Day 22: 30/1/12 - Bare Feet through Paddy Fields

I don't know if it is because we started our last week here today or that I got to the end of the rather tragic book I've been reading, but today was rather a sombre day somehow.

Before we began our day's duties we were led through a field of papaya trees and introduced to a python. Apparently, this fellow had been in the exact same spot of a small stream for 15 days. He had ingested a dog and now was bodily forced to stay on the spot while he/she digested it.

Afterwards, we returned to Weheragala to monitor the other half of its electric fences. I don't know what it was with today, but i managed to bump my head on an electric wire once- and get slightly buzzed-, fall on my bottom in the mud twice and be cut endlessly by "nidikumba". At least i can amuse myself with my clumsiness. I eventually gave in and walked a good part of the path letting my bare feet grip the slippery, muddy ground of the paddy areas.

Fencing

The farmers

farmeresses

Day 21: 29/1/12 - Pink Nil Manel on a Sunday off

Sundays in Hettipola have now become a bit of a routine. I love my string hoppers for Breakfast!

Bus Ride to Hettipola (above photo; credits to Reeve Koelmeyer)

The Pink "Nil Manel" - a pink variant of the blue water lily, Sri Lanka's National Flower

an aged, abandoned petrol station in Hettipola

Day 20: 28/1/12 - Fencing

To start the day, we were addressed by an elephant break in in our village. The previous night, one bull elephant pulled a couple fences in towards it, by grabbing onto the uncharged earthwire -the smart fellow he was. He then frolicked through a paddy field, almost oblivious to the firecrackers and shouting thrown at him. He then proceeded down the main road, pushed another fence post down and headed home.

Break in

Damage to Fields

Departure

We took down the report and then had to head on to the next village where we were assigned to monitor half of the fencing around the village, Weheragala. As always, Jayathilaka, our field guide, was a tad late, so we settled in to a little tea shop, briefly. These have become a new love of mine.

We then spent the next 3 hours, looking at the condition of the electric fences around half the village. There were no elephant attacks, but the water level had risen in one of the streams, drowning 3 fence poles and a great length of wire.

With our coordinator missing for the weekend, we have had to settle into doing village work instead of transects and walking up to 6 hours in the hot sun. Quite the work out, indeed.

Oh that strut

3 weeks of scruff

Day 19: 27/1/12 - Walks on Paved Ground

Today was another village day. We had to collect the remainder of the data from the villages - perhaps another 50-70. Tedious, but I suppose its sorta essential that the organization has a detailed survey of how many people are within the fences they put up.

The lovely thing about the village stroll were the little mundane discoveries: old window shutters, a little té kaadé (tea shop), "a sea of puppies" as Reeve called them, the ever lovely paddy fields and lastly a little stream that we returned to that evening to bathe in.

these lovely shutters

Ambe Yaluo (Special Friends)

The Sea of Puppies

The tea shop :)

Siria at his best

Day 18: 26/1/12 - Getting to know the Villagers and Fishermen

This morning was spent surveying the village we stay in. We had to get the gps point of every house in the village. Siria was our guide of the village today, which made for an entertaining morning. But after about 40 houses, the rather sweltering sun got to me and I decided to call it a day. Reeve, the fighter he is, did a total of over 120 houses today. Aren't I proud.

Siria's granddaughter

paddy pests

We got some tea at one of Siria's relative's

These parts and their corn

Afternoon, we went fishing for dinner. I can't say i'm a fan- fish flopping about on the shore till they die. Eeek. But Reeve was utterly contented. And now we have dinner :)

A fisherman in his paddy field

City boy as a fisherman. proud moment!

His first catch. Prouder moment!!

The fishermen with their nets

Little Dilhani again

Boys who also wanted their picture taken

Village bathers