SRI LANKAN BUSES, IGUANAS IN THE BACK GARDEN, SAFARI IN YALA AND ROADBLOCKING ELEPHANTS
HEADING TO TISSA
Leaving Mirissa, we were heading to Tissa and it was time to have our first experience of the Sri Lankan buses!
We took 2 buses. One to Matara and the second to Tissa. In total it was around four hours and cost us the princely sum of about £1 each. They’re not comfortable by any means though and the seats are a bit of a squeeze!
The buses blared out very bassy music and had local tv entertainment being displayed.
There’s a very unique business methodology in play here. Any local salesmen can freely come onto the buses and wander the aisles, trying to sell their tat, food or excursions to the masses. They’ll get on, try and flog their wares and then hop off at the next stop.
A carnival atmosphere.
Like I say, not the most comfortable of experiences, but an experience nonetheless and cheap as chips. Actually cheaper.
OUR STAY IN TISSA
When we arrived, we got a tuk-tuk to the property we were staying at – Lake View Cottage. We only had one night booked here, but it was a lush setting, over-looking Tissa Lake.
I was looking around the garden and spotted a large iguana making itself at home. So similar in terms of its look and movements to that of a komodo dragon. The mini-me of komodos.
We chatted with the guy working at the hotel and he arranged dinner for us and called around to get us booked onto a safari the next morning, which cost us around 8,500 rupees each (approx. £40).
Back at the roof terrace outside our room, we watched the sunset and saw hundreds of huge bats flock past. An incredible sight.
SAFARI IN YALA NATIONAL PARK
The next morning we woke up early, ready for our safari pickup around 4:30 a.m.
The vehicle that picked us up reminded me of Jurassic Park and it felt like we were about to go on a real adventure.
It was pitch black as we made our way to the national park.
On our way, I could see a limbering shadow in the distance, but could barely make out what it was initially. As we got closer I realised that it was a huge elephant just wandering in the road.
Now this might be standard to the locals, but to me this was an amazing sight. I was totally blown away. Safari was going to be ace.
As we made our way into the park, the sun was just coming up and the atmosphere of the place was intense. Beautiful savannah, wild animals roaming free, the moon still visible, a slight mist in the air, sparse forestry with withered trees.
As we were riding along, our driver got word from another that something had been spotted.
We raced to the same spot that it seems everyone else in the park did.
There was a leopard!
It was quite far away from us and fairly well camouflaged. Again I cursed the fact that I didn’t have my zoom lens. Points for anyone that can spot the leopard in these snaps. If you thought where’s wally was hard, you’ve got no chance!
Continuing on, we finally came across a couple of elephants.
It was breathtaking to see these creatures in their natural habitat and one I urge everyone to experience if you get a chance.
In total, the safari lasted around six hours, which was the perfect amount of time.
During the day we saw; many birds of prey, leopards, elephants, lizards, peacocks, buffalo, deer and dusty leaf monkeys. A cracking day out.
Here’s some more pics from the day.
VIDEO DIARY
Obviously there’s a video too! Who would I be if I didn’t reward you all with a video of this epic time.
Tune in below:
NEXT STOP, WHO KNOWS?
We were back at our hotel by lunchtime, but were checking out.
We still hadn’t decided where we were going next, so we booked another night at a nearby hotel until we figured it out.
Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a dice roll.
That’s exactly what happened. Read on to find out where the dice sent us and what we got up to!
