Sri Lanka's hidden pearl
“Abay has to be like Bournville chocolates.
You dont just go to Abay, U have to earn it 
”
by Vishan Batepola on “Arugam Surf” Facebook page
A brilliant quote!
And, as everybody who came through the jungle road of Lahugala knows:
It’s true!
Once you reached remote Arugam Bay - you have a feeling that you did EARN it.
You finally arrived in a totally unspoiled, True Paradise!
Arugam Bay is situated 320km due East of the Capital, Colombo.
Across the Indian Ocean, the next piece of land you come to is Thailand.
Exactly 2,000km due East, on the other side of the growing Tourist Resort of Arugam Bay. A VERY popular Tourist destination.
Not directly related to AbaY, but interesting to see how our Thai “Competitors” deal with public relations of their highly disciplined, multilingual Tourist Police Force.
Take one look at one of their Video clips and decide how much Sri Lanka might have to catch up with modern approaches.
We feel, that it’s always good to look around. In this case just ‘Across’ to see if we can learn anything from our Co-Players in the Tourist field….., right?
Video uploaded by Danish Villa, Arugam Bay 10th August 2010
A walk on the beach to Arugam Bay Surf Point 10-08-2010. www.thedanishvilla
Many Britons looking to travel to Sri Lanka this year should be glad to hear that the British Foreign Office lifted its travel ban restricting travel to Sri Lanka this week. Previously travel was restricted in the northern districts (including Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Kilinochichi and Mannar) because of violent fighting between the government army and the national separatists.
So if tourism is up by 50% to Sri Lanka since this time last year, where is everyone going?
Considered the most traveller-friendly village in Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay is a surfer’s paradise with a touch of Asia. The best waves come in between April and October. Surfers come from all over the world to catch a wave or two from one of the nearby beaches. Everyone else enjoys watching of course, while enjoying local seafood and other local delights.
When tourist season dies down, the village loses its party scene and quiets down. It’s a perfect place for a quieter holiday and a chance to swim in the calm waters. No matter what time of year, there are endless opportunities to see exotic birds, crocodiles and even some elephants.
Little did I know that Sri Lanka is also a completely affordable travel destination as well. Emirates, Kuwait Airways, Kingfisher Airways, among others, fly from London. You can find cheap flights to Sri Lanka for as little as £300. Continue reading ‘Where is everybody going? Arugam Bay!’
(0)Accident scene located on A4 main road 30 Minutes West of Arugam Bay
By U Wijesinghe
The ambulance of the Lahugala rural hospital ran off the road and crashed into a wayside tree causing injuries to a doctor and five others travelling in the vehicle and extensive damage to the ambulance itself.
Wild Elephant on road. File photo
The ambulance was on its way back after transferring a patient in critical condition to the Moneragala General Hospital.
A male nurse and an attendant of the Lahugala hospital, a relative of the patient, and the ambulance driver were among the injured. They were admitted to Siyambalanduwa Base Hospital from where four were transferred to Moneragala General Hospital. The driver said he lost control of the vehicle in his attempt to avoid a wild elephant that was standing on the road. Potuvil police are conducting inquires into the incident.
source:
http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/provincial-news/17693.html
| By Shelton Hettiarachchi |
| Two westerners who tried to steal rare plants from the Horton Plains national park have been fined Rs. 85,000 each by Nuwara Eliya magistrate S. G. Kariyawasam. A Sri Lankan was fined Rs. 60,000 for helping the couple.
It was revealed that the two Irish nationals had been involved in such thefts during their previous trips to Sri Lanka too. It was alleged that earlier thefts took place in Polonnaruwa, Giritale, Arugam Bay, Siyambalanduwa, Sinharaja and Hakgala national parks.  WARNING! Endemic Plants. Many visitors may not know that there are strict regulations in force in Sri Lanka Park caretaker P U Saranga produced the suspects in court. They were charged with unlawful entry into the park, theft of rare plants and obstructing public officials from carrying out their duties. The two foreigners were identified as Continue reading ‘Arugam Tourists nabbed at Horton’ |
Buddhist monks and people of the area staged a protest today (Aug 02) against the recent destruction of several buildings of Samabodhi Vihara in Arugam Bay.
Protest on the PottuVille side of Arugam Bay bridge
A certain group, aided by Pottuvil Police, had reportedly used bulldozers and razed the buildings 10 days ago, alleges chief incumbent Ven. Sivurumulle Dhammasiri Thera.
Meeting the protestors this morning, DIG R.M. Weerasuriya promised to apprehend the culprits within three days and to renovate the destroyed buildings. Continue reading ‘Protest against destruction at Arugam Bay temple’
Daily News. by Philip Fernando
Underpinning the tourist revival is the fact that Sri Lanka is emerging a popular destination for many seeking to fill their leisure amidst the country’s idyllic setting. The laid-back and the debonair are being increasingly lured to our shores as an assured place for respite or revelry.
Golden beaches and tropical climate, main tourist attractions. File photo
More importantly, the country’s stunning diversity embodying cultural sites, historical treasures, the sun-drenched beaches and trendy urbane hotels promises it to be a captivating destination.
It is also a fact that professionalism inherently linked to tourism, the new tier in social networking had been well-articulated by Sri Lankans practising this trade. Its vexing demands are met quite competently by thousands who are in it for good.
Sri Lankans seemed quite adept at it now. The long drought brought on by the terror war did not dim their hopes. Continue reading ‘Travel industry poised for a spirited upsurge’
By M. Naushad Amit
Sri Lanka, as a global tourist destination, has many wonders on offer to its visitors who come with different plans during their stay in this beautiful pearl shaped island situated in the Indian Ocean. Within Sri Lanka itself, there are many holiday destinations which are popular among local and foreign tourists alike. But the unspoiled beachfront of Arugam Bay is a beautiful location yet to be explored by holidaymakers.
Arugam Bay. A popular Surf Destination
Though Arugam Bay is gradually picking up in popularity among the locals as an infrequent getaway, it has been a surfing haven for foreigners for three decades. Even during the peak of the 30-year long ethnic war that affected tourists arrivals, Arugam Bay catered to many foreigners, especially surfers, who found the waves there a special treat to their surfing ‘needs’.
Arugam Bay, which is located near Pottuvil in the country’s east coast, is rich in bird life and wildlife in the surrounding jungles, wetlands and lagoons nearby. Being an area with links to ancient kingdoms, there are many remnants in the jungle from old Buddhist culture. Just outside Pottuvil, behind the dunes, are excavations of a 2000-year-old temple, the Modu Maha Vihare. About 3,500 people live in and around Arugam Bay. It consists of three small villages, where fishing and farming are the main livelihoods. Since Arugam Bay is reputed to be one of the world’s best surfing points, the number of foreign surfers to visit the location has increased. To meet the demands, many in Arugam Bay have shifted their interest and trades into tourism. Though the area lacks luxury hotels, the limited number of beachfront resorts and cabanas provide the best in tourist hospitality.
Ranga of Beach Hut fame
Comfort Zone
One such resort with a difference is ‘Ranga’s Beach Hut’, where guests get to enjoy a totally new experience in hospitality. Ranga’s Beach Hut which is located at two different places neighbouring each other, is owned by Continue reading ‘Ranga’s ‘Shorepiece’’
Thursday July 22nd 2010
…..She books us a room at Arugam Bay (so we don’t have to worry about that) and ask Sudu to book us a private van to drive us from here to Tissa, Yala and Arugam Bay. All taken care of. One tiny annoyance, there are no pin machines in Arugam Bay so we have to pin 300 euros worth of RPS, which means holding about 200 bills (IF provided in 2000 RPS each). One feels like a millionaire, when maybe just holding no more than 50 Euros.
We’re in the internet café now, soon we’ll go out and buy Miss Mala a gift and we just bought tennis balls for her son to play cricket with on the beach.
I have no idea when I can get online again. Probably not for a while, as Arugam Bay doesn’t have an internet connection.
Look up at the sky on the night of the 25th and I’ll see the same full moon from our night Safari camp in Yala National park.
Love,
M&S …….
Full text of Talpe Temple School Blog here: Continue reading ‘No ATM, No Internet @ AbaY ???’
Arugambay:
In July, every year, pilgrims walk tru Arugam Bay on their way to Kataragama
With the end of the war, bigger crowds have joined the annual Pada Yatra, says Patrick Harrigan
 Many pilgrims walk through the Surfer's resort of Arugam Bay Earnest devotees of Kataragama by the thousands—hailing from all communities but especially Tamil Hindus—are now undertaking the annual Pâda Yâtrâ or foot pilgrimage through Yala National Park to Kataragama for this month’s Esala festival that started on July 12.  Just passing out of Arugam Bay With decades of fear and uncertainty swept away, this year more devotees are walking than at any time in living memory, possibly even more than in 2004 when Wildlife Department officials counted over 30,000 pilgrims entering Yala East National Park on the final 70-kilometre stretch from Okanda to Kataragama.  A totally unspoiled Countryside lies ahead. Arugam Bay to Kataragama |
The first waves of pilgrims all up and down the east coast have already arrived to Okanda Murugan Kovil in Yala East where tens of thousands are pausing to rest and worship before entering Yala Strict Natural Reserve on the long jungle trek to Kataragama.
The Kataragama Pâda Yâtrâ traditionally starts from points in the Jaffna peninsula like Nallur and Selva Sannidhi Murugan kovils, from where the pilgrimage may take up to two months to reach Kataragama. This year for the first time since 2005, a few souls are walking the full distance, joined along the way by a few more from Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Trincomalee districts. Continue reading ‘Walking that walk’
Sri Lanka has some excellent up-and-coming professionals in the sports field who are making a name for themselves as players, trainers and coaches. Cricket and rugby top the list while many in the track and field sports have also come into the limelight recently.
Strangely a bunch of youngsters from Arugam Bay are on the verge of swapping their traditional profession of fishing to take up to surfing, an internationally popular sport hitherto alien to Sri Lanka and confined mainly to occasional glimpses of foreign events on television.
The Arugam Bay surfing break which was recognised by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the global governing body in surfing has now developed to be a popular destination for international surfers. Many in Arugam Bay who were battered by the ethnic war and the raging tsunami are now gradually picking up the threads of their shattered lives and moving on by taking to surfing along with the unceasing number of international surfers who come here on training or holiday.
To cater the demands of the tourists who come to stay in Arugam Bay for long periods, a young set of surfing enthusiasts took the initiative of forming the Arugam Bay Surf Club (ABSC) seven years ago. At the beginning these youngsters only knew to balance their body weight on a surfing board with their natural talent to swim. But during this period the ABSC has grown to become a dominant force in surfing in Sri Lanka.
“When we began seven years ago we knew nothing on surfing. We had only ten members then who knew to swim well but had no idea of how to handle a surf board. As years passed by our boys learned a great deal on surfing through the huge number of international surfers who came down to Arugam Bay. Now our membership has grown to 35 and all are equally talented,” Krishantha Ariyasena the secretary of ABSC told The Nation.
The ABSC were further boosted by a group from England who had come down to uplift the living standards of the people of Arugam Bay after the devastating tsunami. The group ‘Paddle for Relief’ headed by Tim Tanton consisting great surfing enthusiasts promoted Arugam Bay to the outside world as an ideal surfing destination while engaging in social welfare work. The local surfers who used to train on borrowed surfers were presented two brand new surf boards by Tanton’s Group.
“Tim and his group were really behind our efforts in promoting surfing among the local youngsters here. Over the years they helped us in many ways and we also came to know a lot of foreign friends through them,” Krishantha added.
The ABSC who are now affiliated to the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka has become a leading club in the sport by holding many locally organised events throughout the country. But their greatest break in surfing came during late June with the SriLankan Airlines Pro Surfing 2010, a six-star event recognised and organised by the ASP. Sri Lanka was presented two wild card entries and through a qualifying championship the local surfers from Arugam Bay won the slots to represent Sri Lanka along with over 100 professional and international surfers. The ASP officials were really impressed by the local talent who competed without less technical knowledge.
“This was the greatest moment for us at ABSC. AH Milan and WL Asanka from our club won the wild card slots for the event. Continue reading ‘Youngsters from Arugam Bay swap fishing for surfing’
“We are perceivers. The world that we perceive, though, is an illusion.”
“Cast aside all clinging and the essence will at once emerge.”
A menu with a difference @ The SVH, Arugam Bay
“Even if only in your imagination, it is still good to escape the sadness of everyday life and spend some time in another world.”
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world. One should see as a new butterfly.”
Shalita, New Mexico
source:
http://rainehailorshine.blogspot.com/2010/07/beach-bar-quotes-arugam-bay.html
Good morning!
I am back from Arugam Bay and as you’ve probably noticed my blog has been down for a while, that is because there was zero internet where I was staying.
Actually that is a lie – there was an internet cafe, but I was too busy chasing peanut to stop and pay 1000 rupees for a duff connection.
Photos and full report to follow, however in short, how to describe Arugam Bay....it is gorgeous.
Every year, a new lagoon develops at Arugam Bay. Forming a perfect, calm paddling pool next to an exiting surf break: Fun for All!
However it is small, so unless you’re there for some serious surfing, you will be twiddling your thumbs over a bottle of arrack.
Much love and thanks to the crew out there who made this trip amazing in no particular order Charlie, Jarly, Liz, Ranil, Asela, Upul, Zahn, Ranga’s dad Ram and his excellent cooking, James, Fred, Laila and the whole crew at Siam – great food and good world cup parties and of course the Mambo dancers whose side knots and trance shapes I wouldn’t have missed for the world. XXX
source:
http://heavenonsurf.blogspot.com/2010/07/arugam-bay.html
(1)
It was around 4.30 pm when a group of us passed through the gates and entered the Lahugala National Park. The evening light was casting shadows on the ground and the large trees and foliage were shading our path. As the vehicle drove forward I could not help but feel that I was truly entering the wilderness.
Words Udeshi Amarasinghe Photographs Mahesh Bandara
The Lahugala National Park was opened to the public recently, therefore the tranquillity of an untouched environment still prevails. The roads are still rough and newly cut with an occasional branch or two barring the way. Continue reading ‘A journey through the wilderness: Lahugala’
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