Back to Warmer Climates - Yala National Park

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We finally have internet again...four days without seems like forever...kind of sad! We did however enjoy our few days of being disconnected from the world. After leaving the cooler climate of the the highlands/tea growing region, we headed for the south coast to Yala National Park. Here we stayed in a small bungalow, ate outdoors under a palm leaf roof, and hung our laundry over the shrubs like the locals do. Our first safari in the park started at 530am in hopes of catching a glimpse of the animals before the heat of the day. We drove around the park for 3 hours, seeing many kinds of birds, elephant, mongoose, spotted deer, water buffalo and from a distance a brief glance at the elusive leopard. We also did an evening safari drive, seeing the same animals but getting a better look at a leopard as he crossed the road. The following morning, we took a safari through Bundala National Park. This is a smaller park, a short distance but bumpy ride from where we stayed. Here we saw many birds and watched an elephant (up close) dig in the ground for food.

Our hotel, Back of Beyond - Yala, was a single bungalow (so we were the only guests) in the jungle but near the ocean. We could hear the waves crashing against the rocks. The only power was solar and candles so we had to conserve energy. There were plenty of bugs and mosquitos. This was the first place we have had a problem with the mosquitos. And like our other jungle lodges, there were frogs in the toilet on a regular basis.

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