It's hard to express the impact these huge, gentle creatures had on us ..... but at least I can talk about the events. Udawalawe National Park is about 120 square kilometers in size, not that big as national parks go in Sri Lanka, but it is the home to about 550 elephants - so we were drawn to it. There were also many water buffalo, spotted deer, mongoose, peacocks, monkeys, a handful of elusive leopards and many, many extraordinary birds. We booked two nights with a company called Mahoora, in one of their "premium" (not "luxury") camps, which was dee-vine. (Can't imagine what the luxury camps were like!) We stayed in a lovely, private camp by a river, sleeping in large tents with cots (I felt like Isak Dinesen), dining under the stars at a table with linens and having cocktails and tea waiting for us after the game drives. We were accompanied on the drives by a naturalist and a government tracker (for safety). It was blissful to hang out with the elephants as we found them mostly grazing in small and large groups - and because we were in a vehicle, we were able to get very close (the close up photo was not taken with a zoom lense....). We did have one incident when a female elephant, protective of three babies, was clearly upset at our presence. I will post that separately with a video that Chris took of the event, but a picture of this angry adult is included below. Overall, the two days at Udawalawe were among those rare holiday times where I really hated it to end.... really.
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| Angry mom |
We left Negombo on Friday and headed East, for the interior of Sri Lanka, which rises in elevation by a few thousand feet, providing the perfect climate for their famous Ceylon tea. In the town of Nuwara Eliya, we rented a bungalow for a couple of nights that was surrounded by beautiful, verdant tea fields and that was run by a couple who cooked breakfast and dinner for us - love the Sri Lankan rice and curries! We hiked through the tea fields into town, past houses, lounging water buffaloes, vegetable stands, saying hello to families out doing chores (a smile speaks volumes even if one doesn't know the local language). This hike caused the breaking point for one of my Keen sandals that has seen many miles for the past 5 or 6 years, so when we got to town, I found a cobbler outside of a shop who expertly stitched it up. I'm sure it will last another 5 years! At the end of the day, we returned to the bungalow, where a pot of milk tea was waiting for us. By this point, we all realized that we were lucky enough to visit SL during the off-season, as we saw very few other visitors until we returned to Colombo.
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| Gathering wood |
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| Our bungalow |
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| Fixing my sandal |
During our last day in Beijing, Chris and I strolled around one of the hutong areas. These are really funky and interesting neighborhoods, where many streets and alleys have not changed in decades. We happened upon an impromptu performance by a group of older Chinese gentlemen, playing instruments and singing a song that they probably had known for years - it was a magical moment that Chris captured with his cigarette-pack-sized flip movie camera. And they kept on playing!
Saturday, Chris and I set the alarm for 6:00am and got a ride out to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, about an hour and a half northeast of Beijing. The early hour was tough, but, man, it was worth getting there early before the tour buses! We were on the first cable car from Mutianyu up to the Wall, and there it was. I'd heard about it for years, had seen pictures, but nothing prepared me for the real thing. We hiked it for about an hour and a half, totally in awe, and taking way too many photographs - as I sit here typing this two days later, I can still feel it in my calves.
My plane arrived in Beijing on a beautiful afternoon, so after settling in, and while Chris was flying in from Shanghai, I walked to Tiananmen Square to see the place in the waning light of day. The initial impact was from Chairman Mao's oversize portrait on the large building serving as precursor to the Forbidden City. The security around the building was significant, where visitors had to funnel through a narrow fence opening manned by half a dozen police. This was just to go to the front of the building on the outside. It really seemed like a pilgrimage for the folks, holding Chinese flags and posing for portraits with the Chairman's portrait behind them. I then walked to the other side of Tiananmen Square, across Chang An Avenue, via an underpass. All bags had to go through X-ray scanners before being admitted to the section made famous by the 1989 disturbance. Visitors, mostly Chinese, were milling around, having picnics and waiting for an event around the flagpole holding the flag of China - I think it may have been for the changing of the guard. What struck me were the families waiting together, sitting around statues, grandparents, toddlers, little ones on dads' shoulders so they could see better. A circle of appreciative onlookers watched as an enchanting little girl performed a simple dance. She was accompanied by traditional Chinese music played from a device on the belt of her grandfather, who was coaching her with a big smile on his face. I assumed he was her grandfather by the body language, the age difference, the pride he exuded, and the affection exhibited after the little girl's performance. A soldier stood close by at attention, and I'm thinking he had to have cracked a smile, if even for an instant.
The Lama Temple in Beijing was, as one might imagine, an oasis of tranquility amidst a populous, frenetic cityscape. A long walk bordered by big trees led up to several layers of extraordinary temples and buildings, serving as a "lamasery", which I assume is the Buddhist equivalent of a monastery. As I passed from one building into the next, each successive structure was more impressive than the previous, and culminated in a building that housed a gilded Buddha that must have been 40 meters high. Had I not intended to meet Chris back at the hotel at that time, I could easily have lingered another hour. So, I walked out the main entrance to the busy street, clogged with taxis, buses, crowds, the sound of car horns,.....and in the background, a faint trace of Buddhist chanting music. After 5 minutes or more, I was finally able to cross the street, and found a small Buddhist shop selling incense, prayer beads, temple supplies and CDs, one of which was creating the beautiful music. I bought a copy, and as we were completing the transaction, a monk holding a bundle of incense sticks came into the shop. He was chatting, laughing with the two young men running the place, and out of the corner of my eye, I swear, he was dancing a bit to the music. My purchase was affirmed.
