Safari!!

Weds 13th June, Yala national park


Selfie time, hotel balcony


On safari day we had a free morning, so we took the opportunity to use the hotels lovely pool. Everyone else did too, it was nice to swim with good friends. Chris was off somewhere, probably complaining to Ravi. We lunched, Deeted and sun lotioned up, before Dave Coaches came to take us to Yala. I have found out everyone’s name and there are three Daves! Welsh Dave, Dave Sussex who bought his wife a bracelet, and Dave Suffolk who bought his earrings. So to distinguish it has to be Dave Coaches. Welsh Dave had arrived in full safari outfit with a camera lens the size of a small planet. Dave Suffolk, Andrew, and Ian were all so jealous. 

It took half an hour to arrive at the gates where we transferred into jeeps. We were in with Sharon and Dave Sussex, and Welsh Dave. 


The driver spoke very little English but started spotting things straight away. Monkeys, some deer, various kinds, a lovely little Green Bee-eater


Dave and Ian were snapping away for England. Although Dave took longer as he dosent like to use the auto modes on his camera and has to adjust loads of knobs for each photo. The driver was on the phone all the time, but it was to the other drivers so they could converge on a spot if one spotted something. This is why about six jeeps were on a tiny road by a lake. ‘Crocodile under tree’, driver pointed. ‘Under tree’. I could hardly see the tree! Everyone else had spotted it though. ‘Look through these binocs’ ian said. And there it was. A huge croc with its mouth open. 


A crocodile

A crocodile spotter


Lots of crocodile spotters

We manoevered back onto the dusty (literally) road where we were the lone jeep. It was then that it happened. I, Jackie Walters, the person who can’t see a wild animal if it’s stood two feet away, spotted some elephants. ‘Are those elephants?’ I asked. ‘Elephant’ pointed driver. ‘There are two, and one looks like a tusker’. Me again. Driver, ‘Two, one tusker!!.’


Jackie walters spotted elephants. 

 To be fair, driver spotted s few more big crocs, some lovely birds like the blue magpie, loads of different deer types, and some wild boar. We then pulled into another tight spot where he yelled ‘sloth bear on rock’. Alas, by the time we looked around it had gone. He turned off the ignition and we settled in to wait a bit, presumably till it came back. Then, commotion. The drivers started yelling to each other and turning to leave. Our guy spin round and it was pedal to the metal for us all. Racing through the bush trailing plumes of dust. We arrived at what can only be described as the Sri Lankan M25 during rush hour. ‘Leopard, leopard in tree’. The guys looked through there big lens and I my binocs, and there it was, looking right at us. An elusive leopard. It made everyone’s day. 


Unfortunately it was time to head back, but I have decided I love safaris. We had seen so much in a short space of time. As we returned the sun began to set and a mongoose strolled over the road. Perfect. 

 We got back to the hotel and Ravi told us that the management had invited us for cocktails so we changed and made our way to the lovely bar. They were Arrack cocktails, that’s the local spirit made from coconuts, and were really nice. So nice ian had three! Dinner was of course full of talk of elephants and leopards. Everyone agreed it had been a great day, especially Welsh Dave

Next up, Galle

Man of the day

Welsh Dave of course

New animals seen

Leopard

Crocodile

Mongoose

Deer(various)

Green Bee-eater

Blue magpie

Sri Lankan green pidgeon

Wild boar

Land monitor









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