From mangrove to city to hotels here is a final, eclectic mix of pictures from my trip to Sri Lanka.
This final article in my Sri Lanka travel blog is a bit of a mish mash of various impressions from my trip to this wondrous island. It is neither chronological nor thematic, just a collection of things that did not make it into the previous articles.
We spend some relaxing hours on the Madu River in the Mada Ganga wetland, which is a Ramsar Site and home to 303 plant species and 248 vertebrate species. The river drains into the Indian Ocean. Along the way we see mangroves, floating kiosks, tiny villages, fishery, a cinnamon farm, purple-faced langur, cormorants, fish eagles, pied kingfisher and water monitor.
We visit the city Galle with its UNESCO World Heritage Site fort. During the colonial period the city was first controlled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and then the British. The Dutch built the present fort in 1663. Interestingly, the walls seem to contain fossils.
The British took over from the Dutch in 1796 and preserved the fort unchanged. It is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. The city streets still retain a colonial atmosphere.
Adding to the ambience are the pretty harbour and parks. Note the huge tree behind the ubiquitous tuk-tuks.
I don’t usually write about the hotels I stay at, but you must see one of the ones I enjoyed on this trip. In the first photo below, you can see the wonderful outdoor bathroom. Nothing beats taking a shower in fresh air. In the second photo below is the view from the same hotel room, looking out onto the pool and the ocean. Who could ask for more after a day of travelling and seeing all sorts of new things?
I had a bit of company at the various hotels. Below is a dangerous-looking wasp that did not understand that I did not want its company while sitting on the patio and a large dinosaur-type thing on the hotel grounds.
And, to return to where my adventure began, here is the morning view from the room in the first hotel we stayed at.
Finally, have a look at the various patterns and shapes of nature. No words needed.
Statues of a serene Buddha with closed eyes and a slight smile on his lips lend Sri Lanka a peaceful and meditative air, but there is also cacophony and disruption.
When the people of Sri Lanka communicate, they wobble their heads in the charming way of South Asians. The side-to-side shake can mean yes, I agree, or maybe. It can even be a polite way of saying no. It all depends on the context.
When they speak the Sinhala language, the words roll over their tongues like water babbling over stones in a creek. I find it hard to discern where one word ends and the next begins and to find any intonation. Their written language is just as gentle, round and pleasant, with beautiful curvy, swirly letters.
In general, all the people we meet are incredibly smiling and friendly, and very grateful to see tourists returning. Tourism is one of the country’s major sources of income but has suffered greatly due to a 26-year long civil war that ended in 2009, followed by Islamist terrorist attacks on hotels and churches in 2019, the global COVID19 epidemic in 2020 and an economic meltdown in 2022.
When I meet these kind and gentle people it is so hard to imagine them engaging in a civil war. The ways of Man are hard to understand. Maybe that is why so many people resort to religion to find explanations.
Religion plays an important role in Sri Lanka. There are Buddhist and Hindu temples and statues scattered all over the place and a smattering of mosques and churches. Here is a Buddhist temple in the middle of the Madu River, a couple of huge Buddha statues in two different locations, and an ornate Buddhist temple where Buddha’s tooth is supposedly kept (sadly, also elephant tusks).
The following photos show a Hindu temple located right beside a forest. It honours the story of a prince from Sri Lanka who kidnapped an Indian princess, after which the princess’ father sent an army of monkeys to rescue her. Maybe the live monkeys we see at the temple are their descendants.
I find the statues of Buddha, sitting with his eyes closed and perhaps meditating, infinitely more restful and peaceful to look at than depictions of Jesus hanging on a cross, blood dripping from wounds on various parts of his body. However, Buddhism is anything but quiet. When there are ceremonies and processions, bells, drums and chanting combine to create cacophonic and deafening noise levels.
Not my thing at all! Unfortunately, elephants are forced to play a role in the processions. They are decorated in silk and lights and made to walk through the streets in honour of Buddha’s tooth. Fine with me if people want to pay homage to a piece of denture but leave the elephants out of it!
As if that is not enough, in between processions, instead of hanging out in a grassy enclosure and enjoying some leisurely downtime, the elephants earn money for their keepers by attracting tourist money, as we were witness to.
As you can see in the photo, the elephant stands chained by one foot in a park. Tourists are given the opportunity to pet it and to put a bunch of bananas in its mouth – for a small fee, of course. I think it is a disgusting practice and refuse to be a part of it, even though I am very curious about what elephant skin feels like.
Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest. Joyous celebrations in honour of Buddha’s tooth include lots of dancing and other entertainment that probably include lots of traditions that are not strictly Buddhist. We are lucky enough to attend a show presenting the best of the traditional dances. Turn on the sound to get the full experience from the videos.
The first photo shows the dancers charmingly dressed as peacocks. They enter the stage making pecking movements. The second photo shows a dance depicting demons that are capable of causing particular ailments.
The following pictures are from the tea plucking dance:
The next dance invokes the blessing of the goddess patina:
Finally, the Ves dance is an ancient dance ritual performed only by men:
After the show we watch the ritual firewalking. The trick is to pace yourself so that your feet do not touch the hot surface long enough to burn.
Many dances and rituals in Sri Lanka make use of colourful, hand-painted masks that all have some kind of symbolic meaning. Some are rather scary while others are funny. Here are a few examples from a mask museum we visited:
Certain masks depict demons that cause particular ailments (one demon for each ailment), while other masks depict persona that can cure particular ailments. It can be easy for the uninitiated to mix them up, but I believe the following are the ailment demon masks:
On our travels we meet lots of friendly dogs, learn about cinnamon productionand watch fishermen haulingin their nets.
Everywhere we go we meet dogs. Most of them are not strays but have owners. The dogs are footloose and free and live a very laid-back life. They seem to enjoy hanging out with each other and in the company of humans.
The dogs are sweet, friendly and approachable, but veritable fleabags. Much as I would like to pet the dogs, I keep my fingers away because I know from experience that fleas love me.
Our travels also include a visit to a cinnamon farm where we learn how this popular, fragrant spice is produced. Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree, which is native to Sri Lanka. Ceylon cinnamon is an important source of income to Sri Lanka, which produces 80-90 percent of the world’s supply of C. verum.
Another important source of income is fishery. Being an island, Sri Lanka has a lot of coastline. We stop to watch fishermen dragging in an enormously long net that, unfortunately, does not seem to contain many fish.
Some of the boats they use are traditional outrigger canoes.
Someone must be catching fish somewhere, as we can see in the markets we visit. Common catches in this area are mackerel, tuna and sailfish.
The markets also offer a wide array of fruits and vegetables, most of which are mysterious to me. I can attest to fact that the food is delicious, even though I don’t always know what I am eating.
Along the way on our tour of Sri Lanka we make various interesting stops.
During our journey around central and south Sri Lanka, we visit national parks, forest reserves and UNESCO World Heritage Sites – all with a focus on nature. However, getting from one destination to the next and the stops we make along the way also comprise adventures in themselves.
On one particular stage of our journey, we leave the bus behind and take an iconic train trip through the highlands passing by tea plantations, dense forests and villages to the rhythmic sound of clackety clack.
At one point in our travels, we drive in our bus along winding mountain roads to visit a tea plantation, stopping for lunch at a restaurant with a scenic view to a waterfall. The rain pours down while we eat and enjoy the view.
I go for a quick visit to the washroom and when I return the waterfall has grown in size and the clear water has been transformed to a muddy brown. Such is the power of nature.
Sri Lanka was also witness to nature’s power of water when a tsunami struck the country in 2004. It had devastating consequences, killing and injuring thousands of people, derailing trains, and destroying fishing craft and homes. We visit a tiny, modest tsunami museum in a former private home on the southern coast. The museum comprises a collection of faded but dramatic photos and handwritten posters with sobering figures.
During our travels, we pass numerous tea plantations and, as mentioned above, we stop to visit one of them. We learn about the fascinating finesses of growing, picking and processing the leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant and sample various types of tea. Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is a major tea producer and exporter. The small island is the world’s fourth largest producer of tea, which accounts for two percent of the country’s GDP.
Another important source of income for Sri Lanka is gems. We visit a couple of mines and learn about the many pretty stones. Sri Lanka is particularly well known for its beautiful sapphires. Did you know that rubies and sapphires are, scientifically speaking, the same? They are made of the same mineral, corundum, and have the same structure. Rubies are red due to their chromium content.
Many of the mines are hand dug and only go down about 10-15 m and horizontally another 15 m. All the materials used are organic, so when a mine is abandoned, it reverts back to nature in a natural way.
The miners sift the sand and gravel for gems. Finding the precious and semi-precious stones requires experience and a good eye.
According to Wikipedia, nearly 25 percent of the total land area of Sri Lanka is potentially gem-bearing, making Sri Lanka one of the countries with the highest density of gem deposits compared to its landmass.
The wetlands of Bundala National Park are home to a huge variety ofbirds.
I must say, Sri Lanka is real birder’s paradise. It gets even better when we visit Bundala National Park, which is an important spot for migratory birds. It is a Ramsar site and a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, so the birds and other animals and plants are well protected in their watery habitat.
Within the space of three to four hours we see no less than 43 different bird species, including crested honey buzzard, rose-ringed parakeet, and open-billed stork.
I manage to take shots of Indian thick-knee (aka stone curlew), painted stork, herons of various sorts and a grey-headed fish eagle at its nest.
And peacocks, of course, mesmerizing in their iridescent beauty. Did you know that a group of peacocks is called an ostentation? That is quite fitting, I think!
We also spot wild buffalo lounging in the water and black-faced grey langurs hanging around in the trees.
At one point we reach the shore and get views of the Indian Ocean. We leave the safari jeeps and wander around on our own.
To my delight I discover different kinds of flowers I have not seen before, such as the squirrel’s tail (first photo below) and crown flower, also known as giant milkweed (second photo below).
The flowering shrub Lantana camara is an invasive species from the American tropics. It attracts butterflies, so here is finally an opportunity to take some proper pictures of the pretty little insects.
Udawalawe National Park and Yala National Park in the southern part of Sri Lanka are bird and animal paradises.
In Udawalawe National Park in the southern part of Sri Lanka, where we saw lots of elephants (see previous blog article), we also spot a dinosaur-like land monitor, colourful bee-eaters and lots of showy peacocks.
Whether from the front (first photo below) or the behind (second photo below), the peacock is a masterpiece of Mother Nature. Her creative talents have really excelled here.
Although we seem to see peacocks here, there and everywhere on our travels through Sri Lanka, we never tire of watching them strut and pose, showing off their beauty to passing peahens. Sometimes they strut and pose even when there is no peahen in sight. I wonder if they are thinking of the 1990s song “I’m too sexy” by the British pop band Right Said Fred and if they just enjoy parading their fancy dress for their own sakes.
The following shows a peacock who has been lucky enough to attract the attention of a peahen. Or is she bored to death with his wagging red behind?
When you have previously only seen these magnificent birds in manicured manor parks, it seems so odd to see them in a wild setting, pecking at wild plants, perching in trees, or flying. That the males can even fly at all with their long tail streaming behind them I find pretty amazing.
I won’t bore you with the names of all the birds we see in Udawalawe National Park, but just mention that we spot 22 different species, including Brahminy kite, emerald dove and the beautiful Indian roller with its intense blue and purple colours.
The next destination on our itinerary is Yala National Park. Driving around in jeeps along the muddy and uneven roads is pretty interesting. Sometimes I wonder if we will make it through, but our drivers are undaunted.
On the first day in Yala, we see 17 different bird species and on the second day in the park we see 12 different species, including the endemic crested hawk eagle and painted stork (seen from the front and back).
Before leaving the park at sunset we also enjoy the other wildlife in Yala National Park, including wild boar (photo below), wild buffalo, elephants, mongoose, and spotted deer. The jewel in the crown is our sighting of the rare and elusive endemic Sri Lankan sloth bear.
There are about 6500 elephants in Sri Lanka and the population is rebounding.
On our travels in Sri Lanka, we see elephants several different places – both in the national parks and outside the national parks. With numerous trips to Africa, I have seen plenty of elephants before, but never before have I met an Asian elephant. On this trip to Sri Lanka, I spot many of these gentle giants and learn the differences between them and their African counterparts.
In the first place, the Asian elephants are smaller and have smaller ears. That was actually the only fact I already knew. Secondly, in Africa, all the elephants have tusks. Among Asian elephants only 20 percent of the males have tusks and the females not at all. That certainly helps the Asian species’ survival rate with regard to hunting them for ivory.
In the third place, African elephants get more wrinkly with age. I know the feeling. The Asian elephants, on the other hand, get more reddish. In general, they seem to have more of a blush than the grey African elephants, no matter age. Both African and Asian elephants are matriarchal. Woman power! Mature males hang around in bachelor groups or alone and only come together with the females for mating.
Both species have incredibly agile trunks with approximately 40,000 muscles. They use them for all kinds of tasks, from ripping down branches to reach juicy leaves, drinking, giving themselves showers and dust baths, and picking fruits and plants to smelling and feeling each other. The African elephant has two “fingers” at the end of its trunk, while the Asian elephant has only one. Neat, eh?
Watch how the elephants in this short video clear turf from the ground with their feet, then shake the turf to rid it of sand before eating the grass. What a great technique!
I also find out that Asian elephants are, shall we say, more people-friendly. I am used to having to wait for African elephants to move away before we drive our safari vehicles past them – or, if they don’t move away, we back up and leave the way we came. This does not seem to be necessary in Sri Lanka. Here, the safari vehicles drive right past, rather closely sometimes, and the elephants do not seem to give a hoot.
I even experienced one elephant on the road that approached our car and stuck its trunk right up to me!
There are approximately 6500 elephants in Sri Lanka and the number is increasing because they are protected. The human population is also growing and is now at about 22 million. Conflicts between humans and elephants are inevitable as humans encroach on elephant territory in order to farm the land. Around 150 people (0.0007 percent of the human population) die annually from elephant attacks. About 250 elephants (3.8 percent of the elephant population) die annually from unnatural, i.e. human, causes such as shooting injuries, getting hit by trains, electrocution and so on. Some say there is an elephant problem. Conversely, some would say there is a people problem.
Lots of animals are so well camouflaged they are almost invisible to the untrained eye.
Having a local guide with you is worth its weight in gold when you are on an excursion in nature, particularly in areas you are not familiar with. A good local guide can spot things that you might not notice and tell you what you are seeing. I am totally in awe of how they can find seemingly invisible creatures from a distance or in the lush and leafy darkness of the rainforest.
If it had not been for our local guides I would never have seen and identified so many birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles and plants. Some of them are exceptionally well hidden and even when they are pointed out to you, it can be difficult to spot them because they are so well camouflaged.
Try for yourself. Can you spot – in the following order – the kangaroo lizard, Asian water monitor, Sri Lankan green vine snake (endemic and poisonous!), brown vine snake (also venomous and endemic), juvenile green forest lizard (totally green), adult green forest lizard (red head), juvenile green forest lizard, and green insect with long antennae in the following photographs?
