Sri Lankan Surprise
“Shh...Come quickly,” whispered Guhadesa, our hotel chaperone. Illuminating the dark terrain with his torch, he marched swiftly ahead, expertly weaving through a labyrinth of misshapen trees and thatched huts. I struggled to keep up with the Guhadesa’s nimble strides, side-stepping small rocks as I trailed after the small shaft of light beaming from his torch. The night air was cool, but I was panting with exhilaration and exhaustion. After a ten-hour journey from Kandy to Yala, I was yearning for a warm bath and a comfortable bed. But the thought of a nine-foot behemoth lurking outside my hotel cabin was enough to keep my mind awake and heart thumping.
“If it doesn’t leave?” I asked.
Guhadesa turned and said quietly, “Then we wait some more.”
I quickly took in my surroundings. The vast sky glimmered and sparkled like a dark fabric studded with little diamonds. It seemed to curve at the corners where it met the horizon, as though one was peering at it through fish-eye lens. I could hear the light whirring of insects in the dense thorn bushes, and the soft cawing of birds from somewhere distant. Whenever there was a breeze, the faint, sweet aroma of earth and foliage filled my nostrils.
Without warning, Guhadesa stopped. Pointing in the direction of a dimly-lit cabin several metres away, he murmured, “There.”
And then I saw it. Beneath the starlit sky, an Asian elephant stood, calmly, outside my cabin. My travel-mates and I gaped in awe as the mammoth creature padded forward, crushing the undergrowth with his wrinkled feet. Twisting his trunk, he heaved a fallen branch off the arid soil and shoved it into his mouth.
All was hushed, except for the light rustling of leaves and the snapping of branches. The elephant made his way forward, shuffling unhurriedly towards the wilderness. The following minutes unfolded like a slow, rhythmic dance.
Thud, rustle, crack. Thud, rustle, crack.
Mesmerised, we watched his silhouette disappear gradually into the shadows, swaying and ambling to an imaginary beat.
Thud, rustle, crack. Thud, rustle, crack.
And then, all too quickly, he was gone.
At dawn, we clambered onto mud-stained jeeps and set off for Yala National Park, a Sri Lankan wildlife sanctuary located just two kilometres away from our hotel. With the moon still gleaming high in the sky, our jeep roared down the beaten track, kicking up a massive swirl of sand and dust. I clung desperately to the safety bar as our vehicle bounced and shuddered, scraping tree branches and sending loose twigs and leaves flying our way.
With stray hairs fluttering in my face, I gazed into the distance. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, revealing radiant streaks of mauve and vermillion across the atmosphere. I could feel my heart begin to thump with excitement once more.
