"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 80 Hambantota, Sri Lanka March 20, 2016 Sunday Chance of rain & 90 degrees 55 Pictures Part #1

Sent: Monday, March 21, 2016 1:54:34 AM
Subject: Report # 80 Hambantota, Sri Lanka March 20, 2016 Sunday Chance of rain & 90 degrees 55 Pictures Part #1

Well, the adventure begins today, but not until we have a proper breakfast, our last one in this dining room for a week. After a hearty meal of bacon and eggs with muffins, we informed our waiters that we would be gone for a while. Especially, Yitno, who has our favorite pastries waiting for us every day. We will miss them all.

The Amsterdam arrived at the barren-looking port at almost 8am, and it appeared it was going to be a very hot steamy day. Have no idea where the forecast of rain fit in the picture, but we never saw any signs of it. There were only two large cranes in the harbor along with a couple of tugboats. We did, however, have a group of Sri Lankan dancers and band on the pier to greet us.

Once the ship was cleared, the passengers began going off in herds on their way to the waiting buses for tours. We had to pick up our passports because we were leaving the ship, but they were not ready for us at 9am. Seems the officials wanted to see us in person, because Christel called us and requested we meet with them in the Hudson Room. Something you don't want to do is question why. Sri Lankan immigration officials, like in most countries, are to be taken seriously, especially these days with the state of the world being security touchy. We welcome the scrutiny, knowing it is in place to keep us safe. Once the face-to-face check was complete, the passports were stamped, and we were free to go.

By 9:45am, our driver had not arrived, and we still had no idea if he would be let through the port gates. Our pick up time was 11am, so we left the ship by 10:45am, only to find out he had been there at 10am. We had alerted Barbara H that we were going on a safari, and she had agreed to call us if she spotted our driver. But she had retreated back into the coolness of the ship much earlier, as had all the other staff members. Can't say we blame them.

Anyway, our driver, Lucky, had driven from Colombo at 5am to get here. He was holding a sign with our name on it, and seemed happy to meet us. He told us he will be our driver and guide for the duration of the trip, after we leave the safari camp. That will be great, since he speaks good English, and we can understand him well. He offered us water or soda, but not knowing how long the ride would be, we declined. Eventually, we did ask for one bottle of water, and it would turn out to be a good move, but for a different reason. Tell you later.

It was over a mile to get out the main gate, and most folks used the free shuttle to get there. The parking lot was full of taxis and tons of tuk-tuks. We understand the going price to town was around $15. Tours were being offered for way less than what the ship was charging as well. As to the quality of the tours? Well, who knows….sometimes they turn out to be great.

He drove us to a fairly new road that went around the city of Hambantota. That way we would not get caught in city traffic. This entire area had been devastated by the 2004 tsunami, so most everything in town had to be re-built. He said it is far from being completely finished. We'll have to wait until we get back to find out about the town from Barb, who we are certain she will go with Aart and Ellen to the best hotel for lunch and beers.

The drive took us through villages and small towns, similar to the drive we took in India last year going to the safari camp out of Jabalpur. Cows and dogs clogged the road, with people and bikes darting in and out of traffic. Big brightly-painted trucks were hauling bags of rice and flour. It was thrilling watching them coming straight at us, then pulling over the avoid the potholes. There was no speed limit and no stop signs or lights anywhere we went. It was "blow and go", as in blow the horn and pass quickly.

Eventually we reached a river and a large lake, used for irrigation. Locals were swimming and fishing, while water buffalo were cooling off nearby. Fields of rice were being burned, since the crop was recently harvested. Smoke filled the air for miles. The birds did not seem to mind, since we saw plenty of egrets and cormorants in the trees, waiting to pick off bugs or whatever.

Lucky said he was not allowed to enter the park, so we were dropped off at the safari vehicle where our new driver and guide, Manjue, greeted us. They pulled out a ladder, and we climbed into the back of the 4x4 truck. At this point, we had left the paved road, and had a dirt road with potholes. As long as the driver went slow, it was OK. There was a lot of traffic going through these local villages, so we asked if this was normal. They told us that a special Hindu holiday was occurring over the next few days, and many of the Hindus were on a pilgrimage here. We can share the details when we find out more.

We arrived at the safari camp somewhere around 1pm, where check in was simply filling out a paper with our address and email address. There was no lodge, such as we usually see at the other camps we have been to in Africa and India. Our guide led us to our accommodations…….a large tent with a teak deck and wood flooring. Inside was the main room with a king-size bed, a twin bed, and end tables with several outlets with plugs and mini-lamps. Manjue informed us that there is free internet, and we were happy to hear that, since obviously, we decided to bring the computer after all. We will try to keep up with reports, but being able to download photos will be wonderful.

It took a while to unload the things we brought, setting the clothes on two tables and the small bed. There were hangars on the window frames, but we made sure not to block the screens. There is no air-conditioning, so it was really hot inside the tent. There is a ceiling fan and also a pedestal fan that oscillates, which will be lifesavers. Manjue assured us that it cools down significantly at night. We will believe it when we see it.

At the far end of the tent is a bathroom with a commode, shower, and sink. Another shelf was near the sink, and a large towel rack was on the opposite side. This room is separated by a door, so this place really resembles a cabin. The measurements are about 15 feet wide by 45 feet long. You walk up a flight of three steps to the veranda, and have a front door that is screened. Detached flaps on the outside give you all the privacy you need. Will let you know how we weathered the night.

At 2:00pm, a table and chairs had been set up outside our tent for lunch. Our guide came calling and invited us to sit and have our meal. Another young fellow came with a bowl of salad, which was sliced cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes. We also had French-style green beans, okra (new to us), and another large bowl of noodles with slivered carrots and bits of egg. Crispy strips of a sesame seed chip was also served. Now we are certain there are names to these dishes, but there was no one around to ask. The main course was seasoned ahi tuna chunks, and since we had alerted them to a food allergy (shellfish), they also brought spicy chicken. All of it was good. We had our choice of beverages, so we chose diet soda, although beer or wine would have been given to us. Ice cream was for dessert…vanilla and chocolate.

Now we were ready for the evening safari drive which began at 3:00pm at the central dining arena, which we failed to notice when we arrived. We were joined by a really nice couple from Ireland, although they were British. It would just be the four of us, our guide, and the driver. Perfect. Speaking for one of us (me), there was a time when getting into a vehicle like this was a piece of cake. At least we had a decent ladder to climb….you simply had to figure out how to get into the seats under the roof, and do it gracefully as possible. Once us ladies were inside, the fellows climbed in quite easily, and we were off to the races.

Back-tracking through town was the direction to the entrance to Yala National Park. Now we could take in the activity involving the holiday here. From what we gathered, there is an extremely important Hindu temple here. A myriad of stalls carrying fresh produce and many things cropped up around the surrounding area in the town, the name of which is so long, we have not been able to write it down yet. This holiday has brought hundreds of Hindu pilgrims and their families, who are filling up the guest houses and lodges. As a result, all of the game lodges are full, as well as all of their safari vehicles. They are doing the same thing we are………seeing the wild animals. Yes, it does make Yala crowded at some points, but it does get the animals moving. Hope it is a win-win situation.

We entered the park gate after picking up a park tracker, who joined us for the duration this evening. Our destination was block # 5 around 4pm. Up to the point of the gate, we had already seen a golden crested eagle hunting a water monitor lizard, green parakeets, an Indian darter, as well as a large family of macaques, those cute little mischievous monkeys.

Once into the park, we saw spotted deer, the leopard's main meal, peacocks, termite mounds, and rose-ringed parakeet. Then we arrived to a huge lake, where we saw night heron, freshwater crocs, and a white bellied sea eagle. He was similar to the one that we witness take down that fruit bat back in Cairns, Australia. The banks were full of smaller birds like the chestnut and blue-tailed bee eaters, Indian rollers, egrets, and painted storks.

Water buffalo were grazing on the opposite banks, with one large bull actually charging a croc who got too close to him. That's when our guide got the message that a leopard had been spotted. We took off in a flash, joining the dozen vehicles parked on top of each other to see this large cat. Like most big cats will do, they like to hide in the tall grass. We waited and watched, with our driver re-positioning several times, but this cat was not moving. Our guide suggested we come back, and we all agreed.

At one point, we stopped alongside the road near a river, and we were able to stretch our legs and have a snack break. This brings us back to the story on the water bottle we promised to share. We knew that all of the water, sodas, beer and some wine was included daily in our package. The one detail not provided was that the water did not come in small plastic bottles, like we have had everywhere else in the world. Even though this camp was not specifically described as an "eco camp", that is what it is. The water we get is all bottled, but supplied to us in glass quart bottles in our room using real glasses and cups. No plastic is allowed. So when we went on this first game driver, the guide handed us well-used aluminum refillable bottles to share, drinking out of the top. We shared one bottle between the two of us, although we each could have taken one. And that should teach is a lesson. Don't assume anything. When our first driver offered us bottles of water in the taxi ride, we both should have taken one. At least we have one plastic bottle between the two of us to fill from our room bottles. We will not dispose of the bottle until we leave here, just to make everyone happy. But that did lead us to question where our water is coming from, if not in plastic bottles somewhere on the property?

Another problem presented itself when we went to go back into the vehicle. Getting out was not easy for one of us, since the guide did not bring the ladder. Not wanting to invite injury, the front seat was made available by the tracker, which was nice. He took my spot up top. The ride continued on bumpy roads, giving us numerous sightings of plovers, Malabar hornbills, wild boar, many deer, and gigantic wild water buffalo. These guys are very territorial and do not like the jeeps stopping for long.

We had back-tracked towards the earlier leopard sighting, expecting to see nothing. What a surprise we had, when just a few vehicles were there still watching for movement. That's when our tracker spotted the leopard's tail in the grass. He was on the move, and so were we. Our drive estimated about where he may be crossing the road, so we sped ahead of everyone else, and parked. Then the leopard appeared, barely paying attention to all of the cameras snapping away. Obviously a male, he was big and healthy, and more than likely looking for a female. Manjue said this is the end of the mating season, and he has been spotted with the ladies many times now. That is good news for all of us, because it makes them less cautious. We got some fabulous photos out of the hundreds taken before he disappeared into the brush once again. How lucky was that? Our guide was right about leaving and coming back. As we left, we ran into a large elephant grazing on the forest's edge. We continued up to the reservoir, the largest one in the area, and the dam gates and pumps on the levy.

The sun had gone down by now, after 6pm, and we had to be out of the park at the ranger station by 6:30pm sharp. We made it without a second to spare. The ride back to camp was fun as we talked all the way about seeing so much wildlife on our first game drive. Although the moon was about full, it had gotten dark, and the camp was lit up with stove oil lamps, spewing black smoke. Perhaps this helps keep the bugs away.

Cocktails and snacks were waiting for us, but before we dug in, we were escorted to our tent to get cleaned up a bit. Canvas-slung chairs lined some wooden tables in a circle where we had been dropped off. Apparently, there is no "lodge" here like we have been accustomed to. It is all outdoors. We had our choice of beverages, and we chose the coldest beers they had. Looked to be Lion Beer. Joining us were a younger German couple who have been here for a week. Then came one more couple, the fellow a US citizen, but lived in Berlin all of his life. They visited with the other couple, and spoke German most of the time. Another group of four people arrived, and we have learned they may be leaving tomorrow. Then the nice couple we are teamed with came and joined us.

Dinner was served at tables for two mostly. We had BBQ pork, chicken, and sausages with salads and potatoes. Dessert was a nutty brownie with coffee or tea. We had been handed flashlights to find our way back to the tent, which we did by 9:30pm. It had been a long, hot day, and from the looks of it, it was not cooling down anytime too soon.

Since thousands of photos have been taken, it will take some time to sort through them. Be patient, and it will be worth the wait, we promise.

To be continued……..

Bill & Mary Ann

The latest flower arrangement, compliments of Orlando Ashford, President of HAL