Christmas in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka (1/4) By Dave F

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4).

Photograph Gallery 1, Gallery 2.

I hate Christmas for too many reasons to mention and the chance to get away from it all this year it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Knowing someone with a house in Sri Lanka which stands empty for 9 months every year definitely has its benefits. I'm travelling with a mate and his daughter who've been here several times before so I get some insight into what to expect. With 30 years of catering to hippies, surfers and back-packers under its belt, Hikkaduwa is less a holiday destination and more a change of life.

I call it 'life therapy.' As I climb out of the taxi, time slows down and I regress 30 years to a much more simple time. Everyone I pass on the street is smiling and trying to make eye-contact with me, wanting nothing more than a smile in return, but after living all my life in the UK this is alien behaviour to me. I go with it anyway and I'm surprised how good this bit of human contact makes me feel and not wanting to be an Englishman in Sri Lanka, I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat for the rest of the holiday.

Sri Lanka is a cheap place to stay with rooms on the beach from £4 per day, cheaper jungle-side. The rooms are pretty basic with just a bed and a bathroom with a cold shower but to be honest that's all you need. Rooms with hot water and air-conditioning are available for around £20 a night if you fancy treating yourself. Grub is just as cheap, consisting of curries, noodles, lots of fish which is all caught locally and as fresh as you can get and with lots of fruit like mangos, bananas and papaya the local food is never boring.

If you can't handle the local fare, there are a few places run by Europeans where you can get a nice Australian rump steak or genuine Italian pizza which will cost twice as much as a local dish but is still very cheap by UK standards. Loretta's on the Beach is a top spot for breakfast where you can get a full English or a crispy bacon butty all day long and if you like a good steak, check out Loretta's Restaurant. Run by the same people and fronted by Adam, an Australian who talks the best steak ever I spent many an evening here 'drinking piss and talking shit.'

With bars the length of the beach there's always a party going on somewhere and at 50p for a bottle of Carlsberg and even less for a shot of Arrack it's very easy to get carried away. Top Secret is a good bar to hang out in at night and Vibrations, which only opens on Fridays have their own drummers who always bring the house down. Another place to mention is Roger's Garage which shows all the latest movies, has a great menu and 2 pool tables but there are so many bars here, all worth checking out that you'll be spoilt for choice.

Continued ... next page (2/4)

Photograph Gallery 1, Gallery 2.

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