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Published: February 23rd 2017
Surfers At Sunset, Hikkaduwa
The waves were OK in certain places in Hikkaduwa and these surfers are trying to get the last of them for the day.Having learnt a little about Sri Lanka and its culture and history on my first three days in the country, it was now time to make my way back towards Colombo via a much more comfortable bus ride than
my first one in Sri Lanka, to the town of Hikkaduwa for a bit of R&R - or so I thought - by hitting the main reason why holidaymakers come to Sri Lanka; its beaches.
And the reason why things weren't necessarily going to be relaxing was the fact that things were most probably going to be boozy. After all, it was my birthday and I was to meet up with Tom and Alex - two Brits I had originally met in
Goa and then again in
Hampi, where we enjoyed some good, non-alcoholic times.
Thus it was time to make up for that.
We were always going to meet up but I guess you just knew it was meant to be when I bumped into them randomly on the street! Hikkaduwa's one street that runs along the beach and is flanked by hotels and restaurants. Things are pretty touristy here and white foreigners appeared to outnumber the locals.
With nothing else doing, I joined the boys
Hikkaduwa Beach
Nicer than any beach in India but is overdeveloped as a result. plus a fellow Kiwi also called Alex, for a sundowner on the beach. In a bizarre coincidence, it was also Kiwi Alex's birthday, so it was definitely going to be a big night!
Being in Sri Lanka, it made sense to sample the local liquor;
arrack. Which if you mix it with a little lemonade, becomes known as an "Arrack Obama" (I just made that up by the way). Distilled from coconut flowers, it is the same colour as dark rum or whisky and tastes like something halfway between the two. Thus I preferred it with coke - or even on the rocks.
After getting through a couple of bottles of it at Tom, Alex and Alex's hotel, we then hit Chill Lounge which that night was anything but - it was pretty damn busy. I hadn't really had a proper night out since I was in Goa so I was enjoying it. Making my way between the bar, the dance floor and the chairs and tables on the beach, it was an epic night. I even managed to bump into Aussie Jayne, a girl who I had met in
Alleppey; although we only realised after about half an
Lads Lads Lads
From left to right, me and Tom have a laugh while British Alex gives Kiwi Alex a ride for his birthday in Hikkaduwa. hour after meeting again that we had actually met before! Stumbling back to my hostel at 5am, I've had worse birthdays, it has to be said!
You know, I had initially thought that Sri Lankans were more honest and less pushy than their Indian neighbours, but now I'm not so sure. Because Sri Lanka has thus far been really touristy, I've found that I've been hassled to buy stuff more than I was in India. Also, on more than one occasion, bartenders and vendors have attempted to shortchange me. Not cool. The locals are however, much more laid back and as is probably fitting with a tropical island nation, Sri Lankans are pretty slow and relaxed with service...
I met up with the lads again the next day and had a really nice swim on Hikkaduwa's beach. The water is so much cleaner than in India, the sand more golden. And the water is so warm too. After watching a little Six Nations Rugby in the evening, we went along to the only place offering entertainment in Hikkaduwa on a Sunday night, a place called Funky de Bar, where it was karaoke night. There were some god-awful versions
Sunset Over Hikkaduwa
Watching the sunset in Hikkaduwa with a sundowner. of various Backstreet Boys songs sung by a couple of local lads but that's the spirit of karaoke innit. The highlight though was definitely a Russian dude who gave us a throaty, energetic version of Electric 6's "Gay Bar". I still find that song hilarious.
Where I had been let off lightly on my bus journey from Galle to Hikkaduwa, normal service apparently resumed on my bus from Hikkaduwa to the beach town of Mirissa. I guess all bus drivers here drive like maniacs. Not what you want when you're feeling a little queasy from the second day of your two-day hangover, which at the age of 35, is worse than the first day! On arrival, I had forgotten to load a map of Mirissa meaning I had no idea where my hostel was when I got off the bus. Naturally, a tuk-tuk driver took advantage and drove me less than a kilometre for LKRs100 (₹50 - 50 Indian rupees - or £0.60p). Dammit. It should've cost half that.
Mirissa itself is a bit more chilled out and slightly less commercialised than Hikkaduwa, is smaller, and has a nicer beach in my opinion. But it is still too developed;
Mirissa Beach
The beaches in Sri Lanka are better than the ones in India. walking to the beach from the hostel was annoying because of the presence of a flash hostel resort restricts access to the beach to just one or two points that result in long, unnecessary walkarounds. Not a fan. Down with capitalism!
Trying to get away from all the tourists and expensive beachside bars in Mirissa, Kiwi Alex, Tom and I went on a little bit of a mission to the "Secret Beach". It probably wasn't worth it as it was too rocky to really swim there although it has some nice shade.
Moving on to food, Sri Lankan cuisine has so far offered up less variety than there is in India, although that is understandable when you compare the size of the two countries. The food being served here is a mix of Indian and Southeast Asian, with local versions of the two. Ubiquitous, is
rotty, which is like Indian
roti, except with heavy savoury fillings like meat, or sweet fillings such as banana. Imagine roti served like pancakes.
Kottu is also everywhere, which are thick slabs of fried roti which are chewy and have a texture like thick noodles. It is usually served with stir fry vegetables and/or
String Hoppers
My favourite Sri Lankan breakfast. The "hoppers" themselves are on the left and are basically soft noodle cakes; dhal is in the centre and "sambol" is on the right, which was the best part of the dish. meat. "Kottu drumming" is entertaining and annoying at the same time; chefs chop up the roti on their hotplates, creating a clanking yet atmospheric racket, bringing any conversation you are having to a brief pause as you wait for the rhythmic clattering to stop. Thus on the dance floor, the "chop the chicken" routine becomes the "kottu chef" here in Sri Lanka.
Then there is Sri Lankan curry which is usually chicken or fish and is creamy and coconut based, although unlike South Indian curries, are not too spicy. They are simple but delicious. "Curry and rice" is the Sri Lankan version of a thali.
String hoppers are my Sri Lankan breakfast of choice. Small cakes made of thin, white, stringy noodles, are eaten with dhal and a crab and coconut "sambol" - similar to "rawa", something I didn't get to try in India - which is amazing.
Being small and with a bit to see and do - as well as being beautiful - Sri Lanka is the perfect place to have a short holiday and indeed the people I've been meeting and seeing around are mostly short-term vacationers. In addition to the Russians and the Chinese, you
Fishing Pole, Mirissa
That 'tree' in the middle of the sea is actually a fishing pole, upon which local fishermen would sit and cast their lines. can add Israelis to the list, whose big packs of young, attractive holidaymakers can be found on the beaches. The other big travellers' group that I've noticed lining the shores here are Scandinavians. There are of course, more than the odd German too, although they are literally everywhere. I've therefore felt more like I'm on holiday than backpacking. Sri Lanka's tourist infrastructure is good and caters well for those here for a short while.
The first of two big nights out in Mirissa started with rotties. The beef and cheese one I had was delicious. Joining us were British Alex's friends Cam (also British) and an interesting, Peruvian-Scottish girl who I can't remember the name of, but do remember that she was so excited about introducing us to a new drinking game she had just learnt called er, Ring Of Fire...(Circle Of Death / King's Cup). Haha. We played a game of it anyway after dinner, which was then followed by a quite amazing game of 21, were we almost replaced every single number. Only our desire to hit the club stopped us from doing so.
There is a party on every night in Mirissa, which is hosted by
Night Out In Mirissa
One of few photos taken from our nights out in Mirissa. a different beachside bar each night. All you gotta do to find out where it is, is to go down to the beach and see where the laser lights are coming from. No shoes are required - "no shoes, no worries" was our mantra - and it was quite liberating. It was a classic Lads On Tour night out though things ended up getting a touch dramatic! I'm not saying any more but man, some shit went down! The most dramatic thing to happen to me however, was having to stump up LKRs1,000 for a whiskey and ginger beer! That's £6! That is perhaps, the most expensive drink I've had on this entire world trip! In defence of the bar, the drink was ridiculously strong - a full glass of whiskey with a dash of ginger beer.
The next night was my last in Mirissa and indeed the last with my crew - so we went out and did it all over again. Deciding to take the arrack without Obama this time, I got far more wasted than I did the previous night and I think I enjoyed myself far more for it. Therefore it was disappointing that the
Secret Beach, Mirissa
"Secret" only because it required a bit of trek from the main beach. But it was a bit too rocky to swim unfortunately. night ended so early at around 2.30am. With a long bus journey to make the next day however, perhaps it was a good thing.
And so Kiwi Alex and I packed our bags and continued our journey the next day. I'll miss the Brits Alex and Tom, we had some good laughs. It has been awhile since I've laughed as much or as hard. But for the sake of my liver perhaps it was a good thing for us to part! Cheers guys, it's been emotional!
Having now done Sri Lanka's cities and beaches, it was time to head for the hills and experience Sri Lanka's much vaunted nature.
පසුව හමුවෙමු (pasuva hamuvemu),
Derek
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