Monkey Camp: Travel Diary - Hortain Plains (Day 5)

16th December 2008 (Tuesday)

Monks walk towards the World's End. And the Irony!

Sri Pada - view from Hortain Plains

Coffee at 6am from Glen Falls Inn and to Hortain Plains.

In Horton plains
Chorus

What a day, what a day
What a very sunlit day.
If you go to Horton Plains
Don’t forget your walking shoes.

Verse 1 Magnificent birds,
Great Samba,
Brilliant light
Falling on trees.
Go from World's End to Bakers falls if ya'll want to take a peak.

Chorus Repeat

Verse 2 What a walk,
What a walk,
What a lovely sunshine walk,
On our little, little walk
We can see Purple faced Langurs,,,
Which are dark on their face.

Chorus Repeat.

Sheran Hewa
(8years)

The Milage is scratched off and had not been painted over the last 3years. The charge for a vehicle to enter the park to use it's 19km road to walk is over Rs 500. One would imagine why a 50ml paint tin cannot be purchased to mark the distance? I waited at this marker for 1hour trying to take a good photograph of the Pied Bush Chat with a very temperamental 200mm lens in horrible light, and over 15teams of travellers paused, made comments to take the issue back to the athorities at the gate but kept trudging on.

The round trip is 19km as per the officials at the gate.

The orchids are in bloom.

We just missed the Otter at the main ticket counter from Pattipola entrance but are compansated with lovely sunny weather.

People are body searched like they are entering a high security zone for anything other than the most essential items. Though we note that in several places plastic bottles and garbage are strewn and wondered how they were smuggled in their in the 1st place?

Since there are no dogs the only possible scavenger is the Common House Crow. I counted over 17 crows in 2minutes between the small café and the Visitor's centre (former Farr Inn) Though the visitors centre has many closed rooms, there's no place for a person to rest inside from the cold wind which seems quite a basic human right.

From the Marker towards Bakers Fall

A Pot of tea for barely 4peope costs Rs 400 and one tea bun costs Rs 100 at the Visitor's Centre Café. While we waited out side for 3hours for the others to return 12 people at different times walked in and out without purchasing a single item of food.
The only place to take picnic food is an open lodge again with no protection form the cold and wind between the Mahaeliya Circuit Bungalow and the Visitor's centre. There were several van loads of people who would not be able to know this if they use the Ohiya entrance. Nothing about the existence of this place is advertised at the ticket office or the car park.

The staff were no where around when two sambar wandered in onto our selfless travelers who felt so horribly guilty that the 'poor' animals had to eat grass when they were eating rice or bread or biscuits and felt compelled to share it with them.
And the staff still wasn’t around when the afore said people's children started to throw all sorts of non perishable wrappers everywhere near the garbage bins provided. So what if the future generation has no clean environment to live!?

Birds in HortainPlains

Birds, birds
Montain birds, here
Is a list of
Birds that we've seen,
Black winged Kite
Crested Serpent Eagle
Jungle Fowl
White Throated King fisher
Blue- tailed Bee eater
Yellow Wagtail (1st Winter Visitor)
East Asian Swallow
Hill Swallow
Flame Minivet
Yellow Eared Bulbul
Pied Bush chat
Eurasian Black Bird
Indian Scimitar Babbler
Sri Lanka Bush Warbler
Great Tit

Wonderful Birds, Wonderful Birds
Not that common
But Guess what???
We've seen them!
Sheran Hewa (8years)