Weligama
Beginning our adventures where my last solo ventures left off: the beautiful island of Sri Lanka! I was a little apprehensive to return, as I felt I was in such a different headspace the last time I came here - in search of who I was, what I wanted from life and finding my people. There were also some sketchy moments, where I definitely felt uneasy and was put out of my comfort zone. But, as people say, when did anything exciting ever happen inside the comfort zone?
Returning with Fab, the best travel buddy ever made, has been a dream. I’ve not felt unsafe (except nearly being run over by a crazy bus,) I feel I can take more risks when I surf, he loves to eat local food with me every day and I’m seeing places I wouldn’t have been prepared to scoot to alone. Winner, winner!
Weligama is where I called home for three weeks on my last trip; where I found beautiful souls, endless waves, delicious food and great times. Fab and I decided to start off here, because of the accessibility to surf (even the absurdly busy bay of Weligama can be pretty fun at sunset,) and break ourselves in after the jetlag of Philippines - UK - Sri Lanka and endless driving in-between!
Of course, we found new amazing eats, surfed in the bay and at Fishermans Point, sunbathed, explored, literally bumped into my beautiful friend from last year (hey, Ying!) and generally had good times.
Dorian’s, at Coconut Beach (10 minutes up the road in Midigama - don’t pay more than 300!) is famous for its tuna steak and potato wedges. I opted for sesame tuna cooked rare, and my oh my, this was the best tuna I’ve ever eaten! There is also a little ‘hotel’ (note: local restaurant) on the left at the crossroads, keeping the bus station on your right. Order the curry and rice for 100 and never look back!
The same can be said for ZamZam, who even let us go up for seconds and didn’t charge us. Although you pay more (700) for rice and curry at Meewitha, you definitely have to go here if you find yourself in Weligama. The portions are huge and you get to try lots of different curries that you might not find so easily anywhere else on the south coast. Also, we tried an incredible lassi at Samuli Cream House (go along the same road, then take the first turning on the right,) where juices also come with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
If you find yourself a little AirBnb or booking.com place (we stayed here) with a kitchen or prep area, this lets you fully take advantage of all the incredible fruit that the island has to offer. Sri Lankan papaya is, in my opinion, the best in the world, and the pineapple doesn’t trail too far behind.
To me, Weligama feels like home; somewhere I could settle with ease, into a lovely routine of waking early to surf, eating amazing fresh food, meeting incredible people at every turn, eating more beautiful food, surfing again, doing some work and getting an early night. What more could you want, right?
