Letter from Bundala: Among Birds, Beasts and Blue Horizons

Passing Hambantota, we arrive

At Bundala—

At a landscape so different,

Hot and yet

Lush and green,

With shimmering waters in between.

A night at Bundala Flamingo Cottages,

In the company of a kaleidoscope of cats

And a family with open smiles.

The next morning—a safari

To Bundala National Park.

The green beauty of the park—

Surprising, stimulating.

A family of golden jackals

Greet us first,

Curious about these two-legged intruders.

Our wonderful guide, Chamin,

Pauses and points—

At splashes of vivid colour:

Bee-eater, Bluetail, Brahminy starling,

Crimson Rose butterfly, Purple swamp hen,

Yellow-wattled lapwing, Pied kingfisher.

Another marvellous stream of water—

A still painting. Spellbound, bewitched, we watch

The startlingly beautiful

Painted stork,

Locked in silent rivalry

For shimmering prey, with

A sandpiper, open-billed storks,

Spoonbills, and greater Herons.

We stop beneath a giant tree,

Beneath the colossal nest

Of the majestic, formidable

Crested Hawk.

We stop at a quiet clearing

And watch two peacocks dance,

Courting a single, indifferent

Peahen.

We stop at yet another stretch of water

To witness a still life—

Two massive crocodiles,

Sunbathing. Unmoving.

A grey mongoose,

Grey monkeys,

Cormorants, ibis, and herons.

Sea eagles on the faraway shore.

The beach. Vast. Empty.

Glorious.

We almost step on

An almost invisible

Fan throated lizard.

Blessed morning.

Still, silent nature—

Awe-inspiring.

We bid Bundala farewell

And head north,

Its blessings

Locked quietly in our hearts.

From the island's heat and hush - until the next letter,

-N