Crocodiles! Real live crocodiles, with big pointy teeth! And we actually saw one, out of the water, just lounging around on the bank. We got the impression from our boat man that this was a stroke of luck – mostly you get to see little more than the odd snout, maybe a bit of back before one slides below the surface.
Other than that we saw just two more – one a wee babby, no more than a foot long, resting on a stick. But there was lots else to see: a two metre monitor lizard, tongue flicking; a brace of kingfishers, among many other birds; trees full of enormous fruit bats; and just the jungle around. And we were delighted to find it mercifully clear of the litter that blighted our trip along the Mekong. And as a finale, a rendezvous with a group of monkeys, clearly well accustomed to tourists bearing bananas.
We’re moving on tomorrow, so before we leave, here’s to Talalla, a little place so obscure people in Colombo hadn’t even heard of it. Chosen mainly for its family-friendly sea. The whole south coast is touristville, with resorts dedicated to surfing, windsurfing and other yoof pursuits, and many beaches, but apparently many are not really safe for swimming, and most if not all are designed to cater for young beach bums, and not really for the likes of us.
Well, Talalla came up trumps. A lovely place, with a wonderful beach, where tourists rub shoulders with local fishermen, whose boats head out every evening, twinkling the nighttime ocean, and local lads who come down to frolic in the surf just like us. It’s touristy, sure, but by no means exclusively. You get the feeling of a real place that retains its own identity. And one where people are overwhelmingly friendly and helpful and kind. And, you get the feeling, very much content with their lot. And who wouldn’t be, living in such a tropical paradise.
On to Galle tomorrow, with whale watching and snorkelling on the menu. Can’t wait!