Thea and Her Elephants

This one has been hard for me to write. It shouldn't be. We went to Udawalawe National Park for an elephant safari. Sounds like fun, right? It was and I'm going to tell you about it but it was also bitter sweet. You see, my Thea (Greek for aunt) Anna loved elephants and collected them for longer than I've been alive. She never went to Africa or Asia but she would have loved to look into those eyes. If there was one person I wanted with me on an elephant safari it was her but after more than a year of fighting illness she joined my dad and grandma in the next phase of being the day before our outing. When I tell you I loved my Thea like a mom I mean it. She stepped in at crucial points in my life when my own mother was unable to care for me. She treated me equal to her own daughter, my cousin Rachel. We were like sisters and I was so lucky to have her too. To the people who often tell me that I always see the bright side of things, she was my best role model when it comes to making lemonade from lemons. Gratitude was her thing and I'm proud to say it's mine too.

I was so sad and almost didn't want to go on the safari but I'm really glad I went because she was there with me, carried in my heart, and she would have wanted me to admire those beautiful animals. So, that day and my sharing about it here is for you Thea. I'm gonna wipe my tears and talk about the Udawalawe National Park Safari now!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/330627_ffc3b33f54414e5eaaa108dd2d2b87de/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

We had to be out of the house at 4am to catch the ride to the park a few hours away. Thankful that the tour included a driver, we rested our way inland from Weligama, our surf town on the coast.

When we reached a few miles from Udawalawe we were handed over to a new driver in our Jeep style safari vehicle which woke us right up! Ready to enjoy the safari, we met our driver and our guide and entered the park. The guide told us that there were a lot of other tours so he thought it best that we take a different route that he knew so that we could see lots of elephants without competition. Of course we agreed, feeling like we were getting special treatment.The driver took a right where everyone else was going straight and we were off…..

...for a very few minutes. Noticing the mud and feeling a slip of the back left tire I asked the guide if the trucks ever get stuck and waited for reassurance. But he just said, “YES!” And almost immediately, as if on cue, we were stuck in the mud…for two hours! And I had to endure the tauntings of Nicholas, Chelsea and Andrés. They accused me of cursing the trip with my question and warned me not to ask such questions in the future-hahaha!

After much pushing and pulling and help from other tour guides we were unstuck and on our way! We had only bought the half day tour but our guide assured us that we would stay out until we were happy and ready to leave and we ended up extending our time by about two hours.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/330627_d05766177d65409bbba1fef0051d10b0/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Almost immediately we came upon a family group on the side of the road. One of the young elephants was greeting people in every car (likely looking for snacks)! We were all overcome with joy!

Looking into the eyes of these beautiful animals felt very different to me than when I'd seen them before, in zoos and ciurcuses. The park is huge and they have plenty of space to raom far from the roads. They were visiting us on their own terms as much as we were visiting them. The interactions were initiated by them and lasted only as long as they wanted them to. What a gift they gave us!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/330627_6bf52e0596984e1881d29440b7a3ee65/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

We saw many elephants throughout the safari and this mama with her babies were my favorite group. Even though they didn't interact with us, I would challenge anyone to not get wrapped up in their sweetness! I felt such peace wash over me in their presence.

We stopped for a nice meal of string hoppers, lentils and this yummy coconut stuff that they use in a lot of curries in Sri Lanka! The string hoppers are little nests made from rice flour that you can use to pick up the fillings and fill your mouth with the mixture! Oh, they gave us coffee, water and some good fruit too! We sat at a pond across which we could see a mother deer and her two fawns grazing. So far from Pennsylvania, these were the last animals I expected to see on an elephant safari but was happy I did as I thought of all my Pa peeps!

Before the day was done we saw many different types of birds (including some very proudly strutting peacocks and a Sri Lankan jungle-fowl, the country's official bird which looks just like a chicken), a few shy little monkeys, some crocodiles at a very safe distance, an old and wise looking big male elephant, and the cutest bird and tortoise sharing a rock for sunbathing.

By the end of the tour we were all pretty tired and happy! I had many emotional moments throughout the day thinking about my Thea and what she contributed to my life. I thought about all the time I was blessed to spend with her throughout 2024. I thought about how I wished I had even just a lttle more time with her. And then I thought about her beautiful smile through her struggles and the peace she had finally earned. I believe she was there with me that day and that she remains with me now and will forever but without the burden of pain. Now she is just pure love and I can feel her around me, supporting me but reminding me to "pay attention" as always. I promise to pay attention Thea. I love you.

To see the video footage from the safari, including my kids blaming me for getting stuck in the mud, checkout https://youtu.be/6ACuXNYbwgQ?si=tAX6gxfsQZtllYyE