Friday 19 October 2012

Safari at Wilpattu, Sri Lanka day trip


Towards the end of our holiday in Sri Lanka me n Gabz decided to drag our tanned bodies off the beach and head in the opposite direction from the hotel bar towards a bit of wild Sri Lanka. Wilpattu National Park was to be our destination and after a bit of haggling by Baggins himself we got a good deal from a Sri Lankan guy outside of the hotel, locally renown for giving a good deal and at the equivalent price of £40 each for a full day including transport and jeep safari, we were more than happy to venture forth!

Wilpattu is the largest of 22 national parks in Sri Lanka and famous mainly for its population of endangered mammals such as Indian Elephants and Leopards. Comprising some 132,000 hectares (that's massive - 12 times the size of Minsmere!) its also notable for its large number of natural lakes. Situated in the North of island it turned out to be 3 hrs by train and taxi but the journey itself through the countryside was memorable in itself - it was good to see a bit of the real Sri Lanka.









On arrival we climbed abroad one of these .....


......along with some German folk and with binocs and camera in hand set off on a 4 hour jeep safari. I have to say from the outset that lady luck, locally known as 'bountiful Buddha', was not very bountiful as far as elephants and leopards were concerned, we saw neither, but it didn't matter for we had a splendid time and were treated to some awesome views of the mammals and birds that did decide to come out and play.

Monitor Lizards are fairly common in Sri Lanka but like most of the animals in the park they were much more confiding and it was great to be able get some close up shots


This is a Ruddy Mongoose, skulking off but again hung around long enough for me to get this nice shot.











For me there was some slight frustration in that as we passed through lots of great habitat, some of it teeming with small birds and waders, the tour party was definitely more interested in the bigger animals and any birds worthy of a stop were predictably the bigger, more eye catching ones such as this splendid Peacock

... and this rather ungainly looking monster of a bird, its one of the Hornbill family of birds and in this case a Malabar Pied Hornbill.

By the way if you're at all interested in going to Sri Lanka and want to know more about going on safari at Wilpattu, this is their home page -
Wilpattu National Park and for hotels and more info the site Tripadvisor is a useful start - here's the relevant link - Sri Lanka hotels and deals







Rounding a bend we noticed that our convoy of 3 jeeps had ground to a halt and no wonder because laid right across the road was a giant Indian Python, it was so long and so close I couldn't get it all in using the the lens I had attached. Indian Rock Pythons to give it it's proper name are the longest snakes in the world with the biggest ever recorded being 4.6 metres (15ft) and this was no tiddler - I reckoned about 8 - 10 feet and by the giant bulge in its midriff and sluggish behaviour had just eaten, anyway here's my best shot (pic left)

Not all the animals presented themselves at such close quarters, we were aware of monkeys crashing through the trees and caught a few fleeting glimpses but the only decent shot I managed was of a distant Grey Langur bounding across the grassy plain.


A tad foolhardy to get any closer our next Wilpattu speciality, looking for all the world like a floating log, this is a Mugger or Marsh Crocodile and not sure if Grey Herons form part of its diet but this one looks in grave peril of having it's leg pulled!

Much less sinister and affording great views throughout the reserve are these beautiful Ceylon Spotted Deer, they're endemic to the island and very photogenic.









We were treated to many views like this across the natural lakes and lagoons on the reserve and that was great but, and at the risk of sounding a little ungrateful, as a birder I just wanted to get out and explore. Thrilled as I was to see birds like Painted Storks and Lesser Adjutants previously only seen on David Attenborough documentaries I could have done to have got to grips with the many smaller waders, some of which you can see here in the blurry foreground.


Still I mustn't complain, there was plainly no scope for venturing out and about and getting your feet dirty, and I was treated to some pretty decent 'jeep side' views, especially of perched raptors like this majestic Crested Serpent Eagle sheltering from a brief monsoon downpour
 
... and this looks like it should be penned a 'crested' something but is in fact a Changeable Hawk Eagle
















By far the best bird shot of the day for me was this portrait of a Blue Tailed Bee-eater. There were lots of these vividly coloured birds about, darting around all over the place and this one stayed put just long enough for me to capture it in all its glory.











All in all a good day, not sure about the 2 Germans sat behind us (they hardly uttered a sound the whole trip!) but we certainly enjoyed. It is very possible to see Elephants and sometimes Leopard and Black Bear, it might have been the frequent downpours that kept them hidden, and for the price this experience comes highly recommended if you're holidaying here.













Tuesday 9 October 2012

Baggins in Sri Lanka pt1

 One of many gorgeous sunsets over the Indian Ocean we've been privy to over the past couple of weeks.... nice eh? All change for Baggins once again folks, - never one for beating around the bush (unless the bushes concerned are at some migration hot spot like Spurn Point and said bushes are full of migrants!), and certainly not prone to going round the houses when a few simple words will do, so, in a nutshell ….I’ve left the Vienne and via protracted stops in Brittany and the UK, I’m currently on holiday in Sri Lanka with my fiancee Gabrielle. We were originally going to get married over here but decided a few weeks ago to put the brakes on and hold out for a year or two - for several reasons and all the right ones!

Seems like ages since I last posted on here and it’s doubtful whether there’s any ‘blog mileage’ in the travels of my mind over the past couple of months but I may do a bit of back tracking in future posts if things become mundane but since ‘mundane’ is  a rare and unwelcome dimension in my life I suspect both the devil and the detail will remain untold …. in truth it’s not that interesting anyway.

Sri Lanka is one mad place! You either love or hate the sub continent so they say but as we’re kinda hotel based it’s tricky for either of us to say. We’re about 18k north of Colombo, in a good hotel complex next to the ocean and here it’s all sand, sea and sun but take a tuk tuk (cheap taxi that resembles a dodgem car) into town and it’s just mayhem! Gabz has suggested I post a video of street life whilst riding in a tuk tuk which I may do, but for now here’s the first salvo of a series of  Sri Lankan shots to date… no particular order or theme, though it goes without saying that the local bird life looms large!
 This is the view that greets us every morning out of our luxury beach chalet ... not that we sleep under these date palms but you get the morning feeling yes?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and these are what we see as the last rays of the sun go down ... giant fruit bats that fly in, eerie as hell, the size of herons and surely the inspiration behind the batman icon!
 
We're close to a river and associated mangroves so tons of water birds about, this is a White Throated Kingfisher that strayed from its usual haunt by the river and perched very kindly in front of our beach side bungalow .... look at that beak and thank god you're not a local fish!
These cute little varmints are all over the place in and around the bushes here ... they're called 3 striped squirrels and they come right up to you (especially if you have a handful of bombay mix!)
 
Not totally sure until I check some kind of Sri Lankan bird guide but reckon this is a Pied Kingfisher, caught in mid flight and 'let's stab a fish' mode!

 
Ok, time for bed now because internet time is limited here and charged by the hour and guessing I'm nearly at my limit ... this is how they make up the bed in this country, different floral design every day and very quaint ... my guess is that the more you tip the more flowers you get on your bed!
Night night folks...... more Sri Lankan magic to come!
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Two great gigs, Carcassonne and back to the Barn!

We're back at the barn! After 6 weeks on tour and an impressive 1080 euros raised so far with another couple of gigs to go closer to home, I think Cancer Support France will be very pleased with the cheque we hand over and we certainly feel as if we've done both ourselves and the charity very proud indeed.


Reflections on the tour are many and varied but on the whole it's been enjoyable, we've met many wonderful people and been to some wonderful parts of France. Carcassonne was one of the highlights for me and it's certainly a place I'll be heading back to to in the not too distant future because I didn't get chance to visit and photograph the walled city part, I really wanted to but on the evening I'd planned we got a gig in a local restaurant. No worries though, I've promised Gabrielle a trip out there next year and I'm thinking that Spring in that part of France will be outstanding ...we might fly out, we might be in a camper van, but whatever we'll be together and in truth not being able to share all of this with her has been the hardest thing to bear on tour.


Here's a pic I found on Google of the aforementioned walled city of Carcassonne and you can maybe see why why I need to get back there with the camera!


The slighter newer part of town is non too shabby either. Whilst we were there we were lucky enough to catch a bit of the city's annual music and arts festival and here's a clip of one of the free gigs we were at (just click the link) - Lucky Peterson - I believe I'll dust my broom


Our last couple of booked gigs in this neck of the woods were both marvellously entertaining affairs. The first of these was in a very isolated but totally awesome campsite called La Fargassa. It was way up in the mountains close to the Spanish border and the road trip up there was not for the faint hearted .... no wonder campervans are not encouraged! Such was the beauty of the place we ended up staying there for 4 days and the hospitality extended to us by the owner Madhu will live long in the memory - I took a shed load of photographs whilst I was there, partly due to Madhu asking me for some publicity shots for her site, but largely down to the fact that it was just a beautiful place to be in. Here's a sample to show you what I mean

 
Personally I love driving up and down mountain roads like this but Jane n Mark's van struggled for headroom on more than one occasion and apparently many campervans have been trashed trying to get to the site!!


Worth the effort though, this is a superb wooded mountain range with some beautiful streams that you can swim in, in the high valleys. 










 Safely installed and though the mountain streams were inviting it's practice first as always!


And now for that swim!!!



Here's a few before, during and after our splendid gig on the Sunday eve ... such a great atmosphere that night with neighbours from the adjacent valleys present, lots of kids and animals too .... all up and dancing through the night (apart from the animals)



Our wonderful host at La Fargassa, Madhu, making a charity call

The campsite is very eco orientated, child & dog friendly and is run with the help of several overseas volunteers who stay free of charge in return for managing the site and associated farm. If you'd like to sample this wonderful place here's link for you to explore - La Fargassa campsite & gites it comes highly recommended but DON'T take a campervan!!


Our last event on our tour we took as paying gig because we had reached our target for Cancer Support France - we ummh'd and arghed a bit about this but felt justified in this since we had taken very little in the way of expenses throughout the tour. It was at a campsite just outside the town of Trebes which is on the Midi Canal and just 10k from Carcassonne so an excellent location. Thanks to Guy, the campsite owner we again enjoyed 3 nights free camping, all our drinks and 150 euros for the gig which was perhaps our most enthusiastic audience ... 3 encores and still they wanted more! Not sure about this but I think any audience with plenty of Dutch folk present is a good one, especially if they're a bit piddled ... and we had both here in abundance and if they could they would have gone on all night!!

Sadly not much in the way of pics but here's a great one of Guy with my guitar and a random Dutch guy getting it on after the event.


Once again, a great site and highly recommended here's a link La Commanderie

OK time to wrap this blog post up but I have many photographs still to sort through after 6 weeks touring Southern France plus a short hop into Spain so will be putting these together in due course.








  

Friday 13 July 2012

Bums n Boats!

Well it seems the busking tour is pretty well taking over from my normal postings on 'baggins abroad' but this is not a bad thing. July and August are the 'pants' months for birds just about anywhere and, music apart, we are passing through some stunning parts of France as well as meeting many interesting and diverse people.

A couple of weeks ago whilst busking in a market place we were approached by someone who wanted to book us for their campsite..... free drinks, free accommodation and food. Agreed we said! Slight catch, depending on your outlook on life, the campsite turned out to be one of those where all involved do their camping with no clothes on!

Undeterred, up for the crack and determined not to turn the other cheek, we 3 busking troubadours, clad in nothing but our clothes, strode boldly into a place of nude people at Le Couderc naturist site, a Dutch run establishment (why are we not surprised!) and were immediately disarmed when we had to ask directions to the reception from an octogenarian naturist. Funny thing, it was us that felt embarrassed ....it's not at all sexy, just a bit strange to see so many people going about their activities without clothes on! Further discomfiture ensued when we were shown around and taken to the bar for a drink .... faced with 3 sets of  male bum cheeks leaning against the bar its really tricky to make the right sort of conversation or know where to look. I think we ended up admiring the beams in the ceiling!

Joking apart, I have to say that the owners made us feel very comfortable, provided us with a chalet, food and all the booze we could drink. There was no pressure at all for us to do the naturist thing and for our gig in the evening all the campers were dressed. It was a good gig, we raised a decent amount for the charity. Sorry folks, no pics were allowed of the naturist thing, shame because those three cheeks at the bar was a picture dying for a caption but here's one of us playing the gig and some blond geezer with a guitar who didn't mind being photographed!

After that experience we've headed further south and after a small but very enjoyable gig at the 12 bar in Hure (nr Bordeaux) we've picked up some very lucrative gigs in the bars along the Midi Canal where it runs alongside the Rivere Garonne. The canal itself links the the two coasts of France, the Atlantic and Mediterranean and is a quite magnificent piece of engineering. Constructed in the 17th Century by a chap called Pierre Paul Riquet, it was commissioned as an alternative waterway route to the dangerous and long trade route around Spain. After falling into disrepair after the 2nd world war it has now been given a new lease of life by the tourist trade and judging by the multi-national make up of the boating folk - Australians, New Zealanders, Dutch (of course, they get everywhere!) and Brits as well as many French boats, its certainly thriving with the several ports along the way providing great meeting places as well as good places for us to busk and make great money for the charity!

The canal was an excellent place for taking photographs, not just because of the gaily coloured boats and barges but also because there was so much going on, with lock gates opening and closing and well, you know boat folk .... if their not tying knots or scrubbing the decks, their usually just showing off! Anyway, boat photography is a new genre for me so here's a few selected pics I thought captured the feel of the place.
This is about as busy as it gets!
Love the composition on this one and I think my mum will like the name of one of these fine vessels!
Here's Hilda May's back end!
One of many grand old barges moored up

Guessing this is newer but no less grand!

Could this be a French rival to the Grand Canal in Venice?

Deck guard!!


No photo collection of canal life would be complete without at least one lock pic so here you go .... small boy and 2 cyclists thrown in (not literally of course) for good measure!



We made many friends and acquired some great contacts during our short stay along the various ports along the Midi Canal and the Beyond the Gap tour will be back there on our way up North. For now though we head for the Pyrenees and since my blogging is way out of date here's a bit of pseudo time travel for you .... we've already done the Pyrenees gig (went very very well!!) ... I've been to Spain and back and by now Jane n Mark should have sampled at least one stage of the Tour de France. Oh dear .... much catch up blog posts to do!!!


















Tuesday 26 June 2012

On Tour ... Dordogne magic!

On tour still with the band and although we've played just 3 gigs and a couple of busking sessions we've already netted over 500 euros for Cancer Support France.

We're all loving the performances but the actual touring, travelling from site to site and living on the road, is predictably hard work for 3 fifty year olds but the sun is shining and the wine is flowing so we're all in good spirits.

We're in the Dordogne at the moment and as luck would have it seem to be tracking the river itself ... its a truly beautiful setting and although I've past this way a couple of times before I can easily see why so many English folk choose this part of France to either settle or holiday - its like a quieter version of Devon!

The bar we played at Mauzac last week (le barrage) was right on the banks of the river and in between practising, playing and sound checks I managed a few trips out with my camera. Not much going on birdwise but this Grey Heron perched on some kind of waterworks structure made a good picture


As did these flying Swans at the same location










A little further down the river there was a good example of one of the many fine aqueducts to be found all over France.











Back to the music tour and worth mentioning the charity we are supporting again - Cancer Support France (all info on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheGap) and some of the work we're putting in here! For sure, most of our gigs are fun and well received but some of the busking is hot, hard work ... just look at the blood, sweat and tears we shed in the name of music at this market venue in Lalinde -

I'll be diplomatic here and just say this was a 'learning experience'.... but 19euros for 3 hours playing in the heat of the day was not what we expected from French market goers!! I might as well have worn the hat rather than put it down ..... spent more than that re hydrating myself!!

You live and learn.

Thursday 21 June 2012

Our first gig raised 320 euros .... wow!!!

Ok, apologies for scant posts of late but blogging and touring in a band at age 50 plus is at the very limits of my multi-tasking abilities!!!

Here's a short clip of our first booked gig on the charity tour of SW france ... it was hosted by Le Barrage at Mauzac, a lovely bar on the banks of the Dordogne and many many thanks to Amanda, the owner of the bar, for contacting us and arranging what turned out to be a fantastic evening for all concerned. Everyone had a great time, we raised 320 euros on the night for Cancer Support France and we got a paid follow up gig later in the year .... such fun!!

Monday 11 June 2012

Beyond the Gap Summer Tour .... all for charity!

Rain permitting, the band Beyond the Gap (that's me, Jane & Mark) should be setting off on our Summer tour of SW France today. The plan is to head south to the Dordogne and perform our stuff in various bars, campsites and open markets there and then doing pretty much the same further south in the Languedoc, Aquitaine and the Pyrenees ... hey we've even thought about heading into Spain, but hear the busking laws are pretty strict there so it might just be a cheap fuel stop! In any event we have to be back for the 29th July because we're booked to play Lascaufest

We have several booked venues along the way but our thinking is that most of our performances will be of the busking variety.The whole tour is in aid of Cancer Support France with all profit going to them and we have a 'just giving' site set up if anyone reading this wants to contribute.

You can also follow us via our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheGap), we'll be updating most days and we're also in cahoots with AngloInfo (http://france.angloinfo.com/) who have agreed to give us free advertising in return for promoting their websites.

This our main promo pic that goes on any posters for booked venues ... me and Mark looking suitably moody!

















And here's a couple of pics of our vehicles all 'stickered up' with Jane having a celebratory drink before the off ...... Ribena she said!



So, all ready for the off ..... weather to be honest is not looking grand for busking but we need to go because I'm picking my fiancee up from Bergerac airport on Wednesday .... yipeee!!!