We have seen many peacocks wandering the grounds of our hotel, trailing their tail feathers behind them. But there is a notable absence of peahens which might explain why, yesterday, we had this full-on display at our van as we tried to leave (photo shot through the windscreen):
We thought it was just vans that were replacement peahens but no – at a temple this morning, we saw a peacock displaying for ages to some monkeys who weren’t interested – or playing hard to get:
And when we went for breakfast this morning, we found human peacocks – and peahens – showing off their finery. A wedding shoot was taking place in our creeky old hotel with everyone dressed up to the nines!
The men (brothers of the groom) all wore heavy matching outfits and carried sabres of some kind but I found the shoes and frilly trouser bottoms the most appealing elements of the get-up:
Some couples posed in the grounds with full stage direction by the photographer:
We couldn’t work out who these two were – but all part of the wedding party:
And back to monkeys: following that excitement, we visited yet another dagoba across the road from the hotel and found various troops of monkeys trying to sneak past the guard and his catapault:
While his back was turned, they shot on to the offering table and ate the flowers which people had been giving up to Buddha:
The monkeys hung about the bins waiting for obedient humans to dispose of their recycling:
And some just wanted their photos taken – the hairstyle reminds me of one or two creeps I have known:
We found evidence everywhere of the awful storms last month including this sad fallen tree at the dagoba:
After all this early morning excitement and a surfeit of Buddhist monuments, we left Anarudhapura for the Tamil part of Sri Lanka, specifically Mannar, an island off the north-west coast, linked to the mainland by causeway. Mannar is known for migratory birds at this time of year so we have an early start tomorrow morning to go bird-watching. Given that I rarely manage to spot anything, don’t expect bird pictures unless the birds are massive or there’s lots of them!
You seem close enough to be two of the wedding guests….
Well yes but definitely not travelling with suitable wedding outfits! If only we’d known, M could have run up some stylish frocks …
I think this might give Tom some sartorial ideas for his forthcoming wedding – I would happily borrow this style.
We asked the guys if the outfits were heavy ( they would be wearing them all day). One replied saying yes, they were heavy ‘ and very tight’… so take note Tom.
Whew! I finally made it to you, running through thickets of wonderfully vibrant pujas and sly drawings and naughty monkeys and warring monks all in white and – Buddha’s tooth? The brilliant colours everywhere (even mythical construction helmets) are pure medicine in these dreary rainy days. I absolutely love the embroidery in these wedding garments. You both seem in high spirits despite the itinerary shift and cyclone damage. Thanks for including lots of shots of this btw – the collective village effort is especially moving.
Yes, it was quite a crowd of all ages moving the soil from the roots so that the tree could be cut up and removed – I too found it moving.
Looks like you had courtship as a theme to your day today of both the human and the avian variety. I wonder if the lack of peahens is planned – keeps the population down, encourages the males to provide frequent displays for guests at the hotel and reduces the racket. Peacocks are noisy enough when in a calm state, I shudder to think what they sound like when excited.
The planned removal of peahens might be a clever strategy in some places but not in this particular hotel – they could barely manage reception and were still using a dot matrix printer. I’ve always thought that weird peacock cry was somehow to do with mating – I don’t think they cry out when in full display mode? Really, why am I speculating given that I know absolutely nothing about peacocks…
How wonderful to see the full-on display of peacocks up close
I agree – the shoes and frilly trouser bottoms the most appealing elements of the get-up of those mens’ costumes – it also made me smile.
The two men ( a brother and cousin of the groom I think) were so nice – warm and friendly. I was sure they were all going to have a very good time- if warm- day.