Bundala Bird Sanctuary and the south

30c

Rain forecast, but I don't believe it'll happen

The last time I wrote we were in the middle of a day of absolutley torrential rain.  Haven't seen a drop since.

Nicky gave us a lift from Ella to Tissamaharama.  We stopped by waterfalls which were absolutely gushing what with all the rain. 

The hotel we'd booked in Tissa was a bit disappointing, all looked rather unloved and deserted, living off its past reputation and listing in the Lonely Planet guide book I think.

We booked our half day tour to Bundala with the hotel for 2pm that afternoon, hoping we'd made the right choice.  You never know with these trips, what kind of vehicle you'll get, a good driver and/or guide.  You can ask all the right questions but until it all turns up you really have no idea.  We were, in the end, extremely thankful for our wonderfully, skillful driver and our lovely guide who knew where to look, and, all the names.

The rutting on the roads due to the terrible rain Sri Lanka has endured over the past 4 months was quite scary.  Several times that afternoon I was absolutely convinced we would topple over.  Thank goodness for skill and 4WD.

I'll put a list of all the birds and animals we saw at the end of this post but we were particularly impressed to see Golden Jackals (who even knew?), Mongoose, Wild Boar, Green Turtles and an elephant.  More of him later.

We had been driving for about 2 hours when our driver needed a break and our guide knew there were Green Turtles nearby.  So we stopped near a rocky beach and started walking down to the rocks.  Just as we were getting to the viewing place our guide, with a total look of panic, began beckoning us in slightly hushed tones to get back in the vehicle.  I've never seen four people move so quickly.  A, large bull elephant was walking towards us and the vehicle.  Our guide, once back in the vehicle said 'he's a bad man'.  The problem was we didn't really have anywhere to go, so the vehicle was swung round and parked on a small promontry.  The hope was he would get bored of us and leave.  What followed was a ten minute Mexican standoff during which time we got the lowdown on the elephant.  He had killed, he liked to chase and has been known to charge.  He was approximatley 30 years old. 

He did eventually tire of us and just wandered off into the jungle.  Apparently the other technique, if elephants keep coming or begin to chase, is to drive at them very fast, this tends to make them back off.  I'm quite glad we didn't have to do that.

On our way out of the park we saw deer, shy as ever, flitting around.  The intensity had gone out of the sun, so we slowly made our way back to Tissa and treated ourselves to a couple of very cold beers.

Since Tissa we've been making our way along the south coast by a combo of walking and buses.  We stayed at the eastern end of Tangalle in a cabana reminiscent of times gone by. Our host had just 3 rooms he rented out ($10 a night).  He described the day the tsunami came, how he suddently saw a fisherman in a boat coming towards his garden.  How his pregant wife and mother climbed an old mango tree in the garden in panic, he managed to climb onto the roof of the house.

His family owned the land so he was able to rebuild.  But all around him are hotels and restaurants owned by foreigners, charging many times the prices he charges for his little cabanas.  I was reminded of what had happened after the devastation in Hawaii last year.  Passing laws preventing disaster capitalists from marching in and buying up land for a song.  I'm not sure if that's what actually happened here, but it sounded like it.

The buses are cheap and abundant all along the south and west, heading up to Colombo.  They are cheap, cramped and come in a variety of levels of comfort.  But what they all have in common is that you have to get on and off pretty damn smartish, and it doesn't matter if the bus is still moving or not!

We're currently in Unawatuna.  This place HAS changed beyond recognition.  I'm reminded of Bali, Ubud but without the rice paddies and the charm.  It's clear the target audience is Russian tourists, most menus and signs in English and Russian and I've seen more signs of the 'land for sale' type here than anywhere else. 

We're being tourists for a few days before we make our way north along the west coast to Galle, Hikkaduwa, Bentota and finally to Colombo where we catch our flight to India.  Now that's a whole other adventure.

Laters

A few "everyday life" photos 🌞

Bundala National Park

Bee-eaters, green and blue tailed

Pelicans

Storks

Lapwings

Cormorants

Herons

Quails

Golden Jackals

Elephant

Mongoose

Kingfishers

Indian Roller

Munias

Darters

Black faced Langurs

Macaques

Crocodiles

Monitor lizards

Spoonbills

Plovers

Coots

Parakeet

Golden Oriels