I love the life on the road, the impressions, the ever new, the reduction to the essentials, all of this makes me move through the world all my life. Now I have been out and about for such a long time, that the effort it takes trumps the appreciation for the beautiful things in my day. Constantly having to make decisions on where to go, if to go or to stay. Thinking about how to get there, where to sleep, to have breakfast and dinner, where to find a quiet place? Are the prices reasonable, or do I have to negotiate? Everyone who travels will know what I mean. On top of than I am now traveling with my partner for around 3 months, due to which not just my needs and energies are to be considered but his as well, doubling the questions, opinions, and decision making. Those two weeks we spend in Goa have brought a little bit of a break from that but after over 13 months of moving around I longed for a place to really calm down for a while. Luckily my Partner shared the feeling so both of us were keen to live for two months in a small town in Sri Lanka. Prior our arrival we decided to settle in Hiriketiya, which was said to be a relatively chill surf town in the south by some people from the surf community.
The day after we arrived, rented some scooters for around 35.000 Rupee (~100 €) per month and found a spacious apartment for around 200 € a month. The Apartment had been unoccupied for a long time and in the humid climate there was some mould growing on the walls, but that was treatable and being 10 min walk from the beach and including two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen, living room, balcony and roof top as well as internet, gas and nice neighbours, it was still a good price. We were happy to have a place to be for a while and unpack our backpacks. The village offers some cozy cafés, a range of restaurants and nice waves. We went to buy a Mixer and some surfboards and were set for a little stillness.
Of course, my time there was everything but really still. To manage house again and sharing this responsibility for the first time with my partner, brought to light some forgotten thought and action patterns. Reducing the thoughts and actions to the essentials while moving around does not give a lot of space to reflect gridlocked patterns and observe the change. To now have this space and also be able to build some social structure in the village to get needs for other human connections me, changed to quality of those processes, especially those influenced by the partnership. To have a light chat about everyday life with an acquaintance, to be greeted with a warm smile and a hug in my local café or to take a little break in the bar where I don’t feel alone and yet not have to deal with too much energy form the outside, can ease the feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts and release knots.
Hiriketiya has grown to become a popular destination for surf tourists and ever more infrastructure is being build up. The neighbouring city Dikwella is busy with all sorts of shops but even in Hiriketiya itself, supermarkets, beach bars, restaurants and a few lovely cafés can be found. The village is small, and most shops are concentrated along the few main streets which are easy to get around walking or by scooter. Any budged can be accommodated with the restaurants in town ranging from fancy sushi to local curry buffet, and different accommodation options.
The beach of Hiriketiya has been completely taken over by bars and surf rentals so that it is difficult to find a place for your beach towel. The waves are just as busy with surfers of all levels and on good days it can get really messy, when three rows of line up stretch through the entire bay. Taking some time and flexibility with the scooters we were able to discover some less known breaks to escape to crowds.
The beach of Hiriketiya has been completely taken over by bars and surf rentals so that it is difficult to find a place for your beach towel. The waves are just as busy with surfers of all levels and on good days it can get really messy, when three rows of line up stretch through the entire bay. Taking some time and flexibility with the scooters we were able to discover some less known breaks to escape to crowds.
The beach of Hiriketiya has been completely taken over by bars and surf rentals so that it is difficult to find a place for your beach towel. The waves are just as busy with surfers of all levels and on good days it can get really messy, when three rows of line up stretch through the entire bay. Taking some time and flexibility with the scooters we were able to discover some less known breaks to escape to crowds.
A beautiful place not too far from Hiriketiya is Calma, a guest house/ café / amazing place, with a green garden flowing down to the wide sandy beach. The beach being more open to the sea, gets stronger swell breaking over the sandy bottom often in a quite choppy wave. But especially in the mornings, when the wind is not yet blowing it is a fun spot with loads of room to practice your paddle, take-off and wave reading skills.
Another great spot is Sampath beach, around 40 min drive from Hiriketiya just before Matara. The spot is named after the owner of the small surf shack on the beach and with wide open ocean in front, it accommodates a strong swell that can produce beautiful waves. Since Matara is not very touristy in general and this place less known than its neighbour SK Town, we had the waves to ourselves or shared with a few local and international surfers. This spot produces waves strong, and big enough to bring me once again to the edge of my panic attacks. But after a few sessions I was feeling comfortable and was able to trust in my abilities more, these were now the biggest waves that I surfed since my accident in Mexico and I even rode one of my best waves ever. I felt so lucky to go surfing once or twice a day and to finally live what I had manifested for so long, live with my surfboard by the beach and enjoy the ocean and life.
