A funeral procession in Siem Reap

Cycling around the town of Siem Reap (US$3 for whole day's hire of bike) I saw this huge funeral procession. Apparently, a revered monk had passed away. In the procession were monks, soldiers, police officers, students and other mourners. A large gong was carried, and every now and then its booming sound could be heard across the town. BTW, Siem Reap is easily explored on foot but a bicycle enables you to cover a lot of ground much faster. I even cycled to Angkor Wat, about 10 km away.

Ella, Sri Lanka

A walk in a country lane.

Buddhist novice monk in the Buddhist shrine in Ella.

Visiting an Ella school, I caused quite a stir.

The lone ranger outside a small shop in Ella.

Ella's sleepy railway station

In Ella I almost burned down my guesthouse! I'll tell you more in future posts.

The village of Ella lies on the "edge" of the Hill Country. Judging from the number of guesthouses and hotels, it must be quite popular but when I was there I was the only foreigner.

While Nuwara Elliya is bustling, Ella is peaceful and quiet.

The chief attractions of Ella are the treks, the lush greenery and the fabulous views of Ella Gap.

A few restaurants and shops, a school, a quaint railway station, a buddhist shrine are the other "attractions".

(With the end of the conflict in SL, tourism will benefit. Go now before the hordes descend on SL. The media is already extolling the virtues of SL so that's the trigger for the coming influx of tourist arrivals in SL,)