THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

I was in Galle, Sri Lanka, when I looked up and saw this group of students on a break from an Islamic education center. They were on a slight rise above me, and the juxtaposition of the girls, the men who appeared almost as silhouettes in the background, the dramatic sky and, especially, the flow of the fabric caught my eye. 

While I hated to break the spiritual spell this photo can cast, it turned out that the girl standing is not in a posture of devotion — she’s on her phone.

Arnie is Explorer at Large, Northstar Travel Group and this is a column he does for WONDERLUST