Day 9: Another 7am start as we have 55km to cover before the heat catches up on us. The first part of the ride is downhill which is not a favorite of mine. I’m squeezing the breaks as I really don’t like the speed and have to stop regularly to rest my hands and wrists – my fingers go completely dead from the tension. Beautiful surroundings though:
The terrain changes from downhill to uphill climb and it’s challenging for all of us (I think!).
The countryside we pass through is beautiful tea plantations so it takes our mind off some of the climbs:
We are all tired by the time we hit the town of Balangoda for lunch but from there we are on the bus for 100km to our next destination. The bus is unusually quiet and most of us are dosing. An hour and forty winks later we stop to visit the “Elephant Transit Home”
We see approx. sixty orphaned and/or injured elephants get fed milk – it’s the cutest thing! The elephants are allowed into the milk station four at a time for their feed..
Most of these will be released into Uda Walawe National Park once they are well and can fend for themselves.
Another hour and a half on the bus before we hit our next destination but we do have a stop off at mile 71 for a quick happy birthday to one of our riders. What a legend – this woman really can cycle – she’s celebrating her 71st birthday so we sing and eat cake – happy days!
We arrive to our hotel in Tissa and it’s the nicest one yet. It’s quite new, overlooks the lake and has a really nice pool. That’s where we head to watch the sunset.
We enjoy more of a western dinner at the hotel (pasta) which is really good and since one of the staff went to the local “bottle shop” in anticipation of our drinking requests we can all have a gin and tonic.
Day 10: After breakfast we cycle to the holy city of Kataragama which is considered a “holy land for all faiths”. It is colorful and vibrant with a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist icons in the complex and the main temple. We are lucky enough to be there when a particular ritual is going on, where a group led by a woman, dance their way around the grounds and toward the main temple bringing offerings.
In the afternoon it’s time for our Jeep safari to Yala National Park. I’m very excited and hoping we’ll see a leopard as Sri Lanka has the most in the world. I’m loaded up with devices. I’ve got my phone, camera, go-pro and power bank in case any of them run out of battery….. I’m taking no chances!
After a while we get word that there’s a leopard close by….. we tear over there and quietly focus on where the driver is pointing – he’s lounging in a tree but it’s hard enough to actually see him (well for me anyway). Check out his tail hanging below:
I struggle to see him as he seems camouflaged to me but Sam our guide manages to get some good photos with my camera:
The best view is when he decides to climb down the tree and move away. That I saw very clearly but once he was on the ground we lost him.
We see lots of birds my favorite being the bee eater:
A Tucan:
Quite a few elephants:
We also see water buffalo, crocodiles, deer, wild boar, loads of peacocks and peahens (creating a separate post with photos for you animal lovers).
Halfway through the five hour Jeep tour we get lashed on with a heavy downpour and we have to close in the sides before we get soaked – a bit too late for my shorts which are drenched. We get in a quick game of Heads-Up though…. great fun!
It’s been a long day and on the way home I’m starting to think about that nice cold white wine I told the guy at the hotel to put in the fridge. When he told me yesterday he had white wine but “not very cold” I suggested (fairly strongly) that he put it in the fridge so I can have it today.. turns out it’s cold and doesn’t taste too bad so I’m happy out. Another meal at the hotel on the outdoor veranda finishes our time at Tissa.
odohertyelaine 