We have a late arrival today at 11am, so it is sort of like a bonus half day at sea!  Which we spend in the normal fashion, gym, showers, cappuccino, hanging around.  Arriving in Hambontota we are first off – where’s Simon when you need him?? – and ready to find the shuttle to the port gate.  Hmmmm….this is a commercial container port with absolutely no passenger facilities, and quite frankly out in the middle of nowhere.  While cruise ships do come here for the safari and the nature (oh and the beach…yes…the beach) – and the Europa II is actually already docked here – there is still not a lot of coordinated port assistance.  Azamara does have shuttles to the Shangri-la where you can buy a day pass to hang out at the resort (no comment) and they’ve said there is a shuttle to the port gate (it is apparently really hard for independent guides to get permission to drive into the port), but when we are on the pier there is just general confusion about it.  Ryszard and Adrian (GR Manager) are out there trying to figure it out.  They call the port guys who say they are bringing a vehicle over, it will take 5 minutes. Or not…as we wait on the dock.  Finally they decide to let us ride on the Shangri-la shuttle and it will drop us off at the gate on their way.  Ok – but as we approach the bus, they tell us there are no more seats.  Ah, man.  We have limited time as it is – the park is 1 ½ hours away – and time is ticking here.  As we are starting to debate whether to walk the 1.5k to the gate, a random port van pulls up with a port guy driving and we are ushered into the back with another couple and off we go to the gate. The driver is actually really sweet, calling out our names to the guides as he drives past the hordes of tuk tuks and vans and cars parked at the port entrance.  We find Ramesh – or at least his jeep (he’s sent us his license plate number – thank heavens for WhatsApp) and we hop out of the van and head that way. 

Finally uniting with Ramesh and his driver (whose name we never quite got), we hop into the open air jeep and start our long journey towards the park.  Oh, this is fun!  It is really hot and humid here, but surprisingly, in the jeep, with all the wind, it is actually quite pleasant.  Plus, bouncing around in the back here, we get to watch the world go by. At first that world is just empty – seriously, when I said we were in the middle of nowhere at this port – I didn’t realize just how correct that statement was!  We bounce around for miles with nothing on either side of us besides fields, empty roads and the occasional tuk-tuk.  Approaching the hospital, we start to see more…well..not exactly civilization – more like more Water Buffalo!  Everywhere walking down the road, across the road, in herds, alone.  Craziness!

And then we are out into the rice fields stretching as far as you can see on either side of the road.  Now it is cows that are wandering down the road, getting in the way.  Then to a few little shops on the side of the road and tons of vegetable stalls with fresh corn (apparently in season) and lots of other delicacies.  Eventually we stop at a little seafood vendor on the side of the road, where Ramesh gets out to buy some seafood.  Lunch?  Oh, this could be fun!

Continuing our drive past a lovely lake, we eventually end up at Chaarya resort and spa for our lunch break.  Ramesh escorts us in, tells us he is going home for lunch (guess the seafood was for Ramesh and family’s lunch) and for us to call him when we are finished.   Ok then.  Chaarya turns out to be a lovely resort, and when we arrive, we have the dining room all to ourselves!  The lunch is prix fixe, each course with a choice of 2 different Sri Lankan options.  Well, heck, we want to try it all, so we just order one of each.  Works perfectly – then we share!  What comes next is a smorgasbord of food – all excellent but oh so much!  We start with Chicken spring rolls (chock full of chicken and excellent spices) and a watermelon and cheese sort of salad with a nice dressing (very good), then share vegetable and chicken and egg soup (both fantastic), move on the main course (yeah, I’m already stuffed) of lime marinated grilled fish (which is so huge, it’s crazy) and prawn and chicken Nasi Goreng with chicken satay (again, massive, and totally excellent and I wouldn’t have been able to finish it if it was the only thing we were served! And why did they include satay?  For heavens sakes, the Nasi Goreng was enough!), finishing the meal with Curd & Trickle (which is essentially yogurt and a sweet syrup drizzle) and fruit salad with ice cream (really refreshingly good, the ice cream was rich but not heavy, excellent).  Yeah, well, it was included!  Fantastic meal – and we are so stuffed – but all we have to do is ride in the back of the jeep and maybe the bouncing will work off some of our food!

We call Ramesh and 10 minutes later he arrives in the other Jeep – this one apparently better for the park?  Don’t know, but we don’t care, and we are off making a pit stop for gas and another for snacks for us – he buys this huge bag of water and peanuts and cookies and crackers.  Great idea if we hadn’t just stuffed ourselves on that lunch!  But still, it is the thought that counts!  Our drive takes us past more ubiquitous rice fields, past a pretty lake with mountains in the distance and into the park proper by about 2:30, passing the ship’s tour buses and park jeeps at the rest area right outside the park.  Always better on our own!

The hunt is now on!  Ramesh is in the back with us now, keeping a keen eye out for any and every animal he can find.  These guys will never cease to amaze me with their eyesight and spotting ability.  I know it is their job – and he’s been doing it with his driver partner for 12 years – but still.  He sees everything, down to the smallest lizard in a tree!  Our first sighting is a boar cooling off in a mud pond. I swear it just looks like a rock, until we spook it and it goes running off!  Then we venture further into the park, through these roads that our driver expertly handles – ruts that could swallow us, puddles that are more like ponds from the last rain, even fording what could easily be called a deep stream!  Totally fun!

Pushing on, we pass lots of beautiful rock formations and gorgeous parkland scenery, coming upon a dung beetle pushing it’s treasure across the road.  Those little things are amazing!  Then a Sri Lanka Bee Bird – which is beautiful but who would ever have seen it on that tree where it sort of blends in!  And on to spotted deer and water buffalo and a huge crocodile resting on the banks of a lagoon.

Then another gorgeous lotus filled pond, wild boars, beautiful scenic vistas across a large lake, a monitor lizard lounging in the sun (well, clouds, but still), then a jackal on the road and in the bush and an elephant!  In the distance where we get the typical elephant butt picture, but also a great side view back there in trees.  And a full antlered buck in the bush.

Continuing on, we push further into the park, spotting lots more water buffalo, deer and a croc with its mouth wide open on the banks of a pond.  Cool!  There’s a little bunny – ok hare – in the road (I love that shot with the driver looking in the side view mirror!) and a water buffalo crossing the road, and then, well, gorgeous park scenery!  And lots of ruts in the road. 

It is high time we leave the park.  We have told Ramesh we really need to back at the port gate by 5:45 because even though Adrian assured us there would be a port shuttle there or if not, a Shangri-la shuttle would stop to pick us up, we aren’t relying on that info.  And we know it is at least a 20-minute walk back to the ship.  We want as much cushion as we can for a 6:30 all aboard.  Ramesh really wants us to see a leopard though and takes us to one last spot that he says is “famous” for leopards.  But sadly, no go.  It isn’t the right timing. We knew that and told him upfront we didn’t expect to see a leopard, we were just happy to be out here and exploring Yala with him. 

He gets the driver to turn around and we head out of the park, passing an elephant graveyard with a huge skull just sitting there among scattered bones, along the way.  As we are leaving, there are a ton of jeeps parked along the side of the road.  A leopard has crossed here and they are all waiting to spot him again.  Of course!  But there is nothing we can do – we gotta boogie!

And boogie we do – oh boy do we boogie.  We can’t go fast in the park, but outside? Different story.  Our driver is hauling ass, only slowing down for the biggest of the speed bumps (which strangely enough there are tons out here in the middle of nowhere with no traffic or pedestrians to be found – for the wildlife maybe?), blowing his horn at every scooter and tuk tuk and truck or bus that gets in our way, swerving around obstacles, barely slowing for the cows.  Oh boy!  And did I mention the rain?  No?  Well, during our little run from the park, it starts to pour – remember we’re in an open air jeep!  We have a roof, sure, and a front windscreen, but there are gaps between everything and the superstructure holding it together, so you we are getting a refreshing little shower along the way.  Hey, we always want adventure….

To make matters even more tense, we have to go to Ramesh’s house to change jeeps. Why?  We don’t know, except maybe the safari jeep isn’t legal anywhere but here?  He made some comment about the other jeep has to go to the port.  Don’t know.  Not in the position to argue right now!  Pulling up to the house, we jump out of this jeep and effect the change. Ramesh’s whole family is at the door waving to us and saying hello.  Ramesh had actually planned to have us in for tea before taking us back, what a sweet gesture!  In another situation, we would have loved that, but today, that’s obviously not going to happen.

And we are off again at breakneck speed, swerving around just about every obstacle, slamming on brakes when we can’t.  Suddenly we stop, and we think that Ramesh is trying to buy us curd (because we talked about it earlier) but no, the driver just isn’t comfortable going these speeds so Ramesh is taking over.  Guess that makes us feel more comfortable?  Don’t know, but again, we are not in a position to question, we are just holding on for dear life and hoping to make it in one piece – and on time – to the port!  I wish I could have taken pictures, but then again, what would you have seen besides blurry shots of the countryside racing past us!  Plus, I was too busy holding on!

The rain comes again – jeez, we can’t catch a break – and Ramesh presses on.  We are well past our 5:45 timeline at this point and can only hope we get there by at least 10 after 6 so we can speed walk to the ship.  We are finally approaching an area we recognize as close to the port and are breathing at least a little sigh of relief.  We are hoping against hope the guards will let Ramesh drive us all the way in, but unfortunately, as we figured, that is not happening.  It is the end of the road at the Port gates at a little after 6pm.  Ok – we have a mission.

We say goodbye to Ramesh and driver, thanking them for a fantastic day, quickly walking to the gate entrance.  There we find another couple who are waiting for a shuttle as well and as we approach a Songthaew pulls up and the guy, who is big (read: fat) with a cane is bitching that “this is the shuttle?” and trying to scooch his way into the back of the truck bed.  We’re like, hey, cool, thanks!  And hop in. Then the guards ask for money for the driver.  Huh?  Oh come on now.  But they are insistent – and the fat guy is getting pissed telling them he doesn’t have any money, yada yada yada.  I pull out a 5 and give it the guard who smiles sweetly and we are moving while the other guards laugh and smile as we leave. Yeah, well, you know.  Did we have to pay? Probably not. But 5 bucks was worth getting our butts to the ship on a vehicle and not speed walking the whole way.

We listen to the fat guy complain about Azamara and their coordination, which in his opinion is “rubbish.”  And while we are not going to say we don’t have issues with some of the things on this cruise, this is really not one of them.  It is the Quest’s first time in the port. There really truly is not a lot of support from the port here – it is rural and container based – and it isn’t Azamara’s fault there is no shuttle. They provided one – for free – to the Shangri-la where you could easily get a taxi into whatever town there might be here.  Complaining to complain.  Will let you guess the nationality. 

As it turns out, this “shuttle” only takes us to the secondary gate where we hop off and walk away from bitching man (we can only imagine what he is spewing about now) and head to the ship.  As we are nearing, here comes Ryszard in some random car asking us if we walked!  He was going to pick us up at the gate. Apparently bitching couple had somehow made the gate guards call the ship?  Somehow Ryszard knew to come looking.  Anyhow, we told him we bribed the jeep guy and were fine, but the other couple might want a chat.  Poor Ryszard.  You know he got an earful.

At any rate, we were back, before all aboard, and all is well.  To top it off, Ramesh texts us a picture and video of a leopard so that we can see one in the park.  So sweet!

So, we are here.  We freshen up, change our clothes, hit the dining room then the show, which is this great Broadway style singer who is just incredible.  Plus has an incredible backstory – child prodigy basically, at 21 handpicked to study under Andrew Lloyd Webber, at 23 starred in Phantom of the Opera, went on to other major performances in the West End and then had a rock climbing (his passion) accident where he broke his back, broke his left leg in 5 places and shattered something in his right.  The doctors told him he’d never perform again.  He pushed hard at rehab, gave up performing, became a teacher, married, and then decided that what he really wanted to do was perform.  So he focused himself on that, began again and is now entertaining in all sorts of venues, including ships.  In the background, behind this monologue is a video of scenes from his rock climbing and his recovery.  Amazing.  Inspiring.  Tear inducing.  All of the above and more. 

After the show, we grab a take away drink from the Den and retire the cabin – we’re both whipped from all the excitement (i.e., stress) today!  Plus we have a rather early day tomorrow and a whole day tour in Colombo, so we are ready for some sleep before we begin our next fun adventure.