The day started out a little cloudy. Rain was almost certain. Fortunately the weather gods looked down on us and things turned out pretty clear. The boat ride on Asailee’s 29 footer was a great experience, particularly the sea breeze rushing through your ears when the boat - powered by two 200 CC engines - cruised the waves, like a blade through butter. The inertia magnificent, leaving you breathless.
Rock islands were lovely; The one we visited was bigger than the Pohnpei Nahlap island. What was most interesting about my experience on the rock island, was what I learned, and here the story begins.
First, what we refer to as a BBQ in Sri Lanka is truly not a BBQ, in the real sense of the acronym. If one were to really understand the true modalities of a BBQ one would have to come here and take a few BBQ lessons from Orlando who headed the BBQ department for our trip.
Hmmm did you know there is special charcoal which is socked in Kerosene (or some flammable liquid) so that you don’t have to spend half the day trying to start a fire? I didn’t know that. Ahh! All those wasted hours back home…sob!...sob!. Within minutes the fire was a blaze and the smell of charred meat was tempting our ‘cave man’ taste buds.
What amazed me most during my trip was how careful they tourists and islanders were with their trash disposal. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) was collected in trash bags and brought back to the main island for disposal. About 30-50 people visit each of the islands every day, but you couldn’t find a single piece of discarded paper, even if your life depended on it. This is something I oberserved on my Nahlap island trip in Pohnpei too. I only wish that we Sri Lankans could protect our beautiful islands and tourist attractions with similar determination and selfless responsibility.
Our time at the Jelly fish lake was a mind-altering, once in a lift time experience, never to be forgotten. It would be an understatement to say that it was a ‘weird’ feeling to swim among millions of Jelly fish ranging in size from tiny few millimeter sea rascals to ones as large as my palm (take my word for it – my palm is big).
Ok, I hear you. I hear you. Weren’t the ‘jellies’ poisonous? Do you hate life so much that you would throw yourself into a lake swarming with millions of the most feared sea creatures? I would like to raise my head high, wear my underwear over my pants (super-heros do that by the way), and say that I fear nothing and laugh in the face of danger, but the reality is that I am a terrible swimmer and the Jelly Fish were as dangerous as a school of sedated goldfish.
Why you ask? Simple. They live in a lake absolutely surrounded by mountains, so for millions of years they have never had to suffer from any natural predators and since they do not have to protect themselves, over time they have completely lost their ability to sting. Without natural predators to balance population, the Jelly fish at the Rock Island lake are a little like India. They multiply in millions and there is no stopping them.
The only way they can die is from old age or unless a tourist goes ballistic and smacks the “jelly” out of them with a baseball bat. The latter is unlikely with protection of this natural wonder at an all time high.
A unique and mind boggling illustration of an organic disparity in the natural food chain.
All in all it was a wonderful trip. We went with some great people. They were really friendly and looked after us so well. Also, fortunately for the other members of our group, I didn’t have to wear my underwear over my pants. A superheros work is never done.
A once in a life time experience which I will most certainly never forget.
(This text was tuned by my best friend Harsha)
posted by 88Pro / Thursday, July 22, 2004
