauce

Walking in under the glowing green Secret Jungle Party sign

Crust & Crumble's sculpted, cave-like facade in Hiriketiya

Breakfast: poached egg on toast with beetroot, tomatoes and edible flowers, with pour-over coffee

Iced pour-over by the window

Pastry counter with croissants under glass domes

The espresso machine under a rattan lamp

Buffalo curd and kithul treacle in a clay pot, roadside on the way to Ella

Ravana Falls tumbling down the gorge below the cliffs

Tier after tier of white water after the rain

The falls under grey skies, cliffs rising on both sides

Down on the rocks by the pool at the base

Chicken kottu with chilli sambol at Wimala, LKR 1,250

Mee kiri (buffalo curd) soft-serve with kithul treacle and crumble in a clay pot, LKR 1,750

Passion fruit gelato with Ella's Main Street lit up behind

The full sweep of the viaduct, jungle and hillside guesthouses behind

Morning sun breaking through the palms onto the nine arches

A local dog sunbathing on the parapet, the arches curving away

Walking the tracks across the bridge

Monsoon-stained stone piers, with the tunnel mouth at the far end

The arches from the tea slope, the tunnel just above

String hoppers with chicken curry, dhal, pol sambol and dhal vadai, LKR 800

The short-eats case: fish rolls, egg patties, egg samosas, chicken rolls, cheese hotdogs, sausage rolls, vegetable and onion buns, egg sandwiches, sugar and jam buns, egg puffs, cookies and cupcakes

Shared cab down from Ella to Ahangama, clip-on fans doing the job of air-con

Sugar-crusted jam bun at a roadside café on the drive down, LKR 100

My cottage at night: the A-frame roof outlined in light, hammock and bean bag on the porch

The plunge pool in front of the cottage, under strings of rattan lanterns

Private plunge pool with a white picket fence and a giraffe mural

A seated Buddha under a garden umbrella, with a moonstone at its feet

Hanging macramé swing chair in the leafy garden

Bedroom with a high timber-beamed ceiling and a big teak bed

Kitchenette: teak shelves, microwave, hot plate, kettle and fridge

Whale prints and a little shelf of Osho books in the kitchen

The hand-painted roadside sign pointing the way (Manori's: 076 257 5489)

My rice & curry plate on a banana leaf, with papadums

The full spread: rice surrounded by coconut-shell bowls of curries and sambols

Candlelit dining under the thatch, Sri Lankan flag overhead

Stepping-stone path through the garden

Clay plate lined with a banana leaf, waiting by candlelight

Espresso, a seeni sambol bun and a chicken and mushroom pastry at the window, LKR 520

The villa's resident puppy, chin on my foot, waiting to be pampered

Parrot Rock, Mirissa: a red-earth outcrop with one palm, waves bursting on the rocks

Secret Beach: a quiet cove with a palm-covered headland

Waves breaking over the boulders at Secret Beach

Dondra Head Lighthouse rising out of the coconut palms

The Southern Point of Sri Lanka sign and red post box at Dondra Head

Waves on the rocks at Sri Lanka's southernmost point

Coconut roti with pol sambol, dhal and coconut curry

Their famous kottu

Open dining space with gingham tablecloths and a 'Vegan meal' mural

Hand-drawn smiling vegetables on the wall

Suited up at Submarine Diving, Unawatuna (the dive was called off, just an initial dip)

The white Japanese Peace Pagoda on Rumassala hill

Stone Buddha looking out across the bay to Galle Fort

Memorial pillar for the victims of the 26 December 2004 tsunami

One scoop of tropical gelato, LKR 750

Pedlar's Inn Gelato under its striped awning on Pedlar's Street

Galle day walk: Yuzu Matcha Spritz from Seven Seeds Coffee at Isle of Gelato

Yuzu Matcha Spritz: yuzu, ceremonial matcha and sparkling water, LKR 1,200

The painted jungle wall and rope swing inside Isle of Gelato, Galle

Galle day walk: an art gallery wall of portraits and watercolours

Galle day walk: temple sketches, portraits and old vinyl

Inside the wholesale woodcraft shop: carved Ganeshas, masks and painted elephants

Shelves of devil masks, hand-painted elephants and turtles

A life-size carved wooden elephant in the shop window

With the owner among his carvings

Clear pools on the Thalpe reef

Sip Glow Repeat smoothie

"Since 1949" facade

Inside the parlour

Old Piccadilly Café photos

Ice-cream counter

Parlour merch shelf

Weligama bay with Taprobane Island

Sunset at Kabalana

Hoppers with five curries

Sam's Place sign

Walls of traveller messages

"In curry we trust"

Graffiti wall

The dining hall

Red string hoppers with curries, pol sambol and onion sambol at a local shop

On the AC expressway bus from Matara to Colombo, 8:50 am

The carved wooden Drop Inn Hostels sign on the courtyard wall

Koi in the courtyard pond

Plants trailing down over the courtyard pond

The yellow common room, with the train timetable chalked on the board

A cool, shaded lounge with floor cushions by the courtyard steps

Carved wooden masks and a paper lantern by the stairs

The carved stone colonnade of the Independence Memorial Hall

Stone lions and the 4 February 1948 independence plaque

Gangaramaya's courtyard and gateway, lined with bronze guardian statues

The great seated Buddha inside Gangaramaya

Seema Malaka on Beira Lake, ringed by golden Buddhas

Chicken lamprais at Upali's

Papadam with fried chillies and dry fish

Watalappan with cashews at Upali's

Iced coffee as Colombo's lights come on

Iced coffee with dried orange at Grind

The second iced coffee at Grind

Grind's coffee bar and cake counter

Dosas on a banana leaf with chutneys and curry

Last tuk-tuk ride, heading to the airport

Egypt · Cairo, Siwa, Alexandria & the Nile

Sand, stone and the slow Nile

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The pyramids of Giza lit up at night, seen over the rooftops from our window

Khufu, with a local for scale

The mask, up close at the Grand Egyptian Museum

Djoser’s Step Pyramid, the oldest of them all

Looking out over Shali, Siwa’s old mud-brick town

Sunset from Fatnas Island

The Citadel of Qaitbay, on the site of the old lighthouse

Inside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Inside the Great Temple at Abu Simbel

Felucca hour in Aswan

Horus standing guard at Edfu

Look up at Esna: the restored ceiling

5 AM, West Bank, a sky full of balloons

Karnak’s columns make everyone look tiny

Dendera: worth the drive north

Us, lost (happily) in Khan el-Khalili

The old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir