The next area we stayed at was by Yalla National Park where we went on an evening open safari ride. This was also a highlight of the trip. We didn’t know what to expect because we had heard from many that it’s very rare to actually spot the leopards. However, we got extremely lucky and saw not 1, but 2 leopards! Well, technically Keith was the only one who saw the 2nd leopard…lucky him! The story goes like this….
We were going through the park and we saw wild buffalo, seagulls, wild boar, deer, an elephant, many birds, including peacock, and then a whole swamp of crocodile. It was really cool to see the crocodile (pretty close up too). They were in and out of the water and some were crawling around. Our guide explained to us that the reason the crocodiles keep their mouths open is because they don’t have a tongue so they just swallow the insects whole. Interesting, huh?
Well, at that moment when we were at the crocodile swamp, our jeep had rolled over a big rock and our jeep wouldn’t start back up. We waited for about 10 minutes and then we had to change jeeps and our driver/tour guide. This change in vehicles actually was for the better because soon afterwards (when we were backtracking), we came across an area where there were about 10 other jeeps. This means only one thing- they spotted a leopard! Yes, there was a leopard not too far off in the jungle up high in a tree. We literally couldn’t have been in a better area. We could see it perfectly from our jeep! Unfortunately, most of the other jeeps couldn’t see because all the cars were blocking each other. Just 5 mins later and there were probably around 50 jeeps all trying to see the one small leopard in the tree. It was insane! I took tons of photos so I was super excited about that.
After seeing that leopard, Keith and I felt pretty satisfied with our safari ride. Our driver took us around the park for another 30 mins or so, and then we began heading out of the park. At this time, we saw 2 wild boars on the path ahead of us. All of a sudden, one of them bolted the other way and then the 2nd wild boar followed. Everyone in the jeep was just amused to see the boars but only Keith thought that is was odd that they rushed off so quickly. Keith looked to the right as we began passing the boar and he saw a huge leopard right next to our jeep, right off the path!! Keith yelled, “Go back, go back!!! Leopard, leopard, leopard!!” However, by the time our jeep backed up, the leopard was gone. Keith was so lucky to have seen it up close like he did. He thinks that the wild boars bolted off because of the leopard and that the leopard probably would have attacked the boars if it wasn’t for our jeep passing by.
What an eventful and exciting day! We couldn’t have been happier with the safari ride and all the wild animals we saw and great stories we’re now able to share with family and friends! It was an adventurous day. That night, we ate at a good restaurant. Keith had Sri Lankan food and I decided to go with the gnocci and tea. This restaurant also had king crab in a fishtank (you can see in the picture). The mosquitoes were really bad in this area though. We asked for take-out since the restaurant only had outdoor seating and decided it would be “safer” in our hote. However, once we reached our hotel room we realized the cleaning lady had opened the bathroom door (which we had made sure to close before leaving for our safari ride). Therefore, there were at least 30 mosquitoes all over the room! It was a frightening night as we jumped around the room, put up our mosquito nets above our bed and hid in our beds the rest of the night.
The next day we asked our driver to take us down to the southwest coast to see some popular beaches and to see the famous Sri Lankan stilt fishermen. We first saw the stilt fishermen and took some photos with them. The fishermen use stilts (no boats or fishing rods) to catch their fish. Our driver noted to us that the fishermen actually work very early in the mornings and then they come out in the afternoon/evenings to pose for photos. So they ask everyone that takes a photo of them to pay $1. What a smart way to make some nice cash, huh? Well, Keith and I were both excited to see them because they are a big part of the unique Sri Lankan culture.
Afterwards, our driver took us to a nearby beach, called Bentota. It is one of the most beautiful and well known beaches in Sri Lanka. We ate at a restaurant right in that area overlooking the beach. I had prawns, fresh fruit and mango juice. Delicious! Then we rented body boards, did a little bodysurfing and relaxed on the beach. The waves were really rough! We met a woman there who is a headmaster of an international school in Italy. Small world! We were lucky to meet her and had fun chatting with her. We made sure to ask for her contact info before leaving! Maybe this could be a connection for a future job. You never know. Another fun thing we did on this beach was build a sand castle. I told Keith I hadn’t done that for so long and he up for it of course. We made a monkey head castle and wrote Sri Lanka in the sand. Fun memories!
On the way back to our hotel, our driver kindly picked up a home-made dessert for us from his friend. The dessert was “wild buffalo curd”. We ate it back at the hotel and couldn’t believe how tasty it was and how sweet that was of our driver to go out of his way to do that! Look at the big dish he gave us. Don’t worry, we weren’t rude…we ate it all! Haha It tasted kind of like a pudding or yogurt, with sugar on top. You can either put honey or natural brown sugar cane on top of it. You’ll have to try it sometime. It’s sooo good.
Delicious home-made wild buffalo curd dessert! (from our driver's friend)
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