The waves have re-appeared. But because of the wind, the boys, as Ronan and Marlies have arrived as well, have to get up at 05.15 to get three hours of surf in before they wake us and we have breakfast together and go on an adventure in our Tuk-Tuks.
As we stealth over the planes, hiding behind the bushes, we look at amazement at the huge shape of what soon will become very clear is a male elephant. He moves slowly over the planes, making a hovering motion while eating the vegetation. He is about the size of the tree he stands next to, so I guess he is about 3 meters high. With hugde plapping ears, by which you can tell he is old as they are torn. We descuss stealth tactics as we remember that elephants have bad eye sight, but great hearing and smell. We are down wind so that should be fine, brought by my husband as he moves like a professional hunter from bush to bush, urging me to keep low. It's incredible to watch this powerful wild creature just stand there, moving magestically over the planes. We keep a safe distance though as we know there are accounts of elephants killing local people when they're in heat(not now, pff), and people moving more and more in to their habitat.
The stealthing is repeated as we get closer to the water to try and spot crocodiles. I don't know if I feel happy about the fact that we succeed in that as we see a 3 meter long monster move slowly into the water, observing us, before he submerges fully. You can tell by the bubbles where they are, now and then and there are surely more then one out there. Our guide/ tuk-tuk driver answers to my question that; no, they do not attack humans any more, since the Buddist people cast a spell on them and gave them medician in the water. Since then they are afraid of humans. I get the feeling that Graham is a lot closer to the truth when he remarks that they submerge only to move close to you when your on the river bed and hunt you. So we stay well away from that.
As we continue our shaky journey in the tuk-tuk we get to the Kudimbigala Forest Hermitage, where they have over two hundred different little temples, on and around the biggest rock in the area. They are all emmensely colourful and coverd in spectacular engravings and statues. With trees in front of them, dressed up in pretty saries, who look like they will touch the sky. We have a spectacular view all around us, before we set of to Okanda for some more surf for the boys. And Marlies and me retreat to the shade to cool down a bit as it gets really warm in the afternoon.
