Yala National ParkWe have had a wonderful day with Ishan and his mom and dad. (Ishan is a youth from Moraketiara who has become a great friend to us.) We hopped on the bus first thing this morning and travelled for a couple of hours. Though I stood up the whole way it was not an uncomfortable journey. The bus was less crowded than is bus rides passed so fortunately I did not feel the panic that often sets in on sticky cramped bus rides. I have found the antidote for this panic though. It’s pepsi. And my team members can attest to the calming effect a nice cold one can have on me.
The village we arrived in is home to a family who is good friends with Ishan’ family. This village is not along the coastline like Moraketiara so it was especially dry and hot. We went to the inlet of a lake and were so eager to cool off. However, the sight of the water caused us to pause. It was murky, a greenish brown and thick like soup. But today was a day when I was willing to take a risk. Call me crazy. That greenish brown thick like soup water still seemed so inviting. And it felt so good. I don’t know why the water was that color. It wasn’t smelly and didn’t feel dirty on my skin. It felt refreshing. I had to swim ‘covered’. I usually wear a swimsuit in the village because there are not Sri Lankans present when I am at the beach. But today I wore capris and a tank top. It didn’t bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.
We returned to Ishan’s friends’ home for lunch. After that, a Safari jeep came and picked us up. And the moment I had been waiting for was upon us; we were on our way to Yala National Park. This was a “must do” on my list when I started planning for my trip to Sri Lanka. Rightly so, I learned. We saw water buffalo, peacocks, boars, crocs, deer and about a dozen elephant. Some of those elephants were babies, staying very close, almost in between their mama’s legs. It was awesome. Last night we went to the Full Moon celebration in Dondra and we saw elephants in the parade there. To see them at Yala was totally different. In Dondra, they were in chains with fancy velvet beaded cloths draped over them. They looked uncomfortable, like it was taking a lot of effort to move. But at Yala, they were just doing their thing, living the elephant dream. The seemed undisturbed by us. They were content in their natural home, just hanging out with their babies. They even looked more graceful when they moved.