Chronicles from the Depths of a Wildlife Haven

A peculiar incident took place the previous night. We received instructions to adjust our clocks backward by 30 minutes. Throughout this voyage, we have been accustomed to moving our clocks forward and backward – yet a half-hour adjustment deviated from the typical time zone conventions. This piqued my curiosity, spurring me to expand my knowledge once more. I uncovered that during the British rule over Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), the time zone was established as 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This unconventional 30-minute offset was a deliberate decision, aimed at aligning the daylight hours more closely with the working hours of the day. Upon gaining independence in 1948, Sri Lanka consciously chose to preserve this half-hour time zone differential.

Upon our arrival in Sri Lanka, we ventured to Yala National Park, a vast expanse spanning nearly 400 square miles, making it the second-largest park in the country. Renowned for its diverse ecosystems, the park boasts a dry semi-arid climate, grasslands, and scrublands. There, we were treated to a delectable luncheon buffet of Sri Lankan cuisine and refreshing ice-cold beers, preparing us for the adventure that lay ahead. [P.S. The chicken sandwich on freshly baked bread with lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices and garlic mayonnaise was fantastic! While the remainder of my choices were somewhat spicy in keeping with the local cuisine ...so the beer tasted great as an accompiament!]

Afterwards, we eagerly hopped aboard our Safari Jeep, embarking on a wildlife expedition across the unspoiled terrain. The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the majestic Sri Lankan elephants, elusive leopards, sambars, spotted deer, crocodiles, and numerous species of birds. It is renowned for having one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. However, due to the intense heat, it seems that the leopards sought refuge in the lush upper canopies of the forest or on rocky ledges, away from the watering holes and out of the intense sunlight. Despite the challenging conditions of heat and humidity, we were thrilled to observe numerous creatures in their natural habitat. Here are a few photographs of the captivating sights we encountered: A herd of water buffalo, a sambar (deer), mongoose, monkeys ...

Yala National park provides a protected habitat for the endangered Indian Elephant. There numbers are down from 30,000 to 6,000 on the island due to a reduced living area and human poaching. We were delighted to see these herbivores munching on shrubs and small trees and wading in the water holes.

Sri Lanka's also has a diverse avian wildlife including the large wooly-necked stork, the bright green bee-eater, colorful peacocks and the painted stork with its distinctive orange beck.

The vast expanse of the park unveiled captivating landscapes as well. The serene lagoon, the mysterious swamps, where crocodiles probably lay hidden, and on the horizon, a colossal rock formation standing as a sentinel over the park's untamed beauty. The pristine blue Indian Ocean could be seen in the distance. And scattered throughout the terrain, the peculiar termite hills stood as architectural marvels, a testament to the industrious nature of these tiny creatures.

The park's diverse landscapes provided a window into an untouched wilderness, giving us the unique chance to observe animals in their natural habitat—a stark contrast to the confined exhibits we were accustomed to back home.