Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Camping in Udalwalawe National Park on Tai Pongal Day

A request came from Eshan, the operation’s manager at Eco Team to participate and the play the role of the naturalist of that camping tour organized on 14th and 15th January 2009. Reaching the Udawalawe park entrance by 10.30 AM in the morning met the clients, a British couple in their 60’s and came through Pan Lanka around 2.30 in the evening. The campsite was organized in “PRANSADARA” which is about 17 kilometers away from the park entrance (excuse me if I have mentioned this name of the campsite incorrectly), so we started traveling to the campsite and from the beginning itself we were able to spot so many bird species like Crested serpent eagle, Indian Roller, Changeable hawk eagle, Common hoopoe etc. including few spotted deers, land monitors etc. We had to tolerate the giant bull elephant that was blocking the road and walking along the road by taking his own time with the understanding of that we are roaming within their territory and I am sure this was a memory repeating experience for our clients.

Having a late lunch around 3.30 started our first game drive inside the park around 4.00, With the privilege of staying inside park for the night we took a quite undisturbed routes since our clients are careful observers of the animals and this rewarded us so many memory refreshing events. We were lucky enough to spot Malabar pied hornbills and Sri Lanka Grey hornbill in the same canopy. For the first time in my life we spotted a python that has taken it’s life long meal, imagine a python that swallowed a well-grown spotted deer, few yards away from the THIMBIRIYAGASMANKADA circuit bungalow. In the same time I was so unlucky at that moment not to have my camera with me unfortunately. We returned to the campsite with this unforgettable safari experience in the dusk and were treated us with a glass of coriander that usually takes at the end of tiresome exercise to get a relief for the aching body.

Dining in a thick jungle under the star studded sky with a light of a kerosene oil lamp is always going to be one of the most remarkable experience whoever who enjoys it. As usual the dinner was followed by B.B.Q. dishes, brown onion soup the most demanding soup in the camping sites followed by an array of Sri Lankan dishes as well.

Getting up to the rhythm of the bird vocalization in the morning started our second game drive in the park around 7.30, which ended up with adding sweet memories who enjoys the beauty of an untamed forest as a wildlife enthusiast.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Touring with James,Alison and Jimmy



The first wildlife tour of Jetwing Eco Holidays came to me as a result of meeting Mr.Gehan De Silva Wijeratne at Sinharaja in last December. Mr. James Naylor a British who works in Singapore at the moment with his wife Alison a biology teacher and his twelve years old son Jimmy arrived Sri Lanka on 30th evening for a 10 nights/11 days tour. Meeting them at Talangama villa on 31st morning, the last day of the year 2009 we started the tour to reach our first destination the Light House Hotel, Galle to celebrate the dawn of the year 2010. Jimmy is a photographer and enjoyed all the photographic opportunities so en route had few stops in places like Kalutara temple etc.

New year celebrations were fantastic at Light House hotel it was filled with full of fireworks that created a dramatic sky over the hotel with the dawn of the year 2010. The first naturalist greeted me for the New Year was none of the other than Anoma Alagiyawadu, the most experienced naturalist for whale watching in southern Sri Lanka currently working in the Light House Hotel as the resident naturalist.



First destination for the New Year was Yala village and managed to get over there by 1.00 PM. Our first game drive to the Yala National park on the same evening, infact my first safari for the new year, was very successful with the observation of elusive leopard for few times and the tusker, jackal, crocodiles, sambar deer and number of bird species including few raptors. The second game drive to the park on 02nd morning also was very successful to spot the leopard for a good look over 15 minutes and the experience left behind our clients was remarkable.

Having had a memorable stay at Yala village left for Centuria hotel, Ambilipitiya on 3rd morning and managed to reach there by 12.30 daytime. Starting our safari to Udawalawe National Park around 2.30 PM managed to spot a herd of elephants more the 50 in numbers near mawu-ara around 4.00 PM including number of baby elephants.




Responding to the special request made by Alison to visit the Ath-Athuru-Sevana in the morning, reached there before they start feeding around 9.00 AM without disappointing them to capture all the interesting moments in Jimmy’s camera. Making a little amendment to the stop off for the 04th night, reached the Tea Bush Hotel, Nuwara eliya around 5.00 PM.

Rewarding a bonus day in Nuwara Eliya, few ideas came from our boss James to spend the day in a meaningful way and respecting to his ideas first we visited the Victoria Gardens and then we started to visit the Kadapola tea factory. Passing all these panoramic views and record plenty of stunning photographs in Jimmy’s camera we reached the Tea factory around 11.30 am. Visiting the organic tea factory Alison had some tea testing after the demonstration. On our way to the Warwick Gardens, had a visit to the Hakgala Botanical Garden.



On 6th Morning we started our journey to the Horton plains national park to see the cloud forest through the scenic Ambewela and Pattipola. Surely this 9km circular nature walk provided us an excellent trekking experience while offering marvelous views to the south including a photographic record of the Adam’s peak in Jimmy’s camera. While returning to the Warwick Garden we didn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Pattipola railway station, the highest railway station in Sri Lanka, which is 6204 feets above from the sea level and the Summit level, the highest point of the Sri Lankan railway track.




Labookale tea factory were visited on 07th morning to explore an active tea factory in our way to Kandy from Nuwara Eliya and then the Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya before we reach the Suisse Hotel, Kandy. In the evening visited the sacred Dalada Maligawa, the temple of tooth relic of Lord Buddha.



Ended up this tour by transferring them to The Beach Hotel, Negombo on 08th January with remaining ample time to relax on the beach before they transfer to the Airport on the following morning.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Birding in Sinharaja with Boon



Birding in Sinharaja always gives me an opportunity to enhance my birding experience and therefore when I get an opportunity to go to Sinharaja rain forest I hardly miss it. This time a request came from one of my relative who serves as a doctor in the cancer hospital, Maharagama to accompany Mr. Boon, a Singaporean who is on a special tour to Sri Lanka for a week for a lecture series in Maharagama cancer hospital, to Sinharaja after his lecture series for two days visit.





Leaving Colombo around 6.30 in the evening on 4th of December Friday, we were able to reach Martin’s simple lodge in the mid night after a very tiresome journey due to the very bad road conditions and to thanks Martin still our dinner was waiting for us.

Amila, one of the most experienced ornithology tour coordinators in Sri Lanka and the founder of the Birdwing Nature Holidays gave my wake up call coincidently he has happened to sleep the adjoining room. Joining with all we had our breakfast and just before we leave for the nature walk we were able to had observe Malabar trogan, scarlet minivets, black crested bulbuls, Sri Lanka Mynas in Martin’s place.



Imagine how lucky our friend are, just right on the entrance gate even without entering to the forest we were able to spot the most elusive bird Red faced malkoha on a very low canopy which is not usual in this height including Sri Lanka Blue magpie, Crested drongo, orange billed babblers, yellow browed bulbuls, Sri Lanka jungle fowl etc. walking just few yards from the entrance one Chestnut backed owlet flew away after allowing us to have a good look on it. The nature walk left so many sweet memories to Boon because this is his first visit to Sinharaja. My day’s highlight was the Indian Blue Robin we were able to spot just few yards away from the research center.

Ceylon bird wing, Common Blue bottle, Blue Mormon, Crimson Rose, Ceylon Tree nymph, Commander, White four ring are some of the butterfly highlights while Green vine snake, Sri Lanka Keel back water snake, Giant squirrel, purple faced leaf monkey are some of the other highlights that boon made a note of them.





While having our traditional Sri Lank an lunch including dry fish, Pol Sambol etc. served by our host Martin after the tiresome nature walk, we had the privilege of having the company with Mr. Gehan De Silva Wijeratne, author of the most number of field guides used by the naturalists in Sri Lanka and a Sri lank an wildlife promoter who currently serves as the CEO to the Jetwing Eco Holidays.

Getting up to the noise of the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie in the following morning packed our things and came back to Colombo after the breakfast while spotting some birds around Martins lodge. On our way back to Colombo we were able to spot some village birds including a Common wood shrike before we reach to Ratnapura.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Go along this road to pack this amazing hamper for the festive season



Elusive leopard













Amaya Reef Hotel, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka – Welcomes you to share the beauty of a charming beach town




Situating on the golden sands of Hikkaduwa, the charming beach town and a famed destination for surfing Amaya Reef, the beach retreat of the Amaya Resorts & Spas provides an unparalleled holiday experience with heartfelt service of the friendly smiling staff that greets their guests as a returning family member.



Carefully designed 50 rooms overlooking the Indian Ocean allows to enjoy the stunning views of the early rising and the evening sunset provided with satellite TV, air conditioning, hot and cold water, mini bar and the tea & coffee making facilities.



Set your chair to overlook the Indian Ocean under the star studded sky for a romantic dinner at the Waves restaurant serves an array of exquisite eastern and western dishes including local Sri Lankan touches that makes each dish unique. Theme nights including barbecue nights, sea food nights, Mongolian nights, Sri Lanka nights, Chinese nights and International buffets brings you close to the Sri lankan culture and world cuisine creating an atmosphere to evoke each special theme.



If you are in the mood, Ayurevedic centre of the Amaya reef provides number of holistic therapies and wellness programs including Waspha Sweda a treatment that specially recommended for nerve diseases, Inhalation that recommended for the infections of the lungs, common cold, headaches, asthma, cough and sinusitis, Avagaha Sweda that cures skin defects and improves blood circulation, Neck & Shoulder massage that stimulates special point in the shoulder and neck to improve the blood supply to the related organs, Foot massage that stimulates all the organs entire body and also special three day wellness programs under the supervision of a qualified ayurvedic doctor.



Air conditioned conference hall of the Amaya Reef including TV, Multimedia, audio-visual equipment, Maggi board, flip charts, conference kits is a perfect location for focused, productive meetings. This conference hall can accommodate a group of 110 persons.



Some of the most attractive features & excursions that Amaya Reef organizes are

• Sri Lankan weddings
• Galle city and Dutch fort
• Stilt fishing at Ahangama
• Whale watching tours at Mirissa
• Sinharaja rain forest
• Turtle hatchery, Kosgoda
• Water sports at Bentota
• Deep sea catamaran fishing
• Moonstone mine at meetiyagoda
• Snorkeling and glass bottom boat riding
• Nature trail at Kanneliya, Hiyare and Rumassala


Address: 400, Galle Road, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Reservations: 0094(0) 114767888

Email: sales@amayaresorts.com

Website: www.amayaresorts.com

Monday, November 9, 2009

Natural cancer cell killer - කටු අෙන්ාඳා

I received this article in an email and i thought it is useful to publish.


This fruit is freely available in Sri Lanka and possibly in India too. Indian recipients of this kindly comment.
The Sour Sop or the fruit from the graviola tree is a miraculous natural cancer cell killer

10,000 times stronger than Chemo.

Why are we not aware of this? Its because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.

So, since you know it now you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some sour sop juice yourself as prevention from time to time. The taste is not bad after all. It's completely natural and definitely has no side effects. If you have the space, plant one in your garden.
The other parts of the tree are also useful.

The next time you have a fruit juice, ask for a sour sop.




How many people died in vain while this billion-dollar drug maker concealed the secret of the miraculous Graviola tree?
This tree is low and is called graviola in Brazil, guanabana in Spanish and has the uninspiring name "soursop" in English. The fruit is very large and the subacid sweet white pulp is eaten out of hand or, more commonly, used to make fruit drinks, sherbets and such.

The principal interest in this plant is because of its strong anti-cancer effects. Although it is effective for a number of medical conditions, it is its anti tumor effect that is of most interest. This plant is a proven cancer remedy for cancers of all types.

Besides being a cancer remedy, graviola is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent for both bacterial and fungal infections, is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders.



If there ever was a single example that makes it dramatically clear why the existence of Health Sciences Institute is so vital to Americans like you, it's the incredible story behind the Graviola tree.

The truth is stunningly simple: Deep within the Amazon Rainforest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.




Research shows that with extracts from this miraculous tree it now may be possible to:
* Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss
* Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections
* Feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment
* Boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America 's largest drug manufacturers, the fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970's! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing... Extracts from the tree were shown to:

* Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer..
* The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!
* What's more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectivelyhunts
down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells!

The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched--so why haven't you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is as half as promising as it appears to be--why doesn't every single oncologist at every major hospital insist on using it on all his or her patients?

The spine-chilling answer illustrates just how easily our health--and for many, our very lives(!)--are controlled by money and power.

Graviola--the plant that worked too well

One of America 's biggest billion-dollar drug makers began a search for a cancer cure and their research centered on Graviola, a legendary healing tree from the Amazon Rainforest.

Various parts of the Graviola tree--including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit-seeds--have been used for centuries by medicine men and native Indians in South America to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems and arthritis. Going on very little documented scientific evidence, the company poured money and resources into testing the tree's anti-cancerous properties--and were shocked by the results. Graviola proved itself to be a cancer-killing dynamo.





But that's where the Graviola story nearly ended.

The company had one huge problem with the Graviola tree--it's completely natural, and so, under federal law, not patentable. There's no way to make serious profits from it.

It turns out the drug company invested nearly seven years trying to
synthesize two of the Graviola tree's most powerful anti-cancer ingredients. If they could isolate and produce man-made clones of what makes the Graviola so potent, they'd be able to patent it and make their money back. Alas, they hit a brick wall. The original simply could not be replicated. There was no way the company could protect its profits--or even make back the millions it poured into research.

As the dream of huge profits evaporated, their testing on Graviola came to a screeching halt. Even worse, the company shelved the entire project and chose not to publish the findings of its research!

Luckily, however, there was one scientist from the Graviola research team whose conscience wouldn't let him see such atrocity committed. Risking his career, he contacted a company that's dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and blew the whistle.

Miracle unleashed
When researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola, they began tracking the research done on the cancer-killing tree. Evidence of the astounding effectiveness of Graviola--and its shocking cover-up--came in fast and furious....

....The National Cancer Institute performed the first scientific research in 1976. The results showed that Graviola's "leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells." Inexplicably, the results were published in an internal report and never released to the public...

...Since 1976, Graviola has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, yet no double-blind clinical trials--the typical benchmark mainstream doctors and journals use to judge a
treatment's value--were ever initiated...




....A study published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at "10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin..."

....The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. Unlike chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells), causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

...A study at Purdue University recently found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung
cancers... Seven years of silence broken--it's finally here!

A limited supply of Graviola extract, grown and harvested by indigenous people in Brazil , is finally available in America .

The full Graviola Story--including where you can get it and how to use it--is included in Beyond Chemotherapy: New Cancer Killers, Safe as Mother's Milk, a Health Sciences Institute FREE special bonus report on natural substances that will effectively revolutionize the fight against cancer.
This crucial report (along with five more FREE reports) is yours ABSOLUTELY FREE with a new membership to the Health Sciences Institute. It's just one example of how absolutely vital each report from the Institute can be to your life and those of your loved ones.




From breakthrough cancer and heart research and revolutionary Amazon Rainforest herbology to world-leading anti-aging research and nutritional medicine, every monthly Health Sciences Institute Member's Alert puts in your hands today cures the rest of America --including your own doctor(!)--is likely to find out only ten years from now.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Camping in Sinharaja with a group of students from UK



A group of eleven students with two lecturers from UK led by Mr. Joss joined the camp site organized by the Eco Team on 24th October 2009 for a one night camping. Filled with full of fun they made this night remarkable by having dance with the light of camp fire and at the end of their dance there was a special request to Upali (the guide) present a Sri Lankan dance with Joss since he has been in Sri Lanka for three years. All these activities followed by the B.B.Q. dinner despite that Joss requesting rice and curry because he has a special taste in that as a result of working three years in Sri Lanka for an international school in Colombo.



Having all that fun last night the nature walk to Sinharaja forest was started around 9.00 am with sunny weather conditions by rewarding us not to worry too much about the leeches.



By not having rain for two weeks the forest was little dry and not provided much opportunities for birding. Once again Joss became the main actor by expressing his views that he is keen to see a snake and quenching his thirst we were able to spot two green pit vipers so that he became the happiest man in the group.



Purple faced leaf monkey, giant squirrel, Sri Lanka Kangaroo lizard, green pit viper, praying mantis are some of the sights that this group of students seems to be impressed.
Ceylon tree nymph, common blue bottle, blue morman, crimson rose, Ceylon bird wing, blue glassy tiger, commander are some of the butterfly species that were recoded during this nature walk.