In Gal Oya NP

I slept rather better despite the pain in my side, and with no plans for the morning we took our time getting ready and went to breakfast at 8.00. We could have had a cooked English or Sri Lankan breakfast but decided to just have the fruit (delicious!), toast and curd. The coffee was rather better than we'd had in other hotels so we sat over that. As we did so the rain started again! Luckily the hotel staff brought umbrellas across so we didn’t get wet going back to our room. We sat on our terrace for a while and I enjoyed photographing some of the birds.

When the rain got heavier and started to blow in on us, we retreated to the room for a bit. The torrential rain lasted for the rest of the morning but eased a bit around 1.00 and by 2.00, when we were due to go on a jeep safari, had more or less stopped. We weren't sure however if the safari would go ahead if roads were waterlogged, and there was no sign of a jeep at the appointed time. But he arrived in due course and we were off, Chris and I having the outing to ourselves.

Soon after we entered the national park the rain began to fall heavily again. Our driver braved the downpour to fasten the protective flaps at the side and passed out rain jackets. We weren't sure if we should turn back, given how long the morning's downpour had lasted, but our driver suggested we went as far as the lake shore and see if it might stop raining by then. That proved a great call as it did indeed stop and we were even able to get out of the jeep.

The landscape was beautiful in the soft light (like a wet version of Dead Vlei in Namibia!) and we saw quite a few birds including a Grey-headed Fish Eagle, several Painted Storks, a pelican and Grey Heron.

There were also a couple of elephants on the far side of the lake. And to add to the beauty, we had it all to ourselves!

After a while our driver proposed going round to the other side of the lake. On the way we got a great sighting of a pair of Little Bee Eaters, as well as more Painted Storks and another Grey Heron.

Then around a corner we came upon an elephant pretty much on our path. We got some excellent shots and enjoyed watching him for a while. But as he showed no signs of moving away, we of course could drive no further.

Eventually our driver, who as you can see had enjoyed the encounter almost as much as we had, reversed until he reached a good turning point. We headed for the exit and only reached it ten minutes before the 6.00 PM deadline when all vehicles must leave the park.

On the way back to the hotel he stopped a few more times to point out weaver bird nests and a pair of Malabar Pied Hornbills. He told us how the weaver birds line the inside of their dark nests with mud and then gather fireflies to stick to the mud to provide light! However later research tells me that unfortunately (because I loved the idea) this is a myth.

Despite that bit of misinformation he’d been a great guide, keeping us dry during the rainstorm and respecting the elephant’s right of way while ensuring we got some good shots. And while we didn’t see a huge variety of wildlife, the beautiful landscapes and that memorable encounter ensured that this was an excellent drive.

We got back to the hotel around 6.30. We tipped our driver/guide and I also got his number so I could WhatsApp the photo I took of him by the elephant.

For dinner we had a good (and piping hot) tomato soup, a rather dull chicken salad and also dull vegetable fried rice. My dessert was a chocolate pancake with banana, but far too thick and stodgy to eat more than half. The food here has been disappointing when everything else (room, setting, service etc.) has been so good.