The Martin's Blog

Helen – I had a toss and tumble night; kept thinking about the 20/20 special about the dive shops in Mexico where the divers weren’t checked out, the guides weren’t too careful and lost several divers, etc.!!!  When we had checked at Hikkaduwa, the dive capital of Sri Lanka, the dive shop insisted that I do a recertification class for $45 before I could go on a dive for another $50.  This was because I hadn’t dove in over a year (more like 7).  When we called on Friday night to confirm our plans, I said to Tom to mention about my last dive time frame.  Well, it was all ok and this morning we pack our things and go.  Now it gets a little “fishy.”  The gear is a little “dated” and the dials are in metric.  When I check my tank content it is only half full…I ask about this and he replies that they do that because the high pressure is not good for the hoses!!!   I am rethinking this!!!  I know that he was wiped out with the tsunami and is trying to get back on his feet…I asked if he wanted to see my cards,  he said, no need I believe you (another no-no!); I show him anyway.  I wonder if he is going to ask me some questions or check me out in the water before we go (NO!)  He reviews the hand signals, up, down, ok; that’s it for the review!  We gather the gear and go to the boat.  It is an open boat (no seats and no ladder) with a 25 hp outboard motor and a driver

Thank heavens the water is relatively calm, the sun is out and so the visibility should be good.  We drive out about 15-20 minutes to a reef area.  He originally said we would be going to a depth of about 45’ (15m).  I think he changed his mind when he saw that I only had a ½ tank of air and his was full!!  We dove around 27’ (9m) and my air was going fast!!  He offered me his octopus (spare regulator for emergencies) but I didn’t like it because it leaked air into my mouth on each breath.  I went back to mine.  After a little while, I give him the signal that I was down to 500psi which meant it was time for me to go up; he gave me his good regulator and he took the leaky one and we buddy-breathed for the rest of the time until his air was down. 

We got in about an hour underwater, only because we didn’t go very deep.  I had a little trouble (OK, a lot of trouble!) getting back into the boat.  There was no ladder and the sides were quite high.  He tried to push me over the side and when that didn’t work, we went to the back with the motor and I used it for some extra footing. In the boat we discussed the air problem and then he told me that he had it filled to 2000 psi and the tank must have had a leak but we didn’t have enough time to exchange it!!!  Good thing it wasn’t necessary to go any deeper (which uses more air) because we saw lots of beautiful fish and corals at this depth.  The reefs were really good because the visitor population has been down the last few years due to the tsunami and the war.  Also more divers go to Hikkaduwa which is a tourist area.  We were told that it is overcrowded in the tourist season.

Tom did not have as much luck.  He was not able to see much with his mask and snorkel and the tide was beginning to go in and the waves were getting higher – his tummy was going up and down with the waves and swells producing an unpleasant result; he was able to get into the boat before he threw-up…I had a great time with all the personal attention and after a few minutes underwater, wasn’t worrying anymore.  I am glad that Tom pushed me to go and made the plans, even though I was apprehensive and gave him a hard time, because I enjoyed every minute!!

 Helen – I can’t believe that our time on the beach is coming to an end…I will miss the morning walks and meals looking at the ocean BUT I WILL NOT MISS THE SAND FLIES!!!  You would not believe how bitten up I am, my entire body itches day and night and nothing really seems to help.  Our next location is further up north in the forest area; it should be a little cooler but hey will probably have something else that will eat me alive!!!  Here I am also able to wear shorts and tanks around the house because it is a beach area but there I will not be so lucky.

Just finishing two months and we are about half finished with the assignment.  Today is my last walking class and we should be packing up and leaving by next Thursday…I have mixed feelings about India but at least we will see the Taj Mahal and some other interesting sites before the Fulbrighters have to attend their conference.  I don’t know what I will be doing during that time.  The Fulbright office paid only for the Fulbrighters and they had to pay for their families…so Tom will have to pay about $1000 for my airfare, visa, extra person in the room, my meals and extras.  They are cheap!!!  This being the case, some Fulbrighters were not able to bring their families with them.

Today we had a few new things on the beach; seems we have something new everyday!!  Often we meet fishermen carrying their inner tubes and nets; yesterday one had caught a lobster, today it was crabs.

The five puppies are a source of amusement as Tom tries to capture their picture all together without their mother going after him.

Another new adventure was the coconut climber!!  He was paid to climb the trees and cut down the ripe coconuts (before they fell and killed someone!) and the dead branches.  He was awesome to watch; he tied his ankles together with rope; then shimmied up the tree with his long curved knife tucked at his waist.  It sounded like bombs dropping when those coconuts started hitting the ground.  When he climbed down the first tree, he cut a coconut for me so that I could drink the sweet liquid inside…I don’t really care for it…but smiled and thanked him.  I had tried one before at the market in Colombo with Ruki.  We have quite a few tree (21 just between the house and ocean) so they had a truck come to get the coconuts and branches.  Kamala (the owner’s representative), her niece (interpreter), Leela (the little short helper), and Sumanthupala (suspect in our phone disappearances) were all there as well as the climber.  Leela and Samanthupala cleaned up the yard and gathered the coconuts as Kamala and niece supervised.

I did some laundry this morning and made scones which I shared with those in the yard. They like sweets and wanted the recipe so I spent quite some time explaining how to make them.

Today was the last day with the students.  Tom had about 10 students, 7 of which were quite regular.  In his meeting with Sarath, the department Chair, he learned that the equipment in the weight room was made in Sri Lanka and consisted of every piece that was in the company brochure.  The company had no aerobic equipment for sale.  Tom showed Sarath several internet sites for companies that sell exercise equipment but it is doubtful they will have the money to purchase any.  The weight room itself was built by the Koreans and was a post tsunami donation to the university and opened just three months ago.  Tom rearranged the equipment several times to make a more efficient flow pattern and taught the students how to use each piece.  On the last day, one student was chosen to say a few words of appreciation and how happy they were to have him show them how to use their weight room (which they used haphazardly before) and the knowledge which he passed on to them.  Then they all applauded.

My last two students, Kanthi (the physics professor), and Vini (the PE instructor) attended my last class.  After I explained again how important it was to develop a regular exercise schedule, I walked the first mile with them and then they continued on their respective distance on their own.  They did an excellent job of keeping their own pace which I was really pleased to see, usually they just follow whatever pace I set.  We exchanged emails and I said if they asked I would continue to send them various workouts.

We rushed home to shower and change because we were invited to dinner at Sunny’s (one of Tom’s faculty) home.  He picked us up about 7 and then drove us to the other side of town where he lives.  His wife teaches piano at one of the schools and also gives lessons at home.  Piano and guitar are considered western music (we thought it had to do with composers!) and they explained that the other instruments were considered eastern including the violin.  We don’t really understand this classification.  His brother-in-law, his wife and their 16 year old son were also there as was his 89 year old mother.  They had the TV on and she was watching an Indian soap opera, which is broadcast every night, while we talked and began the first of many dishes.  I think the fan and our conversation were a bit disturbing for her.

Tom and Sunny drank Arrack, the national coconut whiskey, with club soda and I sipped a beer.  He brought out a lovely dish with two fish arranged with fresh tomatoes and onion rings.  He also only brought out two dishes.  We were ready to share one, when he gives one whole fish to Tom and the other to me.  His brother-in-law and his son were sitting with us but no one else was eating!!  When I finished mine, he gave me another piece of fried sear fish and then brought out another big mullet fish with the fixings and we had to try this as well.  It was very good, a white firm flesh that almost reminded you of crab or lobster.  By now it was nearing 9 o’clock and the table behind us was still laid out with our dinner as I suggested that we move to the table.  Once again there was a banquet set out: rice, shrimp curry, fish curry, boiled vegetables, pasta fish casserole, lettuce-tomatoes-cucumber-onion salad plate, and waffles.

We were baffled again because only two place settings were set.  Sunny sat and talked with us as his wife brought out a pureed mushroom soup to begin our food marathon.  We kept asking for the others to join us but they replied that they don’t eat this late at night; funny thing is that we don’t either.  We explained that we couldn’t eat all this food but that we would have some of each dish and at that it was difficult to eat so much food.

 We had brought red wine and cakes (chocolate zucchini and scone).  They loved the chocolate cake and shared that in the kitchen while we ate in the dining area with Sunny. When we finally put our knives and forks down, dessert was brought out; it included fresh pineapple slices and a delicious trifle with two puddings, cake, and jello.  It was very colorful and even though I was stuffed, I had to have two helpings of it.  They also gave us two appliquéd pillow cases which were made by one of her students.

We arrived home about 10 feeling overstuffed and wondering how we were going to sleep.  I was up at 3:30 with an upset stomach but settled again after that.  Poor Tom was up several times with the bites/welts on his legs from the morning walk.  We are in constant agony with the itching so we decided not to walk this morning.

Helen – We had coffee before we left and some brownies and chocolate cake which we brought from home, saving the big breakfast for when we returned from the safari.  The park is supposed to open at 6:30 and we arrived on time but we were told that since it was the first day it was going to be a little late.  We waited at the gate with the army patrolling the park; we are actually getting used to all the security guards everywhere.

Finally they say we can go to the visitors center but can not get our tickets until after the park is blessed at 7:45.  The center has a small table set with a Buddha, the offerings, and incense.  The monk arrived, and they washed his feet at the door, then dried them with a towel.  He entered and sat at a table and began the prayers.  We all sat on the floor, with heads bowed and hands together.  Then a man tied a white string to a bowl on the table and passed the string through the hands of everyone sitting on the floor thus connecting all of us together.  While the blessing continued we were told that we could now buy our tickets.  By now there was one more visitor (from Wales); since we have a residence visa our fee was 700 rupees (about $7) the fee for the other man was 3000 rupees ($30).  Great break for us!!

The jeep and driver were arranged by our hotel, and since we were the only ones there we didn’t have to share the jeep either.  Usually, the jeep holds 8 people; so we were free to stand through roof partitions and get really great views.  We picked up a guide at the center; he was volunteering today.  He had retired after 37 years with the national park system.  By now, we had missed the morning water hole gatherings which occur about 6:30-7:00.  It was now 8 and we were afraid we weren’t going to see much.  We were pleasantly surprised.  Our guide found the first elephant by a tree with grass covering the bottom half of its body.  He said it was a male and that males travel alone while the females are in herds with their young.  The eldest female is the herd leader. 

Our next elephant spotting was two males which is usually a dangerous situation because it was mating season and they tend to fight. 

We saw many peacocks; more males but only a few with their long tails.  The guide said that they would open their tails later in the day for shade.  The monkeys were crazy jumping through the trees, one actually grabbed a branch which broke and sent him flying to the ground.  He was ok!! 

Little green parrots caught our eye several times as well as two hawk eagles with large wing spans.  Finally, we came to a herd.  A young female charged us running out of the woods.  The guide quickly raised his hand and yelled at her to stop.  I couldn’t believe she just stopped.  He said she would charge again and she did as we moved the jeep for a better look.  Behind her were several more large elephants and it looked like a couple of little ones.  He said that the charging elephant was about 18-20 and was pregnant probably for the first time.  We just parked the jeep and watched her, then several other elephants joined her. They were breaking branches off the trees and eating the wooden parts which surprised us.  One larger elephant turned back and began calling some of the others to come.  What fun it was and the highlight of the trip.  Driving back we saw several more males and were happy with our sightings.

 A few interesting facts on how elephants spend their day:

• 2-4 hours sleeping on their feet
• 18-20 hours eating
• 1 hour bathing
• 2-4 hours moving
• 1 hour resting
• 10 minutes drinking (they don’t drink through their nose – they pick up the water with it but squirt it in their mouth!!)
• Nurse 1-2 years
• They can hear especially well even with their feet. They can hear an average of 2 miles and depending on conditions, sometimes even further.  So they can signal each other of danger or where there is water.
• Their shoulder height is about twice the circumference of their footprint
• They have 80,000 muscles in their trunk
• The trunk can hold 1 gallon of water
• Can lift 700 lbs
• The trunk is composed of the nose and upper lip
• Live to about 65 years in the wild and 75 in captivity

Back to the hotel for a breakfast of more fat (cheese omelet, bacon, sausage, butter on toast, cream in coffee) than we usually have in a week – but it was really good!  Paid our bill and got into the car; we were parked in a tight spot by the reception area. Tom had to back up the car to leave – two seconds later, “Crunch” the right side view mirror was pointing the wrong way and a tree trunk was in the driver’s side window.  There was a tree right in the middle of the driveway as you pulled into the hotel which I guess didn’t make much of an impression on us when we entered last night.  It made a definite impression this morning and thus it was the third minor accident with the car!  Tom is dreading taking the car back to the rental company.

 Nearby on the other side of the park, there is an Elephant Transit Reserve.  Orphaned baby elephants are brought here and cared for up to four years then released back into the wild with a herd.  There were 32 elephants there with the youngest being 2 months.  He was so cute…the herd had stepped on a mine then ran into the forest leaving him behind. The navy found him and he was brought here.  They are fed milk every three hours around the clock.  We got there about 11:15 so we just looked around and watched that baby in his pen.  Minutes before feeding time the elephants began marching home for feeding.  They have an eleherd (shepherd) watching them and bringing them home.  They feed the two babies first while the others pile into the corral area and into a separate pen where they wait their turn.  The babies were fed with a large bottle but the others had a funnel with a long hose attached.  As the elephants ran to the fence, they quickly grabbed the hose with their trunks and stuck it into their mouths or just ran up with their mouths open and the feeders inserted the hoses in their mouths.  They gulped the milk quickly and then went to another waiting area.  Two were fed at a time, so it was fun watching them come, eat, and go.  One elephant kept trying to come back for more and the eleherd had to keep chasing him away.  This all took only about 20 minutes, we then headed home. 

We ended the day by watching the sunset sitting on our wall by the beach.

Helen – It’s a Leap Year!  And we are getting ready for another trip; we are going to Uda Walawe National Park for an elephant safari.  The park was opening again after being closed for over two months because of security.  There were two bombings in another national park.  We are only going to spend an overnight and probably be gone about 24 hours so you would think “not much to do”.

 We did not walk this morning because our guests left at 11pm and by the time we cleaned up the kitchen, we were ready for bed.  Good thing I had that long walk with my students.  I cooked lunch which was a mixture of cuisines…they gave me some leaves with stalks which they grow behind the PE building and I cooked these with garlic.  Then I cooked yellow dal (yellow lentils) which I added to the greens with some coconut milk and served it over rice.  It was really quite good and Tom said it was “a do again.”  Then I had to clean the kitchen (both outside and inside) so that the ants wouldn’t have a party while we were gone.  Counters had to be washed, all food put away in the refrigerator, floors swept.  It’s funny what you get used to like the gecko’s climbing the walls and ants everywhere (in the kitchen, the bathrooms, all the rooms).  You can’t leave anything out.  I hate the tiny, tiny ants in the kitchen that get into all food and when you try to clean them up they just continue to climb up your arms.  You can hardly see them but you can feel them!!

After throwing our clean up bags and a few other things into the back packs and stopping at the office to update the blog (and leave the computer locked in the office!) we were off.  The park is about 90 Km (54 m) away and it took about 3 hours travel time going 40-50 kph (25 mph) when possible and it felt like we were flying with the curving roads, construction, and general traffic as we mentioned before.  The first picture Tom took was of a boat that had been moved inland by the tsunami being finally returned to the water.

The second was an old man in a wagon pulled by a bull cow.  

In the first town, he took a picture of a man carrying a bed from a support over his shoulder.  It was flexible and rocked as he walked right down the middle of the street.  

We were hoping to reach our destination by 5:30 or before dark.  Roads are not marked too well for passing, but the general rule is not to pass a policeman on a motorcycle.  I guess Tom forgot this rule, as he passed two motorcycles (the lead having two policemen) going around a curve.  Of course, they pulled him over and in their limited English told him it was dangerous to pass on a curve.  One of them was ready to give him a ticket, but the other kept scolding Tom and stressing his point, and Tom was agreeing with him.  The driver finally called the other officer and they left.  Close call!!!

When we were getting close to our destination, I began reading the directions from the Lonely Planet travel book.  We had made a reservation for the night at the Walawa Safari Village Hotel.  The book only recommended two hotels and we found the first one which was supposed to be 8 km from the park entrance.  According to the book, our hotel was 10km from the entrance but we were on a different road.  We stopped at a police station to ask for directions and they sent us back the way we came saying we missed it.  We think they are wrong but turn around and stop at the first hotel to ask directions.  Looked like the jeep drivers were drunk and they kept asking us if we wanted rooms there…so we said “thank you” and left.  Now we tried to call our hotel and no one answered.  We were going back to the closest town rereading the directions and trying to make sense of them as we kept calling the hotel.  Finally, the hotel answers and tells us to turn around and to continue pass the police station, the other hotel and then make a left turn when we see the big sign.  Ok, he was close, we had to make a right turn, but we were there before dark and dinner was to be served in an hour.  This was a really elegant place.  It had five bungalows with 5 rooms each. Each room had its own front little sitting area separated by a gate and fence; 5 rooms (including ours) were air conditioned, large bathroom and clean linens and towels.  This was heaven after Ratnapura!!!  The bungalows were separated by stone walkways and lovely bushes and forest trees.  The reception area had great maps and info about the parks and the dining room was clean and lovely.  We were the ONLY guests on the first night before the opening of the park.  The cuisine was Chinese with corn egg drop soup; fried rice; and three main courses, fish (they say fis), vegetable, and chicken.  They were all delicious but the chicken was hot!!  Refreshing pineapple for dessert and we were off to bed by 8:45 having to be in the jeep at 6:15am.