|
||||||
|
Monthly Archive for September, 2008
Page 2 of 2
E-mail
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008
Arugam bay
A seven hour drive from Colombo to south east, approximately 320 km, take you to the famous surfing bay of Arugam which is located remote south east part of Sri Lanka close to pottuvil, a famous tourists destination . The pottuvil town, a 4km drive for the bay, is closest town center with majority muslism living in the area. Arugam bay is surrounded by a thick band of jungle about 70 km wide, roaming with wild elephants , tigers and birds , making it a paradise for tourism. Among those jungles are Lahugala National Park which is about 10 miles inland abounded with birdlife migrates to its wetlands and the huge Yala National Park which starts about 20 miles to the south. Arugam Bay is also the gateway and only access to the YalaEast National Park.
On an average day, a wave can stretch as long as 150-300 meters and in a perfect day it could expand up to 500 meters. There are three break points surrounding the arugam bay “The Point”, “Pottuvil Point” and “Crocodile Rock”.
 1:29 AM
 The bodies of seven farmers with gunshot and cut injuries were found in a jungle in Kotiyagala in Siyambalagamuwa, Moneragala, yesterday, police said.Defence Ministry sources, quoting the police, said that civilians in Thahanattakanda in Bintenna had found seven male bodies with gunshot and cut injuries last afternoon and informed the police.
The ministry blamed the LTTE for the killings. The source said the police, during their investigations, had found four bodies lying on a tractor trailer with wounds caused by bullets fired from a T-56 riffle and another three bodies on the tractor itself with pistol wounds. “Three of those civilians had been shot with pistols near the tractor they were using for cultivation work. The other four civilians had been shot with T-56 rifles from 500metres away,†it said. “Police suspect that a group of LTTE terrorists infiltrated into the jungle and carried out the massacre during the morning hours,†the source said. These bodies were noticed when a group of villagers went to the jungle last morning. They had immediately informed the police. Later a special police team with Special Task Force personnel went to the scene, police said. Police and troops are making arrangements with regard to judicial inquiries and other formalities. Following the recovery of the bodies, a massive search operation was launched in the area. Meanwhile, the three persons who were abducted last week by an unidentified armed gang, while collecting honey in the jungle off Alavai in Pottuvil, had not returned yet, police said. The security forces had launched a search operation in the area to trace the three men, after a complaint was lodged with the Pottuvil police on Tuesday, by a person who was with the victims and avoided abduction. source: http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=26076 |
Blurry Visions
The train heading back home.Every now and then the sea demands an offering of some technology. A camera, iPod, phone, Poseidon wants something. Last time I dropped my phone in Arugam Bay. My camera has also been having recurring acid flashbacks. This time I flipped a jet ski in the Bentota River and lost my glasses. The curious thing about not being able to see far behind your nose is that it kinda makes one more kindly disposed towards people. Everyone’s a sort of warm and fuzzy blob and anyone getting within conversational distance gets a dumb smile until I can figure out who they are. I also find myself listening and thinking more. It’s an interesting altered state, for a while.
I could still take photos and then see the world in focus on that screen. That, alas, was also compromised because my camera is really screwed up and hallucinates these messy striations. But it was an interesting (office/conference) trip down south on the private Viceroy Train, then a day at Bentota. I was in the water most of the time at Bentota, but got some randomly interesting shots on the train.
The Train’s Crest, methinksThe Viceroy Special is a private train that you can charter. We chartered it for this GSMA AP Conference, and it was not charter at all. It’s A/C’d and quite comfortable, and they’re serving you food and stuff throughout. I was sleepy on the way down, but on the way up it was really a quite pleasant way to travel.
It’s certainly more comfortable than the other means of travel, that being common train. Those are packed and hot and the foods not so good. I think the Railways Corp is actually a money losing enterprise as well.
As you can see from above, my camera now has a systematic problem with light. Certain levels cause it to spaz, giving these horizontal lines and striations. In this case the picture window is messed up, whereas the frame is not.
People live along the railtracks, in technically illegal shanties. You can see their houses stacked like matchboxes as you pass. People wash at shared taps and kids run about as you casually picture window through their backyards.
You can have coffee.
Get a lovely view of the sunset.
Through the lavatory window even.
Just after we passed Mount Lavinia a bomb exploded there, a minor one I hear. We got to Fort Railway station fine, though that place is still tinted with the memories of the rush-hour bomb not long ago. Colombo feels a bit still and there are unuttered stirrings in the north. Such is life. Sometimes its better to have your glasses off.
The rest of the photos are tagged ‘viceroy’ on Flickr.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2008
Arubam Bay – World Best Surfing destination
Arugam Bay is classed among the top ten surfing destinations in the world। The village itself is a delightful experience. There are no big hotels. The community has developed tourism by dint of their own hard work and imagination.Three star establishments rub shoulders with low-key stilt cabins and coconut palm leaf cabanas, and tourists share the beach with local fishermen.The wild and rugged scenery, elephants meandering at the edge of the village, abundant birdlife, and mysterious archaeological sites have made this a long-time favourite destination for travellers.The three ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, work and live in harmony. The population of 3,000 families is made up mostly of small family managed hotels/guest houses and restaurants.
 10:59 PM
| Size | 1,554 hectares |
| Main attraction | Large herds of elephants |
The Lahugala Park was initially declared a sanctuary on 1 st July 1966 and then upgraded to a national park on 1 st October 1980. Although this is one of the smallest national parks in the country, this is a popular location for elephant enthusiasts and bird watchers.
There are 3 tanks within the park. They are, Lahugala (243ha), Kitulana and Sengamuwa. The water from these tanks flow in to the Heda Oya. These tanks are largely silted up and support an abundance of Beru grass, which is a delicacy for elephants. These lakes also support a large variety of birds, local as well as migratory.
Being in the dry zone, the land is generally flat with occasional boulder formations. In addition to the elephants, the park is home to the endemic toque macaque, common languor, sloth bear, jackal, rusty spotted cat, fishing cat, leopard, wild bear, Indian muntjac, spotted deer, sambar, pangolin and black naped hare. The tanks and the surround area has become nestling places for wetland birds like pelican, purple heron, painted stork, lesser adjutant stork, white bellied sea eagle, grey headed fishing eagle, common kingfisher, stork billed kingfisher and white breasted kingfisher. Endemic comb duck, rare red-faced malkoha and Sri Lankan Spur fowl too can be seen the park.
There is no accommodation in the park it self, but Pothuvil and Monaragala can be used as the base when visiting the park.
On the nor then edge of the park is the Magul Maha Viharaya, an ancient temple built by king 
Devanmpiyathissa in the second century BC. This is said to be the location the king married princess Vihara Maha Devi. The foundations of the “Magul maduwa†where the wedding ceremony took place can still be seen in the vihara premises. The entire Vihara complex had covered an extent of around 10,000 acres where ruins of a palace, moonstone, monastery, bo-maluwa, stupas, ponds etc. are found scattered all over. The moonstone here is said to be unique in the country as this is the only location where elephants are carved with their mahouts in the moonstone.
Location
Lahugala National park lies in the basin of the Heda Oya, 16km inland from the coastal town of Pottuvil in the Monaragala District. The Pottuvil-Monaragala trunk road runs through the south-eastern sector of the park. It is 2 km off the main Monaragala – Pottuvil road some 5 km from Pottuvil.
Rithika’s Hideout 
http://rithikashideout.blogspot.com/2008/09/lahugala-kitulana-national-park.html
Ps: No Photos found on their web site!
The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society is selected to receive a
prestigious Equator Prize 2008 by the United Nations Development
Programme
The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society has been chosen by the
UNDP’s Equator Initiative’s Technical Advisory Committee as one of
25 outstanding winners of the Equator Prize 2008. The Equator Prize is
an international award that honors community-based projects that
represent outstanding efforts to reduce poverty through the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
In their award notification the UNDP states, “The level of
competition for the prize was extremely high and the depth of
nominations received was truly impressive. Among this year’s
remarkable entries, you provided us with a strong demonstration of the
inventiveness of community-based work currently being undertaken in
the tropics, often against tremendous odds. By receiving an Equator
Prize, the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society now joins an
increasingly influential avant-garde of 78 previous Equator Prize
winners that stand at the forefront of translating local action into
global sustainable development.†According to Eileen de Ravin, the
head of the Equator Initiative of the UNDP, the Sri Lanka Wildlife
Conservation Society will now become an essential part of a core
global network of Equator Prize winners whose work will be enhanced
and promoted by the UNDP’s Equator Initiative.
The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society states, receiving an
Equator Prize reflects the tremendous support the Society has received
from organizations such as the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), International Elephant
Foundation and several other organizations over the years. These are
all organizations that share a similar vision to the Society’s,
which is to develop a new paradigm for sustainable development and
biodiversity conservation, and it has been a great experience working
with them all. The Society has received felicitations from the First
Secretary, (Development) of the Canadian High Commission and the Asian
Elephant Conservation Fund Program officer of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service for been selected to receive an Equator Prize. The Regional
Manager for Global Vision International (one of our partner volunteer
companies) notes “Congratulations on the well-deserved award, it’s
great to see the work you guys do get some recognition and I really
feel this is a huge credit to the huge effort made by all at SLWCS as
well as the volunteers and supporters who help push forward the
sustainable development initiatives you guys lead. From a personal
point of view I’m also very proud to work with SLWCS, as having been
out to visit (albeit briefly) I have have seen the dedication and
long-term perspective that you have in place”
Ravi Corea, the founder president and CEO of the Sri Lanka Wildlife
Conservation Society, will receive the award in Barcelona, Spain on
behalf of the Society at an award ceremony that is been held during
the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Barcelona, from
October 6-10th.
Details about the award and the societies work can be found at
www.SLWCS.org, info@slwcs.org or call on 011-2714710 or 0777-885330.
The SLWCS office is at 38 Auburn Side, Dehiwala.
source:
www.SLWCS.org, info@slwcs.org
Some Impressions are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/arugamsurf/AbaYMusicFactoryInitiative
MY FIRST HAIR CUT OVERSEAS…
19.07.2008 – 19.07.2008Â
 90 °F
After being in Sri Lanka for six months, my hair was in desperate need of a trim job. It was always in tangles and I had a ton of split ends. Our bathing water is also a bit on the salty side (go figure living on the beach) which doesn’t help the situation at all. And to make matters worse, Pottuvil and Arugam Bay don’t have what I would call a suitable hair salon.
This is a picture of the local barber shop, which you only see men in. I figured either women cut their own hair or don’t bother, which would explain the very long hair they all seem to have. I didn’t grow large enough balls to get my hair cut in Pottuvil, but I did manage to on my next trip to Colombo.
I went with Dan to a “His and Hers” salon. Dan has been to this salon a couple of times and comes home looking good in his new doo. I know it is a little different with women, but I really wanted my hair cut so I had to suck it up. It took me five minutes to find the hers salon, which is tiny compared to the his salon. You would think this would be the first warning sign. In what salon is the men’s larger than the woman’s?
It took another five minutes to discuss prices and what I wanted. There was some confusion if the shampooing and hair drying after cutting was included in the price. This might be considered the second warning…should I really get my hair cut by this person who I can barely communicate with? Screw it…I wanted my hair cut, so I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best.
My favorite part of having my hair cut is actually the washing. There is something about another person washing your hair and massaging your head that is so relaxing. The washing stationed looked normal but I didn’t really fit in the chair. There was no leg rest so I had to hold up half of my body weight. Then the water was freezing cold. I was so very glad when the washing was done, but the shampoo did smell lovely.
We discussed how much I wanted trimmed off and my layers redone. Then I realized the only pair of scissors sitting in front of me had orange handles and looked like paper scissors (warning number three?) I was near complete panic mode until I took a deep breathe and said to myself “hair grows back”. Thankfully, she soon brought out her little cart of goods and thankfully, another pair of scissors. I think she cut every hair on my head, meaning she was very thorough. You would think this was a good thing, however it was taking forever and since there was no AC in the salon… I was accumulating major boob sweat.
Finally she begins drying my hair, which escalates the heat issue by ten. I swear I almost passed out in the salon. The hair dryer smelled bad, probably burning my hair along with my scalp. I couldn’t take it any more and screamed “stop your burning me.” She backed off and felt bad, but finished her job. I paid the girl 700 rupees, about $7, and walked out the door to fresh air. I have never been so thankful to leave a hair salon.
Overall my hair cut was cute and there are no visible signs of permanent hair damage from being burnt. It might, however, take another six months before I try getting my hair cut again overseas.
Dan, meanwhile, walked out of his salon with a sharp haircut, a straight razor shave, a beard trim, and a head massage for about $9. He couldn’t have been happier, since there is very little he loves more than a good bargain. He says that he still misses his salon back home for the free beer and the hot stylists, but I know that he is going to bitch about paying $50 again as soon as he gets back.
Posted by JenGarbely 05.09.2008 21:27 Archived in Events | Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka indeed seems to be an exciting tourist destination among all the others destinations in South Asia and is also renowned for its ancient monuments, as well as other nature spots such as beaches, lakes, mountains and even museum galleries. This country has all that it takes to sooth your souls with all its charm that it exhibits and engulfs. So just in case, you want to see and experience an unusual vacation then this seem to be the best place leaving you behind all those lush green memories.
Amongst all the natural spots in this country, beaches occupy a leading place, since there are many beautiful beaches, which are a good blend of sun and sand. This beautiful combination of the sun and sand has all it takes to make you feel like spending all your life on those beaches. The cool breezes, along with those gusting waves are some of the thoughts that one can never forget. Some of the famous beaches and resorts that are really worth visiting are kalutara, Bentota, Mount Lavina and Arugam Bay and not to forget the most famous of all the Sun Island Resort.
I suppose reading this paragraph would surely give you a glimpse of what this one looks like. The sun island resort is the most beautiful and exotic island that is located near Nalaguraidhoo and is capable enough to capture your hearts and minds because of its exotic tropical flowers and lush green gardens that would take you and remind you about those stunning blue sapphire lagoons.
This resort is located about 65 miles of the male airport and both this place and resort is the most breathe taking picturesque island on the whole of Srilanka. This one is so capable of capturing and kidnapping your minds with its charm and beauty that its known as the living paradise. This is the most noted luxurious beach resort and is considered to be the premiere resort among all the five hotels.
The sun island resort is well known for its beauty and besides its beautiful surrounding its also popular for its sunset view. So here’s is where it got its name form and owes its popularity and fame due to the sunrise and the sunset view that can be enjoyed from this resort.
Moreover, its beautiful beaches are an added attraction that enhances and adds on to its popularity and fame.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 8:41 am and is filed under Destination Sri Lanka. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
 I don’t read either rec.travel or rec.windsurfing.  I just thoughtÂ
that some of you might find the following interesting. Â Â
Sri Lanka is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, locatedÂ
between 80E,82E Longitude and 6N,10N Latitude –prasad }Â
RTw  09/15 2337  SURFERS TAKE CHANCES AT EASTERN SRI LANKA BEACHÂ
By Feizal SamathÂ
ARUGAM BAY, Sri Lanka, Sept 16, Reuter – Big-spending touristsÂ
and the average Sri Lankan would think twice before visiting thisÂ
picturesque bay in the Tamil rebel-torn east.Â
But the risks of getting caught up in ethnic fighting have notÂ
deterred the real enthusiasts among the foreign surfers who makeÂ
an annual pilgrimage to Arugam Bay, acknowledged as one of theÂ
best beaches in the world.Â
“Surfers take many chances for good waves,” explainedÂ
Australian Ann Gillaid as she collected her board at this resortÂ
200 km (150 miles) from Colombo.Â
This year between 50 to 75 foreigners a month, mostly surfers,Â
visited the bay village in the May to September period, a sharpÂ
drop from the average 200 per month before 1983.Â
“The numbers fell after Tamil rebel activity increased afterÂ
1983,” says Sri Lankan Lawrence Upali, who has operated a popularÂ
beachside restaurant for the past 12 years.Â
The only road to the bay is through a wildlife park, once homeÂ
to herds of elephants but now roamed by Tamil Tiger rebels byÂ
night. Another access road is restricted due to rebel activity.Â
A police commando unit stops travellers from using the road atÂ
night. It is opened in the morning only after patrols check it forÂ
any mines laid overnight by the rebels.Â
Most of the Tamil-dominated north is in the hands of theÂ
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas, fighting for aÂ
homeland in the north and the east for the minority Tamils. TheÂ
east has a mixed population of Sinhalese, Tamils and Moslems andÂ
is largely controlled by the military.Â
 Arugam Bay is the only place in the eastern districts ofÂ
Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee to be visited by foreignÂ
tourists.Â
“We are not promoting tourism in these places because of theÂ
unrest. But we are aware that tourists keep going to Arugam Bay,”Â
N.U. Yasupala, director-general of the Ceylon Tourist Board, saidÂ
in Colombo.Â
He said Arugam Bay in Amparai, Passekudah in Batticaloa andÂ
Nilaveli in Trincomalee were advertised in international travelÂ
magazines as having the best beaches in the world.Â
While local travellers are often attacked by Tamil rebels,Â
foreigners have been spared to date, with the exception of aÂ
Dutchman killed last year in a bus attack.Â
Locals say he failed to leave the bus as ordered by theÂ
rebels, choosing to stay and protect the Sri Lankan passengers.Â
“It is a bit scary when you hear these stories. But weÂ
generally don’t think about these things, though everyone warnsÂ
you, the tourism authorities or others in Colombo, that it isÂ
dangerous to go to Arugam Bay,” said Gillaid.Â
Many of the surfers are Australians while others come fromÂ
Britain, Italy, Germany, France and Israel. A few non-surfingÂ
tourists also seek out the bay.Â
One Welsh surfer said the waves at Arugam Bay were as good asÂ
those in Indonesia or Hawaii.Â
“But what attracts us most to this place is that fisherfolkÂ
here lead a simple life and living is cheap compared to what oneÂ
would spend (elsewhere),” he said.Â
Many surfers have visited the bay for four or five years in aÂ
row.Â
“This place is also nice because it is deserted and there areÂ
no high-rises,” Gillaid said. “We like the simple village life andÂ
little comforts. It should stay that way. Surfers prefer a quietÂ
location and if tourists start crowding the place, we would goÂ
away.”Â
The visitors stay in small “cadjan” huts with two beds, hiredÂ
by locals for just 50 rupees (about $1) a bed. Food is cheap.Â
Most of the Australian surfers spend two to three months aÂ
year at Arugam Bay. Others stay a couple of weeks.Â
Esther Reese, a 21-year-old student from Germany and one ofÂ
the few non-surfers, said she heard about the bay from friends.Â
“People tell you there are problems in these areas but we have notÂ
encountered any since we came last week.”Â
Most of the tourists come to Arugam Bay by bus from Hikkaduwa,Â
another cheap but crowded seaside resort 160 km (100 miles) to theÂ
south.Â
“Our bags are checked at all security points but otherwiseÂ
there are no problems,” said Gillaid, who says she plans to returnÂ
next year.Â
REUTER FS JXK SM
Source:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.travel/browse_thread/thread/aafc2ac4a3502dcf
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
The Smile
(09/08)
This beautiful girl is the daughter of a fisherman that invited me for tea in his house. She didnt speak any English, but the smile said it all. Pottuvil, Sri Lanka.
POSTED BY VICTOR W. AT 6:19 AM
LTTE terrorists launched an attack targeting a group of security forces personnel on route clearing patrol in general area Panama, this afternoon, 2 September.
The incident took place around 12.30 p.m. while the troops patrolling along the Okanda Road, Kudumbigala in Panama. One Special Task Force (STF) person and a Civil Defence Force (CDF) person were succumbed to injuries while being evacuating to the hospital, defence sources said.
source:
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080902_09
MTD Walkers PLC, successor to Kapila Heavy Equipment PLC and holding company of Walker Sons & Company Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd., will commence the setting up of a fully fledged master workshop inclusive of a state-of-the-art steel fabrication plant to enhance engineering and infrastructure development capabilities, the company announced recently.
“This master workshop which is to be set up in a 9 acre land in close proximity to Malwana will co-locate all workshops related to engineering and infrastructure development operations, thus further facilitating those works†Head of Operations of MTD Walkers PLC, Air Vice Marshall (Rtd.)Lal Perera stated.
“Several advanced features required for engineering and infrastructure development projects such as, ‘blast cleaning’, automatic welding and ultra modern steel plate rolling facilities will be available at the master workshop. In addition, the production capacity of our plantation engineering arm, which manufactures machinery required for the tea industry, will be doubled due to the setting up of this workshop.â€, he added.
MTD Walkers PLC intends to complete the setting up of the workshop by September 2009 and provide jobs opportunities to over a 100 skilled individuals in this facility.
At present, the Engineering Division of MTD Walkers PLC mainly engages in the construction of superstructures of bridges using prefabricated steel, designing and building storage tanks for the petroleum industry and repairing of petroleum storage tanks including the replacement of bottom plates of vertical tanks.
“Erection of the superstructure of the recently completed, 160 m long, 2-lane, Arugambay Bridge, using 535 metric tons of prefabricated steel, in a time span of 52 days could be highlighted as an example of the company’s engineering prowess. A similar bridge constructed according to conventional methods would require a minimum of 3-4 months for completionâ€. Head of Enginering of MTD Walkers PLC, Channa Caldera stated.
“In the petroleum storage tank designing and manufacturing arena too, we have served local as well as foreign clients. It is mention worthy that all tanks designed and built by us are approved by the Lloyds Register and compatible with the American Petroleum Industry (API) standardsâ€, he added.
MTD Walkers PLC was formed in November, 2007 as a result of MTD Capital, a leading Malaysian based civil engineering and infrastructure Company, purchasing a majority stake in Kapila Heavy Equipment PLC, which was the former holding company of Walker Sons group of companies. Prior to being acquired by MTD Capital, the Walker Sons group of companies had been in operation in Sri Lanka for over 150 years.
source:
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=25002
Arugam.info needs YOUR help!
Since the middle of last Century our mission has been to promote our remote little Bay.
More than 10 years ago this Home Page was established for this purpose.
In the early days of the Internet www.arugam.info (earlier .com) was the very first Web Site within Sri Lanka.
That was a long, long time before the Government, the Tourist Board or any other establishment had even considered the power of this new media.
Why do wee need YOUR help?
We would love to have “Arugam Bay” mentioned in a new film.
We wish to have Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, the producer of popular West Wing to look at Arugam Bay.
Anyone out there has any Ideas?
How to go about it????
This is the BBC article which drew our attention to Aaron and his plans and work:
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has agreed to make a film about the founders of social networking site Facebook.
Sorkin, who created US TV drama The West Wing and wrote the Tom Hanks movie Charlie Wilson’s War, has even opened a Facebook account to aid his research.
“I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I’ve started this page,” he wrote.
He said the project was a joint venture between Sony and producer Scott Rudin.
Sony has confirmed the as-yet-untitled project is in development.
Relying on fans
Sorkin added he was aware of other pages on Facebook from people who claimed to be him, but had decided it was “flattering more than creepy”.
 |
  I feel about this introduction the way I felt about Sophie’s Choice – It could have been funnier  Aaron Sorkin
|
“This is me,” he insisted. “I don’t know how I can prove that but feel free to test me.”The 47-year-old admitted he did not really understand Facebook, or “how I’m going to write the movie”, so was relying on fans to help him.
“I honestly don’t know how this works, which is why I’m here,” Sorkin said.
“If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to answer them as best I can. If anyone has any comments, I’m glad to listen.”
Before signing off, Sorkin joked: “I feel about this introduction the way I felt about Sophie’s Choice – It could have been funnier.”
Since joining Facebook, the writer has been responding to questions and comments from fans, leading to some further revelations about the forthcoming film.
“I have a fairly specific idea of what the first 15 pages of the screenplay will be and no idea what will happen on pages 16 thru 130,” he wrote.
“I have very strong feelings about the internet and its effect on our national culture, but frankly those feelings are being countered by the sophistication, kindness, curiosity and wit of the posts in this site.
“You people are screwing me up with your civility and intelligence.”
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004 while studying at US university Harvard.
In the website’s early days, membership was restricted to US students, but it now has more than 100 million users worldwide.
In response, AbHa has posted the following Comment on Aaron’s Facebook site:
“There is a remote little Bay, situated on the war torn Eastern Site of the tropical Island of Sri Lanka.
Here you find wild Elephants, a small group of “Lost” type characters (incl. Locke, Charlie etc.!!) The Internet as well as Facebook have been the ONLY vehicle which transformed the entire sleepy Community into an emerging world class mini resort.
We strongly feel that the combination of a tropical paradise, the slow recovery from the Tsunami, the wasted donations and totally inefficient NGO activities, (This surfer’s spot was the hardest hit area in the entire Country), the Love & Romance input as well as the Three Shows on the Oprah Whinfrey show will provide ample input and true life ideas of who Facebook and the Internet has influenced the life’s of Natives as well as visitors.
Many of which have now decided to settle at this place:
Arugam Bay.
see aslo:www.arugam.info
(The very first Web Site, ever, in Sri Lanka – more than 12 years ago)”
We feel that if we can succeed in having Arugam Bay at least mentioned in this new film, it would give a tremendous boost to our little Bay:
If YOU can help us – You would directly help all of us here in Arugam Bay.
Because a few more guests and a little more income is all we need to recover!
Arugam Forum
Arugam Photo Galleries on Picasa
Old Website
Press Coverage
Surf Forecast for Arugam Bay
ALIYA Wildlife Project
TODAY’s Comments