Yala, tragical paradise

Very very early morning rise in order to get to yala national
parc, one of Sri Lanka’s finest for safaris. A lot of rain
welcomes us towards the gates entrance. Soon though it makes
way for warm mud pools, green wetlands, soaking tree twigs
and sunfilled forrest, dead wood and grasslands. The green
wetlands are filled tons of birds, dozens of wild buffalos
and a few crocs. The mud pools were mainly habited by
buffalos. The trees were populated by again lots of birds,
especially peacocks tend to claim the treetops with a few
eagles changing the sight, and swinging monkeys waiting to be
photographed. A few wild tipsters, aka jungle clocks, the
national bird, were the drivers favourite. My attention main
went for the croc with its mouth open, the buffalos showing
their enormous strength, the monitor lizards with nails in
desparate need for a cut, and the elephant family, playing
hide and seek in the forrest, however unable to escape us.
The kids were freely playing, stumbling, crawling back up on
their feet smiling to us. A beautiful special sight to see a
family from so close, as normally kids are not allowed in
front of a human audience so long. After this more peacocks
followed, buffalo, lots of bambis of which two males in a
heavy fight over a, what else, female deer, more lizards, a
few mongoose walking next to the car, owls overseeing
everything hidden in the trees, a lonely kingfisher or two,
family of hornbills, wild boar constantly running away, and
yes a rabbit. On our way back we stopped at the so called
jungle beach, a beautiful piece of beach with a sort of mini
table mountain looming at the horizon. However, a different
story should be told here as well. It’s also the spot where
the 2004 tsunami hit hard. Proof of it is the concrete floor
of what once was a jungle lodge. The lodge disappeared in the
6 meter high waves together with 40 tourist, never to be seen
again. On the second day of Christmas, our driver fled to a
high hill escaping an early death. The animal he told us,
were aware by their senses of the upcoming danger and ran off
early enough.
6/3/2013