After our amazing experiences making cinnamon, we headed south—our last stop before heading back home. We stayed at a surf hostel here for 10 days. Since it’s the off-season for tourists in the south, we had the entire place to ourselves. For the mosquitoes and sand flies, however, it was peak season, which is why we unpacked our mosquito tents for the first time here. In the evenings, we always had to put on our long-sleeved clothes soaked in “No Bite.” With 70–80% humidity, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.
The accommodation had its pros and cons. The air conditioning was super easy to adjust, there was a ping-pong table that we practically had to ourselves all the time, and the food was heavenly. Since we were the only guests, we had a trained 5-star private chef who conjured up delicious meals for us around the clock. The downsides of the accommodation were that, as already mentioned, there were no mosquito nets. While mosquitoes do tend to avoid the cold air from the AC, the occasional one still found its way into the room. In addition, there was only cold water for showering, and just a very thin sheet to sleep under. After a somewhat chilly night, we drove straight to the nearest supermarket the next day and bought some blankets. We also had a pool on the property, but unfortunately it was quite shallow and not really suitable for playing ball games because there was a pole right in the middle. However, some renovation work is apparently planned, for example hot water is coming soon for the showers. Quick side note: All following surf photos and some of the photos from the camp are from Drivethru/Lakshan Wicky.
To get to the next beach, you had to walk a bit. Twice a week, there was no dinner. That meant we had to go out looking for a restaurant. In the high season, that isn’t a problem. In the off-season, it wasn’t quite as easy, and sometimes you had to take a tuk-tuk to the next town because almost everything was closed.
Since our surfing experience in Arugam Bay was pretty mediocre (the waves were great, but the surf instructors and the crowds in the water weren’t so great), we were looking forward to the south. Since it’s off-season here, unfortunately many spots weren’t working at all, which is why we were only able to check out two: Weligama and Lion’s Gate. At times, the waves were borderline too big for us, and there were a lot of closeouts. So we had to move to the whitewater with the kids. But we also had some really good sessions with smaller, green waves—and depending on the time of day, we even had the spot all to ourselves. It definitely left us wanting more—maybe we should come back here sometime during peak season.
The kids have made incredible progress over the last few days and kept getting back out there despite going through the wash cycle several times. What also helped was the support from the Drivethru surf instructors. They really took great care of the kids and us, and we also really liked the coaches’ overall attitude (heavily influenced by the camp manager, Raphi): No one gets shoved into the waves (unfortunately a rarity in Sri Lanka), they pay attention to surf etiquette, and tips on reading waves and board handling (turning, turtle roll, etc.) were also part of the program.
A highlight was an extra lesson on the last day: “Confidence in the Water.” This focused on holding your breath and how to handle situations when you end up underwater during a wipeout and experience the ocean spin cycle firsthand. We then practiced this hands-on both on land and in the pool. Bottom line: You often have more than enough oxygen available than you think, and if you manage to stay calm, wipeouts aren’t so bad anymore.
Last Friday, the power was cut off in our town for almost the entire day. So we decided to drive to Galle. On the way there, we stopped at a beach where you can encounter sea turtles in knee-deep water. And sure enough, four turtles were already waiting for us. A local then sold us a bag of seaweed so we could feed them. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And the best part was, we were practically alone. We just had to be careful not to get “run over” by these very, very heavy animals.
After our visit to the beach, we stopped by a sea turtle conservation center. There, they place great emphasis on protecting the animals and their eggs. This is very important, since, unfortunately, far too many locals still dig up and eat the turtle eggs. It’s just terrible! They also shelter and treat injured animals that would have no chance of survival without their help.
Afterward, we made our way to Galle. We wanted to see the Galle Fort. However, it was so unbearably hot that we couldn’t really enjoy the area at all. So, on short notice, we decided to visit a jewelry store instead. Sri Lanka is known for its gemstones, especially sapphires. Naturally, I (Diana) had to pick up a souvenir from the trip.
Today we headed to Negombo to stay at a place near the airport (Dutch Canal Resort in Negombo), because tomorrow we’ll already be saying „Auf Wiedersehen, Sri Lanka!“
