Interesting characters are usually the center piece of my travels. They help make a place memorable either by their actions, personalities and generosity.  However, there is another group of actors that deserves attention, our fury and feathered friends in the animal world. They participate in festivals, live monastic lives in temples, sneak into our rooms at night, and play hide and seek while we tramp through their neighborhoods in 4-wheel drive vehicles. They have made many of my trips extraordinary and unforgettable. Here are a few faces and characters that have stayed with me long after my flight home touched down.

Peacocks can’t fly well but they can at least get to the top of houses. In southern Sri Lanka this is a common sight…everyone likes a view after all.

It can get really hot in Sri Lanka and everyone likes to cool down. Notice the chains around the neck. He is a “domesticated” elephant who will perform in the festival Pera Hera later in the night.

A hundred elephants are dressed in electric outfits and marched through the hill country city of Kandy in Sri Lanka’s largest Pera Hera festival.

And then there are things you just can’t forget for different reasons…

These cute guys (grey langur) are actually quite large.  Their beards and black faces really give them a special character. Watch them run and you laugh at their swinging arms.

In Ubud, Bali’s Monkey Temple they are pampered a bit more. Watch your belongings as these cute guys will distract you while their family robs you blind.

We can’t forget our ocean friends. This spotted Moray wasn’t shy at all as we drifted by under the Maldivian sea.

Of course not everyone is happy to see you. This Honey Comb Moray was a bit cranky at being disturbed.

I can’t begin to describe the feeling of seeing a leopard walk just a few feet from you.

This curious horse wondered where we had come from in this wild section of Kosovo.

This curious girl could care less about the grass, she wanted to eat my camera.

Where have you seen great wildlife? Leave a comment below. Better yet show us all by submitting a photo Todd’s Wanderings Facebook Page.