Standing Left to Right - Chameera Pathirathne, Ruwan Jayawardena, Susitha Priyashantha, Sunil Gunathilake, Sheran Hewa, Local farmer, Nalaka, Sunil Ratnayake
The assignment is to locate and survey the habitat of the purple faced langur in the Rain Forests of SL.
We consist of two parties for the travel. Sheran and I traveled from Negombo and Sunil and the staff from Polonnaruwa. From Negombo we take the Mirigama road and travel behind the Airport runway for 2km to meet the Airport – Nittambuwa road. From Nittambuwa traffic lights you go east to Ruwanwella from there to the left to Avissawella, then a supposedly short cut to Eheliyagoda (which by the way no sane person should take because of the poor state of the road), Join the Avissawella - Ratnapura road.
Ratnapura, which seemed quite a spot for the population with the latest vehicles in the country. Still had to wait a good 1/2 hour before we were noted by the passing waiters to order some food, true to things that only happens when they want to happen. 12th December of 2008 is a Poya (Unduvap) full moon day and the diner was worked by a skeleton staff. Ultimately we were served and was later presented with a highly inflated bill for the minimum of food we consumed. No one seemed bothered about this fact either.
River opposite The Blue Magpie
As we had to wait for the rest of the staff to arrive from Polonnaruwa, who'd also left at 6am, we tried to get busy and on Sunil's advice tried the Museums. What we hadn’t accounted for was the Poya holiday! Of course the Gem Museum as well and the Archeology Museum was closed till Tuesday. Both these establishments are closed on Poya or any public holidays and also on Mondays.
Ratnapura, the City of Gems, is a town with narrow 'main' roads and many people huddled in street corners trying to sell you gems. The local rivers and streams have been plundered by the gem seekers for decades. The city centre carries branches of all the local banks and most of the commercial traders that are scattered down the city's streets sparsely. The town has almost no eateries or a place of rest for weary travelers within the heart. There's a Cargills, a local brand of Supermarket opposite the Police station if you want to buy the essentials before heading of to more rural areas.
Water Monitor
The road from Ratnapura to Sinharaja is about 60km with the majority road condition is less than appealing if you are thinking of making a second trip any time soon. So it's like childbirth, a pain you forget soon! The forest view starts the moment you pass Kalawana and some times the way the Sun's rays fall from the West in the afternoon, the shimmering tree tops look mystical. The precipes are a plenty and the forest patches and the low grown tea cultivations below is a the colour of rich young leaves. If you travel with the Ordnance survey map you will notice the contour lines stretching off indicating the fold mountains in the area and their respective heights. But of course most turn offs do not have sign posts for the 1st time travelers and you would have to depend on the walking locals to get directions. There's absolutely no place to purchase some food on the entire 60km drive but a few spots where one can have their own picnic with food bought from home.
We had reserved rooms at The Blue Magpie, a small motel that has 12 rooms and can accommodate perhaps 30 adults. It's located about 400m from the park entrance and ideal to walk in at any time you want. The food is basic Sri Lankan food cooked with spices galore. The two of us were greeted warmly by Nishantha, the steward. He's been on the staff since the inception and is a friendly and courteous young man. We were offered rice and curry for lunch, with plenty of fresh fruits for dessert. Towards the east of the dining hall is a grass patch of about 10perches. There are several Jam fruit trees shading the dining hall and the trees at one point was filled with noisy Red Vented Bulbuls. We counted over 25 birds without even leaving the dining room. They nest on a small hedge next to the boundary walls and chases any other bird who would come to eat from their precious feeders.
The Bird Feeders
Sunil Gunathilake
Orchid
The room charges are approximately Rs. 2,000 per day per person FB. Rooms are small and if sold as a triple room it can seem to be a bit cramped. All three rooms we occupied housed resident spiders with an annual growth of webs on the ceiling. The bathrooms had no hot water but was quite nicely done up in a lovely green hue tiles and good quality fittings.
The other two places are Martin's, who's reluctant to rent out to locals in anticipation of foreign tourist but holds the most favoured spot in the entire area for it's fantastic views. When we inquired two weeks before he informed us that the motel was full, but when we were actually there, only one of his rooms for the 12th night and the 13th night was taken. It's a good idea to gate crash Martin rather than book in advance.
The other two places are Martin's, who's reluctant to rent out to locals in anticipation of foreign tourist but holds the most favoured spot in the entire area for it's fantastic views. When we inquired two weeks before he informed us that the motel was full, but when we were actually there, only one of his rooms for the 12th night and the 13th night was taken. It's a good idea to gate crash Martin rather than book in advance.
Green Shadow
The other place is called the Green Shadow. The entire lodge is a wood and cement structure with two rooms with Attached bath and two without. This can hurt if you are a person who has moral values about cutting down trees. There's a dorm that can accommodate 8 people in bunk beds. There's a small charge per day for the cooking and you would be asked to contribute to the cost of the gas. And would be a good idea if you travel with a small gas cylinder of your own. There's a resident cook and helper who would prepare meals from dry goods that you would bring. This is the most inexpensive accommodation in the area north of the reserve.
Sunil and the gang arrived at 2.30pm. 6 of them were able to make the trip, Sunil Goonethilake, Chameera Pathirathne, Ruwan Jayawardena, Sunil Ratnayake and Susitha Priyashantha, who used to work with us before. He's the artist on the trip who would make sketches of the langurs and birds for us. The van driver/owner/relation of a staff is Nalaka.
It was good to see them after about a two months. After the initial pleasantries, and once we all were allocated rooms and settled in, Sunil started pointing at several birds. The endemic Layards Parakeet was the star of the moment with his bright colours. There in plain view were three parakeets, a male, female and a juvenile with dull colours. Another staff member spotted the Black Eagle. And it started from there.
They had lunch in an hour with the other guest at the motel. After lunch we decided on a walk. All of us had been stuck in a vehicle for over 6hours that day and the bodies certainly needed the stretch. We walked perhaps 2km. we wandered into a little nook that had 4small shops. The 1st one is the tea shop. in a small glass cabinet there were 3 varieties of cake, 2-4 local sweetmeats and sugar buns. Nalaka and Chameera brought us tea which we drank munching on pieces of 'Kithul' juggery. One thing we all agreed on was that it was quite refreshing. The 1st shop owner of course gets the majority of the business because of the location but can be a little intimidating, pushy and money mined. All the people are weary of the travelers and does good business on call charges as the area is devoid of mobile phone coverage. It's amazing how easy it is to adapt to not carrying or using a mobile phone. Time of the day becomes pretty irrelevant and since you anyway carry a biological clock you would not miss your meals.
Back at the motel we got ready to go to the small river for a swim/bath anything we would be able to do. It looked shallow with a small currant, but proved colder than we anticipated. I had clothes to wash and the boys had a great time bathing. Well, the stream was not deep enough to swim for the adults. None of us could stay in the water for more than 1/2 hour. It was that cold!
We convened back at the varendah of our rooms, and discussed the plans for tomorrow.
Dinner is fried rice and curries consumed with such fervor by the boys. To bed after a long chat with the motel manager Mr. Shantha. One would always be fascinated how friendly the staff is. We've now made friends will all the staff and on first name basis with everyone. Sunil would want all dressed on deck at 6.30am to find the troops of monkeys.
Though falling asleep is easy as pie, sleeping through was a problem. The Blue Magpie offers power supply off a generator from 6pm to 10pm which makes quite a racket in the dusky peaceful evening. Since the area is cool and fairly devoid of mosquitoes, one can sleep without a ceiling fan. Most houses in the area gets their power source from turbines placed to catch water to turn the wheels over the tiny water streams or the bigger river.
We've opted to make this tour on a Friday which is a Poya holiday and this makes the motel crowded with the weekenders. these holiday makes are a breed on their own. The main idea of the men is alcohol and relaxation and after driving several miles on bad roads, nerves shot to extinction, they would open bottles as soon as the women folk are settled into the rooms with the misbehaving rude children playing havoc at the premises and you wonder what the situation at home would be like. Never did we hear a single mother discipline a child who would eat off the table with the food spilled in a diameter of several feet and food particles generously etched into all the crevices on the small faces and I don’t mean the mouth.
Well, in all fairness, there was one family, parents of one girl who would have been about 12years old, who did behave very decently.
Sunil and the gang arrived at 2.30pm. 6 of them were able to make the trip, Sunil Goonethilake, Chameera Pathirathne, Ruwan Jayawardena, Sunil Ratnayake and Susitha Priyashantha, who used to work with us before. He's the artist on the trip who would make sketches of the langurs and birds for us. The van driver/owner/relation of a staff is Nalaka.
It was good to see them after about a two months. After the initial pleasantries, and once we all were allocated rooms and settled in, Sunil started pointing at several birds. The endemic Layards Parakeet was the star of the moment with his bright colours. There in plain view were three parakeets, a male, female and a juvenile with dull colours. Another staff member spotted the Black Eagle. And it started from there.
They had lunch in an hour with the other guest at the motel. After lunch we decided on a walk. All of us had been stuck in a vehicle for over 6hours that day and the bodies certainly needed the stretch. We walked perhaps 2km. we wandered into a little nook that had 4small shops. The 1st one is the tea shop. in a small glass cabinet there were 3 varieties of cake, 2-4 local sweetmeats and sugar buns. Nalaka and Chameera brought us tea which we drank munching on pieces of 'Kithul' juggery. One thing we all agreed on was that it was quite refreshing. The 1st shop owner of course gets the majority of the business because of the location but can be a little intimidating, pushy and money mined. All the people are weary of the travelers and does good business on call charges as the area is devoid of mobile phone coverage. It's amazing how easy it is to adapt to not carrying or using a mobile phone. Time of the day becomes pretty irrelevant and since you anyway carry a biological clock you would not miss your meals.
Back at the motel we got ready to go to the small river for a swim/bath anything we would be able to do. It looked shallow with a small currant, but proved colder than we anticipated. I had clothes to wash and the boys had a great time bathing. Well, the stream was not deep enough to swim for the adults. None of us could stay in the water for more than 1/2 hour. It was that cold!
We convened back at the varendah of our rooms, and discussed the plans for tomorrow.
Dinner is fried rice and curries consumed with such fervor by the boys. To bed after a long chat with the motel manager Mr. Shantha. One would always be fascinated how friendly the staff is. We've now made friends will all the staff and on first name basis with everyone. Sunil would want all dressed on deck at 6.30am to find the troops of monkeys.
Though falling asleep is easy as pie, sleeping through was a problem. The Blue Magpie offers power supply off a generator from 6pm to 10pm which makes quite a racket in the dusky peaceful evening. Since the area is cool and fairly devoid of mosquitoes, one can sleep without a ceiling fan. Most houses in the area gets their power source from turbines placed to catch water to turn the wheels over the tiny water streams or the bigger river.
We've opted to make this tour on a Friday which is a Poya holiday and this makes the motel crowded with the weekenders. these holiday makes are a breed on their own. The main idea of the men is alcohol and relaxation and after driving several miles on bad roads, nerves shot to extinction, they would open bottles as soon as the women folk are settled into the rooms with the misbehaving rude children playing havoc at the premises and you wonder what the situation at home would be like. Never did we hear a single mother discipline a child who would eat off the table with the food spilled in a diameter of several feet and food particles generously etched into all the crevices on the small faces and I don’t mean the mouth.
Well, in all fairness, there was one family, parents of one girl who would have been about 12years old, who did behave very decently.
Layard's Parakeet
1 comment:
Wonderful! I feel as thought I'm traveling with you. I look forward to more.
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