Beauty and ugliness

With a peak that rises more than 2010m[1] above sea level, Namunukula mountain range is one of the well-known mountain ranges in Sri Lanka. It is the one you can make out in the above picture as the farthest layer of mountains.

Around four years back, I was able to capture this view of the landscape, which poses itself the prettiest during the last few minutes of the setting sun. Those were the days that I was first trying my hands on artistic photography. If you are wondering what made me post this old picture up here all of a sudden, well, there is a special reason. Sadly, that reason is not as pretty as the focal point of this picture. Thus, I will leave that story to the end.

City hall

Brisbane city hall, originally uploaded by Sachira.

To be honest, there is not much of a story behind this picture. But, I just felt like sharing it with you. Who knows, you might like it even with out a good story =)

Anyway, to talk about a few unimportant things around it, I took this shot one evening while on my way home after visiting Mt. Coot-tha lookout. Mt. Coot-tha lookout is a place where you can to view the Brisbane city and the surrounding areas, all the way from Moreton bay to the mountains located near the Gold Coast. I think it is the best lookout around Brisbane and I am really grateful to one of my friends for telling me about it.

Mystic lake

Mystic Lake, originally uploaded by Sachira.

I took up a self imposed challenge to walk 22km, up to the beach and back in a day, just to prove myself that I am still young and fit. Much to my own relief, I was able to do it, thus, convincing myself that at least I am fit like I have been for the last five year or so, since this travel craze began.

My destination was Nudgee Beach. The same place I described in the previous article named 'Confusion'. I walked along the main roads, among the busy traffic, through the towns, into a residential area. The chaos was gone, temporarily. Here, I ran into a couple of warm-hearted gentlemen, who raised their hats and greeted, 'How ya goin mate...', in fine Aussie style.

Purple dusk

Purple dusk, originally uploaded by Sachira.

Recently, I had to change houses once more. This is my seventh home in a period of seven months. Every time when I move, I not only leave the house, the furniture and the neighborhood behind, but also the brand-new friends I make at each of those places. Nevertheless, I think, now I have got used to a nomadic life. After all, life itself is nomadic. (To be honest, I do miss the feeling of isolation in the barren, semi desert landscapes around Perth though)

For some extraordinary reason I always end up ‘camping’ close to a river. The Swan River I fell in love with back in Perth, Brisbane River in West End, and now slot in between the same river and the Moreton Bay. Rivers have an amazing ability to calm my mind down. Nothing feels more serene than going for a walk down by the river, at the sundown, listening to some soothing music. I do not always accompany my camera with me for such walks, as the urge to take photographs of the splendors created by the setting sun itself deprives me of my relaxation.