Arugam Bay Information

The area has returned to its normal cycle of life & laid back beach feel. The recent announcement of recommencing Peace talks later this month has injected a sense of optimism.

A few adventurous travellers and surfers have returned the surf has been 3-6 over the full moon period with those in the water not believing they have the waves to themselves!

Let us hope the optimism continues, with all parties fully committed to a peaceful solution to the Islands troubles.

Quick update.

I have checked in with my partners in ABay and all is calm and continues to return to normal for now. However UK FOC have added Arugam Bay to the “Do not travel” to list, therefore everyone must travel at own risk and any travel insurance you have will not cover you for the area, you might have to check with your insurer if you are covered at all.

Curfew relaxed and a normal day. Police advise curfew will be lifted if all remains calm over weekend. Let us hope, so we can put this behind us as an “Isolated” incident.
Spoke too many today who believe it is and isolated event as never happened in the bay before. Next few days will tell.

Further unrest today to the extent most tourist & surfers have left in order to continue their holiday elsewhere. Further information on www.arugam.info

The update on the safety issues around Arugam Bay is unfortunately, not good for the area. Sadly, there is bad news.
10 Local Muslims were found to have been killed in the Southern part of the area, Panama.
Current reports of who is responsible for such a gruesome massacre is everyone blaming each other. Investigations are taking place.
Rumors abound but without foundation and each one stranger than the previous.
Foreigners are not directly at risk but of course, the atmosphere is solemn and possibly volatile.
In such tense and delicate situations extra caution should be taken and as much information as can be verified sort. If anyone is coming over to Arugam Bay, it is eerily quiet but stable.

6 December 2005
Arugam Bay Rebuild Road
One Road – Self Help

What a day! Blisters, redder face than normal but a day of achievement and personal satisfaction! A unique day!

Today the community of Arugam Bay did something to support it’s self and paid for it! Cash! It helped itself to help itself (you know what I mean) and improve the community.

Began a couple of weeks ago when a meeting was advertised by Fred at Siam View; It did not happen the first time but we managed to get a second meeting organised. At this meeting, it transpired that we did not have an overview on what was and had been happening as a community in ABay. Therefore another meeting was required to get facts about what the NGO’s had been doing and what plans for the future.

The invitation went out, a week later than had hoped (See my bad back etc) and not to everyone we had hoped. (Invitation & Minutes on www.lookinglost.com ) Now, I am a great believer in things happening for a reason, and to cut a long storey short, the highest priority that the members of the meeting came up with was “The Road”.

The only road through ABay is a joke! No work or maintenance has been done on it since Tsunami; the only work was done in the sight of international press to repair the section that leads to the bridge we depend on. Even since this was completed March 2005; No! Work of maintenance has been done on the new 200m section and the 1km through ABay has disintegrated to worse than a “Dirt Track” Craters, gullies, potholes, collapsed embankments not a “Road” at all.

So with no help from Government or the Tsunami agencies (they offered but government refused permission!) the old saying “Sometimes it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission” came into play.

The meeting came up with an estimated cost of $500 to level and repair, not tarmac but hard pack surfacing “Backfill?”

With the remaining funds I have available from the/your donations, I undertook to underwrite the cost to a budget of $500; meeting happened Friday 2nd December the enthusiasm and empowerment was such that date was set for today Tuesday 6th December.

One thing taking on a “Community Project” Another getting community to assist?

The local supplier of the “Mud, Backfill” or whatever it is called did his bit and gave a good price, the instigators managed to get a “Chain Gang” including themselves together and willing supporters joined in to play their part in a unique way.
Have to say a little disappointed in the turn out of the community in helping us to help them and get stuck in on the “Chain Gang” BUT what was new, unique and a great effort by supporters was “Tin Rattling”!

Every one who came up or down the road,(as we shifted many tons of dirt), by foot, bicycle, tuk tuk, van or truck were near enough attacked by initially, 2 great Dutch girls and 1 very pregnant lady, Liz, then as the idea caught on the local supporters joined in to obtain contributions from all who use the road. To the extent, they collected nearly half of the end of day cost!

Everyone who saw what was going on or who contributed said, “What a good idea it was” to repair the road and in most cases they understood why they should contribute! A Revelation and success by my standards!

Started at 8am waited till 10 for the first tractors to arrive full of dirt, mud backfill or whatever it is called, 6 hours later we had completed the objective, the worst sections including those at the bridge, repaired to a standard equal or greater than the “Road Authorities” had achieved!

Budget $500, actual cost $377 - 25% under budget!! + Contributions mean an actual cost of our funds $212! What a result!

52 loads of the stuff, 6 hours of back breaking; blistering work, a chain gang, 20 odd people helping, organising, working together (of course sometimes more supervisors than workers).

Result a road you can pass without feeling you are on the Paris-Dakar rally and a sense of achievement as well as hopefully an inspiration to others to take on the task of “One Road- Self Help” approach.

Question remains of why we had to do it and not the Government or it’s agencies but for now I rest, deep heat on aching back, drink a few beers with satisfaction that it HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD DAY!

Thanks to you for the funds, thanks to all those who cared enough to give their time and energy to the cause!

Citizen Jones reporting
For
www.lookinlost.com

Photos are on the site.
Steve

Post Script: - The road has now been graded and levelled. On the 7th of this month, USAID laid the foundation stone for the building of the new bridge to replace the current one damaged in the tsunami.

Around 150-250 people showed up for the ceremony, including high-ranking officials from the American Embassy along with local dignitaries and officials.

“Is Arugam Bay Safe?” - Many people have e-mailed and phoned me to ask this before they got here - The answer is YES!

Arugam Bay is on the South East Coast of Sri Lanka, a beautiful natural area famous for its surfing and wildlife, the most unspoilt beach destination in Sri Lanka.

Current safety reports about the “Conflict” often state “The North & East Coast, as no go areas for visitors”

Arugam Bay is unique in that it is not part of the disputed area and historical conflict here in Sri Lanka; it is many years since any problems occurred here 15+

Do not get me wrong, there IS a real “Low intensity war” as it has been officially labelled, in the North, North West & North East but this is not a forum about the wrongs of war or the continued hardship people are suffering in those areas. Nor is it a political forum.

The British FOC warning, states it applies to areas “North of Pottuvil” (over the bridge from Arugam Bay). Now the FOC has to err to caution, in reality the area for many kilometres north of Pottuvil is quiet but is not an area tourist would normally visit accept “Potty Point” or Komari, which to date are safe and show no signs of unrest.

People on the West/South Coast rarely travel to Arugam Bay therefore have little or no real knowledge of the situation here; Drivers and other tourist connected individuals would prefer not to venture here, mostly because they are ill-informed of the situation and perhaps with a little bias to keeping tourist £, $, Euros with them, in these hard times.

People from Arugam Bay and East coast on the other hand frequently travel to & fro around the country, therefore are happy to risk coming home!

The bay is quiet now at what should be “Height of Season” partly because of this, although 100 or so came out of the woodwork for last night’s huge all-nighter at “Mambo’s Cafe”.

Families are here (family of 7 in the restaurant at the moment!) + Many other surfers, travellers and tourist’s alike.

So if a driver or tour company advises against coming to Arugam Bay, treat wisely, and check for yourself by contacting people who live here or one of the Arugam Bay Tourist/Hotel associations. If you need a driver & transport then we can arrange for you to be collected anywhere on the Island.

Public transport details remain the same as on the site but the bus journey is longer than stated due to the checkpoint searches on route.

I can be contacted at steve@roccoshotel.com or steve@lookinglost.com or +94 7766 42 991.
I will endeavour to update this frequently.

Steve Jones
Rocco’s Hotel
Arugam Bay