Wild Elephants, Wild Boar and the deep rural South

Wild Elephants, Wild Boar and the deep rural South

A young child stands bare bodied with a grin on his face as he waves at the SUV as we approach. The intense heat bounces off the tarmac in the long smooth road as I squint through its haze tapping the brake to slow down and see what the boy has to offer. He has been in the forest picking up the fallen feathers from early morning, the prize he now waves to us for sale. The bright blue and purple hues of the Peacock feathers wave in brilliant colour as we roll to a gentle stop. A scene I have seen many times on the southern coast stretch from the city Matara to Kataragama. Home to Lord Skanda who is venerated all over in Sri Lanka. A scene my fellow companions from London have never seen, a Peacock in its live glory.

I am taking my friends on a journey that I have made many times in my life. To the home of Skanda in Kataragama, Sri Lanka, 350 kilometres away from the city of Colombo.

Our journey begins past midnight from Colombo. In my opinion the best time to travel, as the nights are cooler, traffic less and as a person who loves quiet long drives the best time for solitude. My companions soon fall asleep, waking only when I pull over almost half way through the journey for my usual nicotine break. I wake them again only close to Kataragama. The morning is chilly as its 4am in the morning now. The full moon bathes the Weerawila stretch of road with its adjacent sugar cane fields in soft light. I have switched the headlights off. The lone wild elephant waits to cross the road, the promises of the sugar cane on the other side. He is nervous of the SUV and us as I am of him. My friends scramble around for cameras, their sleepiness all gone, everyone’s wide-awake. The bravest of the lot demanding to be let out of the SUV to take a better photo. My experience of wild elephants limited to viewing at wild life parks and chance encounters like this on the road demand that everyone stays in the car. I switch on my parking light and roll forward slowly as cameras click furiously inside.

We finally arrive at the Rossen Hotel in Kataragama. After the elephant experience everyone in the car is pumped up, wide awake and our chattering wakes the security guard up and he opens the huge gate leading to the hotel. The staff stir wake, the receptionist still manages to smile brightly at us and cheerfully wakes staff in the kitchen to cook my ravenous companions chips, eggs, toast and pots of coffee and tea. As we head out to our rooms the heated pool beckons invitingly. A mist escapes from the pool and the bellboy informs me that at the request of some visiting tourists the pool water has been heated to exactly 70 Fahrenheit. We are delighted, nip to the rooms, breakfast served by the poolside, everyone’s in the pool. It’s 6am and all the staff is out and about. Bright Sri Lankan smiles, the traditional ‘Ayubowan’ mixed with ‘Good Morning’. The other guests must be annoyed, an impromptu game of tag has the females in our group screaming. The pool lifeguard still sleepy looks on in bemusement. While three of our group stay back in the pool the others accompany me to the Lord Skanda temple.

I drive the SUV through the back and we park behind the temple. The flower vendors clamour for our custom. Especially the custom of my British friends. Incense, Coconut Oil for the lamps, and the traditional Sri Lankan flower - white and pink lotuses. I offer the pooja of light, scent and colour to the Buddhist Stupa and the statue of King Mahasen. My friends help eagerly all excited to participate in everything and enjoy their holiday. The suns up now and all of us are glad for our loose white linen clothes, the bottles of water in our hands and the stiff breeze that blows through the wind swept sandy ground beneath our bare feet. Pilgrims from all walks of life go about their business of worshipping. We get back in the stupa and drive to the Skanda temple. From the white clothes and the pilgrims at the stupa to the incredible fusion and splash of colour at the kovils amaze my friends. Camera’s click constantly.

I grin as we stay for the Skanda pooja, the ritual of cleaning the gods casket and sutra lying in the inner sanctum of the god where no one other than priests are allowed. A large curtain with a picture of the God Skanda and his two consorts cover the entrance. The pilgrims pull on the bells that surround the camphor filled outer sanctum of the temple. I grin as I now see my friends drenched in sweat. They smile, their OK.

We return to the hotel find the rest of our gang still lazing around by the pool. Long showers in our rooms, a late lunch in the hotel and a nap in air-conditioned comfort. The sun blazes overhead now, only a few ventures outside in the deep south of Sri Lanka as temperatures reach the 35 to 40 centigrade at noon. We emerge out of our rooms early evening. Tea, coffee and sandwiches have been served to our rooms. Some of us pile into my SUV, the others into the carefully maintained Land Rover of Suresh, the driver from the Udawalawe Wildlife Park who will accompany us on the short drive from the hotel to and in the park. Especially to see wild elephants. After this mornings experience, I hear my British friends narrating this to Suresh and egging him on to take us as close as possible to the elephants. After one close encounter with a heard of elephants, a friend climbing on to the track much to my annoyance and dismay of the tracker, millions of photographs we leave the park. Everyone is excited talking one to a dozen about his or her experience. In the parking lot I discreetly open the boot of the SUV and surprise everyone with my cooler filled with pint bottles of the best Sri Lankan lager – Lion Lager. We then pile into the SUV and wave our goodbyes to Suresh after much banter about the evening’s elephant experiences. Suresh leaves happy, his wallet much fatter than when the evening started.

At the top of the road on the turning to Udawalawe begins my friends experience to the wild side of Sri Lanka’s deep south. We stop at my favourite roadside restaurant. I discreetly inquire if the night’s fare includes ‘Meat’. We are lead to a table, wild boar curry, venison, and Potatoe curry in coconut gravy with freshly baked bread. All washed down with Sri Lanka’s fiery Ginger Beer and more Lion Lager. The night is cool now as we finish. We make one last procurement stop in Tanamalwila for the best and freshest green before returning to the hotel late at night. Deep in the jungles of Tanamalwila away from preying eyes there lies farms that rival any produce even grown in the jungles of Jamaica. A discreet smoke by the poolside puts everyone in the mellow but party mood. I have carefully packed the rest of it away in the bottom of a cane basket containing fresh green oranges on the top for the remainder of our holiday. Midnight and everyone’s at the hotel bar singing karaoke and drinking numerous numbers of Sri Lanka’s arrack and cokes. In a couple of hours I stagger to bed as we have a long drive ahead of us. I do not forget to drink a huge glass of chilled king coconut juice, Sri Lanka’s best hangover remedy. My friends I know will party on until the wee hours of the morning.

The soft sound of the A/C and the far way sound of my friends singing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen at the bar lulls me to sleep. An end of another day of holiday in Sri Lanka. I dream of the day that awaits us. Hikkaduwa, more Lager, fresh Seafood direct from its source, Sun, Sand and Sea.

Surfs up, anyone? White linen shirts, shorts, Speedos, fresh white cotton sheets dried in the sun, sun tan lotion, flip flops, go to Sri Lanka.