The opening paragraph of John’s talk on the McAllister Birding Tour to India and Sri Lanka late last year!
” Apart from having some amazing birds and wonderfully friendly people India and Sri Lanka are two total opposites in most other respects. India is bold, beautiful, brash and in your face in the nicest possible way. The traffic is hectic and to drive in the country you need good brakes, a good horn and good luck. Speed bumps or “sleeping policemen” are considered as opportunities to demonstrate the effectiveness of your brakes and have nothing to do with speed control! Sri Lanka, on the other hand is cool (not climatically though), calm, collected and serendipitous – in fact Serendib is an ancient Arab name for the island. Having conceptualised an island covered in tea plantations we never expected the tall mountains, marvellous rain forests and wonderfully accessible National Parks. Being driven through the beautiful countryside is a pleasant experience that is not always undertaken at top speed – the winding mountain roads are not conducive to high speed anyway, but even the straight stretches are driven at a quiet pace.”
For the rest of his talk and to view John and Elize’s fabulous photos, come to BLSA on Wednesday (19th Feb) evening. John’s talk will start promptly at 18h00. This really is not to be missed.