Elephant Crossing

Elephant Crossing
This is a male elephant crossing the road in UdaWalawe National Park.

A baby elephant nursing!

This was a very playful individual who came within inches of our vehicle and displayed its flexible trunk. Notice the collar around its neck, which reveals it was rehabilitated and re-released into the wild. Although such playful behavior can be amusing, it is not healthy for the elephants to interact with humans in this manner.

A gorgeous leopard snoozing in the crook of a tree. Yala National Park

Crocodile and water buffalo enjoying a watering hole at Yala National Park

How I Avoid the Leeches

How I Avoid the Leeches
How I Avoid the Leeches: From left: Kumara, the guide, Tharanga, Lizzie, Ashani, Ilja

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Close Calls and Coconuts to the Rescue!

When traveling abroad, it is always my goal to have a well rounded adveture: academics (of course :), food, culture, people, and daily life to name just a few things. I think within the last week I touched upon it all and now have many tales to share - get comfy!

First on the list is a description of the camping trip we took last week. We left on Tuesday early in the afternoon and returned Thursday evening. We camped about four hours from home at the soon-to-officially open West entrance of Uda Walawe National Park. In fact, we were the first outsiders to enjoy this area! As Ashoka, Shermin, Lizzie, and Tharanga were occupied with their project, Sameera was in charge of gathering the camping supplies. Although he had a list, it seems we set off lacking a few of the more minor items, e.g. curry leaves, eggs, bread, and drinking water. Actually, we didn't really 'forget' the water. Rather, the boys were confident we could find drinking water near the other entrance. Yeah, that didn't really work out. I had my water bottle, but of course this could not last for 2 to 3 days. Sameera was able to pinch some curry leaves from someone's garden and we miraculously ran into a bread truck in the middle of a sad looking dirt road. We even stumbled upon some eggs, but as we neared our destination and found ourselves deeper and deeper into the back country, the water situation was starting to look a bit dire. Fortunately we were able to purchase some coconuts from a local, which gave us time to boil well water once we found a suitable place to make camp - phew!

Camping itself was wonderful. I taught Sameera, Tharanga, and our tracker how to make s'mores. Sameera was particularly taken by them. Before heading to bed, I enjoyed a quick wash in the nearby stream. Sharing a tent with Lizzie and Shermin was a bit too hot, so I opted to sleep under the stars. Unfortunately, the first night was overcast, but the second night the stars were dazzling. The next morning, I visited the one household still remaining within the park boundaries. Although the rest of the village has left, this family is extremely attached to the land and feels they have no where else to go. This is one of the more difficult situations I hope my research can help resolve. Despite the land conflict with the park, these people were astoundingly hospitable and gave us king coconuts. Singing quite a different tune from my previous blog entry, I was now more than happy to accept as many coconuts as possible because we still had not boiled much water and I was very thirsty. I was quite sweaty after the survey, and Shermin and I indulged in a refreshing dip in the stream. The water was quite cold, which felt fantastic, but there were an abundance of hungry fish that took to nibbling me. I hadn't brought soap on the trip, so I guess in the end they helped clean me off and in return got a meal.

On the journey home the next day, we stopped by several more houses and completed some more of the survey. Most of the households I had visited previously had a home garden or farm plot on the premises, but a couple of these houses had rices paddy plots a half mile or more from their homes. We saw a lot of evidence of elephant crop raiding and many tree houses, which are used as look outposts for elephants during the night. Tharanga and I even climbed one - I'll have to post a picture. I forgot to mention before, but on our way to the campsite, we came across 2 men who had been run up a tree by an elephant. I am not sure how long they had been stuck, but I heard a story of a person being trapped for several days. We have it pretty easy in the U.S.

After a hot, long journey we finally returned to the field station late in the afternoon and then were up early the next morning to set off for our trip to Colombo. Shermin had a presentation at a school Friday afternoon, I had a meeting with someone at the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) on Saturday morning, and Lizzie was headed home to the U.K. on Monday. After stopping by Shermin's Auntie's flat for lunch, Lizzie and I headed out to do some souvenir shopping and then checked into our hotel. After the last hotel we stayed at in Yala where I found a black, hairy spider the size of my face stuffed into the toilet paper roll, I was anxious about our accommodations in Colombo. Fortunately, the room was clean and the food was decent, and we had no unfortunate experiences there. On Saturday morning, I had my meeting at the WNPS and made a great contact who has offered to introduce me to the Dean of Peradeniya University in Kandy to help me develop a Fulbright program! In the afternoon, Lizzie went out for some shopping, but I decided to hit the beach for a run. As it turns out, I probably picked the worst day for a run. There was a huge international motorcycle show on the beach, so it took me a while to find room to run. Just as I had hit my stride, I found myself running down an alley dotted with military men carrying large automatic weapons. Apparently I had found my way into the realm of the Port Authority. I decided it would be prudent to politely salute, turn around, and head for home.

Lizzie was eager to go out dancing before heading back to the U.K., so that night we set off to find some music and get our groove on. What better place to ask for advice for a night out on the town than the Hilton? We found an outgoing concierge who was more than happy to point us in the right direction - he even gave us a map! What an adventure that night turned out to be. We were the first to arrive at the venue, a bit embarrassing. Then, as the place filled up, we had the (unfortunate?) experience of making some Indian friends. Actually, let me re-phrase. We had the luck of meeting some filthy rich Indian friends. And guess where they were staying?? The Hilton ($400/night)! Although fun at first, they quickly lost their charm when they began complaining about the amount of money they made. Two of them were brothers and each had a Russian girlfriend (and it was quite obvious the girls were in it for the money). One of the guys complained, "My brother, he is so rich he can never marry because the women will only want him for his money." Cry me a river. His problem is not his money, it's his undisciplined and extravagant personality that gets him into trouble. If I had that kind of wealth, I am positive I could make the world a much better place and lead a very happy life. Shortly after giving our first acquaintances the slip, we met two members of the New Zealand rugby team. For a long time I thought they just meant they were part of a university rugby team, but as it turns out they are part of the national team. Who would have thought? They had to have been two of the most massive men I have ever encountered in my life. If rugby doesn't work, they could cast themselves out for the next Hulk movie. Despite their menacing stature, they were quite nice and I enjoyed talking with them. They asked for my number and invited me to their next match, which is this coming weekend, but I don't have a phone here and I would be too busy to make it up to Colombo anyway. Ah well! It was getting really late at this point and I had had my fill of fame and fortune, so Lizzie and I decided to head back to the hotel. On our way out, we met to Sri Lankan Australians (not sure quite how to describe them). They were pretty tipsy, but managed to ask where I was from. When I responded the USA, one asked me which state so I replied Ohio. "Ah, a mid-western girl!" Then turning to his equally intoxicated friend he points to my legs and says, "But she doesn't have kankles!" I wasn't aware that was a stereotype associated with the mid-west, but I guess you learn something new no matter where you go.

Ok, so we have hit the academics, the culture, the locals, and the food. But what is a trip abroad without a trip to the hospital? On Sunday, we went out to lunch with Auntie to celebrate Shermin's wedding anniversary. It was a wonderful restaurant and I was enjoying my rich chocolate cake, thinking how well the trip to Colombo was going, when I suddenly felt overwhelmingly exhausted. I pushed it off my mind, thinking it was due to my late night/early morning. When we returned to Auntie's I crashed for a couple hours expecting to wake up feeling refreshed. Instead I woke up scrambling for the toilet. I will spare you the ghastly details. Suffice it to say it was the most unpleasant and prolonged intestinal experience of my life. I got sick Sunday evening; it is now Wednesday evening and I am so dehydrated that I am downing glasses of re-hydrating salts. I was still miserable this morning, so we took a trip to the local hospital. Forunately, Ashoka's wife, Chappa, is a doctor there and she was able to see me immediately. End diagnosis, I was hit with a really unpleasant stomach flu and am now very dehydrated. The deal is I can stay at home and avoid a stay in the hospital with an I.V. in my arm if I drink copious quantities of liquids. The re-hydrating salts taste nasty, so I have made another deal with myself. For every glass I drink, I get a small square of chocolate. Fair and productive plan, I think. So unfortunately, I am confined to bed for at least the next day :( Sameera and Tharanga carried out the survey without me today, which I felt really bad about. I only have a handful of days left in the field and I don't want to miss one! Plus, I feel bad having the guys shoulder my load. But they were wonderful about it and made me promise not to worry about anything and just concentrate on getting well.

So in the end, I guess I can say that I have seen 'the good, the bad, and the ugly' of Sri Lanka. The good: the wonderful friends I have made who have taken such good care of me, especially while I have been ill. The bad: the rich and entitled snobs that are present in every country. The ugly: the inside of a Sri Lankan toilet bowl. And that is where I leave you my friends, at least for now.

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