Yala National Park - Look what we (caution: bad pun ahead) spotted!

 

Yala National Park borders the Indian Ocean

We took our first road trip in Sri Lanka, even if it was only for two days. What's been stopping us? First, we needed to be allowed out of the port. Check. Second, we had to figure out how to leave the boat safely.

Sea Eagle

 

This second requirement turned out to be mostly a mental barrier borne of past chafed lines, popped fenders, and a marred hull paint job. At times big surges would come into the harbor and toss the boat around. But the forecast predicted calm water and a friend on another boat here generously agreed to keep an eye on our boat. So we felt comfortable enough to leave Perry for a couple days and one night to take a trip to Yala National Park.

 

Water buffalo

Yala is one of the top attractions in Sri Lanka for good reasons. It's a bit smaller than 400 square miles and is filled with wildlife, including one of the highest densities of wild leopards in the world.

 

Asian elephant enjoying water lilies

 

Yala is one of the best places to have the chance to see a leopard in the wild, but you still have to be pretty lucky to spot one. You can tell that finding leopards is the main focus for the drivers/guides. They all keep in touch with each other on their phones and when there is a sighting, it's a mad dash, with tires screeching and dirt flying.

There were a dozen-plus jeeps at our leopard sightings but on the weekends there can be a few hundred jeeps in the park

 

We did an afternoon safari on our first visit and a morning safari the next day. In the chaotic zooming around at the news of our first leopard, our driver went too fast over a big bump. Conrad and I both flew up and hit our heads on the roof of the jeep (I managed to get 3 pretty good sized knots in various spots on my head). The next day, one of the guides/trackers from another jeep said that people have actually cracked their skulls in the past and suggested that we should tell our driver not to speed (because there is a speed limit in the park).

Spoiler alert: We saw a leopard.

We felt bad that the leopard was seemingly chased non-stop by the the jeeps, but he seemed completely unfazed by the hullabaloo. I'm not sure if that's because the dozen or so vehicles were actually a much smaller number than usual or because he is just used to it. The apparent harassment is a double-edged sword because the tours and visitor dollars (the entrance fee on the website is literally in U.S. dollars) help ensure that the park will continue to provide protection to the animals. But maybe one of these days a leopard will go all Sean Penn on its 'paparazzi'. If so, there will be someone there with a camera to record it.
 

We were lucky enough to see a leopard on both our safaris. Our driver said it had been a week since he had seen one, so he was excited too (we think it was the same leopard both days because it was in the same general area). 

On the second safari (which came with an unpopular 5 a.m. pick-up), a leopard was spotted sleeping in a tree. Promising something more interesting than just a hanging tail and some half-obscured fur, our guide suggested to wait. We waited about an hour for the leopard to come down out of the tree (did you know that teenage boys can be impatient about waiting around doing nothing? and in this case, their mom too...). Finally, the gamble paid off as it got warmer and the sun started to creep onto the leopard. He got up to get a drink from the grimy-looking pond nearby, before strolling off into the underbrush.

 

We were glad that we waited, but who knows what else we missed. At least my headache from literally hitting the roof is mostly gone now.

Malabar Pied Hornbills

Kingfisher

Purple Heron

We also spotted this Spotted Deer

Mom and baby

Carpenter bee - about the size of a pecan

Our hotel had its own wildlife. Matt was surprised (he may have shrieked a little) as he was resting on the bed when a tree frog dropped next to him from somewhere. We figured out later that they like to sit in the air-conditioning unit above the bed. After we turned the AC on and the unit started cooling down, they were less happy inside and wandered out. And then--gravity. 

That evening, one fell on my foot while I was sleeping (I definitely shrieked). I'm glad I decided to move my head to the other side of the bed. The kids loved the frogs ('they're so cute') but we all had to be extra careful not to squish them when going to the bathroom in the dark and it is disconcerting to turn on the lights and see five of them staring at you from various places in and around the toilet.

Freedom!

 

The lighthouse at
Galle Fort

After four and a half months of being confined to the Port in Galle, we have been granted shore passes. Although we still don't have visas, we can now leave the port on our own. This means we can finally go shopping on our own and actually see some of Sri Lanka.

Dutch architecture
in Galle Fort

We have been taking full advantage of our new-found freedom. The boys have not even complained about the length of our walks (the first day we walked 6 miles in the pouring rain and 8 miles the second day).

 

Galle Fort, apparently usually bustling, was fairly empty and many of the businesses and eateries were closed because of the lack of tourists. That doesn't mean we were completely unable to find an outlet for our restaurant and ice-cream needs.  Unfortunately, our freedom has come with a literal cost: we managed to spend way more money in our first few days out than when we were trapped in the port with almost nothing to buy.

We are still getting used to being able to buy groceries when we need them, rather than sprinting through the store trying to buy enough for the next three weeks.

In addition to old buildings,
there are some huge mature trees

We also enjoyed some 'fun' time for the first time in months: A nice beach is just around the corner from the port and the boys were able to get in the ocean. Conrad even managed to surf some decent waves. 

These fishermen have challenging
surf to navigate when going out

For now, we plan to stay in Sri Lanka while we're allowed, while we wait for countries to open up along the route back to the U.S. 

We visited the Mahamodara Sea
 Turtle Hatchery Centre

A Shikra (small bird of prey) with
a broken wing that Conrad rescued.

Our friend Ruwan cutting
some King Coconuts for us

Ruwan and family

Waffles, anyone?

When the swell is up, the waves splash
over the rocks and onto this twenty-plus foot hill

'Waffles', because we can't seem to make up our minds about what to do next--stay in Sri Lanka or go to the Seychelles. Of course, waffles are a bit of a sore subject on our boat since I nixed the waffle-maker when we moved aboard and Matt still hasn't quite gotten over it.

Matt put out an anchor to keep us pulled away from
the dock, so we don't bang into the wall when the surge is up

On the one hand, we have been in Sri Lanka for over four months and still don't have visas. We have been out of the port area only a handful of times, always with an entourage and only to get groceries and other essentials. We don't know when or if we will get visas and are going a bit stir crazy. Also, our new paint job has taken a beating and we cringe every time the boat jerks against the dock lines. We could possibly go up to Trincomalee and anchor, but not without visas.

We had a visit from a special guest. Reverend
Mendis lives in Chicago and happened to be in Sri Lanka
 now. Friends of my parents contacted him about us.

The Seychelles (where several of our cruising friends are now) has granted us access to enter their country (and the Maldives would allow us to stop on the way), but we would be fighting wind, current and weather a good chunk of the way. Once there, we would need South Africa and, preferably Madagascar, to open up for us at the right time (basically October). With the virus on the upswing in those countries and their borders closed, the situation is far from settled.

So we go back and forth on what to do, depending on the day and how bad the surge is. In the meantime, we have gotten better at shopping for three weeks at a time. Each of the four of us gets a shopping cart and then Matt gets to use his packing skills to make everything fit 'just so' in the fridge and freezer.

My last few pictures are sort of a metaphor (on some days) for our outlook on the world situation right now: rubbish. Everyone probably feels that way occasionally these days, right? Unfortunately, the downwind location of the harbor makes it the final resting point for tons of garbage that flows in from other places. It's a never-ending battle.