Today’s excursion was to the beach / surf town of Hikkaduwa. Hettie and her friend Conrad had plans to go to Hikkaduwa for the day and I opted to go with them. The ride was incredible: long roads with palm trees and miles of white sand beaches. I have never been to a tropical paradise before so this is a new experience for me.
Conrad is Dutch. His dad owns companies in Colombo and has lived in Sri Lanka since he was little. I believe the proper term is: he is a Burgher.
Finding a place to stay wasn’t hard. It must be the slow season because people were willing to barter. I looked at a few places and 150 rupees seems to be the best bargain for the beach side of the road. After I found a room at the Sunflower Lodge Hettie introduced me to the lady who runs the International Lodge and Restaurant.
The rest of the day was spent playing on boogie boards with Conrad and Hettie. Surfing is kind of fun and there are lots of surfers here to affirm that fact. While on the beach I fried like a lobster, not intentionally as I am not one to sit long in the sun. However, a few minutes here and a few minutes there add up after a while and I now look like a cherry. For the remainder of the day I hid in the shade at the Drunken Monkey, had dinner (club sandwiches, fried noodles and banana fritters with ice cream), and then watched the activities on the beach.
I watched the fishermen drag in their nets and people fight over the fish. I also watched European women bathe topless or naked and old men walk around in their thongs. I watched the surfers do their tricks and swimmers swim along the coast. I am told that you have to be careful when you swim in Hikkaduwa because the undertow is so strong. It can pull you out a long way.
At the end of the day I sat in a hammock chair and watched the sunset and enjoyed the feel of the cool air come off the ocean.