As I sit watching the sun rise over the Irish Sea in Wexford, it is hard to believe I was in Sri Lanka a month ago. My plans to go to India were thwarted by the fact that one cannot get an Indian Visa in Singapore unless you live and work (i.e., valid work permit) in Singapore or are Singaporean. Such is life and I figured it was just meant to be. Go with the flow and be pleasantly surprised.
Sri Lanka offers free Visa on arrival for 30 days for many nationalities so off I went.
I spent the first 9 days at the Barberyn Beach Ayurvedic Resort in Weligama. This is the real thing, no lavender in site, it is all stinky and I was rubbed with, washed, drank, and swallowed all kinds of things.
I had planned to do the pancha karma but on the third day developed a high fever which resulted in the lovely ayurvedic doctors changing my whole treatment plan as well as having many new things to drink and swallow. The importance of food is quite fascinating and I was carefully monitored while I had the fever. Oddly, to me at least, you are not allowed to have anything "cooling" while fighting a fever.
In the ayurvedic way, the fever and its associated illness are encouraged to work their way out. Easier said than done in some ways. I NEVER get fevers but am quite accustomed to my occasional bouts of boiling hot flushes. On the second day I felt as if I burning from the inside out and then was told to drink hot water and I couldn't have any fruit except bananas as my favourite tropical fruit, papaya, is too cooling. The daily massages and herbal baths were lovely and the setting of the resort is quite spectacular overlooking the Indian Ocean.
I left on the 9th day feeling clean inside and out. Needless to say, my fever and illness resolved.
We also had very nice daily yoga and meditation sessions.
The food was mostly vegetarian and was delicious. When I was encouraged not to have the spicy condiment as it adds to my dominant pitta dosha, I ignored it and ate it anyway. This was my typical breakfast:
Oat porridge, sauteed shallots (big red ones as are typical in Asia), lentils, and Sri Lankan chili paste...YUM!!!
The Sri Lankans are quite adept at making vegetarian food delicious although fish figures heavily in most areas.
Like India, cows are sacred in Sri Lanka and wander all over at will. Some sources quote Sri Lanka as the original seat of Buddhism.
I never ceased to be amazed at the different types of Buddhism all over Asia. The heavy influence of Hindu gods and practises is evident in Sri Lanka. I even had the luck to see animist ritual which wandered down the street at 4 a.m. one night. See the video.
The most important event for me while in Sri Lanka is reflected in the title of this post and here he is:
What an experience. I made the right decision to go to the park VERY early and was the first gov't jeep entering that day. Seeing the leopard was the highlight even if he was just acting like a cat...lying around sleeping. At first I couldn't see him as the spots are such good camouflage. The sun shines through the trees and creates spots on the ground and this guy just looked to be part of it until I saw him flapping his tail and occasionally shaking his head.
Yala National Park is a huge park on the SE of the island of which 2/3 are pure reserve and not open to the public. I was quite lucky to see the leopard. It has always been a goal of mine to see a big cat in the wild and now I've seen one of the most elusive. The landscape is desert savanna and so different from the lush tropical south coastal areas.
Many tourists and locals died in Yala during the 2004 tsunami (Sri Lanka lost 40K+ people in all) but none of the big animals are known to have been lost. Apparently, the animals felt the vibration well before the first and more damaging second wave and had made their way to higher ground.
Going to the park early allowed me to see many other animals as well:
Sri Lanka grey langurs
Asian elephant, in this case a young female on her own
estuary crocodile
small spotted deer
rarely seen jackals
We also saw tons of birds, including some eagles, and a full family of wild boar with 11 piglets.
Sri Lanka is exceptional in its variety of fruit and spices. If it is a fruit or spice, it probably grows in Sri Lanka. The wood apples were in season and very interesting. Seeing sandalwood, cinnamon, and licorice trees was a special treat.
Most of the rest of my time was spent close to the sea in various guesthouses along the SE coast. Next time I will do a bit more exploring as this island is so diverse that I imagine it would take many visits to take in all it has to offer.
Walking in the South Downs and seeing loads of pheasant, some deer, and tons of mushrooms. 
This is my view from my little townhouse cottage in Isleornsay on the Isle of Skye. After taking the overnight train to Fort William, I took the local train to Mallaig, the end of the line. This is the train route used in the Harry Potter movies. Then I took the ferry over to the Isle of Skye. 
- Charles F. Gellert
