Our hotel was placed above an open plain in which was nestled a huge body of water, the Minneriya Tank. It afforded a wide view of the distant water buffalo and cattle feeding on the banks of the water, the forest margin tended to be barrier to this peaceful vista. I was looking for an elephant to come walking out of the forest and take a dip. We had seen extensive elephant fencing along the road in so they must be around. The fence is made of three wires strung on poles, the top one being electrified.
The evening of our arrival Steve and I went for an Ayurvedic Massage in our hotel; I was hoping to get rid of the nagging pain in my mid-back, my hopes were high. The man that I talked to seemed to have wisdom and healing powers and he guaranteed eliminating my pain. When the time came to get the massage, it was a young man who led me to the table and commenced anointing me with oils. He was gentle when I wanted deep and intense. I left the room mellow but still constricted with the pain.
My stomach by now was not digesting and felt like congealed cement, heavy and uncomfortable. I had soup for dinner.
Early the next morning @ 5:30 we were up and on the road for our first safari in a jeep with guide into the Minneriya Giritale Sanctuary. We stood up in the back of the jeep and scanned the horizon with our binos. Steve was astounded that the guide didn't have binos or a book. It was a theme from here after for Steve to ask and to be astounded by the rest of the guides we encountered. We used Wolley's bird book. I started the day barely able to stand by my bed without holding on to the wall. I had numerous areas of pain my head, lower back, middle back and I was unsteady on my feet. Onward to the Safari.
The road was very rough and uneven, our truck swayed and sunk and rose and pitched. We both were uttering involuntary grunts of pain when our backs or ribs hit the cross bar. Onward to the Safari. The guide would wrap on the bar with a coin to signal stop for the driver and we would look for what ever he had spotted. It was supposed to be a three hour trip, but we were soon returning to trail head. No elephants, but numerous birds and monitor lizards and large squirrels. I saw a small family of wild boar run up a embankment and disappear into the brush before Steve could catch them. We ate our prepared breakfast in a observation platform overlooking an expanse of water and veldt.
Later afternoon we were out in the truck with driver and guide and Wolley on Safari part II. Off we went over a causeway along a dry channel. Beautiful Bee Eaters, Kites, Eagles on down the road we went through the lightly forested land. We soon came to an open plain with more buffalo and cattle on the horizon. We stopped about 100 yards from the water's edge close to the buffalo and birds. In the hardened mud were the large footprints of elephant and fresh dung piles. Elephant dung is identified by retaining a ball shape for some time and having a make-up of grass. I found an eagle feather which I have tucked away to bring home. We left the lake and continued across the veldt. Someone called out "elephant". It took me seconds to find him. He was against the tree line and blended in with the shadows. He was standing tall, flapping his ears, swaying on his feet and he tossed red dust over his head on to his back. He was magnificent. I was overcome with emotion. Here was an elephant living an elephant's life in nature, a happy elephant. We moved closer and he began to shift his weight and turned and melted into the trees.
I spotted the next group of elephants, two standing apart. As we moved closer which put us between them the one on the left moved quickly into the bush. The remaining elephant on our right faced us and began moving to the left and closing on us. He had his head down and would move his left leg to the right of the line of direction moving him closer to us but putting him closer to the bush that his partner went to. The driver started the jeep and the big guy turned to his right and sped off after his companion. Steve and I wished the driver hadn't broken the spell.
We continued on to another open space and saw more elephants a group of three and a group of four. They moved into a break in the trees and we circled right around the end of the trees into another open plain. A herd of about 40 elephants were gathered in a group and two other vehicles positioned together on one side of the herd quite close. We moved into the veldt and proceeded to cross over to the other side of the herd. The group that had entered the break were coming into the veldt and were by now on our left which put us between two groups of the elephants. We moved quickly to eliminate the tension of separating the animals. By now the other vehicles came to be between the elephants and one of the large females from the herd came out to challenge them and to warn them to stay away, flapping ears, trumpeting and making threatening body language. One of the trucks moved in the wrong direction and the elephant put on a charge and chased the truck until the driver made a get-away. Another large elephant came to look into our direction and began with the moves and gave a short charge and stopped. It was quite exciting and she was letting us know that we had better think again about moving closer. Meanwhile the others in the herd were quite calm and the juveniles were bumping heads and carousing with each other, at ease in the moment. A baby was feeding from it's mother and the other females gathered around to provide a protective barrier around the baby. Things quieted down and the herd relaxed more and I watched in awe of these wonderfully expressive creatures. Happy elephants at home in their land. We decided to leave the area and our driver moved straight ahead on the road which put us close to the left side of the herd. The animals moved as one, swerving away from us in a quick start. I thought the driver should have driven off the road to the left away from the herd without starting them. We moved on to the next plain and came across an elephant remains which looked like just the skin. It was a moving experience to see that too.
We returned on the road back to trail head and Steve had to restrain the driver from speeding back. We saw a monitor lizard swimming in a small depression and nearer to the trail head we saw another elephant moving through the trees below the road. It was quite a day. I loved the elephants, the happy elephants
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