Sweat drops roll over my body, the salt pinches around my upper lip. My shirt sticks to my wet backstroke. I am sitting in the shadow but there is no puff of wind. It’s March and high season for Sri Lanka’s South Coast. I look over the rails in the distance to see if our train is yet to come. The heath blurs the air and I can’t see far. The sweat drops are pearling down my wet face to the ground, leaving dark dots. In no time the heat of the sun fades them away. Some days are hotter then others, today is crazy and not what I had in mind when I dreamed of working in the tropics.
Hippie’s heaven or tourist trap
The train rides along endless palm trees full of the typical yellow king coconuts. Long stretched yellow beaches with a clear blue sea border the lush jungle. The warm breeze caused by the speed of the train cools me a little bit down. For the third time in a row we’re on our way to Hikkaduwa. Hikkaduwa is situated on the South West coast of Sri Lanka and has been a firm tourist favorite for over five decades, ever since it became a popular hippie hangout in the Sixties. With a laid-back surfer vibe and coral reefs with tropical fish and huge turtles it still has a huge tourist pull. The tourism left its marks. The quick development of guesthouses and restaurants at the beachfront unfortunately caused beach erosion. Though in the recent years sand does seem to be beginning to return to large parts of the beach. At our time of visit the beach at the East side is super wide. The West has narrow parts but is even though good.
For us our third visit is again great. Even though Hikkaduwa is busy, there is a good vibe. It’s a combination of the dance willing fellow travellers, the surf, the bright sparkles of the fireworks being lit to show where the place to be is that night, the baby turtle farm, the great cocktails at Top Secret, the familiar atmosphere at Hansa Surf, sunset at Funky de Bar and Friday night at Vibrations. We might just come around again.
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