One one things

We lazed on the Tartaruga cushions and chatted with Upul till G turned up. I like Tartaruga - I like the people and the place is nice and laid back. The sea that evening was lovely, hardly a ripple and nice and warm. We wallowed for ages, skipping flat corals on the water, having under water races and just chatting as the sun settled into the Indian ocean. That evening we had a couple of drinks with Upul, who poured some potent G&Ts, before heading off to Rock View on the Southern end of the bay for more seafood while G returned to his abode for a more polished dinner. Somehow the three of us felt really tired that evening - and we were half asleep by 10.30 and probably would have crashed had G not returned and dragged us out to Riddim - the Diving Centre bar. Upul said earlier that they were having a small do at Riddim and that he was going there with his friends and for us to join. He had also promised to get us some greens via a friend of his. Unfortunately the friend didn’t show and so just before we left he went to his room and returned with a fist full - when I tried to pay him he declined and said it’s a gift. What a bugger.

Riddim looked in great form - a mix of locals and foreigners sitting around the beach, great trippy music, overall top atmosphere. I had a bit of fun with a Johnny from Weligama who was spectacularly odd. I needed some Rizla and asked his table - our friend, let’s call him Dalu, promptly stood up and ordered one of his catchers to provide me with whatever I needed. I was very grateful and thanked him. He grinned, came up to me and put his arm around me, asked if there’s anything else I wanted, offered me a drink, offered me a joint, asked my name and told me about five times to let him know if there’s anything I wanted. I thanked him, somewhat overwhelmed, rather apprehensive. We got our own table on the beach and proceeded to have a great time - Dalu kept raising his glass towards us and on two piss breaks came over to our table, put his arm around me and reinforced the offer of drinks, joints etc. By now things were a bit hazy. We headed back to the bar to replenish on cocktails and man walks up again and this time calls me away from my friends;

Dalu - Oya demma yanne nah ne?
Me - Er nah thawa winadi wissakin withara yanawa
Dalu - Ah, apith thawa poddakin yanawa. Mama Weligama inne, guests-la wagayak genawa, api poddakin Weligama yanawa..

At this point I half expected him to ask me to join them. G told me later that he was set to jump in if there was any sign of distress. Happily enough Dalu was content to leave me with an open invitation to his place whenever I’m next in Weligama. All along he held my hand which he refused to relinquish following a handshake, with his other arm around my shoulder. It was a still a bit of a daze - but the rest of the night I was the bite - the butt end of many a buggering joke. All for a bit of Rizla. We left Riddim around 2 and the four of us played rhyming games on the beach in front of Tartaruga under the stars. Another great night in Unawatuna - Mirissa or no Mirissa, we’ll be coming back here.

We had to leave on Monday despite Tuesday being a holiday since R had some work to sort out. (More importantly we had run out of money - traveling is getting bloody expensive, what with the escalating fuel costs and the average meal setting you back close to 500 bucks. It’s time to take the train more often and find cheaper spots to stay.) After a morning dip we made our way to jungle beach after settling with Upul and thanking him for a more than pleasant stay in the absence of our regular place. I had last been to jungle beach off season so it was extra pleasant when we made our way down there late in the morning. I was a bit worried about the tires surviving the sketchy road up to the Peace Pagoda but we managed. During the pleasant walk down the jungle path we were escorted by two dogs who felt we need guidance. They playfully ran alongside us, teasing one another and generally in love with life. Jungle Beach was isolated - it was a Monday so there were no inquisitive tourists, no local Johnnies - just 1 fisherman who kept to himself on the first beach. We crossed the rocks to the 2nd, larger and infinitely nicer beach. It was fantastic. I always feel like I’m in The Beach (the book, not the disastrous movie) whenever I go to jungle beach - it’s like a little island to itself, divorced from civilization, and still unspoilt (though there are the odd signs of careless visitors). The fishermen keep to themselves and the Sisters and I had the entire main beach to ourselves - it was fantastic. The water is shallow and crystal clear, there are a few fish hanging around, millions of sea shells and amusing corals - a haven for the many hermit crabs. A collected loads of pretty exotic sea shells and a bonus dead starfish. I spent the last half hour flat on my face, almost kissing the soft sand, eyes closed - I wouldn’t be anywhere else.

It was time to leave. Our two canine guides stayed with us all along at jungle beach and when we left they guided us again along the path up to the Pagoda - one was more mischievous than the other, frequently breaking away from the path, emerging from some nook ahead. When we got back to the pagoda they eagerly walked up to the car, tails wagging - it was reward time. We parted with our remaining biscuits and the dogs happily devoured them, enjoying their well earned tip. We hadn’t eaten all day so we stopped at Hansi’s in Hikkaduwa for some cheese and calamari roti - the best. We were given another discourse on the rising cost of living and how it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain roadside shops, particularly with tourist numbers falling exponentially.

“Yudde nisa newei badu mila wadi wenne. Yuddeta wenama ayawayay wen karala thiyanawa. Bandula Gunawardena boru bana kiyanne. Amathiwaru siyaganang thiyagana podu mudal nasthi karanawa, ekai prashne. Oya mahaththuru thamai ithin chande daanne meh minissunta.”

I smiled. You can fool some people sometimes, you can’t fool all the people all the time. We made our way back home, stomachs full, bodies satisfied. The journey back is never fun - so we turned up the music and sang our way back to Colombo, through the rain in Panadura, the traffic in Dehiwala, and the checkpoints in Bambalapitiya. Welcome home.