Thursday, April 14th, 2022 -Arugam Bay
Apr 18th, 2022 by rallyadmin
The arrival yesterday involved bringing the bag to the room, changing into bathing suit and heading for the beach. Half the mob had already been in the water and retreated into the shaded area for beers. Late to the party, I headed into the water to cool off and just ride the swells in peace and quiet.
The surf in Aragum Bay is fairly powerful though the breakers aren’t very large. And the breaks are very close to shore so there isn’t any surfing here. Actually, there aren’t any people here anyways. One of the beach boys tells me that later in the summer, the surf and the surfing gets much better. It is very pretty though.
Today is the Sinhalese New Year, generally known as Aluth Avurudda in Sri Lanka so everything is closed and bars are forbidden to sell liquor. Tuesday night in Battaciloa, the longest line in the small downtown area was in front of the liquor store across the street from the restaurant we were eating in. Somehow, that doesn’t translate to the hotel bar. I guess it’s universally known that it is impossible to sit at the beach without an alcoholic drink.
There are a few Germans staying at the hotel and some Sinhalese families have arrived. There is a Buddhist offering table setup and soon a traditional Buddhist ceremony welcoming the new year starts. The hotel manager rounds us up to watch and participate. He asks me to light one of the candle wicks behind the status of the Buddha. I don’t screw it up though the hotel manager was close by to save in event of a potential f/u. Pics taken.
The rest of the day just swimming or sitting on the beach in the shade. The day truly turns out to be a “rest” day. Tomorrow, it’s a long ride up into the mountains.
Obi
