Call of the Wild...

Open Air Living Room

We are in Sri Lanka for our Christmas holiday. It’s truly paradise. We have an open air house (closed bedrooms) but an amazing living room overlooking the beach. Check out their website at http://www.moonhill.uk.com/gallery_1.htm Wild peacocks strode across the front lawn just a few meters from our sofa; it was a beautiful sight. I learned that peacocks mate for life and it was very endearing to see the female hopping right behind the male. Out on the beach there are some dogs that belong to the beer hut and they roll around in the surf cooling their sandy paws. Cows graze on the hills visible from the beach. It’s really a humbling moment to know all of this has existed for centuries and we are privileged enough to experience life here for a few days.

 

Once the sun sets, a whole new set of sounds float through the house – we all take turns guessing the origin… birds, chipmunks, monkeys or wild dogs? The kids have come up with their own survival tactics for managing through an animal encounter. I thought I would share them with you because it’s a look inside their processing of our new surroundings:

 

• Dogs- you chase them back
• Wolves and Coyotes – make a lot of noise
• Bears – play dead if they are already biting you; be submissive
• Bears – you only need to be faster than the person you are with
• Tigers – don’t fall into the pit at the zoo
• Alligators/ crocodiles – run in a zigzag, because their eyes are on the sides of their heads and it confuses them
• Birds – fight back
• Sharks – you are out of luck
• Elephants – you stop them from charging by taking away their credit card (I think that was directed at me :))

So if you are out in the country surrounded by wild animals, you now have some tips to survive.