On This Day . . .

On March 20,2016, we docked in Hambantota, Sri Lanka in a very rural area of the country. Our day was spent visiting Yala National Park, which was 40 miles away and took about a hour and a half to get there. We boarded 4 wheel drive vehicles and started our journey on paved roads until we got to the park entrance, where the roads became dirt and some had large ruts in them. Along the way we passed several small towns and roadside stores. Once in the park there was sightings of Water Buffalo, Macaque Monkeys and Sri Lankan Axis Spotted Deer. There were also many bird species there such as the Cormoranth and a small yellow thrush. Although flat there were many ponds, marshes and thickets as well as the main focal point of the park, Elephant Rock. On our way back we passed many rice fields, being harvested and local roadside stores selling pottery.