Why we travel

[Photo/The New York Times]

TISSAMAHARAMA, SRI LANKA, FEB. 17, 2011

With the Sri Lankan civil war finally over, Yala National Park is once again safe to visit. While on vacation, I went there — essentially on safari - and I caught a beautifully serene moment with a huge buffalo en- joying a refreshing dip and a tiny frog sunbathing on its back.