Induruwa to Tissamaharama

We spent a lot of time at the beach Induruwa. It was just so relaxing after running around India that we decided to take some time to relax while we were at such a beautiful place. Mostly all we did was play in the ocean, lie down with a good book, and eat wonderful Sri Lankan food (it's surprisingly different from Indian food). We did do a few things of note, however.

We visited a nearby turtle hatchery which was lots of fun! The turtles have a hard time making it by themselves, so the hatcheries (there are several) pay fisherman a little bit of money to bring them any eggs they find. They hatch the eggs and then keep the turtles until they're old enough to have a better chance surviving in the wild. We got to have a look at the eggs that were waiting to hatch and they had a big tank of baby turtles swimming around that we were able to pick up and hold. They also had albino and blind turtles that they keep permanently because they would not be able to survive in the wild. Their efforts are funded by private contributions and entry fees. Unfortunately, the whole place was completely destroyed by the tsunami. Our guide had a picture of himself on the site of the flattened hatchery which was pretty depressing. The good news is that they have rebuilt and are still passionate about their mission.

While we were in Induruwa I had my first Sri Lankan epiphany. One of the great things that Sri Lanka has to offer are coconuts, lots of them! These are frequently sold by the side of the road for 20 rupees (about 15-20 cents) I did some quick math in my head and realized that drinking coconut milk is cheaper than drinking water (the coconut meat is a bonus(! Since then I've been drinking coconuts exclusively when I can get them, which is most of the time. I love the tropical life!

After Induruwa we made our way to Tissamaharama which is conveniently located next to two animal reserves. We hired a jeep for a whole day to take us around the parks and spot wildlife. We were really lucky! We saw so many different types of animals - birds, monkeys, water buffalo, crocodiles, elephants, deer, rabbits, mongooses, peacocks, etc. We really loved watching the elephants, but the highlight was seeing a Sri Lankan spotted leopard. They're usually pretty elusive, but the one we saw was just walking down the road that our jeep was on. We followed him for about 10 minutes before he made a turn and simply disappeared in the jungle. We couldn't believe he let us stay with him for so long. Every once in a while he'd just turn around and look at us as if to say "Why are you following me? Stop following me!" The funny thing is, we've felt the same way about people trying to sell us rickshaw rides and hotel rooms, but we couldn't not follow him! Oh, the ironies of life...