The opposite bank

I took this picture of the Perth city center from the opposite bank of the Swan river. This is just one of many pictures I have captured of this city at night. I do not understand my own obsession on taking photos of Perth city at night. But, I think one reason must be that its a very pretty sight.

I think the authorities have given a careful thought to the aesthetics when planning the location of buildings in the city center. With tallest buildings concentrated towards the mid point, it adds an element of symmetry to the city skyline. On the other hand, Swan river always provides a reflective surface to enhance the beauty.

Place shaped as a spike

Mian-jin, meaning Place shaped like a spike, is the name given to Brisbane by local indigenous people. Brisbane is the capital city of Australian state, Queensland. With a population around 2 million, it's the third most populous city in Australia. The river flowing through the city, as you see in the picture, is Brisbane river. In fact, the city was named after this river[1].

I arrived in Brisbane in February 2010, but, still did not get a chance to explore the place much. It is a little strange compared to how I covered most parts around Perth in Western Australia within just few weeks from when I arrived there. Well, at lease those that were accessible by public transport.

The Dirty Devil

Traditional 'Naagaraaksha'(meaning Cobra-devil) Mask used for Devil Dancing popular in Southern Sri Lanka.

Devil dancing is a form of white magic to cure diseases, specially those concerned with mental illnesses. A shaman is involved, who would use a series of dances to drum beats, to summon spirits or devils to get their help to heal the patient. Masks like this are essentially used in those dances along with costumes to make them look like devils.

Mahaa Saeya

Ruwanweli Seya, also known as 'Rathnamaali Mahaa chetiya" or simply "Mahaa (meaning;great) Seya" is considered the most respected of all the stupas in Sri Lanka. Stupa is a Buddhist religious monument that would essentially contain Buddhist relics inside its core and a gem called "Chooda-maanikya" that repels lightning on top of its conical head.

The bigger stupa shown here is the aforementioned Ruwanweli seya while the smaller is one of the four attendant seyas around it. Ruwanweliseya stands 92m tall and has a circumference of 292m. Built in 3rd century B.C by the ruler then, King Dutugemunu.

Pine forest

This planted pine forest was met on the way to the "Mini-worlds end" in the Knuckles Mountains, Sri Lanka. These man made forest are creating an environmental catastrophe in the central mountains of Sri Lanka because they don't live in harmony with the indigenous plant and animals in the area.

Pine leaves take a long time to decompose naturally, at least in this particular environment. Hence they create a thick layer of dead leaves on the ground beneath and inhibit the growth of any plants in the undergrowth, destroying the natural habitat of both plant species and animals.

Pride of a lion!

This replica of the lion statue in Yaapahuwa is, in fact, an ornament of about 6 inches tall that I bought from a local store.

The original statue is found at the flanks of the steep stair case leading to the rock fortress in Yaapahuwa, once the capital of Sri Lanka, built in 13th century AD by Sinhalese kings. This statue clearly gives away the Chinese cultural influence at that time.

Check the image of the original statue;
digitreks.com/travels/srilanka07/yapahuwa/slides/SriLanka...

Drinks cart...

We had a 6-a-Side cricket tournament at Havelock Ground, organized by the company I work for. This, simply is the back of the drinks cart which provided everyone with refreshment. I liked the patterns created by various colored drink bottles (all from the same local manufacturer) under the shade of the orange roof canvas.
But, hope all these plastic bottles will be disposed in an environmentally friendly way, as they have already become a huge environmental issue throughout the country.