Ness' bit of everything

We landed in Sri Lanka into the chaos that is Colombo and immediately caught the train south. We had heard of some quaint villages and fishing towns in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka fancying a more laid back start to our Sri Lankan trip.

We found ourselves in Weligama, a small town in the Matara district meaning ‘sandy village’. After being here for a few days, it definitely lived up to its name. This lively town is a thriving fishing hub, it mixes with a surfers paradise with boutique hotels creating quite a contrast! The town itself isn’t particularly pretty, easy on the eye and somewhat scruffy. None the less, it gives the place its quirky charm with the beautiful landscapes and beach coves creating amazing scenery.

One of the first things I noticed in Weligama is that it is probably the most chilled out place I have ever been. Everyone here is extremely friendly and the locals are very welcoming. Most guest houses and hotels host 2 daily yoga classes. With this comes a calming energy that is sensed all over the town.

The food here couldn’t’ be faulted, great local cuisine of Sri Lankan curries and also plenty of places catering for western food. Great spots; Meewitha Cool Spot, Chef Akila Kitchen, Aloha, Hangtime and Soul Cafe just to name a few.

BUT whether you have surfed for some time or a complete rookie, surfing in Weligama, is the thing to do. I asked a host of a guest house we were staying, ‘do you surf?’ she simply replied, ‘well of course, what else is there to do?’.

So we grabbed a board, an instructor and hit the waves. It was a great feeling, on our first attempts been able to stand on the boards, balance and somewhat surf a small wave. It has been a long time since I have learnt anything from scratch. It became frustrating at times, been knocked over by the waves and unable to balance on the bigger waves. However, the feeling that you get when you manage to catch a wave is liberating!

Weligama = Yoga. Eat. Surf. Repeat.

Ness x