Leopards, Beaches, and the Tsunami Zone

Relaxing at rebuilt Koggala Beach
Hotel, which was destroyed
in the 2004 tsunami.

Changes in elevation and climate can happen fast in Sri Lanka.  From over a mile high in tea country, we descended to the steamy sea level on the SE coast in a matter of just three hours by rail and winding roads.  Once again we were delightfully surprised upon arrival in the dark to a rustic jungle camp welcoming us with fragrant incense throughout the camp.  

On the edge Yala National Park,  we enjoyed two nights under under a mosquito net and  an expansive thatched roof.  Better still, it was some of the best food of the trip, perhaps because it was cooked on a wood stove by nearby locals.

Home sweet home for two nights

At home on their range

Dining hall.  We were the only guests all month

Bringing in the boats

Sashi, our local host took us to a nearby fishing village that was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami.  That whole area was wiped out, and really hasn’t recovered.  We helped them drag a boat into shore, and the headman gave us a couple of fish as thanks.  

These gifts sure tasted good coked on the campfire

Later we took a tuktuk for a one hour round trip to town for beer, and cash for the park entry fees—which are very steep for foreigners.  (You can see a fun video of that on Instagram @kelemenron.)

The park wasn’t a jungle as we think of one, but rather mostly shrubs and trees no higher than 30 feet tall.  However,  it was dense, making it hard to spot wildlife.  We saw a few elephants, wild boar, water buffalo, peacocks, sambar deer and  two leopards.  And perhaps over 50 other safari vehicles jockeying for position around leopard sightings.  Although the tsunami ravaged the low-lying areas of the park, few, if any a animals were killed.  They had some sixth sense and moved upland before the waves hit.

A leopard on, yes, Leopard Rock

A leopard jam

Many Sri Lankans weren’t so lucky.  Over 35,000 were killed, including 1,200 on a coastal train full off travelers for the holidays.  More than 900,000 were left homeless.  Unlike the gigantic surf waves that hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia 960 miles away, or Phuket Thailand, these 36-foot waves were more like a series of fast-moving tidal surges 180 feet wide.  Fifteen years later, much of the coastal towns, villages, and roads have been rebuilt, but there are still many reminders of this disaster, like the fishing village we visited.  We stopped at the tsunami museum,  marked by a 36-foot tall Buddha.  Its height drove home the magnitude of the surging waves.

Boxing Day tragedy. (Not my photo, of course)

Imagine a 36' wave as tall as this
coming at you at 400 MPH

We spent two relaxing days at Koggala Beach, where the photo at the top was taken. It's like Hawaii at a fraction of the cost. This place is famous for its stilt fishermen. The locations are highly prized and handed down generation to generation.

Stilt fisherman

Only two at that morning,
and they had caught nothing.

Gihan Panditaratne, the Rotarian who stayed us in October and who made many of our trip arrangements, picked us up at Kogggala Beach and drove us to Colombo, where we spent three fun days with him and his family.  We weren’t expecting much about Colombo (pop. 1 million), but it turned out to be a very nice city.  It’s huge, and so is its traffic.  But it’s clean and growing.  

One of many new high rises, with
more under construction

City hall under Buddha's watchful eye

Touring the Friend-In-Need Society which
partners with Rotary to provide artificial
limbs for citizens all over Sri Lanka.

The best part about Columbo was staying with the warmhearted and hospitable Panditaratnes.  They went out of their way to make sure we were well-fed with the best dishes Sri Lanka has to offer.  

Gihan and Arosha's home 

Rheya, Gihan and Arosha

It’s going to be hard saying goodbye to them tonight as we depart for home.  And for that matter, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to Sri Lanka and all of the wonderful people we met along the way.  What a trip!

"What We Can, While We Can!"

In a few days I'll have one more post entitled "Sri Lanka Between the Cracks." It will be odds and ends and photos that didn't fit our narrative, but better explain Sri Lanka.  It will also include a link to our best shots.

Stopping for a fish pedicure
on the way to Colombo

20 nights, about 750 miles, and
immeasurable good experiences

Exploring some mangroves with Gihan en-route
to Colombo

Tea Country and Hospitality, Sri Lanka Style

Tea is big business in Sri Lanka, branded as Ceylon tea, accounting for 17% of exports, and employing 5% of the population.    Textiles are the largest export at 52%--check your clothing labels. We spent three delightful days in tea country, not counting what we did in Polonnauruwa a few days ago.  Leaving Kandy, we climbed from 1,000 feet to the 3,000 feet to the city of Nuwara Eliya. (Don’t you just love these Sri Lankan names?) 

Tea factory.  Most of the upper stories are for

drying.  Then the large leaves are shredded and

fermented.

It was a beautiful climb, but for the blight of huge billboards promoting things like Sri Lankan rebar (yes, rebar) and skin care products.  Much of the tea country reminded us of wine country in Oregon.  There are large tasting rooms, well-branded plantations, and beautiful vistas.  Unlike our wine country, there are many tourist busses and vans packed with Indians and face mask-wearing Chinese. 

Tea was introduced here in the mid 1800’s after a colossal failure of the coffee crop.  The British clear cut the jungle to make way for tea, and they planted massive groves of eucalyptus trees for railroad ties, called sleepers. By the 1890’s, Lipton alone was exporting 30,000 tons to London.

Tasting room of large estate

The tea pickers, for their back breaking labor, 

make about $5 US per day, often living in 

places like this.

Nuwara Eliya is also called “Little England.”  The British planters tried to recreate home with beautiful gardens, polo grounds, golf courses, Tudor-style homes, parks, and club houses for a post-dinner brandy, cigar, and billiards game.  We were unprepared for the cool weather, similar to Oregon in the late autumn.

Bicycling around Gregory Lake Park

A feast prepared by Nadeeka, Easter's wife.

He's Singalese, She is Tamil.  Easter was such

a gracious host in spite of his busy schedule.

Easter's guest house

We stayed with Rotarian Easter Kumar and his family in a small hotel he owns.  (He had dinner at our home last October.)  It was so fun having a home-cooked meal with his family eating, our best Sri Lankan meal yet.  Like so many other hotels in Sri Lanka, he has been hard hit by the 2018 Easter bombings.  Many new hotels under construction are brick and rebar-stalled reminders of what a handful of delusional individuals can do to ruin lives way beyond those killed and injured.

We got up early for a long trip to Howards Plain National Park, 5,000 feet above sea level  We hiked eight miles among beautiful views and got to see two bull Samar deer in a 20-minute fight for dominance.  You can see a short clip of it on Instagram @Kelemenron.

Near World's End View Point

Baker Falls

Macho Samar deer.  You can see a one minute
version of this 20-minute battle on Instagram
@KelemenRon

World's End viewpoint

On the way back to town, still inside the park

We were also privileged to attend Easter’s Rotary club meeting. Just a dozen of us around some clubhouse lounge chairs, followed by fellowship with savory Sri Lankan snacks and coconut whiskey called arak. 

Rotary banner exchange before the snacks and arak

Serendipitously the next day, as we stepped off a local bus from a local botanical garden, two of the club members recognized us and took us to see a building they are renovating for fundraising.  Of course, tea and snacks followed at the local golf course.

Later that day we took a 3 hour trip on the “tea train” high into tea country to 5,000 feet before descending to Ella, where we took a car to the coast late at night.  More about that in our next post. But we will always fondly remember the warm-hearted Rotarians who gave us insights we would never have had as ordinary tourists.  What a trip!

"What We Can, While We Can!"

The caboose of the tea train to Ella

Entry to botanical gardens outside Nuwara Eliya
The gardens were started in 1850 by
homesick British planters

One of many views from the botanical garden

Tea and snacks at the country club

I think it means we are in the Ohiya station,
elevation 1,774 meters

On the "choo-choo express"

View from tea train ride. It was very hazy
due to field and rubbish burning

Matale and Kandy--More Hospitality, Temples, and Scenery

In Matale, at the entrance to the
largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka

We wake up every day not knowing exactly what has been been planned, other than what city we might be in.  We know that it will be good, but we are learning that it is always way better than expected.

And that was the case with Matale and Kandy.  It felt refreshing to get out of the muggy climate of Monkey Camp in Polonnaruwa and into the coolness of a higher elevation at Matale.  Sri Lanka is about a third the size of Oregon, but in that small size it is packed with huge a variety of scenery, culture, and history--and always friendly and hospitable people.

Sri Lanka's largest Hindu temple

In Matale, Sri, our Rotarian host and an electrical engineer, took us to the largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.  That afternoon, he and Rotarian plantation owner Sanjaya led us through through pine forests and tea plantations to a 5,000 foot high mountain with an expansive view, followed by a fun dinner of local savories and coconut whiskey.  Rotarian Suthagaaran (Sutha), who hosted us the past three days, joined us.

Detail of sculptures on the tower

Saturday, Sri and his wife treated us to a dosai breakfast (one of our favorites!), then he drove us on a tortuous one-lane rough road to a waterfall for an even better view, but the last 100 meters were socked in with a chilly mist.

We also toured a spice garden and some Buddhist caves.  Long day!

Saturday evening, Sutha's mom cooked a fabulous South Indian dinner, and we were joined by another Rotarian from the Matale club, a lieutenant with the police department.  We tasted tested Jonnie Walker Extra Dark and White Label, but they ended up being more than just tastes.

Our 2,000 foot climb through tea bushes to the top

We made it.  But many tea pickers climb this
height and distance every day.

Breakfast of Champion at Sri's home

It's fun when it bounces and swings!

The mountains are cool and beautiful

A fun and tasty dinner party

At the Buddhist caves in Matale

Sunday we were privileged to observe a special ceremony at his Hindu temple, the a cultural show at the Mahatma Gandhi Center.

A special puja ceremony at Sri's Hindu temple

Then on to Kandy, where we were met by Rotarian Tissa who took us to a Buddhist monastery for a private audience with a high level Buddhist monk who got us special VIP entry passes into the venerable Temple of the Tooth, a sacred pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world.  It is believed to contain a tooth from Lord Buddha.

An audience with His Holiness, but
we couldn't understand a word he
said over the course of 45 minutes
with tea and snacks

Inside the museum portion of the Temple
of the Tooth

Offerings on the outside of the inner temple

The tooth is on the upper floor of the structure
on the right

The Temple of the Tooth complex

The outer area in front of the vault that
contains tooth

Our room on the corner of  The Queen Hotel,
circa 1925, overlooking the lake and the
Temple of the Tooth. Nice, but a lot of traffic noise.

View from our balcony with
Sri

Today we head up into the hill country and the high plains where the colonial British cooled off and supposedly drank a lot of gin.  We know it will good, but it will probably be much better than we expect.

(Note:  I've posted additional photos and a video on Instagram and Facebook.  If you aren't on Facebook, you can still see almost everything by simply going to Instagram and seaching for @kelemenron.)

'What We Can, While We Can!"