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Arugam Bay Must have something. Very Special. Even magical. Because we know of few resorts, which have the honour to have half a dozen or more Books and Novels, travel Reports and History Documents Published in Book Form. We refer to International publications; not Travel Guide Books.
Only recently, the best seller “Der Krokodilfelsen” (The Crocodile Rock) was finally translated from it’s original two German editions into English:
This establishment above is also featured
And you may buy or borrow the book from there.
The Travel Novel is based on true facts, set in 1983 in Arugam Bay.
It gives a perfect insight into the Bay as it was then.
And follows events all the way to Hawaii.
Highly recommended to buy and read!
Local outlets are expected to stock it, but a link to Amazon will be published by the aithor herself in due course.
Frau Claudia reacted at once.
Here is the order link:
Order Here. From Amazon directly
Below a summary:
Sri Lanka 1983: For the first time, the young German backpacker travels alone to South Asia. In the fishing village of Arugam Bay, she meets the charismatic Tamil Sooriya with whom she bonds in a special relationship.It is a time when civil war begins ravaging the tropical island. Sooriya finds himself increasingly in danger. In a situation tense with political intrigue, they arrange for Sooriya to leave the country.Years later, destiny reunites them. Sooriya is now living in Hawaii where he has become an acclaimed copper artist and the spiritual leader of Mouna Farm Arts and Culture Village. Back in Sri Lanka, he is respected as a holy man.In 2016, Sooriya Kumar got the award of “Living Treasure of Hawaii.” In 2017 the Love Peace Harmony Foundation and the United Nations Association of Hawaii honored Sooriya as an “International Peace Builder.”
Good News from Remote Arugam Bay!
Full Information about
1.) Health matters (Covid -19)
2.) New Books published (in English and German about AbaY)
3.) Weather and Surf reports
4.) Security updates (Military and civil)
5.) Tourist Visa is FREE again for most Nationals!
Full Details will be publish here within the next few days
(0)The legendary photographer, the late Nihal Fernando’s stunning image narrates the tale of the vanishing glory of Muhudu Maha Viharaya
Life brings tears, smiles and memories that last forever. All it takes is a picture to bring back a thousand memories. Our subject this time is the Muhudu Maha Viharaya in Pottuvil where time stands still, where the dust of the royal past never settles. How about reliving an age gone by?
Now, you can take a step back in time and enjoy the fascinating past. Photographic records of a bygone era capture a slice of history and become part of our cultural heritage. Nihal Fernando’s timeless photo of Muhudu Maha Viharaya, brings alive the past in minute detail. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. The photo, with a vast grove of coconut trees amidst the ancient ruins of Muhudu Maha Viharaya narrates the tale of today’s despair in a telling manner.
Though there is no dearth of evidence on an era gone by in Muhudu Maha Viharaya, this picture is perhaps the first of its kind. Fernando might have taken it in the 60s or 70s which shows how the temple ground occupies the grove of coconut trees near the sea coast off Pottuvil. Just about everything in Pottuvil is contained in this photo. And what’s more, it solves many a jigsaw puzzle.
The photo presents a grove of coconut trees in front of the temple ruins which belonged to the temple and is now a bustling housing scheme. Similarly, one gets to see government buildings close to the sea coast near the temple. This photo is one of the best ways to show the picture of Muhudu Maha Viharaya in an age gone by and today the temple is facing a land dispute.
Photographer Nihal Fernando embarked on a voyage across the length and breadth of the country with camera in hand in an era of black and white or monochrome photography (sixties and seventies). He captured historic sites, monuments, people and wildlife, travelling freely everywhere in the country which was an obvious advantage during the post-independence but pre-war period.
I am an avid admirer of this great photographer and the stunning photo was culled from one of his pictorial books –‘The Wild- The free – The beautiful’- published in 1988.
At the Muhudu Maha Viharaya, he captured this breathtaking candid shot that captures the solitude and silence of the environs in a bygone era which is evidence of today’s encroachment of temple land by nearby villagers.
As Nihal Fernando did, I too visited Muhudu Maha Viharaya on several occasions during my journeys to the East. I visited it after the Peace Accord (MoU) was signed by the Government and the LTTE in 2000 and also during my visits to the Yala East National Park.
During my second visit in 2008, I stayed overnight at the temple to view the breathtaking sunrise over Arugam Bay. At that time, Ven. Kataragama Sirirathana Thera was the resident monk of the Viharaya. He told me that he rarely gets the Dana (alms) twice a day since the Sinhala Buddhis community is very small in Pottuvil. Sometimes he depended on the Buddhist pilgrims who visited the temple.
Ven. Udalamaththe Ratnapriya Thera is the present resident monk of the temple. He said that in the past the temple owned 30 acres of land, but due to encroachment by the villagers the land has shrunk to a very small area. He said there are around 17 Sinhala families who live around Pottuvil and offer Dana (alms) to the temple. Sometimes, the soldiers of the nearby Army camp provide meals while some financial contributions are provided by Buddhist pilgrims who visit the site. Not far away from the township of Pottuvil lies a tiny hamlet amidst bustling concrete block houses. Scattered here and there on the elevated ground were a few stone pillars and a torso of the standing statue of the Buddha along with limbless limestone -cut statues believed to be a Mahayanist Buddhist site. In the bushes of the sand dunes generated by the waves are a few stone pillars. A few yards away from this spot on the sandy beach facing the sea was a heap of broken bricks strewn here and there. Some stone pillars were partially submerged in the sand. A glistering newly-built white dagoba stands majestically on the elevated ground in the coast. Several brickbats and terracotta sculptures have been discovered in the process of excavation.
The name given to this antique spot locally is Muhudu Maha Viharaya. According to a folk tale, after the Royal wedding of Princess Vihara Maha Devi, daughter of King Kelani Tissa and King KavanTissa of the Rohana kingdom, the Royal couple made their maiden visit (probably on their honeymoon) to this spot. Kelaniya was submerged by the sea due to a natural disaster. Princess Devi the daughter of the King of Kelaniya was cast away to sea in a vessel and the princess washed ashore near the Muhudu Maha Vihara in Pottuvil. To commemorate that occasion, the king is said to have built these dagobas and the image house which are now almost in ruins and hardly discernible.
When Nihal Fernando visited the site, the limestone cut-Buddha statue that was lying prone on the ground has since been restored. This fallen Buddha statue has now been restored to its original standing position by the Department of Archaeology. However, the stunning photo that Nihal Fernando captured many decades ago is a perfect picture of Muhudu Maha Viharaya even to date.
source:
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2019/09/08/reflections/going-back-time-through-timeless-frame
World Surfing League Qualifying Series 3000, also referred to as So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 is all set to be staged at the world-class point break of Arugam Bay from 25 to 29 September, with the participation of over 122 surfers from 24 nations.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau announced that the surfing event has been extremely well-received by professional surfers from around the world while many have expressed their keen interest to participate and witness the qualifying rounds in Sri Lanka.
The Bureau noted that while entries are still being received, nearly 122 surfers from 24 nations have entered the final list. This impressive line-up includes participating countries such as Australia, Indonesia, France, Venezuela, Israel, USA, Portugal, New Zealand, Mexico, Spain, Great Britain, Brazil, South Africa, Costa Rica, Argentina, Japan, Ireland, Chile, Belgium, Peru, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. World Surf League (WSL) Regional Manager Asia and Global VNR Producer Steve Robertson remarked, “We are here to deliver positive stories about Sri Lanka to the world. This is all about a magnificent surfing event and a global promotion about Sri Lanka. All Sri Lankan media is encouraged to engage with World Surf League. We want to work with the domestic media as well. It’s been a great journey, and we are looking forward to the event. We want to bring out a superb event, where everyone is a winner, and we want to keep coming back here, and just to reiterate of how great Sri Lanka is as a destination.”
“It will be so amazing to have the WSL come back to Sri Lanka,” said Sri Lankan Surfing Federation President Hiran Ukwatte. “We can’t wait to witness a world-class event and watch the positive effect it will have on surf sports in our country and on surf tourism to the area. Arugam Bay is a world-class wave with some fantastic local surfers like D.A. Lakshitha, Praneeth Sandaruwan, and Lesitha Prabath to name a few. These surfers are looking forward to the opportunity to compete with and surf with surfers from all around the world,” he expressed.
Many of these surfers are very well-known within the world professional surfing ranks and many are serious contenders to represent their nations in next year’s 2020 Japan Olympic Games, where surfing makes its Olympic debut. One such surfer is the fast emerging Rio Waida from Indonesia. The powerful youngster placed 3rd in the WSL World Junior Championships in 2018 and he is already identified as future star of the sport.
“I am very excited to be coming to Sri Lanka for this great event,” said Waida. “I’ve heard great things about the waves in Sri Lanka and it is always fantastic for us to have the opportunity to compete in quality surf ? I can’t wait!”
The So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 will also play as a huge opportunity for some of the local surfers to take on the international professionals as wildcards in the event. This opportunity is something that has been made possible through the WSL and the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Kishu Gomes remarked that the event will amplify Sri Lanka’s position as a major surfing and tourist destination. “Over 700 visitors are also expected to be present, in addition to the 122 surfers who would be in the country. The surfers and visitors are scheduled to spend at least 10 days in the surfing paradise of Arugam Bay,” he said.
The So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 Men’s QS3000 will run from 25-29 September, and the ground arrangements will be handled by Lanka Sportreizen. Head to www.worldsurfleague.com or the WSL App for more information. Click here for more information on Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
source:
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_19B/Sep15_1568525691CH.php
Nate Berkus Remembers Late Partner Who Died in Asian Tsunami on his Birthday
The interior designer and TV host is upholding the legacy of the late photographer, who died tragically in 2004
Nate Berkus is paying tribute to his late partner to mark what would have been his 54th birthday.
The celebrity interior designer and Oprah protege lost his longtime love, Argentinian photographer Fernando Bengoechea, in the 2004 Asia tsunami. The couple were on vacation in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, when the natural disaster occurred and were swept out of their accommodation, a beachfront hut, by the force of the wave, Berkus told Oprah in 2005. They managed to stay together through the rushing water, but were eventually separated. When the waves receded, Bengoechea was reported as missing and was never found.
His family released a statement soon after saying, “Based on all of the information we have gathered and the search team’s extraordinary efforts, we still have not heard any word of Fernando. Therefore, it is with great sadness, we are forced to presume Fernando died in the tsunami.”
“It’s been almost 15 years since the tsunami, when we lost Fernando. Every day I think of him, but especially today on his birthday,” Berkus wrote on Instagram.
“Fernando’s brother Marcelo keeps his art alive by hand weaving photographs using the same technique and museum quality materials,” he continued. And while Marcelo’s project is ongoing, Berkus notes, “this month, @fernando_bengoechea_photo is donating 10% of proceeds from the sale of each woven photograph to the Tsunami Relief Fund via @globalgiving.”
The designer shared an old snapshot of Fernando and an image of the woven artwork made from his photography. The image of a Joshua tree is similar to one Berkus displays in his own home, and can be seen in his former Chicago apartment, published in Elle Decor in 2008, and his former New York home in Architectural Digest in 2012.
Berkus wrote candidly about his life after the tsunami in 2005, recalling that the year began with him “lying in my bed, unable to eat, unable to string a sentence together.” It wasn’t until nine-and-a-half months later that he says he found a “new normal” and wasn’t solely focussed on grief.
Remembering a celebration at his home, he wrote, “My best friend had organized the evening, my best friend who had flown to London to save me. Fernando’s ex-boyfriend of seven years was at the table too. They were laughing and smiling. I was laughing and smiling too. He was a stranger to me before the tsunami. Now he is my brother.”
He continued: “That night it occurred to me that I could again be ‘happy,’ that I was not defined only by loss and fear and grief, but also by love and joy and light.”
Berkus married designer Jeremiah Brent in 2014 and the couple now share two children, Poppy, 4, and Oskar Michael, 1. Oskar’s name is also a tribute to Fernando.
“[Fernando’s] middle name was Oskar,” Berkus, 47, told PEOPLE exclusively of the poignant inspiration in April 2018 — and what’s more surprising, the tribute “was actually Jeremiah’s idea.”
“We have always honored Fernando’s memory in our relationship. He’s a part of our love story,” explains Brent, 34. “It’s such an important chapter in Nate’s life. So the idea that we can honor his memory in a beautiful way was exciting to us.”
Fernando Bangoechea’s woven photographs are available on fernandobengoechea.com
Source: https://people.com/home/nate-berkus-remembers-late-partner-who-died-in-asia-tsunami-on-his-birthday/
Related links: https://www.arugam.info/2008/10/10/nate-berkus-life-changed-in-arugam-bay/
Arugam Bay in the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat Division in the Ampara district is one of Sri Lanka’s tourist hotspots.
Arugam Bay is a famous surfing spot that attracts tourists from all over the world.
The tourism industry, which suffered a severe setback after the Easter Sunday attacks, is still recovering after the relaxation of travel advisories by many countries. Lonely Planet, one of the most popular travel magazines in the world, still lists Sri Lanka as the top destination for 2019 despite the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Arugam Bay is one of God’s greatest gifts that enhances the beauty of Sri Lanka, to the extent that it can be described as a ‘tourist’s paradise’.
Arugam Bay is located on the southeast coast, 320 km from Colombo and can be reached within seven hours via Moneragala. Arugam Bay beach, a wide sweeping sandy beach around the village of Ulla, is an attraction all year round.
The beach is not the only attraction in the area. The surrounding countryside encompasses the loveliest scenery that spans mangroves, jungle, lagoon, river, paddy fields and dunes, all of which are popular with tourists.
Thousands of local and foreign tourists visit Arugam Bay each year. The area is also reputed for its rich cultural heritage and famous places of worship such as Muhudu Maha Vihara, Magul Maha Vihara, the Kudumbigala archaeological site and Aukenda Temples. The Kumana National Park and the sand dunes are other attractions.
The surfing season in Arugam Bay starts in April and ends in October. During the season, the wind is predominantly offshore. Two kilometers inland from Arugam Bay is the scenic Pottuvil Lagoon. Local fishermen offer tourists boat rides on the lagoon.
The season for offshore dolphin viewing at Arugam Bay is from April to October and falls within Arugam Bay’s high season. Twelve kilometres south of Arugam Bay is Panama, the last inhabited village before entering the Yala East National Park. Panama lies inland, but intersects with lagoons and is rich in bird life
Twenty kilometres south of Panama is the village of Okanda that has a popular surfing spot. The village is home to a famous shrine located at the point where God Skanda is believed to have landed on the island.
Kumana National Park fed by a channel from the Kumbukkan Oya is the focal point of Yala East National Park. About 20 km into the park is the Kumuna Reservoir where mangroves host a wide array of aquatic birds, many of which nest in May and June. Among the birds, the painted storks, herons, egrets, Indian darters and little cormorants are common. Black-necked stork, one of the rarest birds of Sri Lanka, also finds a habitat in the park.
A few kilometers inland from Okanda lies the Kudumbigala forest hermitage. About 15 km inland from Arugam Bay (on the Siyambalanduwa – Pottuvil road), the main road that passes through the scenic Lahugala Park draws a herd of about 150 elephants during July and August.
Just east of Lahugala lies a cluster of ruins of the ancient Buddhist temple Magul Maha Vihara, built by King Dhatusena.
source:
http://www.dailynews.lk/2019/08/14/features/193919/arugam-bay-%E2%80%93-surfers%E2%80%99-paradise
- Crisis in Sri Lanka
Please be informed that most social media have now been blocked and are inaccessible.
Therefore Facebook, What’s Up, Instagram and Twitter
as well as the BBC etc.
Are no longer available on our island right now.
This is in reaction today’s bomb explosions
And to stop rumors.Anyone feeling unsafe, anywhere, is invited to come to Arugam Bay.
Where the Community and some hotels will provide FREE rooms.
To anyone who requires comfort and shelter
(Plenty of free rooms are available)
Fact seems to be, that
5 Star Hotels and
Christian Churches
are the main target:
There are NONE of those in AbaY
We just don’t have a church, and No Big Hotel.
Also, the only and single road in & out of Arugam
Is very easy to control.
So it is realistic to assume, that
Arugam Bay is a very safe destination.
History, in all those terrible war years have shown just that
Nobody has an interest (so far) to blast a few surfers and pot smokers…
This is a fact.This is NOT a tourist promotion,
Nor does this post have any financial motive!
But it’s a useful information
And an invitation to anyone feeling unsafe elsewhere.
The Community welcomes you.
And money is not an issue at all.
Arugam Bay is truly a beautiful place on Earth.
We like to keep it that way.
And also weed out frauds and land thefts.
Please sign our new Petition!
Just a click or two below will assist us !
Aragum is a working Bay
ARUGAM BAY: POTHEADS, SURFERS AND A GREAT DREAM Cheap nasonex nasal spray A?Exploring the real Sri Lanka is best done by bus. What you should know: Buses never use their brakes, and love to overtake. Rock-hard benches, diesel engines that sound like tractors and a Bollywood-style soundtrack are all part of the trip to Arugam Bay. Ita??s a genuine experience and takes ten hours.
A two-kilometer stretch of street lined with huts, houses and small hotels: This is the east coasta??s legendary surf spot. West of the place also known as a??A-Bay,a?? peacocks strut across paddy fields, and further south, elephants lumber through the wilderness. I arrive with a headache, a backache and hurting ears: I need a beer. The Siam View Hotel, owned by A-Bay veteran Fred Netzband-A?Miller, 65, serves the best beer, I am told. a??I came here in the seventies, to smoke pot and surf,a?? says the Dutchman. a??Then I met a A?local woman. She said therea??d be nothing happening between us unless I married her first. So I did a?? ten days later.a??
We are on the roof of his hotel, on the Flower Power Terrace. Over a beer a?? homemade and excellent, by the way a?? Fred talks about the wild days in A-Bay a?? and about the civil war, the battles that raged on other beaches not far from here. Surfers still came to A-Bay, though a?? for the spectacular waves a?? if necessary even traveling through the region occupied by the rebel Tamil Tigers. Fred also experienced and survived the 2004 tsunami in A-Bay: a??I was up here, partying with my staff. All of a sudden, there was salt water sloshing into my gin and tonic. Absolutely unacceptable!a?? Then the easy smile he has worn until now disappears. a??But seriously, you know: The party saved our lives.a??
Others were not so fortunate: Up to 38 000 Sri Lankans lost their lives in the tsunami, among them the father of Irsah and Irfan. On the beach in the morning, I meet the 25-year-old twins, who work as surf instructors and fishermen today. a??We were 14,a?? Irfan says, a??and had to quit school because our mother had no money.a?? Today, they are short of cash again; this time to fullfill the great dream they share. Irsah points to a structure at the top of the beach with no walls, but a large roof about 14 to 15 square meters in area, made of palm leaves and supported by tree trunks. a??Thata??s going to be our surf school,a?? Irsah tells me, a??as soon as we have a few spare rupees, wea??ll carry on building, buy some second-hand boards. And then wea??ll really make a splash a?? youa??ll see!a??
Extract from a Lufthansa Magazine Article
https://magazin.lufthansa.com/xx/en/travel-en/back-to-a-future-sri-lanka/
https://magazin.lufthansa.com/xx/en/travel-en/back-to-a-future-sri-lanka/
Nate Berkus And His Husband Have A Beautiful Way Of Honoring Natea??s Late Partner
In 2004, Natea??s partner was killed in the devastating tsunami during their visit to (Arugam Bay) – Sri Lanka. But he is a??definitely a part ofa?? Natea??s marriage to Jeremiah Brent.
In 2004, it may have seemed hard for Nate Berkus to imagine happiness making its way back into his life. That year, the interior designer had lost his beloved partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, when the two found themselvesA?literally swept awayA?by the devastating tsunami that struck Sri Lanka, where they were vacationing. More than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka died in the natural disaster; though Nate survived, the pain of losing Fernando was all-consuming.
a??I have the grief to contend with,a?? NateA?told OprahA?shortly after the tragedy. a??But I do believe that I survived so that I would have a greater understanding both of what Ia??ve had, what Ia??ve lost and what I still have to gain.a??
Slowly, Nate did begin to heal, and even found ways to honor Fernandoa??s memory through the years. And perhaps no one is a bigger supporter of honoring Fernandoa??s memory than Natea??s own husband, Jeremiah Brent.
At their 2014 wedding, Jeremiah Brent told husband Nate Berkus that he honored every part of his past and everything hea??d been through, bringing many guests to tears.
NateA?marriedA?Jeremiah, a fellow interior designer and the host of a??Home Made Simple,a?? in 2014. Oprah was a guest at the wedding, where Jeremiaha??s vows to Nate included a nod to Natea??s past relationship.
a??Thata??s a part of our love story. Therea??s no two ways about it,a?? Jeremiah tells a??Oprah: Where Are They Now?a??. a??Yes, wea??re married this time, but [Fernando is] definitely a part of it.a??
He continues, a??I oddly feel connected to him. I honor that story.a??
Nate Berkus and Fernando Bengoechea were both swept up by the 2004 tsunami during a trip to Sri Lanka. Fernando died in the disaster.
Jeremiah is also determined to keep Fernandoa??s memory alive for young Poppy, who Nate and JeremiahA?welcomedA?via surrogacy in 2015.
a??Our daughter will know who he was,a?? Jeremiah says. a??We have pictures of him in the home.a??
While Jeremiaha??s approach seems to be one that comes with relative ease, Nate says that his own reconciliation of the past was more of a struggle.
a??I didna??t know how to articulate what I needed from a new relationship,a?? he says. a??I didna??t know how to articulate how to keep that and honor that, but still move forward without any guilt or any fear.a??
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 24: (L-R) Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent attend the 2014 Good Shepherd Services Spring Party at Stage 37 on April 24, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Brian Killian/WireImage)
a??I worry about anything happening to [Jeremiah],a?? Nate admits. a??I worry, obviously, because Ia??ve had such great loss. I dona??t want to go through that again ? no one does, whether youa??ve had it or you havena??t.a??
Turning to his husband, Nate continues.
a??You were the first person to come into my life and not be threatened or afraid, not afraid to poke the damage and say, a??That happened. Leta??s talk about it. Leta??s figure it out, and how can it be part of our world in a way thata??s healthy?a??a?? Nate says. a??And so it is.a??
Nate and Jeremiaha??s full interview airs on this weekenda??sA?a??Oprah: Where Are They Now?a??, on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 p.m. ET on OWN. Cheap bupron side
A previous version of this article stated that 400 people died in the tsunami. In fact, that number referred to the people in the Arugam Bay and Pottuvil region, where Berkus and Bengoechea were staying. The total death toll from the natural disaster was more than 30,000.
source:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nate-berkus-jeremiah-brent-honoring-fernando_us_56a15f52e4b076aadcc5f6b1
Everyone is invited!
Cheap probalan Tickets:A?
Men pay Zero Rupees.
Ladies Pay double…;-)
Drunk and aggressive people please play elsewhere.
Monday 5th June, 2017
Awarded for the 1983 account of life in Arugam Bay, Eastern Sri Lanka
Novel Prize for Literature goes to AbaY
German author Frau Claudia ACKERMANN, hasA?won the Novel Prize in LiteratureA?for “having created new and deep insights” into events of 1983 in Sri Lanka. Written in graceful, impressive literaryA?style by anA?impartial, foreign tourist & traveler during the long running conflict of this paradise island. Social Media, Facebook and A?Twitter is going off at the news. The prize winning travel novel is set in remote Arugam Bay, in the 1980’s.
Author and Laureate’s’s own Web site
Some people, critics and fans alike, are thrilled at the news that the “greatest living author of our time” has won the esteemed award.A?Sarai Dumminus, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, called Frau ACKERMANN a great author in the German speaking tradition” before adding that “for many years now she’s been at it reinventing herself, constantly creating a new identity.” Other fans called her a “master” while one fan said that they are “Not so surprise[d]. She is a great contemporary writer of our time.”
Novel Prize 2016 for Peace & Music
Novel Prize Winner Laureate Chris Sherpa
Meanwhile, the Nobel Prize for peaceful Music A?(NPPM) has been awarded to CHRIS SHERPA. An Australian Songwriter and Musician. For his outstanding composition of the “Arugam Bay” Song. He is the “first Nobel Laureate since George Bernhard Shaw to have been awarded both a #Novel Prize and an Oscar.” President Obama also seems happy about the choice and took to Twitter to congratulate Chris , “Together with Jock Johnson Chris is one of my favorite Surf Composers.” Check out the only known unplugged version of this awesome song. Performed LIVE at AbaY below:
Where to purchase rogaine foam Award winning “Arugam Bay” Song
|
Chris Scherpa & THE PLONK Bio: The music of Chris Scherpa is melodic without baby baby schmalz, dirty without being sloppy, the music and lyrics dig deep but stay light and groovy. The songs tell stories. Acoustic sound with punch!  Sherpa @ Aragum Bay, 2014 (DPA A?file photo) |
Here is a short version of an article which was 1st published in a German onboard flight magazine:
Generic lopressor Buy dutasteride no script
ARUGAM BAY: POTHEADS, SURFERS AND A GREAT DREAM
A?Exploring the real Sri Lanka is best done by bus. What you should know: Buses never use their brakes, and love to overtake. Rock-hard benches, diesel engines that sound like tractors and a Bollywood-style soundtrack are all part of the trip to Arugam Bay. Ita??s a genuine experience and takes ten hours.
A two-kilometer stretch of street lined with huts, houses and small hotels: This is the east coasta??s legendary surf spot. West of the place also known as a??A-Bay,a?? peacocks strut across paddy fields, and further south, elephants lumber through the wilderness. I arrive with a headache, a backache and hurting ears: I need a beer. The Siam View Hotel, owned by A-Bay veteran Fred Netzband-A?Miller, 65, serves the best beer, I am told. a??I came here in the seventies, to smoke XXX and surf,a?? says the Dutchman. a??Then I met a A?local woman…….a?? Purchase femcare
We are on the roof of his hotel, on the Flower Power Terrace. Over a beer a?? homemade and excellent, by the way a?? Fred talks about the wild days in A-Bay a?? and about the civil war, the battles that raged on other beaches not far from here. Surfers still came to A-Bay, though a?? for the spectacular waves a?? if necessary even traveling through the region occupied by the rebel Tamil Tigers. Fred also experienced and survived the 2004 tsunami in A-Bay: a??I was up here, partying with my staff. All of a sudden, there was salt water sloshing into my gin and tonic. Absolutely unacceptable!a?? Then the easy smile he has worn until now disappears. a??But seriously, you know: The party saved our lives.a??
Others were not so fortunate: Up to 38?000 Sri Lankans lost their lives in the tsunami, among them the father of Irsah and Irfan. On the beach in the morning, I meet the 25-year-old twins, who work as surf instructors and fishermen today. a??We were 14,a?? Irfan says, a??and had to quit school because our mother had no money.a?? Today, they are short of cash again; this time to fulfill the great dream they share. Irsah points to a structure at the top of the beach with no walls, but a large roof about 14 to 15 square meters in area, made of palm leaves and supported by tree trunks. a??Thata??s going to be our surf school,a?? Irsah tells me, a??as soon as we have a few spare rupees, wea??ll carry on building, buy some second-hand boards. And then wea??ll really make a splash a?? youa??ll see!a??
First civil war, then a tsunami a?? until recently, only fearless travelers sought out Sri Lanka. Thata??s changed and people are flocking to the island again. Our author went in search of its magic and discovered an urban jungle with a soul, legendary beaches and a holy mountain
Happiness, it seems, is here for the taking a?? the ocean so blue, the flowers such a blaze of color, the streets so clean. Glittering towers dreamed up by the worlda??s best architects reach for the sky. A tantalizing vision, but too good to be true. For now, at least, only a computer-generated idyll, this vision is plastered on construction site fences around Colombo. The reality is quite a different story: Sri Lankaa??s city of millions stinks. Ita??s a sweaty, noisy, rattletrap of a place that stifles your breath. Its streets are dangerous and the weather makes you suffer a?? one minute the tropical sun is frying your brain, the next, a cloudburst knocks you off your feet. Tourist attractions, parks, beaches? Palaces or museums? Such things barely exist here a?? as yet.
Civil war raged in Sri Lanka for a bitter 26 years. Although most of the fighting took place in the north and east, the entire island seemed paralyzed, including Colombo on the west coast. Today, more than six years since the end of the war, investors are flocking to the city. Tourists are also returning to Sri Lanka, their number nearly four times that in 2009. Most still give the unlovely urban sprawl that is Colombo a wide berth, but this is set to change. On Galle Road, just steps from the Indian Ocean, hotel tower blocks are taking shape, and therea??s an entire new neighborhood planned next door a?? an ambitious, classy, ultramodern development project built on land to be reclaimed from the ocean.
The mood on the art scene is also euphoric at present. a??We are seeing collectors and curators coming in from all over the world,a?? says Saskia Fernando, 33, whose art gallery shares her name. Its snow-white walls display works vaguely reminiscent of Frida Kahlo and Salvador DalA?: surreal, opulent, brilliantly colored. And yet, a sense of identity grounded somewhere between India and the South Seas is already apparent. a??For the first time in Sri Lanka, artists are able to make a living from their work,a?? says Fernando. a??When I set up my gallery six years ago, that was unthinkable.a??
How does she envision the future? a??Sometimes I am concerned for our soul,a?? she replies. a??Construction is in progress everywhere a?? at the expense of our environment, culture and tradition. But of course we urgently need development, tourism, jobs. And mostly I do feel positive because the soul of Sri Lanka is its people. They are so amazing, so irrepressible.a?? Later on, wandering through the city, I begin to understand what she meant. No matter how crowded, noisy or down-at-heel Colombo is, people smile at you as though their life depended on it; almost as if they had decided to be the happiest people on earth in spite of everything.
source & full article:
http://magazin.lufthansa.com/at/en/travel-en/back-to-a-future-sri-lanka/
The Full Moon Day or ‘Poya Day’ (like today) is not only a very special day on Koh Pang Ngan, but also has a certain relevance to Arugam Bay.
(btw: the 26th December 2004 also was a Poya Day….)
Whilst famous places like Goa and Thailand are (still?!) much more popular, attracting 10,000 or so followers, the monthly events held in Eastern Sri Lanka are almost certainly much older. If you consider the few 1960’s drop outs who came to worship the Full Moon long ago on our nearby most Easterly point of the island.
Going back in history, an official religion was registered in the Netherlands in 1966.
Critics claim that the ‘Full Moonie’ Sect Purchase pletal dosage may have been formed to avoid a clamp down by the local authorities at the time. And thereby followers could continue to enjoy the expression of their prescribed rituals which religious freedom guarantees under most Nations constitutions.
In brief, the founder members believed that the Full Moon possesses a certain power over mind and body. This is often been put into popular movies and there may be some element of truth in it if you observe animal behavior during such nights. The Full Moonies believe this energy should be used to meditate and to try and free ones mind – at least once a month to stay in good health.
In order to achieve this ‘cleaning of all evils’ from ones soul followers are not permitted to sleep until the sun rises. Other religions stipulate similar body control such as not eating during the day light hours etc.
As staying awake alone might prove difficult for some, stimulants and loud music as well as moderate drink (to free the mind) should be provided by the hosts:
So the first FMP was born in Europe.
In the late 1970’s two founding members decided that the open, fresh, ozone air, the open sea and most important an uncluttered view of the sun rising in the East would add to the spiritual experience.
All this proved rather difficult in marijuana polluted Holland due to cold weather. Also there is little in the way of an Eastern Sea front and the Mini European Nation has not too many palm fringed Bays either…
So a piece of land was purchased on the most Easterly point of Sri Lanka – guaranteeing warm weather, no authority interference and a clear infinite view of the open sea (all the way to Antarctica in fact).
In the beginning, just a handful of followers, first only with guitars and song, then with a car battery and mini sound system staged the ritual 12km North or sometime South of the Bay – in total privacy in one of the the open Bays dotted around Arugam Bay.
Like in Okanda Bay, Peanut Farm and Green Room or The Point at the time.
A camp fire is also a must.
Later, mainly keen surfers from Israel joined the sect as ‘free; members and small generators and better sound systems were added.
Often the music style reflected Trance or Techno as well as Ambiance and Psychedelic sounds – to assist in the holy ritual. Soft Chill-out music always followed towards the end of the session, around sun rise (see below) and Reggae was shunned.
This Century has seen a few changes. For the first time the area received mains electricity and a mini, casual police farce. The believers staged bigger and more professional events – all of which are of course to this day open and totally FREE for anyone to attend. Maybe the organizers hope to convert some dull or troubled, or too serious people to experience the benefit of strict physical exercise, like wild dance, which the medical profession agrees is actually very good for you?
(Like in any religion there are always the lazy ones, the hangers on, who abuse required rituals: At a many recent FMP a fair number of guys only tend to exercise their right arms and their bladders….:-) But it is the will to attend which counts.
Maybe one day Arugam Bay will be as popular as Goa?
Or the Thai islands?
Some say the Bay are too far from the airport. But so is Goa and Koh Samui – and it takes even longer to get there from Bangkok.
Rigth now the political situation as well as our law makers are more of an obstacle to gain wider popularity.
Some dwellers are worried of certain “Sound Pollution”.
The organizers answer: It’s only once a month and not 4 times every day, it is good to attract tourists. Full and even half Moonies are actually very high spenders!
And more so it is after all a very serious RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL.
Everyone in the Bay and the Country will see the benefit, also financially, eventually.
What else do we have to attract loads of visitors? There is a lot of stiff competition from much more stable Nations all around us. In every way.
As some see it, there is no difference between terribly loud Church bells, all night Temple Chants or frequent Mosque calls for payers:
Under the Sri Lanka Constitution religious freedom is said to be fully guaranteed. To anyone.
And who is to say what one should be allowed to believe in?
As long as the main principles are to love each other, be a good person and remain strictly non- violent?
Make LOVE – Not War! was one of the old slogans of the Early 60’s…..Has it totally lost its relevance in Ceylon?
In respect to the Buddhist Nation and local law, AbaY parties are never on the actual Nexium sold over the counter Full Moon Day itself. The Ceremony or ‘Party‘ finishes officially at sunrise on the morning of the actual Poya day. This is because in Asia this is the moment (about 06:00 am) when a new DAY begins.
In the mind of a converted Full Moonie the DAY does not begin in the middle of the NIGHT. They call it Midnight. In their refreshed mind the rising sun signals the beginning of a NEW Day. Do they have a point??
To avoid any possible confusion:
The liberal, happy and relaxed Full Moonies have as much to do with the controversial Korean “Moonies” as Half a Rupee with a Full Schilling:
There is NO connection what so ever with a Unification-, Fornication-, Fortification- or any other Cheap amantadine dosage Church.
Just to demonstrate, again, scenes from the ancient rituals, taken around MIDNIGHT:
Final Comment:
Some regard it as a miracle. None of the hundreds of FMP guests, organizers or DJ people suffered any kind of casualty or serious injury on Tsunami Poya Day – although the site was of course right on the very sea front, in the worst affected area of Sri Lanka, at Arugam Bay washed out by 15 Meter waves. True Full Moonies regard this as a protection from high above and inspiration to continue the holy rituals.
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