Parks, Elephants, and Hikes

So far regarding our trip to Sri Lanka, we have discussed the amazing cultural heritage of Sri Lanka, and the delectable food to be found here.  I will now look at the national parks, animals, and hiking in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has at least 24 national parks, numerous botanical gardens, fascinating marine resources, beaches, and wildlife.  We spent several days in and around three national parks: Minneriya National Park, Horton's Plains National Park, and Uda Walawe National Park (we were scheduled to visit Yala National Park but it was closed due to drought conditions in September 2013).  We visited the Ho-o-maniya Blowhole east of Matara, and a private turtle sanctuary on the west coast.

Elephant herd in Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park was our first introduction to elephants in the wild.  The park, in the midst of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, is located near Habarana.   Several hundred wild elephants converge on this park near the Minneriya reservoir/lake during the dry season (August - September).  The elephants travel through the wildlife corridors connecting many of the main national parks.  This allows migratory elephants to live in harmony with the agricultural villages of central Sri Lanka.  The elephants gather, not for the water, but for the tender new growth of grasses growing on the exposed shoreline of the reservoir as it shrinks during the dry season.  Leopards and sloth bears also live in the park but we saw neither. What we did see were three major herds of elephants: one of 11 elephants along a river bank, another of 40-50 among the scrub trees set back from the lake, and another of 80 near the lakeside grasslands.  A solitary male elephant could be seen roaming at a distance on a peninsula across the lake.  Other male elephants were occasionally seen on the edges of the main herd, but they did not join the herd.

A larger herd at Minneriya National Park

The main problem we observed in Minneriya park was the uncontrolled access of 4 wheel drive to the plains surrounding the lake.  As Mr. Chundanu, our guide, observed, each new car track reduces the amount of land the elephants can graze on.  Besides, it is unsightly.  A new park superintendent had recently been appointed and was attempting to impose some order on the jeep drivers.  It will be interesting to see how this works in the future.

Damage created by 4-wheel drive vehicles

The best part of our visit was Mr. Chundanu, He is a local villager, he was knowledgeable about bird, mammals and reptiles, and the local vegetation.  He was sanguine in his comments on the role of tourism, and ecology with the national park.  He said..."without the park [and tourists], the local towns simply would not exist".

Elephants grazing on cut fodder at Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage

The next elephant related park, was the Pinnewala Elephant  Orphanage located in a small town about 40 km east of Kandy.  This park is designed for the casual tourist.  People come to the town three times a day for the elephant feeding sessions.  The main attraction is the ability to get up close and touch elephants.  With visitors in a amphitheater, baby elephants are brought in and attached to concrete pillars.  With assistance of handlers, visitors who have paid the supplemental feeding fee, are handed bottles of a milk formula which the baby elephants almost inhale in 15 to 20 seconds and consume a liter of milk.

Doug feeding the baby elephant a bottle of milk

After the elephant feeding it was time for feeding the visitors.  We all trouped down through town restaurants on the river bank.  While our food was being prepared, I noticed local shop keepers closing gates to protect their shops.  Shortly 30 or so elephants came down the narrow street and entered the river to bath. Several mahouts went swimming with the elephants, mainly to keep them from crossing the river and roaming uncontrolled.

Our driver Damith and his son@ the elephant orphanage

Our final elephant experience was to be at Yala National Park on the southern coast of Sri Lanks.  Our guide had told us the park was closed due to an ongoing drought.  We suggested going to the Uda Walawe National Park, located about 1.5 hours from Yala.  It was open, and guides were available.  Upon arrival, before entering the park, you have to negotiate a deal with a driver, about 6K Sri Lanka rupee.  After boarding the vehicle, you enter the park and go to park hq where a guide is assigned.  The park is crisscrossed with jeep trails.  The park is dry almost semi arid.  Almost immediately we began to see wildlife, water buffalo, cattle, and elephants.  The guide pointed out iguana-like reptiles clinging to the side of trees, and various birds.  While there are many 4-wheel drive vehicles in the park, you really don't notice them until you get to the lakes and watering holes.  At the watering holes we saw small herds of elephants, larger herds of mixed domestic/wild water buffalo, wading birds, raptors, cattle egret, and crocodiles.  After parking near the lake we sat and watched.  Slowly we began to see the crocodiles (3-4 meters in length), sunning on the banks with their mouths wide open (to keep cool).  The longer we sat and watched, the more crocodiles we saw.  Two eyes peering out on the surface of the water was the clue that danger lurked below the surface.  All in all we saw 15 to 20 crocodiles, most lurking in the water waiting for a meal to swim by.

Mom and baby at Uda Walawe

Crocodiles can be found on dry land

Water Buffalo (domestic variety) in the park

A note: at different parks different rules apply to remuneration of the drivers.  At Minneriya National Park, you hire the vehicle directly from the driver and it appears he is the owner.  At Uda Walawe the 4-wheel drive vehicles are owned by a concessionaire and the fee is not negotiable.  At the end of the trip you must tip the driver as he is not paid by the owner of the vehicles.  In both parks a tip to the guide is appropriate.  They are the ones who can see the animals you have no hope of seeing on your own.

A young solitary male

The final park we visited was Horton's Plains and a visit to World's End.  Horton's Plains is located 30 km from Nuwara Eliya.  If you are an early riser you can visit for sunrise, but we chose to leave our hotel at 6:30 am for the hour drive.  Once we arrived (it was crisp in a humid climate at 2000 meters elevation) we stopped at a rustic shop for a spot of tea and local breads.  Once fortified we walked to the entrance to the hike.  Much to our surprise, our plastic water bottles were confiscated... to prevent liter.

Scenery at Horton's Plain

Horton's Plains

We walked across rolling hills along bubbling brooks (filled with trout brought by the English). The trails are suffering from overuse and are being severely eroded by water and foot traffic.  On the advice of our guide and driver we chose to go to the waterfall first (the mists rise later in the morning to allow us to see the views at Worlds End).

Liz with our driver Damith and guide Manesh  

It was a steep unsteady climb down to the viewing point for the waterfall.  Initially I was not going to walk down, but it was well worth it.  The climb back up seemed much shorter than the descent.  Afterwards we continued our walk across semi-arid  terrain for several km.  Finally we crossed over to the view point at World's End.  It was an escarpment with 880 meter drop off.  On a clear day, according to the signboard, you can see the Indian Ocean.

The view from Land's End

Walking back to the park entrance, we passed through a tropical cloud forest.  In the morning, the mist and fog rise from the plains below and are caught in the trees along the ridge.  The trees capture the mist, and the cloud leave their moisture behind.  Wild orchids abound as do many bird species.

An interesting fungus growing on a tree.

Heading toward Yala

An alternate title "A full day from Nuwara Eliya to Nanu Oya to Ella to Yala"

We stayed in Nuwara Eliya for 2 days - it was a jumping off point for Horton's Plain and the train to Ella. We enjoyed exploring small towns and were pleased at the opportunity to walk around Nuwra Eliya. The town was somewhat scruffy, but it had a memorable traffic circle.

Roundabout sponsored by Asian Paints
(but I doubt that they got naming privileges)

After we left Horton's Plain MIn Nuwara Eliya Mahesh, our tour agent, asked if we wanted to see a dairy farm. Of course, we did. We stopped at Ambewela Farm, but it was closed for a holiday. We were more successful at the nearby New Zealand Farm. The scene was bucolic - rolling hills with gazing cattle - but inside it was all business. The farm did not give guided tours and the signage was minimal. Our driver chatted with a worker who told us a little about the operation.

The first stop was the milking barn. Cows were in stalls eating hay. They were lined up, moved to another stall, their udders were washed, and they were hooked to a milking machine. When they were finished they went back to eating hay. Just beyond the milking room was a small laboratory, but we could not tell what its purpose was or what it was doing.

Cows lined up in the milking barn 

The farm consisted of rows of sheds with separate sheds for recently born calves, calves being weaned, and heifers. In each shed the calves or cows were in stalls either lapping up formula or eating hay. Another shed had three enormous bulls who provide semen to impregnate the cows. As far as we could tell they did not spend time outside their stalls Male calves are sold shortly after they are weaned, although the male off spring of a very productive cow may be kept to later serve as a stud. 

Cows eating. So when do they get to taste fresh, green grass?

The farm also raised rabbits and goats that were sold, primarily for meat. The farm produced edam cheese. Several weeks earlier in KL we had spoken with a member of the Jain community. He said that while Jains drank milk, milk-drinking was being discouraged because it was cruel. What we saw wasn't physically cruel, but we felt sympathy for animals who had such a confined and bleak life.

The road from Nuwara Eliya to the train station at Nanu Oya. We were scheduled to leave at 9:30, but Mahesh and Damith, our driver, assured us that Sri Lankan trains are notoriously late. Our two car, all 3rd class train arrived at 11:30. The limited snack bar had vada and roti. Sri Lanka's roti are oat cakes eaten with sambal - it is very filling. The "Foreigners wash room" had a small waiting room, filled with European back packers, and "Western" style toilet. Earlier in our trip we saw wash rooms labelled "wet" and "dry." According to an Indian friend Asians prefer wet wash rooms. I asked Mahesh - he found my question odd and expressed no opinion.

The train had two passenger cars; they filled up quickly with tea workers and 6 foreigners (including us). Throughout the trip as we traveled at the edge of cliffs the Italian tourists hung out the open door for "thrilling" pictures. Here are some of our photos from the trip.

Boy on the train

Our train heading into a tunnel

Seen from the train

Another view from the train

After arriving in Ella we drove to Ravana Falls with our final stop at a hotel in Yala.

In Ella

View on the drive to Yala

Sacred Temple of theTooth, Kandy

By the time we got to Kandy we were "templed out" and considered skipping the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic. While our tour agent was happy to add side trips or rearrange the schedule, he would not consider dropping a stop. As we walked to the temple we were glad that the stop remained. The temple was alive with devotees and other visitors.

Vendors selling flowers to devotees

HazanthaDemian@gmail.com

At the entrance to the complex we met our guide, Hazantha Deminen. Over the years we have had many excellent guides, but Hazantha is a man that we will remember the longest First, his hair cut! How could we forget it? Then as we walked he would introduce a topic or an item with "my dear madam and sir."  He was the youngest licensed guide we have ever had. No problem, he was knowledgeable, well versed on the temple and Sri Lankan Buddhism, and easily engaged with us.  He is a university student studying urban history.  If you are in Kandy, we recommend tracking him down.

The relic is a canine tooth of Buddha rescued from his funeral pyre in 483 B.C. In the 4th century CE an Indian princess brought it to Sri Lanka. Legend has it that she smuggled it in her hair. The tooth was kept in Anuradhapura  and later moved to Polanuras. In his article Godwin Witane describes why the tooth spent centuries being moved around, "During Lanka's reign of nearly 150 monarchs, the Sacred Tooth Relic had to undergo many a travail taking refuge in numerous secret places to ensure its safety from invaders for it is said that whoever possessed the Tooth Relic had the divine power to govern the country."

Princess & her husband bringing tooth to Sri Lanka

From Polanurus

Finally in the early 19th century it came to stay in Kandy, where it is encased in seven golden caskets. Each year at Kandy's Esala Perahera festival (held in July or August) on the 6th night procession the relic casket, but not the tooth, is carried by a "royal" elephant. The festival is similar to the older Desara festival in Mysore. Unlike Mysore the elephants that carry the casket are relatively anonymous.

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To better digs in Kandy 600 years later

The second entrance has two guard stones and a moonstone. The main entrance was damaged in 1989 by a  Tamil Tiger bombing. It has been rebuilt. The guide's mention of the bombing, the damage, and number killed (16) was the only explicit mention of Sri Lanka's civil war we heard during the trip.

As we entered the shrine we heard the sounds of drums. They are part of the rituals held daily at 5:30, 9:30, and 18:30. We were tempted to stand and watch, but Hazantha moved us up a crowded staircase. There we joined an crowd neither a queue nor  a mob, waiting to see the relic casket (Devotees in the queue see the casket for 15 seconds.) Seated in the front were white robed devotees who had contributed to the day's devotions. (Each day a large quantity of rice and vegetables are prepared for distribution.) We had a brief view of the casket and then moved on. (The casket is only exposed for viewing at the above noted times.)

Drummers - tusks are from deceased royal elephants

Viewing the casket

As we left we decided to skip the museum. Probably a mistake. There was too much to see in Kandy for 24 hours. If we returned we will spend several days - revisit the temple, go to the museum, and visit other temples in the area. (And of course stroll through the Botanical Gardens.)

Leaving the temple flanked by Buddhist flags

Sri Lanka's Glorious Rice & Curry

A Singapore friend, whose husband is Sri Lankan, told me how good Sri Lankan food is – a major complement coming from a Singaporean. Our high expectations were met beginning with our first lunch of rice and curry. A meal that was repeated often and never disappointed. Typically we were served a plate with a mound of rice and a spoonful of mango chutney then up to 10 small bowls of food appeared: 3-5 vegetables, a coconut sambol, a herb salad, a dhal, a meat or fish curry, and pakora. Rice and curry is similar an Indian thali and Malaysian banana leaf, but using different spices and coconut.

Rice & curry buffet style

Rice & Curry for two

Fresh vegetables are typically purchased at a produce market. Damith, our driver, asked if we wanted to see a market. We said "yes, we love markets and in KL we buy our vegetables at a night market." The Dambrulla Produce Market (the link talks about the economic features of the market), had nothing in common with our local night market other than the vegetables. The first thing we saw were lorries of all sizes queued up laden with small red onions, a component in all of the curry dishes.

Onions being traded

Ripe cucumbers - great curried

Trading pumpkins - a conversation or
a negotiation?

Farms from all over Sri Lanka deliver their produce to the Dambrulla market, negotiate with the traders, and the traders redistribute the produce throughout Sri Lanka and export some of it – the Middle East is a major market.

Produce on its way out - I assume it is headed to a local market

During our stay in Sri Lanka we progressed from eating rice and curry, viewing its major components at a produce market, to learning how to make some of the basic curries. Our travel agent booked a cooking class with Mama (Malani) of Mamas Galle Fort Cafe and Guesthouse. When we arrived there was some confusion, our guide had booked us with a class at another "mamas." We never figured out the details - a court case is pending on the other restaurant's use of "Mamas.". We stayed where we were. We are writing about the cooking class offered at 67 Church Street, Fort, Galle (phone 0777-510-485 or 0912-235-214).

Doug and I went off with Mama and her daughter, Denisha, to get the ingredients for our lesson. We went to the fish market, to a produce market, and to a food store to see the spices that are essential to rice and curry.

When we got back to the guesthouse a table was set up for the class. On our side we each had a cutting board and knife. On the other side there was a two burner gas stove, a basket of vegetables, another basket with basic ingredients, jars of spices, pitcher of coconut milk, and a pan for washing the vegetables.

Mama (left) & Denisha preparing potato curry

We chose 5 vegetables each would be made into a separate curry. We started with our 4 favorites - cucumbers, eggplant, potato, and pumpkin and then added sour mangoes. To make the curries different combinations of red onion, garlic, green chili, chili powder,curry powder, mustard powder,  fish flakes, turmeric, whole cinnamon, and coconut milk. We also made the herb salad and coconut sambol. Full after a heavy lunch and having learned what we came for we passed on the fish - someone else made it anyway. We called Damith and Mahesh (the tour agent) and asked them to join us to eat the fruit of our work. Their faces show the success of our efforts.

Damith digging in

Mahesh happy that we ended in the "right class"

You can see a cooking class in action on youtube . Also, since Doug is a veteran of cooking classes (3 in Penang, 1 in Laos, 1 in Thailand, and 2 in Vietnam) he has added a few comments here.

Sri Lankan curries are quite different from the curries of neighboring countries.  Thai curries are all about an explosion of tastes in the mouth: ginger, galangal, garlic, onion, lemon grass, and peppers with herbs on top.  South Indian curries have a heavy dose of herbs in their flavour profile, while North Indian curries are dominated by seeds: cumin, ferrengeek, mustards, etc.  Malaysian and Indonesian cooking contain curries but they do not predominate the cuisine, and in Vietnam, curries are a delicate addition to the cuisine.  In Sri Lanka the techniques are different. The spices (at least in this class) are mixed with the vegetable ingredient and either fried or cooked with a generous amount of coconut milk in small clay pots (or in our demonstration, small metal "claypots") until the vegetables are cooked.  It is simple cooking, but the mixture of spices is the important element.  Two dishes were distinctive: the ripe cucumber (from the west you forget that we eat cucumber as an immature vegetable from the squash family) is cooked in a mild coconut curry sauce until it melts in your mouth.  Contrasted against the light curry, is the "umbrela" curry made from sour mangoes.  Here the sauce is thick and sweet as the flavours attack you.  It is a freshly cooked chutney.

Sigiriya and Dambulla

Sigiriya

It is only 1200 steps to the top said our guide.  Daunting but not insurmountable.  

Sigiriya is a large palace complex in the heart of the cultural area of Sri Lanka.  It was built in the late 5th century by King Kasyapa I.  History tells us that he killed his father and then moved the capital city of Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura.  Rightly fearing reprisals, Kasyapa I built his place on a mountain fortress 370 meters above the surrounding plain.  This "impregnable" fortress succumbed after only 7 years.  But what a palace he built in those 18 years.

An outer wall was built approximately 1.5 km from the core of the city.  It consisted of ramparts and an outer moat. The inner moat and ramparts were located immediately outside of the fortified city.  The moat in historical times contained crocodiles.  There were four gates to the city, east, west, south and north.  The east gate was the entrance to the inner city and further guarded the 370 m cliffs of this redoubt.

The Inner Moat (no crocodiles present today) although there were warning signs against swimming.

Once we passed the west gate we entered formal symmetrically laid out gardens,  each side of the main bath a mirror of the other.  Water ponds abounded and fountains were present.  The fountains were fed by an elaborate water system originating in tanks (reservoirs) at the top of the mountain.  Kasyapa I built two palaces, one at the top of the mountain and the other among the gardens at the base.  He rotated between the two palaces seasonally.  However, the mountain palace was the central focal point of this geometrically laid out city.

A garden pond

An unearthed but not restored garden feature.

The approach to the Sigiriya within the inner walls

The remains of a fountain (not the water bottle on the left)

And the stairs begin with Liz taking the lead.

A natural stone gate.

Fresco in a cave.

A 1600 year old fresco

Although the frescoes were exposed to the elements great care was made in keeping water from destroying them.  At other locations in the city, caves which had the frescoes destroyed when they were occupied by monks (I guess they disturbed their meditation).

Liz, our driver and guide at the half way point.

An active archaeological site on the mountain.

The final 300 steps

The entrance to the final climb was through a lions head.  Only the paws remains on either side of the staircase entrance.

Carved water channels etched into the mountain side.

The final two steps.  We made it.

Having been raised in a family of compulsive counters, I cannot climb a set of stairs unless I count them, I actually skipped the routine this time.  I guide said 1202 and the last two were the only ones I counted.

Enough said

The quarters of the kings concubine (500 ladies)

Our intrepid guide, Jahaka

Dambulla Caves

Dambulla Caves is the last cultural site deriving from prehistory.  Guide books indicate that the Dambulla Cave complex dates back into proto-historical, first millennium BCE.  However what the tourist sees is the work of 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century CE artists.

Unfortunately the temple guide was not proficient in English, and was able only to deliver his speech and was unable to answer questions.

The complex consists of 5 caves, one which was recently quarried out of the mountain in the 20th century.  The other four caves contain magnificant frescoes covering the floor to the ceiling.  Unfortunately I was unable to put it into the context of the temple.

A large meditating Buddha

Meditating Buddha from 18th Century Cave 3

A stupa from the Maharaja Vihara  18th Century

A teaching Buddha from the Maharaja Vitara, 18th century

The patron King

Fresco on the ceiling

A series of  meditating Buddhas  under some magnificent Fresco

Dambulla Caves is worth the visit, beautiful statuary, and frescoes abound.  If you go make sure you have an independent guide who is able to put the frescoes, and statuary in historical context, and is able to point out the significant items.