8. Slow going until it's not
Listen to the vide
08.14.2021 - 08.14.2021 95 °F
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Chapter Eight, August 14, 2021
One might think that driving the same roads in the same area over and over and over again would get monotonous. The difference here is that the animals—except for perhaps the water-hole bully buffalo—are always moving. Elephants seen at one place one day are not there the next. Leopards, the most elusive Yala creature—are territorial but moving about—and hiding—within that territory. So, when we board the Toyota truck and enter the park from the same place at the same time, it is anything other than the same. I have been asked about the roads. They are like this:
Entering the park at 6:00, we see mostly nothing until a few wild boar bathe in a mud hole around 8:00. The temperature is 95 today making a mud hole sound appealing. The truth is that the road isn't as hot as it sounds. I am always in the shade and when we are moving the breeze is wonderful. A pair of ruddy mongoose scamper at the side of the road ten minutes later. Fifteen minutes after that, it’s time to hit the beach for breakfast.
Today, I am privileged (with Avinka translating when needed) to hear from park official and wildlife tracker Mr. Balawikrama—but not about animals. He wants me to understand more about the tsunami of 2004 since our lunch spot is ground zero for those killer waves. His explanation is cogent and he has all the facts. Soon, we are discussing weather patterns and climate change. He is smart, dedicated and, as are most Sri Lankans I have encountered, very nice.
Back on the road at 9:00 we drive for ten minutes and see two, no three, elephants at the side of the road. They cross and quickly there are two more. And then more still. I think the movies best tell the tale of the encounter; make sure you have the sound on.
Monkeys supervise a road construction project as we clear the Katagamuwa Wildlife Sanctuary boundary on the way back to camp. I have time to work before lunch at 1:00 and the afternoon game drive at 2:30 where I will be joined by a new guest: Newport Beach Californian Richard. Upon arrival at my tent, I have a chance to look at my laundry bill. Trousers, shirts and t-shirts are fifty cents each while underwear cost twenty cents and socks cost twenty-five.
At lunch, I get to know the other guest at Mahoora Yala Camp. Richard arrived yesterday afternoon and is joining me on this afternoon’s game drive. A retired medical neurologist, he is co-owner of a 45-foot sailboat that he and his co-owner couple have taken to the four corners of the world. With COVID, he has been unable to get the craft back to California and it has been stuck here for a year. He can fly back and forth to the U.S. when it is possible to arrange. He did that a couple of months back by flying to New York to get vaccinated, for example. Richard is a master at dealing with red tape and unreasonable to obscure regulations and has a great attitude about it all. I would have had a stroke trying to manage what he has been through.
It was great having someone to talk to over lunch. In many ways, he makes me look like a rookie traveller. I can handle meals alone but ten or so in a row, a worldly companion was heaven sent.
The afternoon drive began on a bright note with the sighting, however distant, of still one more leopard: Krrish. It was fleeting. We waited around, moving from place to place, to try to intercept him but he would have none of it. The rest of the afternoon was roaming here and there but finding nothing. I don’t evaluate the day poorly, however, primarily because of the wonderful elephant conversation of this morning.
After dinner, it is time for the delayed “night walk.” There was not much to see tonight (a sleeping gecko and a sleeping bird and some spider's eyes) and that is fine with me as I am tired and ready for sleep. Tomorrow is a travel day to my next destination.
