Blogs from Pinnawala, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, Asia
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
Published: March 29th 2012Asia » Sri Lanka » Sabaragamuwa Province » Pinnawala
March 29th 2012
As I mentioned in my previous blog, Amie and I managed to squeeze in a visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage right before she left on Monday afternoon. Pinnawala is one of the biggest tourist landmarks in Sri Lanka. There are about 70 elephants living there in semi-wild conditions, but they are closely monitored by mahouts. People come to Pinnawala to see the baby elephants and watch the herd bathe in the river. Unfortunately it's a government run program, and is not managed with elephant care in mind but finacial gain. There is no breeding program at Pinnawala (although it claims to have one), so the elephants there are at risk of becoming inbred. I'm glad I visitied Pinnawala, and the elephants are super cute of course! But it's a shame that they don't have a ... read more
WHERE THE ELEPHANTS COME TO BATHE..
Published: June 3rd 2010Asia » Sri Lanka » Sabaragamuwa Province » Pinnawala
May 22nd 2010
Met Nishal at the KLCC by accident, I arrived at 8:35pm went thru customs around 9:30pm and bummed around for couple hours at the departure lounge, wasn't the only one, Filipinos, Vietnamese, attractive Thai girls and all sorts of people hanging out waiting their flight check in. We got booted out of the Air Asia terminal because they are flogging it, meaning spraying to kill roaches and sorts. I saw Nish walking towards me as I walk out towards the doors and we ended up hanging out together outside in the grassy area chilling until it's check in time. It's a bit of a circus atmosphere for awhile, we checked in and then have to wait for awhile till the immigration office opens up. We had quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, my sandwich was expired so ... read more
Elephants a go go and Wedding Fever!
Published: September 8th 2008Asia » Sri Lanka » Sabaragamuwa Province » Pinnawala
August 13th 2008
After the excitement of the Perihera late last night we manage to summon enough energy to get to the Botanical Gardens bright and early before it gets too hot. The gardens are lush green and filled with surprising sights like couples courting under umbrellas, giant fruit-bat filled trees and weird spindly ancient trees. Next stop is Pinnewala - the famous elephant orphanage which I didn't get a chance to visit on my last visit to Sri Lanka, so I'm more than a little excited! The elephants don't disappoint - they are as adorable as to be expected and we marvel as they use sticks to clean between their toenails and behind their ears. I would quite like to poke their keeper in the eye with his spear though, as he keeps hurting the baby elephant when ... read more
Pinnewela - Orfelinatul de elefanti
Published: November 14th 2006Asia » Sri Lanka » Sabaragamuwa Province » Pinnawala
October 23rd 2006
Aranjam la pensiunea unde stam sa inchiriam un tuk-tuk pentru o zi intreaga si facem o excursie. Inchirierea ne-a costat 12$ cu tot cu sofer - un pret super prietenos. Pe de alta parte reflecta salariile extrem de mici pe care le castiga - cred ca media e mult mai mica chiar decat in Romania. De fapt costul principal intr-o astfel de excursie este benzina, care e destul de scumpa fata de nivelul lor de trai. Daca vrei ca soferul sa stea cateva ore in plus cu tine, no probelm, intra in acelasi pret, sau doar un pic mai mult. Daca in schimb vrei sa parcurgi 50 km in plus atunci pretul creste semnificativ. Motorina e cam juma de dolar iar benzina cam 90 de centi. Este enorm fata de nivelul de trai. Cam peste tot ... read more
Lizard trauma & elephants
Published: November 15th 2006Asia » Sri Lanka » Sabaragamuwa Province » Pinnawala
September 10th 2006
Still having trouble sleeping so I watched a DVD on my laptop. When I got up I noticed that there was something on the wall - a lizard!! A big one! Had a panic and went round the room SWAT style making sure that all my bags were shut so that it couldn't get in anything then ushered it out of the room with an umbrella. Really. Had a fantastic day today. Went to an elephant orpahanage at Pinnawela. On the way stopped at a pineapple plantation and ate pineapple cut fresh from the tree. The orphanage was amazing. The elephants ranged from 6 weeks to 30 years old and included one that had lost 1/2 of one leg because of a land mine. You could just walk around getting really close to the elephants, they ... read more
June 7th 2006
The next day we headed to Kandy - the centre of the island, which used to be the capital. It is home to a lot of Sri Lanka's cultural history, and also the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa). On the way to Kandy, we stopped at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Elsie absolutely adores elephants, so she was loving it. We watched the elephants bathing and playing. This orphanage has about 70 or so elephants. ... read more
January 9th 2006
THE ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE AT PINNAWELA Although January 9 was technically a free day, everyone chose to go to this popular tourist attraction, and the bus and driver were provided for us to make the long trip there and back. Nice. The Elephant Orphanage is much more than just a tourist attraction; it is also a living example of the Buddhist reverence for life to provide life-long care for orphaned and disabled elephants. And the care they receive is fantastic. Fresh food, browsing areas, mahouts to care for them, and twice a day a trip to the river for a nice water bath and a roll in the mud. It is the daily walk and river bath that is mostly appealing to tourists. The procession that we saw had about 70 elephants: bulls, cows, and many babies. ... read more
