We had a wonderful time at Gal Oya, an extremely peaceful eco Lodge on the edge of the National Park.
I loved Gal Oya Lodge - even though it didn't have AirCon! There were plenty of ceiling fans and the public spaces were all open-sided so we never suffered. Our bungalow was big and airy with an outdoor bathroom - I do like an outdoor shower in hot climates.
When we had free time at the Lodge, especially early morning, I really enjoyed just walking around seeing what I could spot in the way of wildlife.
Plenty of geckos around, including one on the top of our bed's mosquito netting. It was a little unnerving when it started to scuttle around!
An afternoon boat safari on a huge reservoir surrounded by mountains, some distance from the Lodge.
It was a lovely afternoon for a boat trip. We were accompanied by three spotters who were very good.
We also saw several beautiful birds that I wasn't able to photograph a Brahmini kite, an Asian Brown Flycatcher and an Asian Paradise Flycatcher - an extremely beautiful bird.
We stopped at one of the islands for Masala chai and cake before heading back in a beautiful sunset.
We started at 6am for a jeep safari in Gal Oya National Park. To get there we drove first on 10km of tarmac road followed by 18km of dirt roads which took about 90 minutes.
Our driver was excellent and the jeep is extremely tough. Sam was our naturalist, a really lovely employee at the Lodge and with whom we spent a lot of time. He is very knowledgeable and spotted all kinds of birds before we'd even got to the park. The light was too poor to get a decent shot of some, including a Greater Coucal, a beautiful bird.
Later Sam gave us a checklist of all the birds it was possible to spot in the vicinity of the Lodge so, before I forgot, I was able to note what we'd seen both there and on the boat and this jeep safari (also elsewhere in Sri Lanka).
Almost as soon as we arrived in the Park I spotted an elephant on the edge of the jungle by a large pond, then another came into view behind it. This was a large female, not in great condition with ribs showing, and a young healthy-looking male. The ranger who had joined us at the entrance to the Park explained that the female was around 45 years old and the male about six, so not yet ready to mate. Apparently the male had become sick and been rejected from the herd. The female is his mother who stayed with him. The rest of the herd were nearby.
We watched these two elephants for quite some time, getting out of the jeep as they were sufficiently far not to be of any threat. I'm pretty sure they knew we were there though, they certainly looked directly at us, but they don't have very good eyesight so they could probably smell us.
It was a magical experience.
We saw so many different birds as well as many animals such as spotted deer, land monitors, macaques (which are everywhere!), and black-faced grey langurs.
Sam and the others set out a breakfast picnic for us in a beautiful spot by the rocky rapids of a river, it was idyllic.
Such an array of lovely food they provided: buffalo curd - which is gorgeous, coconut palm syrup, granola, quiche, fresh pineapple, watermelon, papaya and small bananas. It was all excellent.
For me, this was one of the highlights of our whole trip to Sri Lanka. In the afternoon we met the Veddha Chief, a small, lithe man, barefoot and with a long white beard. He, of course, didn't speak a word of English and we didn't have a word of his language, except Sam taught us "Mohamaketchak hodamai" which means something like "Pleased to meet you, I wish you well". He took us by both hands and we said this to each other. The Chief's village was also Sam's village and Sam was very knowledgeable about the Veddha way of life.
The Veddha here originally lived in a village where the big reservoir is, where we went on the boat trip. When the dam was built they were moved (with government help) to this location.
The Chief led us along a track into the jungle and showed us many leaves, bark, etc. with medicinal properties, often requiring boiling in water for some time, including Mimosa leaf solution for cuts or skin abrasions and other leaves for snake bites, said to help with all but the most venomous snakes, and yet more different leaves that smelled of lime and were said to be good for coughs, colds and sore throats when infused with water. I can't remember the exact preparation details of all the different concoctions and, of course, anything here should not be tried as they may not be safe for us.
There are five types of snake here, one of these non-venomous, the other four all venomous to a greater or lesser extent. If bitten by one of the two most venomous, including Russell's Viper, you have only twenty minutes to take the antidote before it is fatal. The Veddha don't have the antidote.
The river here supplies the village with all of its water, including for drinking. The Chief squeezed nectar from small red flowers which we tasted, it was very sweet - bees, elephants and children love it.
The Chief demonstrated how to make a trap for small animals with a heavy stone propped on twigs - it dropped in an instant when disturbed.
Then he demonstrated how to make fire. He had tinder of coconut (fibre?) a piece of iron and a stone - striking the iron on the stone made large sparks which ignited the tinder. He then wrapped the tinder with a bundle of dry stems in a bit of cloth, blowing on it, and very soon there were flames.
The cloth he tore from a piece wrapped around his bow; it was from his wife's sarong, so that she is always with him.
The bow used to be used to hunt but they are not allowed to any more, though he could fire nuts from it extremely accurately, being careful to aim them to the side of the curved bow.
Magically our visit finished with the Chief singing three songs for us. He sat on the rocky ground while we sat on a large rock . The first song was, I think, a traditional song, the second a love song, the third a lullaby for a baby that is crying and will not sleep. He also played his flute. It was all very lovely and I felt privileged for this glimpse into an ancient way of life.