On Monday morning around 9 o’clock, we were getting ready to leave for our WWW experience. The bus ride there lasted approximately 3 hours, making us arrive right on time for lunch. Due to the delay in our departure, no activities were organised for that day, so we spent the day in Back and Beyond playing games and enjoying the pool.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the beach where we stayed to enjoy fresh air as well as refresh in the water. We stayed there for quite some time, relaxing and enjoying each others’ company.
After dinner it was time for frog watching, eager to find some nocturnal creatures, everyone rushed to grab their torches and was ready to explore. It’s surprising how clear the sky was that night, we were able to see a great quantity of stars illuminating the dark sky.
The next morning, me and my roommates (Huirong and Senaya) struggled to force ourselves out of bed, which made us arrive a little late, while everyone else was already awake and ready. Thankfully, we weren’t late enough to miss breakfast!
Right after breakfast, we got on the bus and headed towards Situlpawwa. We climbed many stairs to reach two different stupas. The view from there was spectacular, it allowed us to see so far in distance. Also, visiting a stupa is not common for me, so I used this chance to learn more about religion and culture in Sri Lanka. For example, I was confused when some of my classmates told me that I had to take off my shoes when going up, that is why there were many mats on the floor, so people wouldn’t burn off their feet! (it was extremely hot that day and the sun was burning hot)
On a hike in Situlpawwa – Picture by: Mr. Lockwood
After a long and tiring hike, we visited a little store that sold cold beverages and ice cream, which seemed like an essentail if we wanted to make it through the day.
Soon after a little break we were on a move again! On our way to the safari in Bundala.
We hopped on the jeeps and shortly after, we were at the gates of the park. The safari lasted approximately 3 hours (it surely didn’t feel like it) and we managed to spot numerous animals. We saw: cows (surprising amounts), monkeys, buffalos, elephants, rabbits, crocodiles, etc. And of course, all kinds of birds! Some of them were: peacock, painted stork, yellow fowl, kingfisher, spoon bill, green tailed bee-eaters, and many more.
Elephant in Bundala – Picture by: Unknown photographer, class of 20-21
Learning Outcome: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken: I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that the hike itself was a challenge. Also, since we were visiting stupas (and like said before, shoes should be taken off), we hiked in our slippers! (there were moments when I thought that I was about to loose one on the way)
Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth: During this trip we did a lot of observing, specifically we focused on birds. These activities allowed me to appreciate things I don’t usually pay much attention to, and also how to record everything I see. Now I feel more aware of things that surround me and more confident to identify them.