"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 82 Safari Camp and Bundala National Park March 22, 2016 Tuesday Still very hot and humid Part # 1 Of 3 Morning Drive 83 Pictures

Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2016 7:51:25 PM
Subject: Report # 82 Safari Camp and Bundala National Park March 22, 2016 Tuesday Still very hot and humid Part # 1 Of 3 Morning Drive 83 Pictures

Last night after dinner, Manjue discussed the route for this morning's game drive with us and also Alex and Michelle, but separately. This is usually not done, as the description of our daily routine is the same. We go to different areas of the park in the mornings, have a short afternoon break with breakfast and lunch squeezed in there, then continue on the evening drives. We have never been offered options. Sometimes that complicates things, especially if the two couples do not agree to the changes. Lucky for all of us, we were on the same page with our jeep partners. Since they had only one full day left, and we had two, the decision was made to try a different path. That included leaving Yala, and venturing into Bundala National Park, south of Yala.

We had asked if the drive would be of a longer duration, and the answer was maybe a little longer. Normal time for a morning drive is from 5:30am to perhaps 10am. We would end up going much longer than that. We left the camp promptly at 5:30am, in the dark, and headed for Block # 1. It is accessed by turning right from the camp's driveway, which is quite long. Have we mentioned that the roads here leave a lot to be desired? Every one of them outside the city limits is potholes and washboard bumpy from the monsoon rains they get here. Our drivers have to be skilled to avoid hitting the worst of the holes. Even so, the ride is not suited to those with extreme back problems. On the plus side, it does slow the traffic to a crawl. The worst side effect is what we call "1800 EAT-DIRT", or a constant dirt cloud in your faces and everywhere else you can think of. No wonder so many tourists, especially the Asians, wear surgical face masks in the safari 4x4's. A handkerchief or a scarf will work the same.

Our destination, as we previously stated, was driving through Block # 1 in hopes of seeing some of the wildlife on the way to the park boundary. As we drove into the block, there was a rock formation considered sacred in Buddhist history. Manjue was proud to point out that a crew from the National Geographic Society had come here to film many sacred Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, this one included. Heaven only knows how old these sites are. We will have to research this documentary when we get home. In the old days, this site was a site where monks came on a pilgrimage to pray. This is no longer allowed in the park. Over the years, the jungle has begun taking over the rocks, and since the big cats like high spots, they come up here for a good view.

Continuing on, we were stopped in our tracks briefly, while a huge herd of Brahma cows blocked the road. There was no one with them, so they escorted themselves to wherever they wanted to go. Some of the cows had calves, recently born. All the drivers in the village beep their horns to move them out of the way. Pretty unique thing to see.

Although we did not see any large animals other than the two types of monkeys, and water buffalo, we did spot some nice birds to add to our list. Among them were spoonbills, purple heron, and some brilliant tiny sunbirds. We passed through many remote villages, the day beginning for the locals by going food shopping, or the kids riding their bikes to school. And every village has their share of roadside shrines honoring Buddha. It is common to see people leaving piles of perfectly good fruit in front of these colorful statues. That does, however, attract animals to dine on the fruit, like dogs, monkeys, birds, and even wild boar and elephants. There can be a price to pay for these animals, because sometimes they get hit and killed by cars and trucks. People are killed as well, so the government is trying to stop the practice of feeding them.

It took two hours to reach Bundala Park, about 35 kilometers south of Yala. Maybe more, since we took the long way to get there. Situated on the coastline of the Indian Ocean, this preserve is famous for their bird life – a "twitchers" paradise. (That's bird lover's talk.) It is also the spot where the lesser flamingos come in droves during their annual migration. Just happens, that this is NOT the time of year for that spectacle. According to one of the naturalists at the camp, the impressive number of flamingos had dropped in recent years. It is due to the fact that the brackish water in their ponds has been diluted by the locals by adding too much fresh water. As a result, the algae that supports the birds has died off. Therefore, no food, no flamingos. We are certain that a study is being done to rectify the situation. Could be a make or break deal with the success of Bundala as a major tourist attraction.

The park has an observatory platform and a mini museum. Displayed is a skeleton of a full grown freshwater crocodile, preserved indigenous snakes in jars, turtle remains, and even the skeleton of a dolphin. Various animal bones and turtle shells were also laying around the showcase. The best feature here were the decent restrooms, and available for all of us. Lots of room, since no one else was there yet.

Se were greeted by a guide, and a free-roaming dog, who begged some cookies from us. Although it is discouraged to feed wild animals, this dog seemed to love the food.

On the next stop, we went to the main gate and the ranger station. Another guide joined us as the official escort. On the way to the lagoons, we stopped to watch a tree full of monkeys resting on the branches. Most of the adult females were feeding new born babies, while the teenagers of the troupe played on the lower limbs. The young ones are so like kids, as they competed with their amusing antics, getting our attention. The macaques also were watching from a distance, as they tolerate each other, but do not mix. The smaller macaques can be quite aggressive and will fight with the larger langurs.

At the flooded plains, we saw dozens of varieties of waterfowl. Among them were Indian darters, black stilts, redshanks, pelicans, ibis, and bluetail bee-eaters. Freshwater crocs are abundant here as well.

We continued to a larger lagoon where we saw an Indian thick-knee, purple coots, whistling ducks, and rosewing parakeets. Langurs and a ruddy mongoose watched the birds like we were. A brahminy kite, cinnamon color, was flying overhead, while herds of cows roamed freely. Beef is not on the Sri Lankan menu, we are told, so the cattle are used for their milk and other related by-products.

Far in the distance, we could see a white temple perched high on a peak. Another holy place to be certain. We stayed and looked for more water birds and finally saw some jacanas, bitterns, common sandpipers, and pied cuckoos. Some more less often seen were the purple sunbird, small, but iridescent in color, brown shrikes, woodstorks, godwits, and the white-throated kingfisher.

From there, we drove to some cliffs over-looking the Indian Ocean. It was a great place to stretch our legs, and have "munches" with juice and water. Actually Munchees is the name of the small packages of ginger and butter wafers, as well as a salty cracker called super cream crackers. They go best with the small wedges of Laughing Cow cheese. Our guide said to make a cheese sandwich with the crackers. He was right, they are good.

Alex, Michelle, and Manjue enjoyed their cigarette break also. While in the park itself, there are few places set aside where the tourists can smoke. It is evident with the cigarette butts laying around. Although, Michelle and Alex were diligent in keeping them to dispose of later. People that live here discard the butts everywhere and anywhere.

Our driver took us to their salt flats, where seawater catchments had been flooded by the ocean water. When the water evaporates, the salt is left, and then collected. We do not know the exact process of how the salt is treated, but you get the basic idea. The dicey part of the drive was when our driver proceeded to go on the narrow levy road, with water on both side. The safari vehicle barely fit. We had to stop when we saw a pumper truck operating on the levy road. We could go no further, so our driver had to back up all of the way. Really, we could have seen the salt flats from the water's edge, but he did OK and got us back to the gate by 10:45am. We dropped the park ranger off there.

On the way back, we passed by more lagoons, where fishermen were netting prawns and crabs right off of the roadside. Manjue claimed they were the best-tasting shellfish ever. This time the drive back would be through town, and much more direct that going through a block.

On the way back, Manjue made a stop at a wood-carving factory. He came back out moments later bearing gifts……a small carved elephant for each couple. We will always remember this experience when we see our new treasure.

We also swung by Tissamaharama where a large lake is. He took us there to see the "flying foxes", or large fruit bats like we see in Cairns , Australia. The huge trees around the lake were loaded with the bats. They are very noisy and messy as they fan their wings to try to keep cool during the intense heat pf the day. Ended up back at camp by noon. It consisted of a cheese omelette, rolled pancakes filled with coconut, a hot bowl of curry made with chickpeas, and tortillas that we could use for dipping. Coffee, soda, and water were also served.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the computer. The speed was great for us, and even better, it was free. We had mentioned that lunch could be light, but it was far from it when the food arrived at 2pm. Seven bowls of food were served with chicken or tuna, or in our case, both. This this was called thali-style. With ample vegetables and a bowl of fried rice, we were happy to find that dessert was one scoop of chocolate ice cream.

The afternoon drive would be different. We headed towards Block three at 3:15pm, the final PM drive for our friends Alex and Michelle. Block three has the most sloth bears, so we were hoping to see one. We never did, but we did go to a monument of sorts. Located high on a rocky outcropping, we stopped at a manmade reservoir. From there, our guide led us up the side of the steep hill, but failed to tell us where we were going. Normally, we do not mind a deviation, but in this oppressive heat, we feel the guide should have asked any of us if we wanted to go. He simply said follow me. Seeing that the climb was getting difficult, we stopped at the top and informed Manjue that with the heat and other health issues, one of us could not do this. So one of us stayed back at the top, and waited for them to get back after viewing some ancient cave art. Yes, it is different to see these things, but it is far wiser to inquire first, before putting any of us at risk. Don't think too much was missed by not seeing the rock graffiti. The park ranger had stayed behind to protect me from sudden bear attacks. As it was, we never saw any of the sloth bears. They are night animals anyway.

We drove through Block 5, and saw the usual birds, pigs, and cattle. Someone had spotted a leopard, so we took off in the right direction to see it. And see it, we did. Briefly, but at least we can claim it as a sighting. Taking in a few more bird sightings, we were back to the gate a tad bit late at 6:35pm. And all was well with the world.

Dinner was served right away, and we ordered ice cold beers to go with it. Necessary in this heat. We had "hoppers", a rice flour noodle served like a bird's nest. Chicken, potatoes, and a curry containing hard boiled eggs with green vegetables filled our plates. Dessert was good, but for some reason, one of us cannot remember what it was. We were exhausted by now, so it is time to wrap things up. Until tomorrow, good evening.

Bill & Mary Ann

An ancient temple site