Miller-Kitch Family

  A beautiful, comfortable treehouse, a nearby river with fish that eat the dead skin off your feet, great service, a leopard growling in the middle of the night outside of our treehouse all made our stay here at Back of Beyond a memorable stay. Back of Beyond, Dehigaha Ela, Sri Lanka

  Udawalawe National Park, established on June 30, 1972, covers approximately 30,821 hectares (119 square miles) in Sri Lanka. It serves as a crucial sanctuary for wildlife displaced by the creation of the Udawalawe Reservoir. The park is located at the intersection of the Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces and experiences a warm climate with moderate rainfall, averaging around 1,500 mm annually. The park's landscape is primarily composed of dry grasslands and scrublands, interspersed with riverine forests along the Walawe River. This diverse environment supports a rich array of flora and fauna. Notably, the park is renowned for its thriving population of Sri Lankan elephants, with approximately 250 individuals frequently seen near the reservoir. In addition to elephants, Udawalawe is home to a variety of bird species, including migratory waterbirds, as well as mammals such as sambar deer and leopards. This unique ecosystem makes Udawalawe a favored destination for wildlife enthusiasts...

  Chapter 10 March 17, 2002 Lahore International Airport Holidays were upon us and we had tickets booked for Colombo, Sri Lanka. Despite the conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the government, we felt like it was safe enough to visit the island nation. Although we felt guilty taking a vacation after having such an extended evacuation period from school, we were not going to turn down the opportunity to travel. We arrived at the Lahore airport with two colleagues and their baby. Even though we arrived two hours early, there was a huge lineup. Because of the lineup, our colleague and I went to the front of the line to see if they could get tickets at least for the family and their baby. ‘Butting in’ line is very common in Asia so this was nothing out of the ordinary. Regardless, a man behind us in line became irate that we just asked about tickets because of the baby. He pointed at several women and a baby next in line and yelled that he had a family and a baby, too. He got his tic...